Racing Shells Stainless Steel Sinks Leather Pedal Steel Guitar
Today on "how it's made"... Racing shells... Stainless-steel sinks... Leather... And pedal steel guitars. The racing shell is a high-tech rowboat that's built for speed. Long and exceptionally narrow, it's designed to cut through wave drag and leave the competition in its wake. Racing shells are made for single rowers, called scullers, for pairs, or entire crews. They're custom-made to precise specifications. Racers need to travel light to maintain speed, so these boats are made from reinforced carbon fiber, which weighs a lot less than wood. First, several of these carbon-fiber sheets are layered in a mold and trimmed along the edge. Textured thermoplastic called honeycomb gets a spray of glue and is then pressed onto the carbon-fiber plies. Sandwiched between layers of carbon fiber, the honeycomb will serve as the shell's core, lending some lightweight reinforcement to the delicate hull. Next, the entire boat is wrapped in breather cloth and a plastic bag so that the air can be vacuumed from between the layers. The breather cloth is a permeable layer that prevents the plastic from sticking to the mold and creating air pockets. Next, the shell goes into a long oven, which melts the glue that's been impregnated in the carbon material, fusing the layers together. The shell bakes at 210 degrees for 8 hours. Then the plastic and breather cloth are pulled away. And the boat is pried out of the mold using plastic wedges. The hull comes out in one solid piece, and a primer paint sprayed into the mold earlier has adhered to the shell's surface. Workers check the weight, which has to be exactly what the customer ordered. Next, they reinforce the boat's cockpit with several carbon-fiber bulkheads. Foam is glued on the inside rim of the racing shell, using a piece of wood as a guide. Glue is applied around the bulkheads. Then the cockpit panel is lowered so that it adheres to the glued areas and rests on top of the foam that's been installed along the edges. Next, a computerized tool drills holes for the hardware and riggers and workers trim the rim from stern to bow. They smooth the holes' finish with a grinding tool. And now it's over to the paint station for some sanding and priming. Any flaws are marked for repair because the slightest imperfection could affect the boat's ability to speed through the water. Once the boat is perfectly smooth, it gets a high-gloss urethane coating. Next, a fin is installed for a little stability. A laser guide helps align it into perfect position. A rudder goes into the bottom of the boat. The system of ropes that's attached next will allow the rowers to steer. This boat comes with special shoes and sliding seats that allow rowers to put a lot of leg power into their strokes. Finally, the rigging equipment for the oars goes in. Now this sleek racing shell is ready to hit the water. When we return, turning stainless steel into a sparkling new sink. The stainless-steel sink is an invention born of patriotism. It evolved during world war ii when sinks were often made from copper-nickel material called monel. When that material was needed for the war effort, stainless steel was drafted for use on the home front, and it's still on kitchen duty to this day. Stainless steel is lightweight and heavy-duty, which makes it great for sinks. The process begins with a large sheet of stainless steel, uncoiled and sliced into pieces called blanks. Each blank goes under a 1,000-ton press. As the press descends, a punch rises from below, stretching the steel into a rough sink shape. This process also transforms the steel on a molecular level, hardening it. Workers brush lubricant in and around the sink bowl to make it easier to stretch it again. The bowl goes under the same punch press a second time for more precise shaping. This second working of the steel hardens it even more. Now the sink goes under a different punch device that cuts out a drain hole and forms a lip around it. As coolant flushes the sink, an abrasive belt grinds the surface to give it a brushed look. Next, a sink bowl slides into a welding machine. A second sink bowl is lined up against the first one. Inside, an electrode welds the two sinks together. Using enormous force, a roller moves across the seam to flatten it. A grinding belt behind the roller sands it down. Now that the seam joining the two sinks is level and smooth... It's time to give the sink's rim some shape. This die forms recesses along the sink's perimeter. These recesses give the sink a sleek look and collect water runoff. Another press trims the rim and gives it a bevel finish, which softens those rough edges. Now, using a punch cutter, workers pierce the back rim of the sink to make holes for faucets and a soap dispenser. Then they grind and buff the sink to a fine finish. It's a very intensive process that takes about 25 minutes. The company's trademark is embossed on the sink. Then the sink's drains are plugged and a substance similar to latex paint is sprayed onto the outside. The finish will muffle the sound of clattering dishes and protect the outside of the sink from condensation. It takes about 2 1/2 hours to make a stainless-steel sink-- a functional and stylish addition to any kitchen. Coming up, turning hairy cowhides into buttery-smooth leather. Leather production dates back to primitive times when humans rubbed fats into animal skins to preserve them. Times have changed, but leather endures. From footwear to furniture, this tough material remains an integral part of our lives. This leather comes from the hides of cows killed for meat. Without tanning, these cowhides would go to waste. Converting them to leather is a kind of recycling. The first step is to cut each hide in half. The hides are draped over a sawhorse, stamped with an identification code... And sliced down the center. Two smaller pieces will be easier to handle and process than one large hide. Hundreds of these hide halves are loaded into a modified cement mixer for some serious hair removal. As the mixer fills with water, a worker dumps in a combination of sodium sulfydrate and lime. A chemical reaction strips the hair from the hides. The hairless hides now get an acid bath to prepare them for the tanning process. The tanning itself happens inside big wooden drums with prongs to keep the skins from getting tangled. Chrome salts turn the hides a robin's-egg blue as they bind to the collagen fibers of the skins. The hides have now been preserved into leather. Next, the pieces are fed grain-side up into a machine that slices the leather to an even thickness. The cutoffs won't be wasted. They'll be recycled into suede. Workers check each piece of leather with a gauge to confirm that the thickness is uniform. Now it's back into the wooden drums for a second tanning, this time using a solution of vegetable extract, tree bark, and water. Dye is added along with a chemical that will make the leather water-resistant. The solution binds to the leather, giving it a brownish tone. It's a gentler process than the first tanning, and it softens the leather. Now a mixture of starch and water is brushed onto the tanned hides. This paste-like solution allows the hides to be pressed onto big glass frames, which also have been moistened with the same starchy mixture. This process allows the leather to dry flat... Prevents it from shrinking... And stops the edges from curling up. After four hours in a dryer, it's time to remove the leather. It easily peels away from the glass. A revolving paint-gun system dyes the leather. And now it's time for the finishing touches. A glazing jack pulls a glass cylinder over the leather, and the abrasive action polishes it. This glass is very strong, so it can do this vigorous work without shattering. Finally, huge heated rollers smooth out any wrinkles. It's the end of the production line for this big pile of leather but just the beginning for so many other products. Fashionable and tough, it's no wonder this ancient material continues to be one of our favorite products today. Up next, an instrument that's almost as tricky to build as it is to play. Playing the pedal steel guitar takes quite a lot of skill. You slide a steel bar up and down the strings as you pluck them, all the while operating a system of pedals and knee levers below. This means using both hands, both feet, and both knees. But a pedal steel guitar's unique sound and impressive range are worth all the effort. to make one, a guitar maker first carves the neck of the instrument from hardwood. He beads glue around the edges of the neck and applies strips of intricate wooden inlay. Once the fretboard design is silk-screened onto the top, the guitar neck is complete. The guitar maker then outlines a design onto aircraft-grade aluminum and cuts it out to make an end plate for the guitar frame. He pops the end plate out of the holding device. Then he welds it to the rest of the framework and polishes everything to a mirror finish. Next, the part of the guitar called the steps is machined. The holes in the steps will be used to attach tuning pegs. There's one for every string. The steps are attached to the neck just above the fretboard. This is the pickup plate. It will hold the device that transfers sound to the amplifier as well as a series of metal fingers. The fingers are made from several aluminum pieces that are machined and assembled together. The fingers pivot to raise and lower the pitch of the strings. All of the fingers are fitted into the pickup plate and secured with screws. The guitar maker double-checks the fingers' movement, then he hooks springs to the end of each one to maintain the proper tension. A little grease ensures that this next step goes smoothly-- the production of the guitar's cross-shafts. Then it's on to the guitar's undercarriage and the system of foot pedals and knee levers that will move the fingers. The guitar maker screws several cross-shafts, one for each pedal, into the undercarriage. He attaches bell cranks to the cross-shafts... Then connects thin steel rods from the fingers to the bell cranks. This system will allow the performer to tighten or relax strings while playing, which gives the instrument its characteristic sound. The guitar maker tests the knee lever. Here he's winding copper-coated wire around a cartridge thousands of times to make the guitar's pickup, which transfers sound from the guitar to the amplifier. He takes two of the wire-bound cartridges and places a magnet between them to complete the pickup. Then he fits it into the other slot in the pickup plate just above the fingers. Now, using a gauge and a level, he adjusts the pickup. It has to sit low enough in the slot that it won't interfere with the strings. There's no room for error here. The positioning must be exact or the guitar won't sound right. 10 to 12 strings are attached to the guitar neck. Some instruments have two necks to add even more dimension to the sound.