Some Assembly Required (2007–…): Season 2, Episode 11 - Tennis Balls, Kayaks, Silly Putty - full transcript
UNGER: For all
the stuff in our world,
there's a story of
how it came to be.
Hello. I'm Brian Unger.
Coming up on "Some
Assembly Required,"
giving a tennis ball its bounce,
how to make a water rocket,
and a very silly assembly.
[Pops]
That is music to a
tennis player's ear.
The sound of a brand-new
can of tennis balls being opened.
Well, we're at HEAD/Penn
Racquet Sports in Phoenix, Arizona,
to find out how you make
the perfect tennis ball.
Head/Penn Racquet Sports
is the largest manufacturer
of tennis balls in the world,
cranking out
330,000 balls a day.
Our assembly starts
with an 85-pound
block of natural rubber,
enough for nearly
2,000 tennis balls.
It starts out hard as a rock,
so we'll soften it with
heat and lubricant,
then stir in clay to ensure
the mixture hardens again.
Rubber alone will
bounce, but not very high,
and it won't last very long.
So we add a chemical
cocktail to the mix
that will give the
ball a bigger bounce
with a longer life.
Penn uses a proprietary blend
of 1 1 chemical
ingredients with the rubber.
One of those is sulfur,
which provides heat that
will help the rubber cure,
or harden just a bit more.
The rubber is
mixed and flattened,
squeezing out
all the air bubbles,
which would weaken the
ball and affect the bounce.
Long strips are cut
and sent through a press
and extruded as pellets.
Then they're showered
with silicon and hot water
so they'll be slick enough
to slide off the molds.
If we made our balls
out of solid rubber,
they'd have so much mass
that our arms would give
out in just a few matches.
So we're gonna hollow
them out to make them lighter,
give them a livelier bounce.
Each of these solid pellets
is put into a heated
mechanical press.
These sheets of half
cores head on down the line,
where a razor-sharp
die punches them out.
And the jumble of halves
are flipped to the correct side...
so that the buffer can trim
each to an exact dimension.
When shaved to size,
each rim is coated with a
heat-activated adhesive.
Now we're ready to
get our bounce on.
I do want waffles.
Caroline Johnson and I
are trying to give tennis balls
the ultimate bounce.
- So, what are we making here?
- I think corn-bread muffins.
Corn-bread muffins.
That's what we're doing.
So, we start with
the corn bread, right?
This machine is
really responsible
for giving the ball the bounce.
We're going to
basically give this ball
more pressure on the inside
than there is out here
in the atmosphere.
We're taking, like,
little rubber halves...
I guess this is like
half a tennis ball...
And we're putting them
up into these molds.
And they kind of
just stick on their own.
- How am I doing?
- Pretty good. Good.
- Good job, yeah.
- All right.
Pressurized air is
injected into the press,
raising the air pressure to
21 pounds per square inch.
That's roughly two
times the pressure
of the Earth's atmosphere.
And the two halves
are glued together.
You can't see it, but
the inside of this ball
is teeming with
stored potential energy.
When a moving
ball hits the ground,
the ball immediately wants
to return to its original shape.
That's because the
molecules inside the ball,
which have been
squeezed together,
begin to push back,
and the ball bounces.
We're making tennis balls
at Penn/HEAD Racquet
Sports in Phoenix, Arizona.
We've got the cores that
will give our balls bounce.
Now we need control.
The cores are dipped into
a heat-activated adhesive
to get them ready for
a critical component
of any tennis ball, the fuzz.
[Thudding]
And now for the physics of fuzz.
Ah, let me rephrase that.
The physics of felt.
Now, felt is one of the
principal components
of our tennis ball that's
going to, what, Jay,
allow our player to
manipulate that ball.
And we're talking about spin
- and drag.
- Correct.
You'll have more control
over it because of the felt.
Okay. Jay Williams is the
head of quality here at Penn.
And that sound we're
hearing in the back,
that's actually these pieces
being cut from these
huge rolls, right?
WILLIAMS: They punch them
out here. They call them dumbbells.
- These are called dumbbells?
- Correct.
- Two go together to form...
- The cover for the core.
Now, you could have
used any material.
You could have used
shag carpet here, Jay,
- but you chose felt.
- Right.
Now, what function is
it serving for the ball?
Well, what happens is the
way the felt is manufactured,
once the felt goes
through the air,
it'll lift the fibers up, which
will cause the ball to drag.
A racquetball travels
faster than a tennis ball
because of its smooth surface.
There's less friction,
allowing air to flow
easily over the ball,
which makes it
harder to control.
But on a tennis ball,
air flows through the
fuzz, creating drag
and slowing the ball down
as it moves through space,
making it easier to control.
So, now we know
why we need the fuzz.
But we've still
got to put it on.
The sides of the fabric are
coated with another adhesive
to help hold the felt in place.
Two interlocking dumbbell shapes
are stuck onto each ball.
Then the balls
move up a conveyer.
They get a little extra pressure
to make sure
the felt takes hold.
The balls are heat-pressed
at 325 degrees for 12 minutes,
permanently bonding
the felt to the rubber core
and preparing them for
the last step of the assembly.
UNGER: This is
really the last step
before we package
these things, right?
- Pretty much.
- Hot, steaming tennis balls.
Hot, steaming tennis
balls. You said it.
Oh, look at that.
- Get them while it's hot.
- Get them while they're hot.
Can I reach in and
touch one of those?
- You can have two, if you want.
- Oh, thanks. [Laughs]
This machine actually serves
a very important function here.
This is called, uh, fluffing.
There went the fluffer.
Before fluffing, the balls
looked like this... flat.
The felt is mashed down,
and there's a seam here.
After fluffing...
Oh, look at that.
Nice fluffy tennis ball.
We're ready for a game.
- You want to play?
- Yeah, I do.
You do?
The balls are sorted by
numbers from one to four
so you can tell yours
from those belonging to a
player on the next court over.
They're fed into chutes
and dropped into
bins for packaging.
Each can gets three balls
with the same number.
Over time, air seeps out
of the rubber in tennis balls,
reducing pressure,
and they go flat.
That's why tennis balls are
packaged in pressurized cans.
Otherwise, the
balls would be duds
before they even hit the court.
A machine snaps the
metal lids onto the cans
while inserting just the
right amount of pressure.
A plastic lid follows, and
the balls are shipped out,
ready for the perfect serve.
If you've ever wanted to
become one with the open water,
kayaking may be the way to go.
This thing is very sensitive,
very reactive, and...
very easy to go out of balance.
So that's why I'm sitting in
this little tiny eddy right now.
No danger around me.
It's built for the ocean,
but for Brian Unger,
it's built for an eddy.
If a canoe is a car,
then a kayak is a bike.
An extension of
the paddler's body.
Finely crafted to respond to
even the slightest movements.
Touring kayaks, designed
with a low center of gravity,
offer excellent maneuverability
in the most
challenging conditions.
The trick is to use materials
that will make our kayak
both tough and lightweight.
Today, we're in Old Town, Maine,
making the Necky Chatham 17,
a kayak with a
long, narrow shape
that allows it to cut
quickly and efficiently
through the water.
As important as design is to
the Chatham's performance,
so are the materials
that go into making it.
Well, these are the
molds to our kayak,
and the first step in
preparing our kayak
is the application
of a pigmented resin.
That resin can be
clear or any color, really,
and it will go on this mold.
And we'll pile on layers
of fiberglass and
carbon fiber on top of that
and eventually pop
the whole thing out.
Before we can lay all those
materials into the mold,
we spray on the resin,
which serves as an adhesive
that will hold in
place the first layer,
a sheet of fiberglass.
After the fiberglass, we
add the carbon composite.
It's the same type of material
used on the space shuttle.
It gives the boat stiffness,
which will make it easier
to maneuver in the water.
This is a carbon-fiber material
that's stronger than fiberglass,
and it's more dense.
And what that means
is they can use less of it
without compromising
strength, without adding weight.
Broader areas of the
deck are reinforced
with a rigid foam layer
for added strength.
There's one last thing to add,
another layer of
fiberglass, and then resin.
We place strips
at various points
to ensure the resin
covers the entire mold.
Then we cover
the mold in plastic...
while the motor draws all
the air out, creating a vacuum.
This way, under this
process called infusion,
we are keeping our kayak
nimble and spirited and quick,
and that's what we want.
The last step will
be forcing the resin
to permeate all the layers
to create a permanent bond.
The resin will add
weight to the kayak,
so we only want to add
as much as we need,
not a drop more.
Just like drinking a
milkshake through a straw,
the resin is pulled
in, filling the void.
A chemical reaction
is heating up the resin,
transforming it first
to a gel, then a solid.
The resin takes
only hours to solidify.
Then we pop the top half
of our kayak out of the mold.
Very evident... We
will trim this away,
but very evident
the layers here.
The carbon fiber with the
resin and the fiberglass.
And at this stage,
one hand could
lift this whole thing,
and it's only 18 pounds.
You could wear this like a hat,
- couldn't you, Mike?
- If you wanted to.
If you wanted to, but
you wouldn't do that.
Next, we trim the
excess fiberglass.
Then cut out the
cockpit and hatches
with a diamond-wheel saw blade.
Protective suits
keep the worker safe
from the airborne
fiberglass dust.
Now it's time to finish her up.
The two halves
are glued together
using super strong marine glue
that creates a permanent
waterproof bond.
Once the body's done,
it's time to trick it
out for a long haul.
Cording used to
hold gear in place
is strung across
the kayak's deck.
Next, patch covers to protect
gear stowed inside the kayak
are snapped on.
Our kayak is almost
ready for a test run.
But there's one critical
piece that's missing,
and project engineer
Jeremy Soames
knows all about it.
So, we have a really
sleek vessel here.
This thing is lightweight.
It can really move
through the water.
It is probably more
vulnerable to current conditions
and the weather, wind.
How do you control, then,
for something that's
more vulnerable?
Well, this boat,
what it has in it is the
option, what we call a skeg.
It's totally controlled by
the paddler in the cockpit,
and it's fully
adjustable throughout.
And what it does is drop down,
and it adds a stability
force under the hull
so you're able to track
straight and keep your bearing.
It's especially important in a
crosswind or in rough seas.
By lowering the skeg,
you add resistance
and help to keep the
kayak on a steady course.
Time to see if our
kayak is seaworthy,
and I want to
test it for myself.
Now, they say the
hardest part of maneuvering
one of these cool kayaks
is getting in and out of it.
I think I've mastered that part.
Ahh.
Oh, yeah.
She handles like a dream.
We have found science
in every assembly,
but it's not always
rocket science.
Some assemblies
are just big failures
that turn into huge,
huge successes
with one purpose, fun.
Say hello to Silly Putty.
Jeff, this stuff is amazing.
I mean, it bounces and
it comes in this cool egg
and it's stretchy.
Jeff Alisha is a chemical
engineer at Silly Putty.
How can this be a mistake?
ALISHA: Silly Putty was
originally made in World War Il
as a replacement
for natural rubber.
- And that didn't work out well.
- No, it didn't.
The product that came
to be known as Silly Putty
was too soft and fluid to be
used as a synthetic rubber.
So with no obvious
practical applications,
scientists shelved the
quirky stuff and moved on.
It was a toy marketer
who discovered
the true genius of
this creation, fun.
To begin this assembly
of our serious, serious
process of Silly Putty,
we start with clay, lots of it.
And it really doesn't look
much different from baker's flour.
I mean, it's very
soft to the touch,
and the grade, very fine.
Why clay?
Well, clay creates the base
that will hold
Silly Putty's color
and enhance its texture.
Tony is our mixer.
You're like a pastry chef, Tony.
You know, you're
the guy with the flour
and some of the key ingredients.
And Tony creates a confection
that starts with 800 pounds
of processed minerals.
First you got to add
the titanium dioxide.
There's one pound of that.
Titanium dioxide refracts,
or scatters, light
like a diamond.
Once we add color to the
clay, this will help to brighten it.
UNGER: So, we send
this down to be mixed?
- Yes.
- That's you and me, too?
- We're gonna do some mixing?
- We do the whole thing.
Our brew of clay and chemicals
is dumped into the mixer,
and as it churns, Tony
adds bags of pigments.
A little more than a
handful of this stuff
is enough to create
the pinkish tint
for 225 pounds of Silly Putty.
Well, the next step,
we got to put in some oil,
and in a few minutes,
it will be done.
The oil is what makes
it come together.
That oil is actually a
secret blend of ingredients
that, when mixed into the batch,
will act as a binding agent.
- Move it up in a little bit.
- Move it up?
So, our mixture is done.
Should we pour it?
Oh, look at that. It looks
like fresh ground beef.
TONY: [Chuckles] Yeah, it does.
UNGER: We're looking at,
basically, a concentrated color
of our Silly Putty until
we add a magic ingredient.
Oh, it's good. It's very good.
- Where to, Tony?
- Over to the Silly Putty mixer.
Silly Putty mixer.
Still, no one's
laughing in here.
Not yet. [Chuckles]
So, I have in my hand what
makes Silly Putty so darn silly.
Behold...
Magicians are much
better at this than I am.
The silly of Silly Putty.
"Sillycone" oil
helps produce the other
key component of Silly Putty.
When mixed with boric acid,
it creates this gooey substance,
one that's very
stretchy and, well, silly.
How does something stay
as both solid and liquid?
This is called Dilantin.
There are some weak
hydrogen bonds in there
that are easily broken,
and if you apply
a quick force to it,
you can actually break it
instead of having it stretch.
There you go.
Now we're gonna bring
the two main ingredients
of Silly Putty together,
75 pounds of clay and
150 pounds of silicone putty.
UNGER: So, inside our blender,
we got all of our ingredients,
our 12 bags of
silicone and boric acid.
We've got our clay,
our titanium dioxide,
our lubricants, which
we did over here.
- It's time to really blend.
- Yes.
With the push of a button,
the blades begin to churn,
and in just 10 minutes,
we have 225 pounds
of warm Silly Putty.
UNGER: And one
fresh, finished batch
- of Silly Putty.
- Yes.
It's gonna make a lot
of eggs, isn't it, Tony?
- Yeah, about 8,000.
- About 8,000.
I wish we just knew where
we were supposed to put it.
The putty is cut into
15-pound loaves.
And there it is.
Then pushed through an extruder,
which is like a
giant pasta machine
that cuts it into
half-ounce nuggets,
the perfect size
to pack into the signature
Silly Putty package.
Why an egg?
Well, it turns out those who
were marketing Silly Putty
back in post-World War Il era
needed a convenient way
to package this novelty.
And so one day at breakfast,
one of those developers
was staring at an egg carton
and thought, "Eureka!
That would be a good
way to sell these things."
The egg is really an accident,
just like Silly Putty itself.
the stuff in our world,
there's a story of
how it came to be.
Hello. I'm Brian Unger.
Coming up on "Some
Assembly Required,"
giving a tennis ball its bounce,
how to make a water rocket,
and a very silly assembly.
[Pops]
That is music to a
tennis player's ear.
The sound of a brand-new
can of tennis balls being opened.
Well, we're at HEAD/Penn
Racquet Sports in Phoenix, Arizona,
to find out how you make
the perfect tennis ball.
Head/Penn Racquet Sports
is the largest manufacturer
of tennis balls in the world,
cranking out
330,000 balls a day.
Our assembly starts
with an 85-pound
block of natural rubber,
enough for nearly
2,000 tennis balls.
It starts out hard as a rock,
so we'll soften it with
heat and lubricant,
then stir in clay to ensure
the mixture hardens again.
Rubber alone will
bounce, but not very high,
and it won't last very long.
So we add a chemical
cocktail to the mix
that will give the
ball a bigger bounce
with a longer life.
Penn uses a proprietary blend
of 1 1 chemical
ingredients with the rubber.
One of those is sulfur,
which provides heat that
will help the rubber cure,
or harden just a bit more.
The rubber is
mixed and flattened,
squeezing out
all the air bubbles,
which would weaken the
ball and affect the bounce.
Long strips are cut
and sent through a press
and extruded as pellets.
Then they're showered
with silicon and hot water
so they'll be slick enough
to slide off the molds.
If we made our balls
out of solid rubber,
they'd have so much mass
that our arms would give
out in just a few matches.
So we're gonna hollow
them out to make them lighter,
give them a livelier bounce.
Each of these solid pellets
is put into a heated
mechanical press.
These sheets of half
cores head on down the line,
where a razor-sharp
die punches them out.
And the jumble of halves
are flipped to the correct side...
so that the buffer can trim
each to an exact dimension.
When shaved to size,
each rim is coated with a
heat-activated adhesive.
Now we're ready to
get our bounce on.
I do want waffles.
Caroline Johnson and I
are trying to give tennis balls
the ultimate bounce.
- So, what are we making here?
- I think corn-bread muffins.
Corn-bread muffins.
That's what we're doing.
So, we start with
the corn bread, right?
This machine is
really responsible
for giving the ball the bounce.
We're going to
basically give this ball
more pressure on the inside
than there is out here
in the atmosphere.
We're taking, like,
little rubber halves...
I guess this is like
half a tennis ball...
And we're putting them
up into these molds.
And they kind of
just stick on their own.
- How am I doing?
- Pretty good. Good.
- Good job, yeah.
- All right.
Pressurized air is
injected into the press,
raising the air pressure to
21 pounds per square inch.
That's roughly two
times the pressure
of the Earth's atmosphere.
And the two halves
are glued together.
You can't see it, but
the inside of this ball
is teeming with
stored potential energy.
When a moving
ball hits the ground,
the ball immediately wants
to return to its original shape.
That's because the
molecules inside the ball,
which have been
squeezed together,
begin to push back,
and the ball bounces.
We're making tennis balls
at Penn/HEAD Racquet
Sports in Phoenix, Arizona.
We've got the cores that
will give our balls bounce.
Now we need control.
The cores are dipped into
a heat-activated adhesive
to get them ready for
a critical component
of any tennis ball, the fuzz.
[Thudding]
And now for the physics of fuzz.
Ah, let me rephrase that.
The physics of felt.
Now, felt is one of the
principal components
of our tennis ball that's
going to, what, Jay,
allow our player to
manipulate that ball.
And we're talking about spin
- and drag.
- Correct.
You'll have more control
over it because of the felt.
Okay. Jay Williams is the
head of quality here at Penn.
And that sound we're
hearing in the back,
that's actually these pieces
being cut from these
huge rolls, right?
WILLIAMS: They punch them
out here. They call them dumbbells.
- These are called dumbbells?
- Correct.
- Two go together to form...
- The cover for the core.
Now, you could have
used any material.
You could have used
shag carpet here, Jay,
- but you chose felt.
- Right.
Now, what function is
it serving for the ball?
Well, what happens is the
way the felt is manufactured,
once the felt goes
through the air,
it'll lift the fibers up, which
will cause the ball to drag.
A racquetball travels
faster than a tennis ball
because of its smooth surface.
There's less friction,
allowing air to flow
easily over the ball,
which makes it
harder to control.
But on a tennis ball,
air flows through the
fuzz, creating drag
and slowing the ball down
as it moves through space,
making it easier to control.
So, now we know
why we need the fuzz.
But we've still
got to put it on.
The sides of the fabric are
coated with another adhesive
to help hold the felt in place.
Two interlocking dumbbell shapes
are stuck onto each ball.
Then the balls
move up a conveyer.
They get a little extra pressure
to make sure
the felt takes hold.
The balls are heat-pressed
at 325 degrees for 12 minutes,
permanently bonding
the felt to the rubber core
and preparing them for
the last step of the assembly.
UNGER: This is
really the last step
before we package
these things, right?
- Pretty much.
- Hot, steaming tennis balls.
Hot, steaming tennis
balls. You said it.
Oh, look at that.
- Get them while it's hot.
- Get them while they're hot.
Can I reach in and
touch one of those?
- You can have two, if you want.
- Oh, thanks. [Laughs]
This machine actually serves
a very important function here.
This is called, uh, fluffing.
There went the fluffer.
Before fluffing, the balls
looked like this... flat.
The felt is mashed down,
and there's a seam here.
After fluffing...
Oh, look at that.
Nice fluffy tennis ball.
We're ready for a game.
- You want to play?
- Yeah, I do.
You do?
The balls are sorted by
numbers from one to four
so you can tell yours
from those belonging to a
player on the next court over.
They're fed into chutes
and dropped into
bins for packaging.
Each can gets three balls
with the same number.
Over time, air seeps out
of the rubber in tennis balls,
reducing pressure,
and they go flat.
That's why tennis balls are
packaged in pressurized cans.
Otherwise, the
balls would be duds
before they even hit the court.
A machine snaps the
metal lids onto the cans
while inserting just the
right amount of pressure.
A plastic lid follows, and
the balls are shipped out,
ready for the perfect serve.
If you've ever wanted to
become one with the open water,
kayaking may be the way to go.
This thing is very sensitive,
very reactive, and...
very easy to go out of balance.
So that's why I'm sitting in
this little tiny eddy right now.
No danger around me.
It's built for the ocean,
but for Brian Unger,
it's built for an eddy.
If a canoe is a car,
then a kayak is a bike.
An extension of
the paddler's body.
Finely crafted to respond to
even the slightest movements.
Touring kayaks, designed
with a low center of gravity,
offer excellent maneuverability
in the most
challenging conditions.
The trick is to use materials
that will make our kayak
both tough and lightweight.
Today, we're in Old Town, Maine,
making the Necky Chatham 17,
a kayak with a
long, narrow shape
that allows it to cut
quickly and efficiently
through the water.
As important as design is to
the Chatham's performance,
so are the materials
that go into making it.
Well, these are the
molds to our kayak,
and the first step in
preparing our kayak
is the application
of a pigmented resin.
That resin can be
clear or any color, really,
and it will go on this mold.
And we'll pile on layers
of fiberglass and
carbon fiber on top of that
and eventually pop
the whole thing out.
Before we can lay all those
materials into the mold,
we spray on the resin,
which serves as an adhesive
that will hold in
place the first layer,
a sheet of fiberglass.
After the fiberglass, we
add the carbon composite.
It's the same type of material
used on the space shuttle.
It gives the boat stiffness,
which will make it easier
to maneuver in the water.
This is a carbon-fiber material
that's stronger than fiberglass,
and it's more dense.
And what that means
is they can use less of it
without compromising
strength, without adding weight.
Broader areas of the
deck are reinforced
with a rigid foam layer
for added strength.
There's one last thing to add,
another layer of
fiberglass, and then resin.
We place strips
at various points
to ensure the resin
covers the entire mold.
Then we cover
the mold in plastic...
while the motor draws all
the air out, creating a vacuum.
This way, under this
process called infusion,
we are keeping our kayak
nimble and spirited and quick,
and that's what we want.
The last step will
be forcing the resin
to permeate all the layers
to create a permanent bond.
The resin will add
weight to the kayak,
so we only want to add
as much as we need,
not a drop more.
Just like drinking a
milkshake through a straw,
the resin is pulled
in, filling the void.
A chemical reaction
is heating up the resin,
transforming it first
to a gel, then a solid.
The resin takes
only hours to solidify.
Then we pop the top half
of our kayak out of the mold.
Very evident... We
will trim this away,
but very evident
the layers here.
The carbon fiber with the
resin and the fiberglass.
And at this stage,
one hand could
lift this whole thing,
and it's only 18 pounds.
You could wear this like a hat,
- couldn't you, Mike?
- If you wanted to.
If you wanted to, but
you wouldn't do that.
Next, we trim the
excess fiberglass.
Then cut out the
cockpit and hatches
with a diamond-wheel saw blade.
Protective suits
keep the worker safe
from the airborne
fiberglass dust.
Now it's time to finish her up.
The two halves
are glued together
using super strong marine glue
that creates a permanent
waterproof bond.
Once the body's done,
it's time to trick it
out for a long haul.
Cording used to
hold gear in place
is strung across
the kayak's deck.
Next, patch covers to protect
gear stowed inside the kayak
are snapped on.
Our kayak is almost
ready for a test run.
But there's one critical
piece that's missing,
and project engineer
Jeremy Soames
knows all about it.
So, we have a really
sleek vessel here.
This thing is lightweight.
It can really move
through the water.
It is probably more
vulnerable to current conditions
and the weather, wind.
How do you control, then,
for something that's
more vulnerable?
Well, this boat,
what it has in it is the
option, what we call a skeg.
It's totally controlled by
the paddler in the cockpit,
and it's fully
adjustable throughout.
And what it does is drop down,
and it adds a stability
force under the hull
so you're able to track
straight and keep your bearing.
It's especially important in a
crosswind or in rough seas.
By lowering the skeg,
you add resistance
and help to keep the
kayak on a steady course.
Time to see if our
kayak is seaworthy,
and I want to
test it for myself.
Now, they say the
hardest part of maneuvering
one of these cool kayaks
is getting in and out of it.
I think I've mastered that part.
Ahh.
Oh, yeah.
She handles like a dream.
We have found science
in every assembly,
but it's not always
rocket science.
Some assemblies
are just big failures
that turn into huge,
huge successes
with one purpose, fun.
Say hello to Silly Putty.
Jeff, this stuff is amazing.
I mean, it bounces and
it comes in this cool egg
and it's stretchy.
Jeff Alisha is a chemical
engineer at Silly Putty.
How can this be a mistake?
ALISHA: Silly Putty was
originally made in World War Il
as a replacement
for natural rubber.
- And that didn't work out well.
- No, it didn't.
The product that came
to be known as Silly Putty
was too soft and fluid to be
used as a synthetic rubber.
So with no obvious
practical applications,
scientists shelved the
quirky stuff and moved on.
It was a toy marketer
who discovered
the true genius of
this creation, fun.
To begin this assembly
of our serious, serious
process of Silly Putty,
we start with clay, lots of it.
And it really doesn't look
much different from baker's flour.
I mean, it's very
soft to the touch,
and the grade, very fine.
Why clay?
Well, clay creates the base
that will hold
Silly Putty's color
and enhance its texture.
Tony is our mixer.
You're like a pastry chef, Tony.
You know, you're
the guy with the flour
and some of the key ingredients.
And Tony creates a confection
that starts with 800 pounds
of processed minerals.
First you got to add
the titanium dioxide.
There's one pound of that.
Titanium dioxide refracts,
or scatters, light
like a diamond.
Once we add color to the
clay, this will help to brighten it.
UNGER: So, we send
this down to be mixed?
- Yes.
- That's you and me, too?
- We're gonna do some mixing?
- We do the whole thing.
Our brew of clay and chemicals
is dumped into the mixer,
and as it churns, Tony
adds bags of pigments.
A little more than a
handful of this stuff
is enough to create
the pinkish tint
for 225 pounds of Silly Putty.
Well, the next step,
we got to put in some oil,
and in a few minutes,
it will be done.
The oil is what makes
it come together.
That oil is actually a
secret blend of ingredients
that, when mixed into the batch,
will act as a binding agent.
- Move it up in a little bit.
- Move it up?
So, our mixture is done.
Should we pour it?
Oh, look at that. It looks
like fresh ground beef.
TONY: [Chuckles] Yeah, it does.
UNGER: We're looking at,
basically, a concentrated color
of our Silly Putty until
we add a magic ingredient.
Oh, it's good. It's very good.
- Where to, Tony?
- Over to the Silly Putty mixer.
Silly Putty mixer.
Still, no one's
laughing in here.
Not yet. [Chuckles]
So, I have in my hand what
makes Silly Putty so darn silly.
Behold...
Magicians are much
better at this than I am.
The silly of Silly Putty.
"Sillycone" oil
helps produce the other
key component of Silly Putty.
When mixed with boric acid,
it creates this gooey substance,
one that's very
stretchy and, well, silly.
How does something stay
as both solid and liquid?
This is called Dilantin.
There are some weak
hydrogen bonds in there
that are easily broken,
and if you apply
a quick force to it,
you can actually break it
instead of having it stretch.
There you go.
Now we're gonna bring
the two main ingredients
of Silly Putty together,
75 pounds of clay and
150 pounds of silicone putty.
UNGER: So, inside our blender,
we got all of our ingredients,
our 12 bags of
silicone and boric acid.
We've got our clay,
our titanium dioxide,
our lubricants, which
we did over here.
- It's time to really blend.
- Yes.
With the push of a button,
the blades begin to churn,
and in just 10 minutes,
we have 225 pounds
of warm Silly Putty.
UNGER: And one
fresh, finished batch
- of Silly Putty.
- Yes.
It's gonna make a lot
of eggs, isn't it, Tony?
- Yeah, about 8,000.
- About 8,000.
I wish we just knew where
we were supposed to put it.
The putty is cut into
15-pound loaves.
And there it is.
Then pushed through an extruder,
which is like a
giant pasta machine
that cuts it into
half-ounce nuggets,
the perfect size
to pack into the signature
Silly Putty package.
Why an egg?
Well, it turns out those who
were marketing Silly Putty
back in post-World War Il era
needed a convenient way
to package this novelty.
And so one day at breakfast,
one of those developers
was staring at an egg carton
and thought, "Eureka!
That would be a good
way to sell these things."
The egg is really an accident,
just like Silly Putty itself.