How It's Made – Season 20
Episodes
Native Healing Drums, Raisins, Stereoscopic Viewers, Ribbon Microphones
Traditional wooden drum shells are fitted with prepared hides to create Native healing drums. Grapes are dried, cleaned and sorted into raisins; paired images and viewing lenses are assembled into stereoscopic viewers; and a delicate metal ribbon is suspended within a magnetic field to produce highly responsive ribbon microphones.
Horse Bits, Oat Cereal, Turquoise Jewellery, Electric Scooters
Metal components are shaped, polished and joined to produce horse bits suited to different styles of riding. Oats are cleaned and processed into breakfast cereal; pieces of turquoise are cut, polished and mounted in silver jewellery; and frames, electric motors, batteries, brakes and controls are assembled into electric scooters.
Nail Nippers, Jade Putters, Ice Cider, Water Skis
Stainless-steel components are formed, hardened and sharpened before being joined into precision nail nippers. Jade is cut and polished for use in distinctive golf putters; the concentrated juice of naturally frozen apples is fermented into ice cider; and shaped cores are reinforced and finished to create durable water skis.
Stagecoaches, Road Reflectors, Fire Baked Pottery, Custom Motorcycle Tanks
Wooden bodies, undercarriages, suspension systems and wheels are handcrafted into traditional stagecoaches. Optical elements are moulded into road reflectors that return light toward approaching drivers; clay vessels are shaped and fired using traditional methods; and sheet metal is formed, welded and finished into custom motorcycle fuel tanks.
Replica Clay Pipes, Drinking Fountains, Orange Liqueur, Compound Bows
Clay is pressed into moulds, dried and fired to reproduce historic smoking pipes. Metal housings, valves and cooling systems are assembled into drinking fountains; orange peel, spirits and sugar are combined to make orange liqueur; and precisely engineered risers, flexible limbs, cams and strings are fitted together to create compound bows.
Tissues, Travel Trailers, Slippers, Motorcycle Helmets
Wood pulp is transformed into thin sheets of soft paper before being cut, folded and boxed as facial tissues. Insulated walls, plumbing, electrical systems and furnishings are installed on wheeled chassis to build travel trailers; fabric, padding and soles are joined into slippers; and protective shells, impact-absorbing liners and retention straps are assembled into motorcycle helmets.
U-Locks, Tepees, Croissants, Rolling Luggage
Heavy steel is bent, hardened and coated to form the shackle of a secure U-lock. Fabric coverings are measured and sewn to fit the supporting poles of tepees; layers of yeast dough and butter are repeatedly folded, shaped, proofed and baked into croissants; and durable cases are fitted with wheels, handles and internal frames to make rolling luggage.
Prams, Factory-Built Homes, Wood Flutes, Bicycle Tires
Metal frames, suspension components, wheels and upholstered bodies are assembled into traditional prams. Houses are constructed in factory-controlled sections before being transported for final installation; selected wood is bored, shaped and tuned into flutes; and layers of rubber, fabric reinforcement and steel beads are moulded and vulcanized into bicycle tires.
Thinning Shears, Wagon Wheels, Toaster Pastries, Violin Bows
Steel blades are shaped, toothed, hardened and sharpened to produce hair-thinning shears. Wooden hubs, spokes and rim sections are fitted together and reinforced to make wagon wheels; sheets of pastry are filled, sealed, baked and coated to create toaster pastries; and carefully selected wood is shaped, curved and fitted with horsehair to produce violin bows.
Cast Iron Tubs, Hopi Kachina Dolls, Mine Truck Engine, Memory Cards
Molten iron is cast into heavy bathtubs before the surfaces are cleaned and coated with durable enamel. Cottonwood roots are carved and painted into traditional Hopi Kachina dolls; enormous mine-truck engines are dismantled, inspected, repaired and reassembled; and semiconductor chips are mounted, enclosed and tested to create compact memory cards.
Cycling Shoes, Yurts, Marine Plywood, Oil and Encaustic Paint
Supportive uppers are shaped and bonded to rigid soles equipped for bicycle-cleat systems to make cycling shoes. Collapsible lattice walls, roof poles and protective coverings are assembled into yurts; thin wood veneers are cross-laminated with water-resistant adhesive to produce marine plywood; and finely ground pigments are blended with oil or heated wax to make oil and encaustic paints.
Paper Fans, Walnut Oil, Copper
Decorated paper is cut, folded and mounted on slender ribs to create folding fans. Shelled walnuts are ground and pressed before their oil is filtered and bottled, while copper-bearing material is processed and refined before the finished metal is formed and drawn into useful products such as electrical wire.
Gut Strings, Absinthe, Belt Buckles, Lever Locks
Prepared animal intestines are split, twisted, dried and polished into traditional strings for musical instruments. Herbs are steeped and distilled to produce absinthe; metal blanks are cast, stamped or engraved into decorative belt buckles; and precisely shaped levers, springs and bolts are enclosed within the cases of lever locks.