Tea Roof Finials Artificial Flowers Alloy Wheels
After water, tea is the most consumed beverage in the world. The different types are determined by the degree to which the producer lets the harvested leaves oxidize before drying them. Green tea, for example, is barely fermented, whereas black tea is greatly fermented. Oolong falls somewhere in between. In chinese, oolong means "black dragon". It's a semi-oxidized tea fermented more than green tea, yet less than black tea. Its taste, aroma, and color, from light yellow to dark red, vary according to how the tea leaves are processed. This amber oolong produced in thailand has a rich, smooth roasted taste. Like most teas, oolong is made from the leaves of a flowering plant species called camellia sinensis. Harvest time is during the plant's peak growing season, which, in thailand, is from may to november. Workers handpick what's known as the flush, a grouping of two young leaves and a bud, which grows out the top of the plant. At this time of year, the plant produces a new flush every 7 to 15 days. An experienced tea master directs every phase of the processing, the first step of which is called solar withering. Workers bring the leaves into a glass-roofed building, then spread them out in the sun for 15 to 20 minutes. This kick-starts the oxidization fermentation process as the chlorophyll enzymes inside the wilting leaves start breaking down. At the same time, the moisture inside begins evaporating. Workers keep moving the leaves around to ensure a thorough exposure to the sun. Then they gather up the leaves for step two-- indoor withering. The leaves lie on bamboo trays for six to eight hours, where, gently stirred every two hours, they oxidize further. Step three-- disruption. The leaves go into a rotating drum. As they tumble, they bruise and tear. This breaks down the cell structures, enabling oxygen to penetrate deep inside, greatly accelerating fermentation. This also releases the leaf juices, which help draw out the taste of the tea. When the tea master determines the leaves have sufficiently oxidized, they stop the oxidation process by tumbling the leaves in a gas-heated dryer for 10 to 15 minutes. This fourth step of the process is called fixation because it fixes the oxidization at the desired level, which can be anywhere from 8% to 85%, depending on the variety of oolong in production. This is the most critical part of the process because it determines the tea's taste, aroma, and color. The next step forms the tea leaves into tiny pellets. First, workers shake the leaves on a sieve to filter out the dust-like particles. Then they bag the leaves in a cotton cloth and place them first in a kneading machine, then afterward in a rolling press. Kneading and rolling the bag twists the leaves inside into tiny pellets. Forming these pellet shapes intensifies the flavor of the tea, and, when the tea is steeped in hot water, releases that flavor slowly. They repeat the sieving, kneading, and rolling cycle up to 35 times until the tea master is satisfied with the result. Then and only then does the final step begin-- firing. They transfer the tea to an oven, in which it undergoes three drying cycles of 20 minutes each at a temperature of approximately 210 degrees fahrenheit. This dries the damp tea, reducing the moisture content to the target level of less than 5%. The firing also brings out the fragrance. The traditional way to brew oolong is in a clay teapot, using about 2 teaspoons of tea per cup. Ideally, the water should be 190 to 210 degrees fahrenheit. Steeping time is from 3 to 10 minutes, and you can brew the same leaves up to five times. Originally crafted from stone by the greeks, finials are still on top. Perched on peaks and gables, these roof ornaments are a crowning touch to any structure. They can make even an ordinary home look a little more grand, and after all, every home is someone's castle. On many structures, finials still rule the roof and give people a reason to look up. The design of these roof ornaments usually reflects the style of the building and the owner's taste. They're often custom made for the client and entirely hand crafted. To make a copper finial, the artisan first draws the design on paper. Like many finials, this one will have a point, a central orb, and skirting. Once the design has been approved by the client, he draws larger versions of it onto poster board. They'll serve as templates for the copper parts. Here, he draws the patterns for the elaborate scroll work. To execute the design, he gets creative. He uses copper refrigerator tubing to make the scrollwork. It's malleable and can easily be shaped. He positions a pipe cutter device at the cut line. The device grips the tubing, but can still be turned to cut the pipe cleanly at the desired location. He flattens one end with a sledgehammer so it can be tucked into a groove in this large pvc plumbing pipe. With the end secured, he physically bends the copper tubing around this pipe to give it the desired curvature. He compares the curvature to that of the pattern and makes adjustments. He continues shaping the pipe, now using only the scrollwork pattern as a guide. He'll make several of these copper scrollwork parts for one roof ornament. With an etching tool, he now traces the shape of the skirting pattern onto copper roof sheeting. He cuts reference points for the bends and removes the pattern. He then extends the bend lines with the etching tool. He now cuts out the skirting part with standard hand shears following the etched outline. One last trim along the edge, and the skirting is ready for the sheet metal bending machine. He clamps it into place and pulls a handle to apply hydraulic pressure and bend the part along the etched lines. He repositions the skirting and bends it at the next etched marking point. He continues until there are six evenly spaced folds in the copper. This transforms it into a hexagonal pyramid. To seal it where the ends meet, he prepares the surface. He applies an acid called flux to clean the copper. He ignites the torch and melts solder into the seam. The solder is half-lead and half-tin and provides a good seal. He sands the soldered seam against a fine, abrasive belt to blend it with the copper. The finial skirting is now complete. He now drills holes into a hollow copper orb. He slides the orb onto a long copper spike that's been installed in the base. He cleans the copper where the two parts meet and solders them together. He adds a second smaller orb and the extravagant scrollwork. He now solders the spiked cap to the finial. This adds height and drama to the rooftop ornament. This finial is now complete and ready for high places. Making one has truly been a pinnacle achievement. Artificial flowers have been used as decorations for hundreds of years. Initially, silk flowers made in china were displayed in homes and not commercially sold. As far back as the 12th century, italian flower makers using dye-colored silkworm cocoons were the first to sell their floral arrangements. Modern imitations of natural flowering plants are endless in variety, stunning in color, with realism so impressive, they can look and feel like the real thing. Since the '70s, most are made of polyester fabrics. A worker places an iron cutter blade on top of non-woven polyester and then applies several tons of hydraulic pressure to complete the cuts. The result is 20 layers of flower petals. The worker wraps piles of 100 petals in elastic bands and sets them aside. Another worker places petals into a heated mold to give the fabric texture. Using a glue gun, a worker completes the flower's petal structure by assembling two different shapes of non-woven polyester petals. This is part of the flower head. In the coloring department, a worker paints the pieces of non-woven polyester using watercolor. She paints the edges of the flower heads in bundles of 100 at a time. The painted flower heads go into a microwave for two to five minutes. The dried flower heads now undergo silk screening one at a time using acrylic paint. Customers can choose among more than 50 different color patterns. The flower heads have been pressed to simulate natural curving. Using a glue gun, a worker connects the flower head to the petals of this phalaenopsis orchid. The goal is not only to make the flowers look as real as possible. It's also to make them feel as real as possible, which takes us to the next stage. An employee puts two flowers together... Lines them up, then adds a stick, which will be held in the next part of the process. She encircles them tightly with an elastic band. Another worker dips the two flowers in polymer, which helps make them feel real to the touch. She spins the flowers to remove as much excess polymer as possible. Workers then brush excess polymer from the petals. A worker attaches flower buds to the stem using green floral tape. She attaches the petals and flower head and continues to wrap the stem in floral tape until the entire length is covered. To make the leaves feel real to the touch, a worker dips them in polymer and wipes off any excess with her fingers. After one hour of drying, the worker dips the same leaves in green polymer. Again, she removes any excess and sets the leaves aside for another hour of drying. Once they're dry, another worker gives the leaves a final coat of polymer paint. She removes the excess and sets the leaves aside for yet another hour of drying. All the drying is done at room temperature. Now coated with several layers of polymer, the leaves stick to each other. To fix that, a worker applies a thin coating of talcum powder with a sponge. The coating solves the problem of sticky leaves. With its many components fully assembled, this finished flower is a rather dazzling recreation of the cymbidium orchid. Shipping these flowers requires careful packaging. They wrap the glass vase in clear plastic... And place it securely inside a polystyrene base. The flower is lowered into the box upside down. The base is snug enough to keep the flower from moving inside the box, which the worker then seals shut for shipping. Authentic looking and feeling, these striking flowers are sure to make any decor blossom. Higher-end cars typically come with alloy wheels rather than basic steel wheels covered with a hubcap. Called mag wheels, because when they first came out, they were made of an alloy of magnesium. Today's alloy wheels are made of an aluminum alloy, which is far more durable. Aluminum alloy wheels are not only more attractive than standard wheels. They're also a fraction of the weight, and therefore require less energy to rotate. This contributes to greater fuel efficiency as well as better handling, acceleration, and braking. Manufacturing them begins with high-grade aluminum alloy containing 97% aluminum. A furnace heats the ingots to over 1,300 degrees fahrenheit. They liquify in about 25 minutes. The molten aluminum then flows directly to a mixer in which they inject argon gas, which enables them to remove the hydrogen. This increases the density, making the aluminum less porous when solidified. After adding powdered titanium, magnesium, and other metallic elements to further strengthen the aluminum, they blend in flux, a chemical which draws aluminum oxide to the surface. They skim off this impurity along with the flux, and the liquid aluminum is ready for casting. The wheel mold is made of high-strength steel. It's actually a set of three molds-- the upper mold, which forms the inside face of the wheel, the 4-part side mold, which forms the wheel's edge, and the lower mold, which forms the outer face. That's the side with the design, so this is the most intricate mold. It takes three to four weeks to produce a mold. Computer simulations check the flow and temperature of the liquid aluminum, factors critical for preventing casting defects. The casting machine is designed to fill the mold from the bottom by pressurized injection. Injecting upward through the bottom, rather than pouring downward into the top, reduces the risk of air bubbles, which cause defects. Right before casting, the molten metal flows through a filter sheet made of high-temperature-resistant ceramic. This traps additional aluminum oxide. Once cast, the aluminum takes about 7 to 10 minutes to solidify. Then the mold automatically opens, releasing the newly cast wheel. Workers submerge it in lukewarm water for a few minutes. This cools it down enough to be handled. The wheel undergoes a complex heat treatment process that takes 12 hours from start to finish. First, they heat the wheel to 900 degrees fahrenheit. This rearranges the molecular structure, strengthening the metal. Next, what's known as quenching. They submerge the wheel in 80-degree water for 30 seconds. This locks in that new strength. Then they reheat the wheel, this time to 180 degrees for nine hours to further stabilize the metal. The wheel doesn't come out of the mold in perfect condition. The edges are rough, due to some excess metal that has to be trimmed off. So they mount the wheel on a computer-guided lathe. It precision-machines the sides, refining them to within 0.05 millimeters of the measurements specified in the technical drawings. As for the more intricate base of the wheel, a worker manually trims the edges with a blade. The shape now finalized, it's time to test the wheel to make sure it's airtight. While pumping air into the wheel, they submerge it in water. Should any air bubbles appear, it would mean there's a pinhole in the metal or some shrinkage, in which case, the wheel would fail inspection. No air bubbles. The wheel proceeds to the automated painting line. First, a base coat, then a coat of color, which can be anything from classic silver or black to a flashier shade. Then a clear coat to protect the paint and prevent corrosion. From every 1,500 or so wheels, the factory randomly selects two or three to test for performance and wear. Workers install the decorative cap that covers the center hub. It typically bears the specific brand's logo. Then a final cosmetic inspection to make sure these aluminum alloy wheels look as good as they perform.