How It's Made

[Smudger]

Does anyone else watch this programme? I find it fascinating.
Just seen aluminium extrusions being made for ladders. Bloody hell...

 

[Philly]

Yes, I can't help watching it. Amazing stuff!
Philly

 

[StevieB]

Yup, wish it was on for a bit longer or they went into a bit more depth sometimes. Has a Canadian flavour with some of the items, but generally very watchable.

Steve

 

[Digit]

Watching some of the presses, injection moulders etc at full speed always makes me wonder how long it takes the poor setter to get it all up and running!
Just imagine a bottle topping machine suddenly going on the blink, Maple syrup every where!

Roy.

 

[Smudger]

I was just thinking this afternoon about that - my cousin Malcolm was a tool setter ? Is that the right job term? who used to spend his whole day adjusting and changing machine tools. Something of an elite in the factory. I can remember as a student waiting idly for someone to change the dies on the brake press (we always called it a brake press - HIM always calls it a press brake).

 

[wizer]

I used to have every episode in avi format. Watched practically every one (about 150 episodes.). Some of it can get repetitive or a bit dumbed down. But great insight into how every day items are made.

 

[Smudger]

Have you seen the spin-off, How It's Done?

 

[Tony Spear]

brake press (we always called it a brake press - HIM always calls it a press brake).

Smudger as far as I remember both terms were generally regarded as interchangeable.

When I did my apprenticeship, I soon discovered that being a machine tool setter was a bloody site more interesting than the job of the capstan lathe operator that had to spend the next 8 hours using it! :roll:

The real creme de la creme were the tool & die makers.

 

[Digit]

I was teaching an apprentice on one occasion Tony and I always put them on machines to begin with so that they could see what the operators had to do.
After several hours I aked him how he was getting on.
'Oh if I get bored,' he said. 'I can always do something exciting, like turning round!'
Sums it up I guess.

Roy.

 

[Smudger]

brake press (we always called it a brake press - HIM always calls it a press brake).

Smudger as far as I remember both terms were generally regarded as interchangeable.

When I did my apprenticeship, I soon discovered that being a machine tool setter was a bloody site more interesting than the job of the capstan lathe operator that had to spend the next 8 hours using it! :roll:

The real creme de la creme were the tool & die makers.

You ought to try 8 hours using a swing-arm press to punch half-inch holes in quarter-inch steel plate...
I did that for 4 weeks. Ended up with one arm like Popeye and one like Olive Oyl!

 

[newt]

For me the best prog on TV

 

[SVB]

Just imagine a bottle topping machine suddenly going on the blink, Maple syrup every where!

Roy.

One of the guys working with us at the moment used to set up robotic packing machines. He said he did the one at Mcvities that packs the selection boxes. apparently when it went wrong during trials the biscuit dust that ensued took over a minute to clear within the cell and it was a shovel job before they could see what had happened! :lol: :lol:

 

[bugbear]

Has a Canadian flavour with some of the items,...

"How It's Made is a Canadian documentary television series that premiered in 2001 on the Discovery Channel. The program is produced in Quebec, Canada by Productions MAJ, Inc. and Productions MAJ 2 (3959015 Canada, Inc.)"

That might explain the Canadian flavour (flavor?)

BugBear

 

[Digit]

shovel job before they could see what had happened!

I can imagine! Some hi speed machines can't actually be stopped suddenly either.
Perhaps the programme will do some out takes!

Roy.

 

[Smudger]

I worked at Vinyl Products once, and they used to make some sort of Araldite adhesive. One Harry Hacker (him that rendered me unconscious with a hide-head hammer) once filled a 10,000 gallon reaction vessel with approximately 20,000 gallons of chemicals...
He hadn't closed off the cocks at the bottom, and took a while to catch on. Killed every fish in the local river and left the factory a foot deep in solid araldite. Took days to dig out with Kango hammers. Gosh, he was popular.

 

[miles_hot]

what channel and is it availble on line as I can't get digital?

many thanks

Miles

 

[wobblycogs]

I once worked with a guy who had worked on setting up an automated bread factory. During the commissioning process something went wrong and the machine filled one end of the factory with bread which took days to clear. IIRC the machine couldn't just be turned off in case the ovens caused a fire so they had to just stand there while the miles of conveyors emptied themselves on the floor.

 

[Digit]

You can just imagine the out takes can't you? :lol:

Roy.

 

[Smudger]

what channel and is it availble on line as I can't get digital?

many thanks

Miles

On Sky it's on loads of channels, but mostly the Discovery end, 520, 521, 524. Also DMax 144,145.

 

[wizer]

there used to be loads of them on YouTube