How It's Made

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

Narrator: ...AND WATER SKIS.

WHETHER IT'S A HANGNAIL THAT NEEDS FIXING

OR IT'S SIMPLY TIME FOR A TRIM,

A NAIL NIPPER IS A GOOD THING TO HAVE AT YOUR FINGERTIPS.

A NIPPER IS A PRECISION TOOL,

ONE THAT OFFERS A BIT MORE CONTROL

THAN LEVER-STYLE CLIPPERS.

THE RESULT IS USUALLY A MORE MANICURED LOOK.

HEAVY DUTY AND MADE OF STAINLESS STEEL,

THE NIPPER NAIL CUTTER LOOKS AS IF IT BELONGS IN A TOOL CHEST

AND IT ACTUALLY WORKS LIKE CUTTER PLIERS.

SQUEEZING THE HANDLES

BRINGS THE CURVED BLADES AT THE END TOGETHER

FOR A WELL-ROUNDED TRIM JOB.

THE HANDLES OFFER A BIT MOORE MANEUVERABILITY

THAN THE LEVER MECHANISM ON A STANDARD NAIL CLIPPER.

PRODUCTION BEGINS WITH THESE FORGED-STEEL BLANKS.

THEY'LL MAKE TWO PAIRS OF NAIL NIPPERS FROM EACH ONE.

THEY LOAD THE BLANKS ONTO A CARRIAGE

THAT TRANSPORTS THEM INTO A FURNACE.

SUBJECTED TO INTENSE HEAT,

THE STEEL BLANKS BECOME

WHITE-HOT AND MALLEABLE IN MINUTES.

THE FOUNDRY WORKER TRANSFERS A BLANK TO A DIE.

HE MOVES IT ACROSS THE DIE AND FLIPS IT OVER

AS A HAMMER SLAMS IT INTO

THE SHAPE OF TWO NAIL-NIPPER SHANKS,

EACH WITH A CUTTING HEAD.

IT TAKES SEVERAL STRIKES

TO CREATE THE RIGHT IMPRESSION ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BLANK.

THE PROCESS TRANSFORMS THE NARROW BLANK INTO A WIDER PIECE

WITH TWO NAIL-NIPPER FORMATIONS.

THIS IS THE BLANK BEFORE FORGING AND NOW.

ONCE THE TWO SHANKS HAVE BEEN SEPARATED AND TRIMMED,

A DRILL CUTS A HOLE UNDER THE BLADE END.

THIS IS THE AREA WHERE

THE NIPPER SHANKS ARE TO BE JOINED.

A MILLING TOOL SHAVES DOWN THE AREA

FOR A NEAT AND LEVEL JOINT.

THIS IS THE NAIL-NIPPER SHANK BEFORE THE JOINT WORK AND AFTER.

THEY TRANSFER THE NIPPER SHANKS TO A FINISHING MACHINE.

THEY BOUNCE AROUND IN A STREAM OF ABRASIVE CERAMIC PEBBLES

FOR A FEW HOURS.

THIS RUBS OFF THE ROUGH BITS.

A MAGNETIZED CONVEYOR PULLS OUT THE STEEL SHANKS,

LEAVING THE CERAMICS BEHIND AND CARRIES THE SHANKS FORWARD.

AN EMPLOYEE SANDS THE ENTIRE SURFACE OF EACH SHANK

UNTIL IT LOOKS COMPLETELY SMOOTH.

HE BRUSHES OIL ONTO A SHANK JOINT

TO PREVENT RUST AND ABRASION.

IT'S TIME TO RIVET THE TWO NAIL-NIPPER SHANKS TOGETHER.

THE RIVETS FUNNEL INTO TOOLING

ABOVE AND BELOW THE NAIL-NIPPER SHANKS.

THE MACHINERY DRIVES THE RIVETS INTO THE HOLES IN THE SHANKS.

ONCE JOINED, THEY CANNOT BE PULLED APART

WITHOUT COMPLETELY DESTROYING THE NAIL NIPPERS.

AT THIS POINT, THE RIVETS PROTRUDE SLIGHTLY

AND COULD SNAG ON CLOTHING OR OTHER THINGS.

AN EMPLOYEE SANDS EACH RIVET

UNTIL IT'S ON THE SAME PLANE AS THE REST OF THE NIPPER JOINT.

THE VIGOROUS SANDING

MAKES THE RIVET SEEM TO ALMOST DISAPPEAR.

HE POLISHES THE INSIDE OF THE NIPPER BLADES

TO COMPLETELY SMOOTH THE SURFACES.

AN EVEN SURFACE

CAN BE MORE THOROUGHLY CLEANED AND DISINFECTED

BETWEEN MANICURES.

THE BLADES ARE STILL BLUNT AT THIS POINT.

THE NEXT MEMBER OF THE TEAM FILES THEM ON AN ANGLE

TO GIVE THEM A CUTTING EDGE.

FILING TOO LITTLE COULD HAMPER

THE CLEARANCE BETWEEN THE BLADES.

FILING TOO MUCH WOULD RUIN THE NIPPERS ENTIRELY.

HE TESTS THEM ON PAPER.

IF THE CUTTING EDGE SLIPS, THE BLADES MAY NEED MORE WORK.

IF THEY SLICE RIGHT THROUGH, THEY'RE JUST RIGHT.

NEXT, HE CLAMPS THE NAIL NIPPERS ONTO A CIRCULAR BENCH.

IT REVOLVES TO MEET UP WITH A LASER

THAT ETCHES THE COMPANY LOGO AND OTHER INFORMATION

ONTO THE SHANKS.

AFTER THAT, THEY DRILL HOLES AND ATTACH A SPRING

TO MAKE THE NIPPERS EASIER TO OPEN AND CLOSE.

FOR THE PROFESSIONAL WHO WILL BE OPENING AND CLOSING

THESE NAIL NIPPERS A FEW HUNDRED TIMES A DAY,

THIS IS A NIFTY FEATURE.

THEY MANUFACTURE THESE NAIL NIPPERS

IN BATCHES OF 300 OR 400 OVER A PERIOD OF ABOUT TWO WEEKS,

SO THEY'RE SHOULD ALWAYS BE PLENTY ON HAND.

Narrator: THIS PUTTER IS MADE OF JADE,

A PRECIOUS STONE TRADITIONALLY USED IN JEWELRY AND SCULPTURE.

LONG COVETED FOR ITS BEAUTY,

JADE IS IN DEMAND ON THE PUTTING GREEN.

AS TOUGH AS STEEL WITH A FEEL THAT'S DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT,

A PUTTER MADE OF JADE IS DEFINITELY UP TO PAR.

THE JADE PUTTER IS AMONG

A NUMBER OF NEW CLUBS ON THE GREEN...

ALONG WITH CRYSTAL QUARTZ AND FOSSILIZED VEGETATION,

KNOWN AS PETRIFIED WOOD.

TO MAKE A JADE PUTTER, THEY HEAD FOR THE HILLS --

SPECIFICALLY, A NEPHRITE JADE OUTCROP IN WYOMING.

HERE, THE PUTTER MAKER FINDS A 20-FOOT WIDE VEIN OF NEPHRITE.

THIS STONE HAS TAKEN 2½ BILLION YEARS TO FORM AND DEVELOP

A VERY HARD AND FIBROUS CRYSTALLINE STRUCTURE.

THE CARVER SELECTS SLABS

THAT ARE THICK ENOUGH TO SHAPE INTO FOUR OR FIVE PUTTER HEADS.

THIS ONE HAS WEATHERED TO A RUSTY COLOR,

BUT IT SHOULD CLEAN UP NICELY.

THE COLOR OF WYOMING JADE

RANGES FROM WHITE TO GREEN TO BLACK.

HE STRIKES THE SLAB WITH A SLEDGEHAMMER A FEW TIMES

TO BREAK IT DOWN TO A MORE MANAGEABLE SIZE.

HE SLICES THROUGH ONE OF THE CUT PIECES WITH A ROCK SAW

WHILE FLUSHING IT WITH COOLANT TO SAVE THE DIAMOND BLADE.

HE MAKES 9 OR 10 CUTS

TO ROUGH OUT THE TRIANGULAR MALLET SHAPE OF THE PUTTER HEAD.

HE SLICES OFF THE ENDS TO COMPLETE THE BASIC SHAPE.

NEXT, HE ANCHORS THE JADE IN A WOODEN JIG

AND CUTS ON AN ANGLE TO PROFILE THE SIDES OF THE PUTTER HEAD.

HE SLICES OFF A BACK SECTION

TO GIVE THE PUTTER CLEARANCE FROM THE GROUND WHEN SWUNG.

THIS PUTTER HAS REALLY TAKEN SHAPE.

HE REMOVES MATERIAL FROM THE CORNERS

TO CENTER THE MASS BEHIND THE GOLF BALL

FOR MORE STRIKING ENERGY.

HE SANDS THE EDGES TO ROUND AND SOFTEN THEM.

HE'S CAREFUL NOT TO REMOVE TOO MUCH IN ONE PLACE

BECAUSE THAT WOULD AFFECT THE SYMMETRY.

HE THEN POLISHES THE ENTIRE PIECE OF JADE

AGAINST DIAMOND-ABRASIVE BELTS.

IT'S AN INTENSIVE PROCESS THAT TAKES ABOUT TWO HOURS.

HE AIMS A DRILL AND CORES INTO THE PUTTER HEAD ON A 20° ANGLE

TO MAKE A HOLE FOR INSERTING THE PUTTER SHAFT.

A PERPETUAL FLOW OF WATER KEEPS THE DIAMOND CORE BIT COOL

AND ALSO FLUSHES OUT THE LITTLE BITS OF FILINGS.

HE GENTLY TAPS THE DRILLED CORE TO JAR IT

SO IT FALLS OUT OF THE PUTTER HEAD.

A LASER EMBLAZONS THE PRODUCT NAME ONTO THE JADE,

SWIFTLY ETCHING IT INTO THE SURFACE.

THE PUTTERS CAN BE CUSTOMIZED WITH A CUSTOMER'S NAME AND LOGO.

HE SWABS GOLD-COLORED PAINT INTO THE LASER ETCHING

TO MAKE THE LETTERS REALLY STAND OUT.

THE SWABBING LEAVES

A LOT OF RESIDUAL PAINT AROUND THE LETTERS,

SO HE RUBS IT OFF.

HE SPRAYS THE PUTTER WITH A WAX-BASED GLOSS

TO SEAL THE STONE.

HE THEN BUFFS IT AGAINST A FELT BELT

TO GIVE THE JADE A SATINY SHEEN.

HE MIXES EPOXY INGREDIENTS

TO ATTACH THE SHAFT TO THE JADE PUTTER'S HEAD.

HE DEPOSITS EPOXY IN THE HOLE IN THE SHAFT.

HE INSERTS THE STEEL SHAFT INTO THE 20°-ANGLE HOLE.

THE ANGLE OF THE HOLE POSITIONS THE PUTTER SHAFT

TO MATCH THE GOLFER'S UPRIGHT STANCE.

ONCE THE PISTOL-STYLE GRIP HAS BEEN SLIPPED ON,

HE APPLIES A METALLIC-LOOK DECAL JUST BELOW IT.

THE DECAL DISPLAYS COMPANY CONTACT INFORMATION

IN THE EVENT OF A PROBLEM

THAT DOESN'T HAVE TO DO WITH THE GOLFER'S TECHNIQUE.

AFTER CLEANING AND INSPECTION,

THIS JADE PUTTER IS READY FOR ACTION.

PUTTERS CARVED FROM JADE AND OTHER MATERIALS

ARE CRAFTY EDITIONS TO THE GOLF-CLUB ARSENAL

AND COULD LEAD TO SOME ARTFUL MOVES ON THE GREEN.

Narrator: ICE CIDER IS AN ALCOHOLIC DRINK

MADE FROM FERMENTED, FROZEN APPLES OR APPLE JUICE.