Wood Watches Steel Bicycles Raw Pet Food Replica Police Lanterns
Sure, your mobile phone will give you the time, but not nearly as conveniently or fashionably as a wristwatch does. Watches come in a variety of materials, often combined with stainless steel. But one of the more creative pairings is stainless steel with wood. This company makes wristwatches which feature exotic hardwood accents. This particular model is a limited-edition series designed for new york yankees baseball fans. The blue-painted maple comes from wooden seats salvaged from the original yankee stadium, which opened in 1923. At the watch factory, a worker first cuts a strip of wood just over a third of an inch thick, then cuts it into blocks measuring around three fourths of an inch by a third of an inch each. Manufacturers will ultimately use these blocks to make the wood inlays in the links of the watch bracelet. The worker then cuts another strip from a piece of wood, this one nearly a quarter of an inch thick. The worker then cuts this strip into nearly 2-by-2-inch squares. Each one will become a ring called a bezel that goes around the watch dial. Another worker mounts one square at a time on a lathe and bores a hole through the middle. She mounts several board squares onto a steel mandrill that attaches to the lathe along with the bezel template. As the lathe turns, a steel roughing gouge rounds the squares to the diameter of the template. She takes one bezel at a time and cuts it to the required thickness, about a tenth of an inch. She then shaves wood from the underside so as not to remove the historic blue paint on top. To make the watch case, which houses the dial and movement, the manufacturers cut a blank piece of extruded stainless steel, then place it in a computer-guided machine. Under a continuous shower of lubricant, the machine's 12 different tools take turns shaping the piece into a watch case. The first tools bore a hole in the middle for the movement and carve a groove around the hole for the wood bezel. The next tools cut the outside profile of the case and the lugs for attaching the watch band. Then, the final tool drills holes in the lugs for the spring-loaded pins that attach the watch band to the case. Another computer-guided machine makes the watch band and links out of a bar of stainless steel. This machine reduces the bar and width, carves out the links and bores holes for the connecting pins. A process called ion plating puts a black finish on all the stainless-steel parts. Then, a worker assembles two bands and connects one to the watch clasp. Next, he attaches the watch case window. It's made of sapphire glass, a crystal that's exceptionally durable. He inserts the self-winding movement and dial. The dial is a sheet of brass with cut-out numbers and indices over a base. Coated in luminescent paint, the watch glows in the dark. He secures the movement to the case with a retaining ring, then inserts the crown, which sets the dial's hands. The worker screws on the stainless-steel case back. The watch's window of sapphire glass allows you to see the working movement inside. The case back is engraved with the name of the limited-edition collection and this watch's number in the series. He attaches the watch band to the case with spring pins. With the watch now fully assembled, it's time to inlay the yankee stadium wooden chair accents. Using a toothpick, a worker applies epoxy glue to the rectangular recess in each link. Then he places a wooden link piece in each recess. He follows the same process for the dial's wooden bezel. A worker sets the watch aside for 24 hours to let the adhesive set. Then the worker buffs the entire surface on a cloth polishing wheel. This process removes the fingerprints and dust and smoothes those historic wood accents. The watch automatically winds with wrist movement to reliably tell the time while nostalgically going back in time. If you're looking for an affordable bicycle that's durable and has great shock absorption capabilities, then a bike made of steel is for you. It's a bit heavier than a high-end bicycle made of aluminum or carbon fiber, but this rugged material buys you a smoother ride at a significantly lower price. This three-speed steel bicycle is sturdy and comfortable enough to ride recreationally or daily to school or work. A cargo rack in the rear can hold your purse, backpack or briefcase. The bike is made of chromoly steel, which is, pound-for-pound, stronger than standard steel. To prepare the bike's tubular parts including the frame, a worker cuts steel tube with a horizontal band saw into specific-length pieces. He then clamps certain frame pieces into a milling machine, which will cut a curve into one or both ends depending on the piece's location in the final assembly. This notch, as it's called, will let the tube butt up against the side of an adjacent tube when the bike's frame is assembled. The notched edge is ragged, so the worker smoothes it out with a small belt sander. Certain frame parts are straight, others bent. To make the bent ones, another worker places the piece of tube in a tube bender, a press that forces the tube against a curved dye. Once all the frame parts are ready, a welder clamps them in a fixture, which correctly positions them for assembly. He works with a welding torch in one hand and a rod of filler metal in the other. The torch melts adjacent tubes at their meeting point so that they fuse together. The welder also melts in some filler metal to strengthen the joint. The bicycle frame is made up of nine major parts. And the welder welds them to each other in two sections, forming the rear triangle and the front triangle. This is the rear one, which alone requires nine meticulous welds. Once each triangle is separately assembled, he welds them together. Another worker sprays the frame with powder-coat primer, then color. Powder coat is an industrial-grade, paint-like finish, which he bakes onto the metal at almost 400 degrees fahrenheit for 20 minutes. When the frame comes out of the oven, another worker presses steel caps into what's called the head tube, that vertical tube at the front of the frame which holds the handlebars on top and the fork for the front wheel at the bottom. Bearings inside the caps let the handlebars and fork turn left and right with ease. To put the bicycle together, the worker suspends the frame in an assembly stand and then inserts the bottom bracket, which will ultimately support the bike's drivetrain system. The bike's fenders are made of sheet steel that's shaped with pressure-applying rollers. The rear fender attaches to the rear dropout and at fender mounts at two other locations on the frame's rear triangle. He screws the cargo rack to middle and rear rack supports. Then, he inserts and bolts the rear wheel into the rear dropout. The wheel hub has three built-in gears. The hub and rim are made of aluminum, which is lightweight and doesn't rust. The wheel spokes are stainless steel. Next, the worker installs the drivetrain system, inserting the crank arms, already mounted to the chain ring, onto the bottom bracket. He tightens the bolt securely with a torque wrench. Workers then insert the fork into the bottom of the head tube and chrome-plated steel handlebars into the top mount, the front fender and front wheel, then install the pedals, vinyl seat, chain and chain guard. With the gear shifter and front brake lever on the handlebars, this steel bicycle is ready to hit the road. For some pet owners, feeding raw food to fido is a natural choice. It harkens back to the common ancestor of all dog breeds, the wolf. In the wild, wolves eat raw meat and occasionally some greens, so the theory goes that dogs are genetically predisposed to thrive on a raw-meat diet. Dogs have been domesticated for thousands of years, but when it comes to their diet, they can still go a little wild. Raw canine cuisine may be a foreign concept to some pet owners, but it's becoming more mainstream. The makers of raw dog food often mix fruits and vegetables with meat to provide fiber and create a balanced meal. The process starts with a lot of slicing and dicing. A food worker chops the fruits and veggies into smaller pieces so they'll be able to go through a grinder more easily. He also removes the seeds from the apples and the squash because the seeds aren't as easily digested as the rest of the fruit and provide no additional nutrition. This raw pet food recipe calls for a variety of fruits and vegetables. Though, in total, they will comprise just 5% of the meal. The rest of the raw blend will consist of meat, bones, organs and fish. Another food worker chops up the chicken, which has been organically raised and has even been approved for human consumption. Except for the breasts, all the parts of the chicken will be used in the main recipe. This includes the heart, liver, gizzards and the bones. Raw, whole sardines, anchovies and mackerel will add essential fatty acids to the raw chicken blend. All the ingredients have been prepared and are now ready for grinding. A worker feeds the components to the grinder in small batches interspersing the meat, fish and the vegetables. This ensures even distribution, as the grinder minces everything to a uniform particle size. The result is a thick emulsion of finely ground chicken meat, bones, vegetables, fruits and fish. She transfers the minced raw ingredients to a mixer. The revolving paddles further blend the food. After about 5 minutes in the mixer, all the ingredients have been combined into one homogeneous raw mass. This chicken blend is now complete. The worker divides it into 5-pound batches and scoops it into bags. She vacuum seals the bag. Removing all the air inside will allow the raw blend to stay fresh longer. Refrigerated, it should last for up to 10 days and, if frozen, it should be good for several months. For the furry members of the family, dinner is ready to be served. To make some raw pet snacks, a worker de-shells new zealand green-lipped mussels, a species that is believed to have fast-acting anti-inflammatory properties. After she cuts the mussels free from the shells, she places them on racks for air-drying. She transfers the rack into a drying tent where fans keep air circulating 24 hours a day. As the mussels dry, they shrink. After 72 hours in the tent, the moisture content is substantially reduced. Air drying has preserved the flesh of the mussels in the raw state while preventing damage to the nutrients and enzymes they contain. Now preserved, she packs the mussels into plastic bags and adds an iron oxide packet to absorb oxygen and prevent spoilage. This raw pet food is now ready to nourish the wolf in your dog. Before the invention of electricity, criminal acts were hidden by darkness. Police officers carried special lanterns as they pursued suspects. Today, craftsmen replicate these lanterns for the movie and television industries. These props are authentically replicated pieces of police history. With a thick bull's-eye lens to magnify the light from the flame, the 19th-century police lantern helped find bad guys on shadowy streets. To replicate a vintage police lantern, the craftsman starts with a piece of steel. Using a scribe, he traces around a pattern to transfer the outline to the blank. He marks notches for hinges and for the latch and etches the shape of the lens hole in the center. He draws two diagonal lines in the lens hole area. The point where the lines intersect determines the exact center. He punches a divot into the steel at this cross point. He scribes lines along the edges for bending into a reinforced border later on. He cuts out the hinge and latch notches following the transferred pattern lines. Next, he aligns the center divot with a punch and then activates the punch to cut out the hole for the lantern lens. The craftsman now bends wire to match the profile of the lantern door. He aligns the wire with the scribed lines on the edge of the door and folds the metal over it. Bending the door to the correct curvature completes the part. Following another pattern, the craftsman marks the location for vent holes in the blank that will become the lantern's main structure. He cuts out the vent holes where he's made the marks using a hand-operated punch. He then rolls the blank into a cylinder. It takes a couple of passes to achieve the correct curvature. Moving on to the lantern's lens holder, the craftsman crimps a bead around one end. This bead helps to retain the bull's-eye lens in the holder. Returning to the lantern body, he hammers the top rim around the cap. He preps the surface for soldering with a chemical cleaning agent known as flux. He then solders the joint to secure the top to the lantern. He also solders a raised panel to the back. This substantial panel serves as support for handles. He then cleans the solder joints with acetone. Next, he wraps metal hinges around the wire that runs through the notches in the door. He crimps the hinges together at the ends and positions the door on the lantern body. He adjusts the hinges so the ends sit level on the lantern. He solders the hinges to the steel structure. The craftsman inserts the bull's-eye lens assembly into the hole in the center of the lantern door, and he solders the joint. He pins and solders the two tiers of a copper chimney. He places the chimney over the hole in the top of the lantern and tucks more pins into holes in the chimney. The craftsman installs a decorative part in the top, one that won't obstruct the chimney hole. He assembles the handles to the raised panel at the back of the lantern. Once the soldered seam hardens, he files it down. The craftsman tests the latch on the door and confirms that it operates perfectly. After taping up the lens and handles, he spray paints the lantern black. Now it's time to assemble the oil-burning mechanism. First, the craftsman melts solder onto a threaded brass collar and transfers it to the oil tank. He reheats the solder to melt it into the joint. He inserts the wick in the tank and screws the burner to the collar. And that completes the lantern's light source. This replica police lantern will be a working prop designed to shine on tv and the movies.