How It's Made - Season 15

First aired: 3/26/2010 13 episodes

Episodes

1. Kelp Caviar, Luxury Sailboats, Dental Crowns, High-Performance Engines

Aired: 3/26/2010

Dried kelp is ground and blended into a gel before being formed into caviar-like pearls and packaged in a variety of flavours. Fibreglass hulls, decks and hand-finished interiors are assembled into luxury sailboats; digital models guide the production of ceramic dental crowns; and precision-machined components are combined and tested in high-performance engines.

2. Leather Briefcases, Crop Dusters, Corn Whiskey, Drag Racing Clutches

Aired: 4/2/2010

Bridle leather is cut, reinforced, hand-stitched and fitted with polished hardware to create traditional briefcases. Welded airframes, chemical hoppers and spray systems are assembled into crop-dusting aircraft; ground corn is fermented and distilled into whiskey; and machined plates, friction discs, springs and levers become drag-racing clutches.

3. Train Rails, Desalinated Water, Racing Wheelchairs, Parquetry

Aired: 4/9/2010

Recycled steel is melted, cast and rolled into long sections of train rail before being straightened and inspected. Seawater passes through filtration and high-pressure membrane systems to become drinking water; lightweight tubing is shaped around an athlete’s measurements to build a racing wheelchair; and precisely cut hardwood pieces are arranged into decorative parquet flooring.

4. Flight Simulators, Bookbinding, Greenhouse Tomatoes, Hurricane-Proof Shutters

Aired: 4/16/2010

Cockpit controls, computer-generated displays and motion systems are integrated into realistic flight simulators. Printed sheets are folded, sewn and enclosed in handcrafted covers using traditional bookbinding methods; tomatoes are cultivated under carefully regulated greenhouse conditions; and reinforced shutters are fabricated and tested to protect windows from hurricane-force winds and flying debris.

5. Worcestershire Sauce, Lawn Bowls, Radio-Controlled Model Jets

Aired: 4/23/2010

A complex mixture of seasonings and fermented ingredients is matured, filtered and bottled as Worcestershire sauce. Dense synthetic blanks are shaped, weighted and polished to give lawn bowls their distinctive curved path, while lightweight composite airframes, radio-control equipment and miniature turbine engines are assembled into high-performance model jets.

6. Pipes, Rock Climbing Gear, Leather Bike Saddles, Luxury Sports Cars

Aired: 4/30/2010

Fire-resistant briar wood is drilled, carved, stained and fitted with a vulcanite mouthpiece to create a smoking pipe. Aircraft-grade aluminum is forged and heat-treated into carabiners and other climbing equipment; wet leather is moulded over a metal bicycle-saddle frame; and lightweight chassis, powerful drivetrains and carefully finished body panels come together in luxury sports cars.

7. Replica Foods, Traffic Cone Dispensers, Rocking Horses, London Taxis

Aired: 5/7/2010

Real dishes are used to make silicone moulds from which durable plastic replica foods are cast, trimmed and hand-painted. Welded frames, motors and robotic arms form machines that deploy and retrieve traffic cones; hardwood pieces are carved and joined into traditional rocking horses; and purpose-built bodies, drivetrains and passenger compartments are assembled into London taxis.

8. Miniature Furniture, Garden Steam Locomotives, Hovercraft, Folding Bicycles

Aired: 5/14/2010

Craftspeople reproduce the joinery, upholstery and finishes of full-sized furniture in miniature. Precision-machined boilers, cylinders and running gear become working garden steam locomotives; lightweight hulls, flexible skirts and propulsion fans are assembled into hovercraft; and hinged frames with secure locking mechanisms allow bicycles to fold into compact packages.

9. Crosscut Saws, Haggis, Collectible Firearms

Aired: 5/21/2010

Steel blades are cut, toothed, hardened and sharpened to produce crosscut saws capable of slicing cleanly across wood grain. Organ meats, oatmeal, onions and seasonings are prepared and packed into traditional haggis, while machined metal components and carefully fitted wooden stocks are finished and assembled into collectible firearms.

10. Alligator Bags, Lockers, Bench Planes, Deployable Flight Recorders

Aired: 5/28/2010

Selected alligator hides are cut, reinforced, stitched and finished into luxury handbags. Sheet metal is punched, folded and joined to make storage lockers; cast bodies, sharpened blades and shaped handles become woodworking bench planes; and protected recording units are enclosed in deployable housings designed to preserve aircraft data after an accident.

11. Grapples, Flavorings, Dog Sleds, Athletic Shoes

Aired: 6/4/2010

Heavy steel parts are cut, welded and fitted with hydraulic mechanisms to create industrial grapples. Natural and synthetic ingredients are extracted, measured and blended into concentrated food flavourings; shaped wooden components are joined and reinforced to build dog sleds; and layers of fabric, foam, rubber and supportive materials are cut, stitched and bonded into athletic shoes.

12. Retractable Cords, Wood Frame Sports Cars, Sushi

Aired: 6/11/2010

Insulated electrical conductors are wound around forms and heat-treated so they repeatedly return to their compact coiled shape. Traditional timber frameworks are shaped and joined before receiving metal body panels and mechanical components in wood frame sports cars, while seasoned rice, seafood, vegetables and seaweed are carefully prepared and assembled into sushi.

13. Leather Wallets, French Horns, Soy Sauce, Children's Ride-On Cars

Aired: 6/18/2010

Leather is cut, thinned, lined and stitched into wallets with precisely fitted pockets and compartments. Brass tubing is bent, joined and equipped with valves and a flared bell to create French horns; fermented soybeans and wheat are aged, pressed and filtered into soy sauce; and moulded bodies, electric motors, batteries and controls are assembled into children’s ride-on cars.