How It's Made

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

Narrator: CARBON FIBER IS AN ENGINEER'S DREAM --

LIGHTWEIGHT YET INCREDIBLY STRONG.

IT'S A STRING WITH THOUSANDS OF PARALLEL FILAMENTS.

MULTIPLE STRINGS CAN BE TWISTED INTO YARNS,

WOVEN INTO FABRICS, OR MOLDED WITH RESIN

TO PRODUCE MATERIALS CALLED CARBON-FIBER COMPOSITES.

CARBON FIBER IS FIVE TIMES STRONGER THAN STEEL

YET LESS THAN HALF THE WEIGHT.

TO MAKE IT, THEY TAKE A PLASTIC FIBER

COMPOSED OF THOUSANDS OF FILAMENTS

FAR THINNER THAN HUMAN HAIR.

THEY THEN CHEMICALLY ALTER IT

TO FORM A PERFECT CHAIN OF CARBON ATOMS

FOR THE FINAL PRODUCT.

THIS MAMMOTH MACHINE LINES UP DOZENS OF THOSE FIBERS

WHICH THEN TRAVEL THROUGH AN OXIDATION OVEN

FOR A COUPLE OF MINUTES.

THE OVEN TEMPERATURE, ABOUT 480 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT,

PROMPTS THE FIBERS TO PICK UP OXYGEN MOLECULES FROM THE AIR.

THIS REARRANGES THE FIBERS' ATOMIC STRUCTURE,

RENDERING THEM RESISTANT TO HIGH HEAT.

AS THE FIBERS OXIDIZE,

THEY CHANGE COLOR TO EVENTUALLY TURN BLACK.

THEY'RE NOW PRIMED FOR THE NEXT PROCESS, CARBONIZATION.

FURNACES HEAT THE FIBERS IN AN OXYGEN-FREE GAS MIXTURE.

THIS EXPELS THE NON-CARBON ATOMS

AND TRANSFORMS THE REMAINING CARBON ATOMS

INTO TIGHTLY BONDED CRYSTALS

RUNNING PARALLEL TO THE LENGTH OF THE FIBER.

THIS GIVES THE FIBER ITS STRENGTH.

THE EXITING FIBERS TRAVEL

THROUGH A BATH OF ELECTRICALLY CHARGED WATER

THAT ETCHES THE FIBERS' SURFACE SO THEY'LL BETTER ABSORB RESIN.

THE NEXT STATION APPLIES A LIGHT PRELIMINARY COAT OF RESIN.

THIS WILL STRENGTHEN THE FIBERS' CHEMICAL BOND

TO THE MOLDING RESIN.

A SPOOLING MACHINE WINDS EACH FIBER,

NOW REFERRED TO AS A CARBON-FIBER TOW,

ONTO A BOBBIN

WHICH BUYERS EITHER WEAVE INTO A CARBON-FIBER FABRIC

OR MIX WITH RESIN TO MOLD A PRODUCT.

ANOTHER FORM OF CARBON FIBER IS PREPREG --

SHEETS OF RESIN-IMPREGNATED CARBON FIBER READY FOR MOLDING.

IT'S LIKE READY-TO-BAKE CAKE MIX.

THE RESIN IS A FORMULA OF EPOXY

AND VARIOUS POWDERED HARDENERS AND ACCELERATORS.

WORKERS POUR THE RESIN INTO A FILMING MACHINE

WHICH SPREADS IT IN A THIN, WET LAYER ONTO PAPER.

THE PAPER IS PRE-TREATED WITH A RELEASE AGENT

TO PREVENT THE FINAL PRODUCT FROM STICKING,

LIKE SPRAYING A BAKING PAN WITH NON-STICK COATING.

ANOTHER MACHINE, MEANWHILE,

GROUPS 200 TO 300 CARBON-FIBER TOWS

INTO A GIANT BAND OF FIBERS CALLED A WEB.

THE WIDTH AND THICKNESS OF THE WEB

DETERMINES THE WIDTH AND THICKNESS OF THE PREPREG SHEET.

WORKERS MOUNT TWO ROLLS OF RESIN-COATED PAPER

ONTO THE RESIN-IMPREGNATION MACHINE.

A HEATING ELEMENT WARMS UP THE WEB AS IT ENTERS

TO FACILITATE RESIN ABSORPTION.

THEN THE HEATED CARBON-FIBER WEB

IS SANDWICHED BETWEEN TWO SHEETS OF RESIN-COATED PAPER.

HIGH-PRESSURE HEATED ROLLERS THIN OUT THE RESIN

SO IT PENETRATES THE MILLIONS OF CARBON-FIBER FILAMENTS.

COOLING PLATES THEN TURN THE LIQUID RESIN TO GEL

SO THAT THE NEXT STATION CAN REMOVE THE PAPER,

WHICH PULLS OFF EASILY THANKS TO THE RELEASE AGENT.

THE NEXT STATION COVERS THE TOP OF THE PREPREG SHEET

WITH POLYESTER FILM.

THIS PREVENTS THE PREPREG SHEET

FROM STICKING TO ITSELF AT THE END OF THE LINE

WHEN IT'S WOUND INTO A ROLL LIKE A FRUIT ROLL-UP.

IN THE FACTORY'S LAB,

TECHNICIANS RUN QUALITY CONTROL TESTS ON PREPREG SAMPLES.

FIRST THEY WEIGH THE SAMPLE.

THEN THEY WASH OFF THE RESIN WITH CHEMICALS

AND WEIGH THE SAMPLE AGAIN.

THIS VERIFIES WHETHER THE RATIO OF CARBON FIBER TO RESIN

IS CORRECT.

THE LAB ALSO ANALYZES SAMPLES OF COMPOSITE --

CARBON-FIBER REINFORCED RESIN --

IN THIS TENSILE STRENGTH TEST.

THE COMPUTER MEASURES HOW MUCH STRAIN THE SAMPLE WITHSTANDS

BEFORE BREAKING.

SUCH TESTING ENSURES THE CARBON FIBER

DELIVERS OPTIMUM STRENGTH, DURABILITY, AND HEAT RESISTANCE,

WHETHER IT'S USED TO MAKE AN AUTO PART,

A WIND-TURBINE BLADE, OR A GOLF CLUB.

Narrator: ANTIQUE GILDED FRAMES HAVE SPENT MANY YEARS

PROTECTING PAINTINGS AND ENHANCING THEM.

BUT OVER TIME, GRIME CAN OBSCURE THE GOLD-LEAF SHINE

AND THE FRAME CAN SUFFER DAMAGE AND DETERIORATION.

BUT THESE FRAMES ARE HIGHLY COLLECTIBLE,

AND RESTORING THEM PRESERVES THEIR VALUE.

WITH ELABORATE CAST ORNAMENTATION

AND GOLD-LEAF WORK,

THIS 19th-CENTURY GILDED FRAME IS ITSELF A WORK OF ART.

BUT IT'S IN NEED OF RENEWAL.

RESTORATION WORK DONE MANY YEARS AGO HAS CRACKED,

AND GOLD LEAF IS DETERIORATING ELSEWHERE ON THE FRAME.

THE TECHNICIAN CAREFULLY

PRIES THE CRACKED ACORN CASTING LOOSE

AND REMOVES IT FROM THE FRAME.

HE'LL MAKE A NEW ONE FROM SCRATCH.

IT WILL NEED TO COMPLETELY FILL THE EMPTY SPACE

AND LOOK EXACTLY LIKE THE OTHERS ON THE FRAME.

HE STARTS BY MAKING A MOLD WITH DENTAL IMPRESSION RUBBER.

HE KNEADS THE TWO PUTTY-LIKE COMPONENTS TOGETHER

TO ACTIVATE THE INGREDIENTS.

WHEN THE COLOR'S UNIFORM AND THERE ARE NO STREAKS,

THE RUBBER IS READY FOR MOLDING.

HE MUST ACT QUICKLY

BECAUSE IN JUST THREE MINUTES THE RUBBER WILL CURE.

HE PRESSES IT AROUND THE ACORN ORNAMENT ON THE FRAME

TO CAPTURE THE DETAIL.

HE NOW HAS A MOLD HE CAN USE

TO CAST A NEW ORNAMENT FOR THE FRAME.

HE'LL USE THIS WOOD EPOXY FOR THAT.

LIKE THE DENTAL IMPRESSION RUBBER,

IT MUST BE MIXED THOROUGHLY TO ACTIVATE IT.

HE PRESSES THE EPOXY INTO THE CONTOURS OF THE MOLD,

PUSHING IT FROM ONE END TO THE OTHER.

THIS WILL PREVENT AIR FROM BECOMING TRAPPED IN THE CASTING

AND COMPROMISING ITS INTEGRITY.

AFTER A 10-MINUTE CURE, THE EPOXY CASTING IS READY,

AND HE EXTRACTS IT FROM THE MOLD.

HE EXAMINES THE DETAIL

AND CONFIRMS THAT IT IS AN EXACT REPRODUCTION.

THEN, USING A SCOOP CHISEL,

HE SCULPTS THE EDGES AND THE INSIDE OF THE CASTING

TO SHAPE IT TO THE PICTURE FRAME.

IN THIS COMPARISON SHOT,

THE SHAPED PART IS THE ONE ON THE LEFT.

HE PLACES THE CAST EPOXY ORNAMENT ON THE FRAME

AND NAILS IT DOWN.

THE EPOXY IS STILL SOFT ENOUGH

THAT HE CAN DRIVE THE NAIL INTO IT WITHOUT BREAKING IT.

HE FILLS THE GAP BETWEEN THE CASTING AND THE FRAME

WITH MORE EPOXY,

PROVIDING A SEAMLESS TRANSITION FROM NEW TO OLD.

AFTER THE EPOXY SOLIDIFIES,

HE BRUSHES SOMETHING CALLED BOLE ONTO IT.

BOLE IS A MIX OF CLAY AND RABBIT-SKIN GLUE.

IT PROVIDES A SURFACE THAT THE GOLD CAN ADHERE TO,

AND THE RABBIT-SKIN GLUE WILL GIVE IT FLEX

AS THE WOOD EXPANDS AND CONTRACTS.

HE THEN TRANSFERS THE 23-KARAT GOLD LEAF TO THE CASTING.

BEFORE HE LAYS EACH PIECE OF GOLD LEAF,

HE WETS THE SURFACE OF THE ORNAMENT

WITH A GILDER'S LIQUEUR --

A MIX OF WATER, ALCOHOL, AND RABBIT-SKIN GLUE.

THIS CAUSES THE GOLD LEAF

TO CONFORM TO THE CONTOURS OF THE ORNAMENT AND ADHERE.

AFTER THE GOLF LEAF SETS FOR AN HOUR OR TWO,

HE BURNISHES IT TO A VERY HIGH SHINE

USING A TOOL MADE FROM AGATE, A VERY HARD, SEMIPRECIOUS STONE.

HUNDREDS OF YEARS AGO,

CRAFTSMAN USED DOGS' TEETH FOR THIS JOB.

HE RUBS THE SHINY, NEW GOLD SURFACE

WITH VERY FINE-GRADE STEEL WOOL.

THIS REMOVES SOME OF THE GOLD TO SIMULATE NATURAL WEAR

SO THAT IT MATCHES THE PATINA OF THE REST OF THE FRAME.

AND WHAT A TRANSFORMATION

THIS PLAIN EPOXY CASTING HAS UNDERGONE.

NEWLY GILDED, AND IT LOOKS LIKE

IT'S ALWAYS BEEN PART OF THE ANTIQUE FRAME.

OTHER SECTIONS OF THE FRAME REQUIRE REGILDING.

HE RUBS ALCOHOL ONTO THOSE AREAS

TO GET RID OF ATMOSPHERIC RESIDUE

THAT WOULD PREVENT THE ADHESION OF THE NEW GOLD.

AND AFTER APPLYING GILDER'S LIQUEUR,