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Narrator: today on
"How it's made"...
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Ceramic tiles...
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Nuts...
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Steel forgings...
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And skateboards.
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Ceramic tiles are
A popular choice for flooring,
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Kitchen backsplashes,
And bathroom walls.
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They can withstand humidity and
Won't absorb liquids or odors.
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They're also fireproof,
Fade-resistant,
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And stain-resistant.
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And no matter how much
You walk on them,
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Ceramic tiles never wear out.
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This factory specializes
In wall tiles.
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Floor tiles are made using
The same process
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But with different materials.
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The starting material here is
Talc -- a soft, powdery mineral.
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They blend it with four
Different powdered chemicals,
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The names of which
Are a company secret.
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The ingredients go into a mixer,
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Where they're hydrated until
They're 6% water to 94% powder.
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The mixer runs
For precisely 12 minutes.
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Any longer would heat
The mixture and dry it out.
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The mixture is now slightly damp
And quite lumpy.
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A conveyor belt transports it
To a grinder
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That mills it to a fine texture.
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This mixture is now ready
To be formed
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Into various models of tiles.
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The factory uses
Fully automated machinery
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To produce
Its 1.6-square-inch tiles --
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A standard wall tile size.
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A moving tray first deposits
A batch of mixture into a mold.
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The mold's cavity is in the
Shape of six upside-down tiles.
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A press descends,
Applying both heat and pressure.
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This compacts the mixture
Into the cavity,
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Solidifying the shape.
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As the press rises,
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The mold automatically pops out
The tiles.
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They roll off the machine
Onto a conveyor belt.
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The belt now flips the tiles
Right side up
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Without breaking them --
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Which is quite a feat,
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Considering that these
Yet-to-be-baked tiles
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Aren't fully hardened.
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The equipment is
Precision-adjusted
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To handle the tiles gently
At all production phases.
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A revolving brush
Now sweeps the tiles clean.
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Their surface must be free
Of dust and other contaminants
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For paint to adhere properly.
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The factory uses
A water-based paint
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That's specifically designed
For ceramics.
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It continually circulates
In a vat,
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Keeping the color well-blended.
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The painting process resembles
An automatic car wash.
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The tiles travel
Through four spray zones,
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Each of which applies
A thin coat of paint.
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Then they pass
Under powerful heating elements,
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Which dry the paint
In mere seconds.
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All that's left
Is to bake the tiles,
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Which we'll see shortly.
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The factory uses
The same ceramic mixture
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To produce
These square border tiles.
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They look just like
The other wall tiles,
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Except that two of the sides
Are rounded.
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When you install a row
Of these border tiles
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Above the regular tiles,
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The rounded edges produce
A clean, finished look.
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While the factory uses
The same painting process
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For border tiles,
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The molding process,
As you just saw,
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Is somewhat different.
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Rather than being
Fully automated,
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It requires some manual labor
Due to the tiles' complex shape.
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That's why border tiles
Are often more expensive
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Than regular tiles.
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When the tiles come
Out of the dryer,
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Workers stack them
On wooden racks.
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They load the racks
Onto mobile carts
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And then roll the carts into a
Gas-powered oven called a kiln.
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This factory's kiln
Is 190 feet long --
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Longer than
An olympic-size swimming pool
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And large enough to bake
50,000 wall tiles at once.
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The firing, as it's called,
Takes 14 hours.
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Any sudden change in temperature
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Could produce thermal shock
And crack the tiles,
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So the kiln starts out
At 390 degrees fahrenheit,
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Climbing gradually to a peak
Of 1,970 degrees,
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Then descends slowly back
To the starting temperature.
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After a cooling period
That lasts roughly an hour,
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The tiles come out.
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They're now fully hardened
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And ready to have their back
To the wall.
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Narrator: scan the snack-food
Aisle of your local supermarket,
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And you'll notice that barbecue,
Ketchup, and salt-and-vinegar
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Are no longer limited
To potato chips.
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Nuts come in
Tantalizing taste choices, too.
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But if you're a traditionalist,
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You can still buy them plain,
Salted, or unsalted.
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The botanical definition
Of a nut
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Is a dry, one-seed fruit
In a hard shell
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That doesn't open on its own.
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Most peanuts have two seeds,
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So even though
We call them nuts,
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They're technically a legume --
A type of pea.
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One way to prepare peanuts for
Sale is to roast them whole,
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Right in their shells.
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This is known as dry-roasting
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Because they cook the peanuts
Without using any oil
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In a large convection oven.
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The oven temperature
Is 300 degree fahrenheit.
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The roasting process
Takes about a half-hour.
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When the peanuts come out,
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They're fully cooked
And ready to be eaten.
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Before the peanuts
Go off to be packaged,
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A worker inspects them,
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Removing any shell fragments
And foreign matter.
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Another way to prepare peanuts
Or other nuts for sale
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Is to dry-roast only the seeds.
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These peanut seeds arrive
At the factory
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With their shells and skins
Already removed.
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A conveyor transports them
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To a revolving drum
Called the tumbler.
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As the tumbler spins,
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The nuts are sprayed
With a liquid seasoning mixture,
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One of 10 flavors
This company produces --
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Salted, smoked, ketchup,
Barbecue, and salt-and-vinegar,
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Just to name a few.
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The rotating action ensures
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The seasoning
Coats the nuts thoroughly.
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Now a conveyor transports the
Peanuts to a convection oven.
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The conveyor turns
From side to side,
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Spreading the peanuts
In a thin layer
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So that
They'll dry-roast evenly.
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They roast
For the same length of time
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And at the same temperature
As peanuts in the shell --
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About a half-hour
At 300 degrees fahrenheit.
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As they exit the oven,
A worker breaks up any clumps.
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When they use the other method
Of preparing shelled nuts,
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They tumble on the seasoning
After cooking.
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Instead of dry-roasting
The nuts, as we saw earlier,
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They fry them in oil.
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This process is called
Oil-roasting.
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It gives the nuts
A greasier, fried taste.
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These cashews are on their way
To be oil-roasted.
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They go into a huge frying tank
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Containing 580 gallons
Of canola oil
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Heated to
320 degrees fahrenheit.
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The nuts come out fully cooked
15 minutes later,
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And they're steaming hot.
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A powerful ventilation system
Draws the heat outdoors,
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Cooling the cashews
To room temperature.
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This process takes
About 15 minutes.
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By now, the nuts have absorbed
Any cooking oil
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That remained on their surface,
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So they receive a light spray
Of vegetable oil.
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This makes
Their surface sticky again
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So that the salt
Or seasoning mix will adhere.
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This factory
Also produces nut mixes.
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Here the mixer is combining
Various nuts with dried fruit.
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From there
It's on to a packaging machine,
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Whose eight computer-programmed
Scales automatically weigh out
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A specific package portion.
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But before each portion
Goes into a bag,
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It passes through
A metal detector.
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This ensures
That no shards of metal
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Have worn off the equipment
And fallen into the food.
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The machinery hermetically seals
The plastic packages.
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This keeps the contents fresh
For at least six months.
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Narrator: when does forging
Not involve fraud?
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When you're talking about metal.
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Many industrial machines contain
Steel parts
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That have to withstand
Great stress.
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The metalworking method
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That produces the strongest
Steel parts is forging --
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Heating the metal,
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Then forming it to the required
Size and shape.
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Steel forgings are made
From scrap iron --
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Pieces of used iron recovered
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From demolished buildings
And old cars --
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As well as bits of new iron
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Left over from the manufacture
Of iron products.
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Forge workers maneuver
A gigantic magnet
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To lift almost 6 tons of scrap
At a time
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Until they've filled
A 28-ton scrap bucket.
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The bucket empties two such
Loads into a fiery furnace,
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Whose temperature peaks
At 3,000 degrees fahrenheit.
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This is called
An electric arc furnace
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Because the heat is created
By a strong electric current
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Running in an arc
Between three electrodes.
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There are about 20 main grades
And 100 subgrades of steel.
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They're produced
By adding specific metals
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Or nonmetallic
Chemical elements,
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Such as aluminum...
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Nickel...
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Chromium...
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Vanadium...
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00:12:16,310 --> 00:12:18,586
Manganese...
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00:12:18,586 --> 00:12:20,172
Carbon...
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And molybdenum.
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They also add
The mineral fluorite
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To help fuse the metals,
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Some of which are in the form
Of blocks called ingots.
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Throughout the 3 1/2-hour
Meltdown,
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They test and adjust
The chemical composition.
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00:12:37,862 --> 00:12:41,103
They try to attain
The lowest hydrogen, oxygen,
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00:12:41,103 --> 00:12:43,206
Nitrogen, and sulfur levels --
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The key to producing
Strong, high-quality steel.
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Then they pour
The sizzling molten metal
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Into a 50-ton ladle that's lined
With heat-resistant brick.
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They add aluminum and lime
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To chemically counteract
Oxidation --
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00:12:59,827 --> 00:13:02,724
Rusting caused by air exposure.
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00:13:04,275 --> 00:13:06,241
Now they cast an ingot --
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00:13:06,241 --> 00:13:08,724
A block of steel that
They'll shape into a forging.
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00:13:10,068 --> 00:13:12,724
The molten metal flows
Out the bottom of the ladle
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00:13:12,724 --> 00:13:14,827
Into a mold below.
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00:13:14,827 --> 00:13:16,965
This bottom pouring,
As it's called,
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Makes for a smoother casting
Because liquid flowing downward
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Doesn't swill around as much
As liquid poured sideways.
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00:13:25,103 --> 00:13:30,344
This forge can cast ingots
Weighing up to 46 tons.
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00:13:30,344 --> 00:13:33,793
After several hours,
The ingot solidifies,
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And they turn the mold
Upside down to extract it.
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Then, over 12 hours,
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They reheat the ingot
To 2,200 degrees fahrenheit.
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00:13:42,620 --> 00:13:46,448
This makes it soft enough
To hammer or press into shape.
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00:13:47,620 --> 00:13:49,344
To make large forgings,
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00:13:49,344 --> 00:13:51,758
They use a machine called
A forging press,
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Mounted inside a forming die
Or a pair of dies,
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00:13:54,793 --> 00:13:58,793
Depending on the technique
They're using.
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00:13:58,793 --> 00:14:02,068
The press applies thousands
Of tons of pressure,
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00:14:02,068 --> 00:14:05,206
Crushing the ingot
And forcing it against the die.
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00:14:08,448 --> 00:14:12,827
The steel is quickly oxidizing
With all this air exposure.
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00:14:12,827 --> 00:14:14,793
They use
A high-pressure water gun
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00:14:14,793 --> 00:14:16,793
To remove the scales of rust.
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00:14:18,793 --> 00:14:22,034
An ingot often passes through
A die several times
235
00:14:22,034 --> 00:14:25,241
Or through a series of dies
Arranged in sequence.
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00:14:25,241 --> 00:14:28,827
Each pressing forms the metal
Bit by bit into the final shape.
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00:14:31,965 --> 00:14:35,275
Metal is composed
Of microscopic crystals.
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00:14:35,275 --> 00:14:38,241
Squeezing it in a press
Bends these crystals,
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00:14:38,241 --> 00:14:40,172
Destabilizing
The metal structure.
240
00:14:41,275 --> 00:14:43,827
But reheating the metal
Creates new crystals
241
00:14:43,827 --> 00:14:45,758
To replace the deformed ones.
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00:14:45,758 --> 00:14:47,896
This restabilizes
The structure,
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00:14:47,896 --> 00:14:50,551
And, because the new crystals
Are smaller,
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00:14:50,551 --> 00:14:53,724
Makes the metal stronger
Than before.
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00:14:53,724 --> 00:14:56,862
That's why finished forgings
Require heat treatment
246
00:14:56,862 --> 00:14:59,310
In what's called
An annealing furnace.
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00:14:59,310 --> 00:15:03,482
They heat for a day or two,
Depending on the grade of steel.
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00:15:03,482 --> 00:15:05,931
Then they soak in
A water-and-chemical bath
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For about five hours.
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00:15:07,724 --> 00:15:10,206
This strengthens the steel
Even more.
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Finally, workers mount
The steel forgings
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On lathes and milling machines.
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00:15:17,137 --> 00:15:18,724
They remove the rust scales
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00:15:18,724 --> 00:15:20,793
That formed
During heat treatment,
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00:15:20,793 --> 00:15:22,793
Then precision-machine
The forgings
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Into what the client ordered --
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00:15:24,379 --> 00:15:29,000
Usually industrial parts such as
Rotors, spindles, and shafts.
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00:15:29,000 --> 00:15:31,344
Many factories
Prefer to buy forgings
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00:15:31,344 --> 00:15:33,310
In the shape of blocks or bars
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And machine the parts
Themselves.
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Narrator: skateboarding may have
Started out
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As a simple outdoor pastime,
But in the last few decades,
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00:15:50,241 --> 00:15:52,793
It's evolved
Into a popular thrill sport.
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Professional skateboarders
Are known
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00:15:55,068 --> 00:15:57,793
For performing spectacular
Aerial maneuvers,
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Achieving speeds and heights
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00:15:59,551 --> 00:16:02,827
The early skateboarders
Could never have imagined.
268
00:16:09,482 --> 00:16:13,448
In the 1930s, thrill-seeking
Kids began attaching
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00:16:13,448 --> 00:16:16,724
Their metal roller-skate wheels
To wooden crates.
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00:16:16,724 --> 00:16:18,172
Little did they know
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00:16:18,172 --> 00:16:22,206
This would one day spawn
A worldwide phenomenon.
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00:16:22,206 --> 00:16:25,413
The boxes evolved to boards
In 1958,
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When some california surfers
Invented sidewalk surfing --
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00:16:28,413 --> 00:16:29,793
Something to do
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00:16:29,793 --> 00:16:33,275
When bad weather prevented them
From riding the waves.
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00:16:33,275 --> 00:16:36,620
They attached roller-skate
Wheels to wooden planks,
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00:16:36,620 --> 00:16:38,724
Then coasted through
The streets.
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00:16:38,724 --> 00:16:40,448
Pretty soon, the fad caught on
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00:16:40,448 --> 00:16:44,344
In cities
Throughout the united states.
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The deck -- the part of
The skateboard you stand on --
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00:16:54,793 --> 00:16:59,241
Is made up of several thin
Sheets of wood called "Veneers."
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00:16:59,241 --> 00:17:03,310
Inexpensive boards use fewer
Sheets and lesser-quality woods.
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00:17:03,310 --> 00:17:06,413
These high-end boards
Use a full seven sheets
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00:17:06,413 --> 00:17:08,137
Of top-quality maple.
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00:17:08,137 --> 00:17:12,068
Only the top and bottom veneer
Sheets will actually show,
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00:17:12,068 --> 00:17:14,689
So their exposed side
Is sanded smooth,
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00:17:14,689 --> 00:17:17,931
And the other side
Gets a coat of glue.
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00:17:17,931 --> 00:17:21,413
The inside sheets, meanwhile,
Go through the glue spreader,
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00:17:21,413 --> 00:17:23,068
Which saturates both sides.
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00:17:23,068 --> 00:17:25,448
This adhesive
Is specially formulated
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00:17:25,448 --> 00:17:28,103
To withstand vibration
And shock.
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00:17:28,103 --> 00:17:30,965
Workers stack 35 sheets
Of veneer --
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00:17:30,965 --> 00:17:33,551
The equivalent
Of five skateboard decks --
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00:17:33,551 --> 00:17:35,620
And place them in a mold.
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00:17:35,620 --> 00:17:38,620
Skateboards vary
In size and shape,
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00:17:38,620 --> 00:17:41,931
So there's a different mold
For each model.
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00:17:41,931 --> 00:17:44,758
A press applies
44 tons of pressure,
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00:17:44,758 --> 00:17:46,448
Compacting the sheets
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00:17:46,448 --> 00:17:49,103
And bending them
To the shape of the mold.
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00:17:49,103 --> 00:17:51,413
Excess glue squeezes
Out the sides,
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00:17:51,413 --> 00:17:53,931
Binding the five decks
Into one block.
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00:17:53,931 --> 00:17:57,137
They'll be separated later.
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00:17:57,137 --> 00:17:59,758
The block comes out
After three hours.
304
00:17:59,758 --> 00:18:03,172
Now they drill two sets of holes
Through the block.
305
00:18:03,172 --> 00:18:05,586
These are for mounting
The front and back trucks --
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00:18:05,586 --> 00:18:09,517
The pivoting, metal axles that
Enable the skateboard to turn.
307
00:18:09,517 --> 00:18:13,413
Now it's time to give
The rectangular block
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00:18:13,413 --> 00:18:15,344
A skateboard contour.
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00:18:15,344 --> 00:18:17,379
They select a template
310
00:18:17,379 --> 00:18:19,655
In the general shape
Of the model they're making.
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00:18:19,655 --> 00:18:21,620
It has pins underneath
312
00:18:21,620 --> 00:18:24,586
That fit snugly in the truck
Holes they've just drilled.
313
00:18:24,586 --> 00:18:26,137
This holds the template still
314
00:18:26,137 --> 00:18:28,551
While they do
What's called the rough cut --
315
00:18:28,551 --> 00:18:33,172
Sawing around the template,
Leaving a 1-inch margin.
316
00:18:33,172 --> 00:18:38,655
Cutting off the excess
Separates the five decks.
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00:18:38,655 --> 00:18:41,344
Now they contour
Each deck individually.
318
00:18:41,344 --> 00:18:43,000
Using a precise template,
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00:18:43,000 --> 00:18:45,758
They run the deck
Against a cutting blade
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00:18:45,758 --> 00:18:47,896
Until they have the final shape.
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00:18:51,000 --> 00:18:55,310
Now, using a router, they round
Off the top and bottom edges.
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00:19:01,275 --> 00:19:04,827
Then they smooth all the
Surfaces against a drum sander.
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00:19:14,689 --> 00:19:16,517
Now they switch to a buffer,
324
00:19:16,517 --> 00:19:20,310
Which uses a combination of
Brushes and fine-grit sandpaper
325
00:19:20,310 --> 00:19:22,689
To remove any rough wood fibers.
326
00:19:24,551 --> 00:19:26,482
The deck is now
Perfectly smooth.
327
00:19:30,793 --> 00:19:32,724
The next stop
Is the finishing room,
328
00:19:32,724 --> 00:19:36,172
Where they first spray the decks
With a colorless primer.
329
00:19:36,172 --> 00:19:38,689
This seals the pores
In the wood veneer
330
00:19:38,689 --> 00:19:41,724
So they won't absorb the coat
Of lacquer that comes next.
331
00:19:44,000 --> 00:19:47,275
The primer takes two hours
To dry.
332
00:19:53,965 --> 00:19:57,482
Next, they spray on a coat
Of clear or colored lacquer.
333
00:19:57,482 --> 00:20:00,275
It leaves a protective,
High-gloss finish.
334
00:20:06,103 --> 00:20:09,275
The lacquer also takes
Two hours to dry.
335
00:20:14,758 --> 00:20:17,344
The final step
Of the finishing process
336
00:20:17,344 --> 00:20:19,068
Is applying the decoration.
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00:20:21,551 --> 00:20:25,103
The bold graphic designs
Are printed on plastic sheets.
338
00:20:25,103 --> 00:20:28,310
The skateboard factory
Either buys them ready-made
339
00:20:28,310 --> 00:20:30,517
Or produces them in-house,
340
00:20:30,517 --> 00:20:34,758
Using its own silk-screen
Printing equipment.
341
00:20:34,758 --> 00:20:36,689
Workers center the design sheet,
342
00:20:36,689 --> 00:20:39,000
Then feed the deck
Through a machine
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00:20:39,000 --> 00:20:43,275
That applies heat and slight
Pressure simultaneously.
344
00:20:43,275 --> 00:20:46,068
The heat --
390 degrees fahrenheit --
345
00:20:46,068 --> 00:20:50,241
Induces a chemical reaction
That melts the ink and lacquer.
346
00:20:50,241 --> 00:20:53,000
When the plastic comes off,
The deck is finished.
347
00:20:55,517 --> 00:20:59,275
Decks of this caliber are sold
Unassembled in specialty stores.
348
00:20:59,275 --> 00:21:01,655
They're designed
For serious riders
349
00:21:01,655 --> 00:21:04,862
Who want to customize
Their skateboards.
350
00:21:04,862 --> 00:21:06,689
They pick and choose
From different types
351
00:21:06,689 --> 00:21:08,620
Of trucks, wheels, bearings,
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00:21:08,620 --> 00:21:11,724
Even the bolts that hold
Everything together.
353
00:21:11,724 --> 00:21:15,275
All these factors determine
How fast or how fancy
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00:21:15,275 --> 00:21:18,172
Their skateboard will move
And maneuver.
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00:21:18,172 --> 00:21:20,172
--captions by vitac--
Www.Vitac.Com
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00:21:20,172 --> 00:21:22,413
Captions paid for by
Discovery communications, inc.
357
00:21:22,413 --> 00:21:24,517
If you have any comments
About the show
358
00:21:24,517 --> 00:21:27,172
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359
00:21:27,172 --> 00:21:30,000
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