How It's Made

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

Narrator: IT WAS AN AMERICAN NURSE'S SENSITIVITY TO AN ANTISEPTIC

THAT LED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF MEDICAL RUBBER GLOVES.

THE YEAR WAS 1890,

AND THE HOSPITAL WAS JOHNS HOPKINS IN BALTIMORE.

SYMPATHETIC TO THE NURSE'S PLIGHT,

THE CHIEF OF SURGERY ASKED A RUBBER COMPANY

TO DEVELOP PROTECTIVE GLOVES.

AROUND THE WORLD, HEALING HANDS WEAR RUBBER GLOVES

TO STOP THE SPREAD OF GERMS AND SAVE LIVES.

TO MAKE THEM, THEY NEED A LOT OF HANDS,

THE KIND MADE FROM CERAMIC OR ALUMINUM.

THEY'LL SERVE AS MOLDS.

FIRST, THEY NEED TO REMOVE RESIDUE

FROM THE LAST RUBBER-GLOVE PRODUCTION,

SO THEY DO A THOROUGH WASHING IN SOAPY WATER...

...AND THEN IN BLEACH.

THEY MUST REMOVE EVERY SPECK OF RESIDUE

BECAUSE EVEN THE SMALLEST CONTAMINATE

COULD LODGE IN THE LATEX RUBBER GLOVES

AND CREATE HOLES.

LEAVING THE BLEACH,

THE CERAMIC HANDS TWIRL INTO ROUND, REVOLVING BRUSHES.

THEIR BRISTLES SCOUR THE SURFACE

AND THE HARD TO REACH AREAS BETWEEN THE CERAMIC FINGERS.

AFTER THIS THOROUGH SCRUBBING,

THE HAND MOLDS DIVE INTO A TUB OF HOT WATER.

IT'S THE LAST CLEANING BEFORE PRODUCTION BEGINS.

AS THEY EXIT THE TUB,

THE HANDS SWIVEL ON THE RAIL CARRIER TO DRIP DRY.

STILL SLIGHTLY DAMP AND SPINNING,

THE HAND MOLDS HEAD INTO A CHEMICAL BATH,

WHICH FORMS A FILM ON THE SURFACE.

IT'S A CRITICAL COATING

BECAUSE LIQUID RUBBER WON'T ADHERE TO BARE CERAMIC,

BUT IT WILL TO THIS SUBSTANCE.

THE CERAMIC MOLDS NOW REACH INTO WARM, LIQUID RUBBER,

WHICH HAS BEEN ENHANCED FOR EXTRA STRENGTH.

THE LIQUID RUBBER

REACTS WITH THE CHEMICAL COATING ON THE HANDS

AND BECOMES GEL-LIKE.

COATED WITH THE RUBBER GEL,

THE HANDS SPIN TO SHAKE OFF ANY DROPS

AS THEY HEAD INTO AN OVEN.

UNDER INTENSE HEAT, THE RUBBER DRIES TO THE HAND FORM.

IT ALSO UNDERGOES A CHEMICAL PROCESS

CALLED VULCANIZATION

THAT MAKES RUBBER STRONGER AND ELASTIC.

AFTER A WASH AND DRY,

THE GLOVES SPIN THROUGH BRUSHES WHICH ROLL UP THE CUFFS.

THIS CUFF ROLL, CALLED THE BEAD, HAS A SPECIFIC PURPOSE.

IT MAKES IT EASIER TO PULL THE RUBBER GLOVE OFF THE MOLD.

WORKERS GRAB THE GLOVES BY THE BEADS

TO PEEL THEM OFF THE CERAMIC FORMS.

THESE PARTICULAR MEDICAL GLOVES

WERE MOLDED FROM SYNTHETIC RUBBER

FOR PEOPLE WHO CAN'T WEAR NATURAL LATEX RUBBER

DUE TO ALLERGIES.

THESE SYNTHETIC RUBBER GLOVES

ARE A BIT STICKIER THAN THE NATURAL LATEX ONES,

AND THEY MUST BE REMOVED BY HAND.

HOWEVER, THE NATURAL LATEX GLOVES

COME OFF MUCH MORE EASILY.

BURSTS OF PRESSURIZED AIR

BLOW THESE GLOVES OFF THE CERAMIC FORMS.

AT A TEST STATION,

A WORKER NOW STRETCHES AND INFLATES EACH MEDICAL GLOVE

TO CHECK FOR WEAK SPOTS AND HOLES.

EVEN A PINHOLE LEAK WOULD BE CAUSE FOR REJECTION.

NEXT, THEY TAKE A SAMPLE GLOVE FROM EVERY BATCH

AND PUMP WATER INTO IT, AGAIN CHECKING FOR LEAKS.

IF THE SAMPLE GLOVE IS WATERTIGHT,

THEY APPROVE THE ENTIRE BATCH FOR SHIPMENT.

THEY COLOR CODE GLOVES FOR STRENGTH.

THESE ORANGE CLEANING GLOVES ARE THICK AND REUSABLE.

OTHERS, LIKE THE MEDICAL GLOVES, ARE FOR LIMITED USE

AND DISPOSABLE.

EACH RUBBER FORMULATION IS CUSTOMIZED

FOR COLOR, STRENGTH, AND OTHER CHARACTERISTICS.

IT HAS TAKEN A LOT OF FAKE HANDS AND REAL ONES

TO MAKE RUBBER GLOVES,

AND IT ALL HAPPENS VERY FAST.

THEY MANUFACTURE 200 RUBBER GLOVES A MINUTE AT THIS FACTORY.

THAT'S ABOUT 12,000 GLOVES PER HOUR.

THEY PACK THEM UP IN BATCHES OF 100.

A CORNSTARCH SOLUTION APPLIED EARLIER

KEEPS THEM FROM STICKING TOGETHER IN THE BOX.

LATER, THAT STARCH WILL ALSO ACT AS A LUBRICANT

TO ALLOW THE GLOVES TO SLIDE EASILY ONTO HANDS.

AND WITH ALL THAT,

THESE RUBBER GLOVES ARE READY TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC.

Narrator: IN NORTHERN THAILAND,

THE TRADITION OF CARVING ELABORATE FLOWERS FROM SOAP

BEGAN IN THE 1930s WITH FARM WORKERS

WHO WERE LOOKING FOR A CREATIVE OUTLET.

IN THEIR HANDS, PIECES OF SOAP BECAME LITTLE WORKS OF ART.

AND IN THE PROCESS, THEY CARVED OUT A NICHE MARKET

FOR SOAP FLOWERS.

TODAY IN THAILAND,

THERE'S A THRIVING TOURIST TRADE IN FLORAL SOAP CARVINGS.

THESE AWESOME BLOSSOMS ARE FAR TOO DELICATE FOR SCRUB-UP DUTY.

THEY'RE MADE TO BE ADMIRED.

INFUSED WITH FRUIT POWDERS, THEY ALSO ADD FRAGRANCE TO A ROOM.

THE CARVERS START BY MAKING THEIR OWN SOAP.

GLYCERIN MADE OF ANIMAL FATS AND OILS IS THE MAIN INGREDIENT.

OTHER INGREDIENTS INCLUDE FRUIT POWDER...

WATER...

FOOD COLORING -- IN THIS CASE, YELLOW --

FRAGRANCE...

AND VEGETABLE OIL.

HE MIXES THE VEGETABLE OILS WITH THE WATER

AS HE HEATS THE INGREDIENTS SLOWLY.

HE THEN ADDS THE GLYCERIN CHUNKS

TO A SEPARATE BUCKET OF HOT WATER.

THE GLYCERIN MELTS ON CONTACT,

AND HE WHISKS IT TO DISPERSE IT IN THE WATER.

HE NOW POURS THE GLYCERIN MIXTURE IN TO THE WATER AND OIL.

USING AN ELECTRIC MIXER, HE BLENDS THE INGREDIENTS,

ADDING WATER AS NEEDED

TO ACHIEVE THE DESIRED CONSISTENCY.

HE BLENDS THE MANGO FRUIT POWDER INTO THE SOAP MIXTURE.

A DASH OF YELLOW COLORING

REFLECTS THE AROMA OF THE SOAP -- MANGO.

HE ADDS A MANGO FRAGRANCE FORMULATION

TO ENHANCE THE POWDERED FRUIT SCENT.

THAT COMPLETES THIS AROMATIC LIQUID-SOAP MIXTURE.

HE TRANSFERS IT TO A SQUARE PAN LINED WITH PLASTIC.

AFTER A FEW HOURS,

THE SOAP SOLIDIFIES INTO A BIG YELLOW BAR.

HE PRIES THE HARDENED SOAP

AND THE PLASTIC LINER AWAY FROM THE PAN

AND FLIPS IT OVER.

THE SOAP SLAB LANDS ON THE WORKBENCH.

HE PEELS THE PLASTIC LINER OFF.

NOW, USING A DEVICE SIMILAR TO A PAPER CUTTER,

HE SLICES THE SOAP INTO LONG, UNIFORM BARS.

HE STACKS THEM IN PILES OF THREE.

HE CUTS THE STACKS OF LONG BARS CROSSWISE,

PRODUCING SMALL SOAP SQUARES THE SIZE OF BROWNIES.

EACH SOAP BAR WILL BE TRANSFORMED

INTO A BEAUTIFUL FLOWER.

THIS TAKES ARTISTIC VISION AND SKILL.

THE ARTIST HAS MANY YEARS OF EXPERIENCE

AND CARVES WITH AN EXPERT HAND.

AS HE SCOOPS OUT CHUNKS,

THE BROAD AND DISTINCTIVE PETALS OF AN ORCHID TAKE SHAPE.

HE DISCARDS THE BROAD BASE,

AND FROM A SIMPLE SOAP BAR, A FLOWER HAS BLOOMED.

HE DIPS THE CARVING IN WATER

TO IMPROVE THE ADHESION OF WATER-BASED PAINT.

HE PARTIALLY SUBMERGES THE CARVING IN PAINT,

GIVING IT A TWO-TONED LOOK.

THE ARTIST SELECTS COLOR COMBINATIONS

FOR THEIR VISUAL IMPACT,

AND AUTHENTICITY IS NOT ESSENTIAL.

HE BRUSHES MAUVE PAINT ONTO THE ORCHID'S CENTRAL COLUMN

TO ACCENTUATE IT.

HE EXTENDS THE BRUSH STROKES TO THE PETALS.

THESE BRUSH STROKES MIMIC THE LOOK OF VEINS.

WITH THIS COLORFUL ARTISTRY,

THE SOAP CARVING SEEMS TO COME TO LIFE.

HE DIPS A TOOTHBRUSH IN PAINT

AND FLICKS HIS THUMB ACROSS THE BRISTLES

TO SPRAY FLECKS ONTO THE CENTER COLUMN.

WITH THAT FINAL SPLASH OF COLOR, THE CARVING IS COMPLETE.

HE GLUES IT TO THE BASE OF A DECORATIVE BOX.

THE BOX BOTH PROTECTS THE CARVING

AND ADDS TO THE PRESENTATION.

TAKING THE LID OFF REVEALS A SURPRISE.

THE CARVING COULD BE ANY FLOWER IN ANY COLOR.

BUT THE MOST AMAZING THING OF ALL

IS THAT IT'S BEEN CARVED FROM SOAP.

Narrator: THE WORLD OF PRIVATE-PASSENGER AIRCRAFT

IS ALL ABOUT COMFORT AND LUXURY.

BIG CORPORATIONS SEND THEIR TOP EXECUTIVES

TO TRAVEL IN JETS WITH WELL-APPOINTED INTERIORS.