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Playback is currently unavailable for S14 E1 · Ski Goggles, Tower Cranes, Porcelain Figurines, Diesel Engines. Episode details remain available below.

Poster for How It's Made

How It's Made

7.7/10 172 votes
Documentary

Have you ever wondered how the products you use every day are made? How It's Made leads you through the process of how everyday products, such as apple juice, skateboards, engines, contact lenses, and many more objects are manufactured.

Created by:
Gabriel Hoss
Cast:
Lynne Adams
Language:
English
Country:
Canada
Network:
Discovery

Episode guide

Seasons

33 available

Season 14

Episodes

Episode 1 selected
Still from Ski Goggles, Tower Cranes, Porcelain Figurines, Diesel Engines E01

Episode 1

★ 10.0

Ski Goggles, Tower Cranes, Porcelain Figurines, Diesel Engines

2009-09-18 · 21m

Protective lenses are formed, tinted and coated before being fitted into flexible ski-goggle frames. The episode also follows the fabrication and assembly of towering construction cranes, the casting and hand-decoration of porcelain figurines, and the precision machining and assembly required to build powerful diesel engines.

Current episode
Still from Mini GP Motorcycles, Fig Cookies, Tool Boxes, Pipe Bends E02

Episode 2

Mini GP Motorcycles, Fig Cookies, Tool Boxes, Pipe Bends

2009-10-02 · 21m

Compact racing motorcycles take shape as their lightweight frames, engines, suspension and controls are assembled. Fig filling is enclosed in sheets of dough and baked into uniform cookies, sheet metal is cut and folded into durable tool boxes, and straight tubing is formed into accurate bends without crushing or distorting its walls.

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Still from Western Revolver Replicas, Arc Trainers, Used-Oil Furnaces, Vegetable Peelers and Pizza Cutters E03

Episode 3

★ 10.0

Western Revolver Replicas, Arc Trainers, Used-Oil Furnaces, Vegetable Peelers and Pizza Cutters

2009-10-09 · 21m

Metal components are cast, machined and finished to create non-firing replicas of historic Western revolvers. The episode also reveals how elliptical arc trainers combine steel frames with resistance mechanisms, how furnaces convert used lubricating oil into heat, and how sharpened stainless-steel parts become vegetable peelers and rolling pizza cutters.

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Still from Custom Running Shoes, Axes, Racing Karts, Animatronics E04

Episode 4

★ 10.0

Custom Running Shoes, Axes, Racing Karts, Animatronics

2009-10-16 · 21m

Measurements of a runner’s feet and movement are used to create individually fitted shoes, with custom-shaped components joined to supportive uppers and soles. Axe heads are forged, heat-treated, sharpened and mounted on handles; racing karts are assembled around welded chassis and compact engines; and animatronic characters combine sculpted outer forms with internal mechanical and electronic systems.

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Still from Metal Golf Clubs, Waffles, Custom Wires and Cables, Train Wheels E05

Episode 5

★ 10.0

Metal Golf Clubs, Waffles, Custom Wires and Cables, Train Wheels

2009-10-23 · 21m

Golf-club heads are cast or forged, shaped and fitted to carefully selected shafts. Waffle batter is portioned and baked between patterned cooking plates, electrical conductors are drawn, stranded and insulated to produce custom cables, and massive steel blanks are forged and machined into train wheels capable of supporting heavy rail vehicles.

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Still from Sails, Walnuts, Wheel Immobilizers, Honeycomb Structural Panels E06

Episode 6

★ 10.0

Sails, Walnuts, Wheel Immobilizers, Honeycomb Structural Panels

2009-10-30 · 21m

Computer-designed fabric panels are cut, joined and reinforced to create sails able to withstand changing wind loads. Walnuts are cracked, separated and graded, hardened metal components are assembled into vehicle wheel immobilizers, and lightweight honeycomb cores are bonded between rigid outer skins to form exceptionally strong structural panels.

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Still from Surfboards, Stickers, Sandwich Cookies, Concrete Roofing Tiles E07

Episode 7

★ 10.0

Surfboards, Stickers, Sandwich Cookies, Concrete Roofing Tiles

2009-11-06 · 21m

Foam blanks are shaped into surfboards before being reinforced with fibreglass and resin and given a smooth final finish. Printed designs receive adhesive and protective coatings before being cut into stickers, baked cookie halves are paired around measured portions of filling, and coloured concrete is moulded and cured into durable roofing tiles.

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Still from Stuffed Olives, Astrolabes, Western Saddles E08

Episode 8

★ 10.0

Stuffed Olives, Astrolabes, Western Saddles

2009-11-13 · 21m

Olives are sorted, pitted and filled before being preserved and packaged. Metal discs are engraved and assembled into working astrolabes based on traditional astronomical instruments, while Western saddles are built around rigid trees and completed with shaped padding, fitted leather and decorative tooling.

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Still from Headphones, Diving Regulators, Reflector Light Bulbs E09

Episode 9

★ 10.0

Headphones, Diving Regulators, Reflector Light Bulbs

2009-11-20 · 21m

Miniature speaker drivers, wiring and cushioned housings are assembled into headphones. Precision valves, diaphragms and seals are combined and pressure-tested to create diving regulators, while reflector bulbs are formed, coated and fitted with their electrical components to concentrate light into a controlled beam.

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Still from Fly Fishing Reels, House Paint, Weaving Looms, Ice Makers E10

Episode 10

★ 10.0

Fly Fishing Reels, House Paint, Weaving Looms, Ice Makers

2009-12-04 · 21m

Lightweight metal is machined into precisely balanced fly-fishing reels and fitted with smooth drag mechanisms. Pigments, binders and additives are blended into house paint, weaving looms coordinate warp and weft threads to produce patterned fabric, and automatic ice makers freeze water, release the finished cubes and prepare for the next cycle.

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Still from Graphite Pencil Leads, Clarinets, Special Effects E11

Episode 11

★ 10.0

Graphite Pencil Leads, Clarinets, Special Effects

2009-12-11 · 21m

Graphite and clay are blended, extruded into slender rods, fired and treated to produce smooth, durable pencil leads. Seasoned wood is drilled, turned and fitted with a complex key mechanism to make clarinets, while special-effects artists use sculpting, mould-making, flexible materials and mechanical devices to create convincing physical illusions.

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Still from Air Boats, Onions, 3D Metal Printing, Curved Cabinet Doors E12

Episode 12

★ 10.0

Air Boats, Onions, 3D Metal Printing, Curved Cabinet Doors

2009-12-18 · 21m

A flat-bottomed hull, powerful engine, large propeller and protective cage are combined to build an airboat capable of crossing shallow water and marshland. Onions are harvested, cured, graded and packed; metal powder is fused layer by layer from a digital design; and glued layers of wood are pressed over shaped forms to produce curved cabinet doors.

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Still from Retractable Ballpoint Pens, Solar Salt, Tubas E13

Episode 13

★ 10.0

Retractable Ballpoint Pens, Solar Salt, Tubas

2010-01-08 · 21m

Injection-moulded pen bodies are fitted with ink refills, ballpoint tips, springs and retracting mechanisms. Salt water is concentrated in large evaporation ponds until crystals can be harvested and refined, while sheets and tubes of brass are shaped, joined and polished into the long air passages and broad bell of a tuba.

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Cast

Lynne Adams

Lynne Adams

Narrator (voice)

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