Some Assembly Required (2007–…): Season 2, Episode 6 - Cookware and Canoes - 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"...
the fire and thunder
it takes to cast iron.
And the assembly
of an American icon.
This is Lodge Cast Iron.
It is loud, and it is filthy.
And while it is the last place
you'd ever want to
talk about cooking food,
this is where they
make cast-iron cookware.
Now, this cast-iron
skillet right here
is having a renaissance because
of some very special science
that makes this a
superior cooking surface.
And to assemble this, we
have to step into a world
that appears far more
medieval than modern.
This is the only
place in the country
still making cast-iron cookware,
and they've been at it
for more than a century.
Unlike other cookware, cast
iron only gets better with age,
and it's virtually
indestructible.
But to get it right
involves nine critical steps.
Before we start cooking,
we got a lot of messy,
loud, and hot work to do.
Now, the main elements
in cast-iron cookware
are iron, carbon, and silicon,
mostly derived
from three things.
Recycled cast iron...
That's the first one.
Scrap manufacturing
steel... That's the second one.
And the third one is pig iron.
Pig iron is essentially
the first by-product
of the smelting of iron ore.
It is also a critical ingredient
in both steel and what
we're after... cast iron.
These raw materials are combined
into a 2,000-pound heap...
and dumped into
a 600-degree oven,
which burns off any oil or water
that might be on this stuff.
Why?
We don't want any explosions
in the next part of the
assembly... the furnace.
That is the loudest
noise I've ever heard.
[Machine whirring]
This is an electric
induction furnace.
The furnace runs at
2,800 degrees Fahrenheit
and can hold up to three
tons of molten metal.
It takes 15 minutes
to heat all of that up
into a superhot liquid.
It's at this point
we take a sample.
We're basically
trying to make sure
our chemistry is perfect and
there are no harmful elements
that will ultimately
make our pan brittle,
causing it to break.
This is a very dangerous
step in the process.
Any contact with this
hot mixture could be fatal.
But it is vital, as any
copper, nickel, or chrome
that were part of the scrap
metal we included in the mix...
It'll weaken the iron.
Depending on measurements,
the workers will add silicon
that will both
counteract the influence
of these unwanted metals
and give the
finished pot strength.
When the mixture hits
the perfect temperature
and composition,
2,000 pounds of molten iron
is poured into a
transfer container.
We're almost ready to mold.
First, since the iron contains
dirt and other impurities,
we've got one more
important step before molding...
Scraping off the slag.
He's adding a chemical
there called vermiculite.
Now, vermiculite is a
sort of binding agent,
and it holds together
oxides, or slag,
that forms in our metal mixture.
This slag forms
when our 2,000-pound
mixture reacts to oxygen.
When we get that slag,
it could lead to
impurities in our cast iron,
so we remove it.
Again, the objective here
is to keep our cast iron...
The chemistry... just perfect
so the castability is perfect
and that the product that
you get in the end is perfect.
It behaves the way
it's supposed to.
While the liquid hopper
travels along cables
in preparation for pouring...
this machine is
making sand molds.
It makes two halves.
When those two
halves come together,
we will pour our metal
mixture down in between.
This thing can produce
enough sand molds
to create 400 to
1,600 pieces an hour.
Lodge uses sand molds, a
1,500-year-old technology,
because it remains the
best and most practical way
to cast iron.
Our molten iron is so hot,
it would melt almost
any other material.
But the sand can hold
its own against the heat.
This is how it works.
Compressed air forces
moist sand into a chamber
that is the exact
contour of our skillet.
Perfect reverse impressions
on both sides of the pan
are formed in the
cavity in the sand.
The molten iron fills the
cavity, creating our skillet.
In pouring our molds,
the liquid metal must
be exactly 2,500 degrees.
That's the perfect temperature
for pouring the perfect mold.
If the liquid metal
were any hotter,
it would penetrate between
the sand and the mold
and create a rough finish.
Now, if it were any
colder, the result would be
that the metal mixture does
not even stick to the mold,
thereby creating an
incomplete casting.
The cookware moves along
a vibrating conveyor belt
for about 40 minutes to
shake the burnt sand off.
The sand is captured,
cooled, and recycled.
From here, our cookware
embarks on a hellish
cleaning adventure.
This first stop is the Didion.
This business of casting iron
is a bit like Dante's "Inferno."
Everywhere, there is
heat and rocks and fire.
And it is very loud.
A process that really hasn't
changed for thousands of years.
In the rotating Didion,
the pans are tumbled among
hundreds of lumps of iron.
Any rough pieces on our
cookware are knocked loose
as the scrap iron
essentially scours the pans.
Next, we blast the cookware
to remove yet another layer
of the leftover molding sand.
Now, the cookware
goes in looking like this.
Kind of rutty... not something
you want in your kitchen.
So they fire all
this steel shot.
It's a very effective way
of removing the sand,
and it's pretty efficient
because it all gets recycled.
There's no real waste.
This is what the pans look like
when they come
out of this chamber.
A few taps of the hammer
knock off the rough edges
from the casting process.
Any pots that don't
cut the mustard
are sent back to the
furnace for a second chance.
Grinding gets rid of any
stubborn sand particles
that are still holding on and
ensures a smooth surface
before the final step,
the river-rock bath.
Here the pots, pans, or lids
bounce in a bath of river
rocks, soap, and water...
A 12-minute power scrubbing
that removes fine particulates,
like dust, from the casting
and happens to be
very cost-effective,
since the rocks
essentially last forever.
At the end of
this brutal beating,
our pots are hung out to dry,
ensuring they're ready for the
process that sets them apart.
A critical, critical step
is called seasoning.
Now, that seasoning
has nothing to do
with seasoning your food
and improving its taste.
It has everything
to do with this.
Step one in seasoning
involves guns and 100,000 volts.
Vegetable oil is applied
with electrostatic spray guns
that create a uniform
coating of charged oil particles.
The positively charged oil atoms
bond with the neutral
iron atoms in the pan,
creating a barrier between
your food and your pan,
without the need for
a synthetic surface.
And the result is
a nonstick surface.
The more you cook in cast
iron, the more food you put in it,
the more oil you burn off,
the more that nonstick
capability increases.
Here the cookware is baked in
an oven at a high temperature,
forcing the oil's hydrogen and
oxygen elements to burn off,
but leaving behind the carbon
that bonds to the pan's surface,
making our new skillet black.
At this point, our
pan is seasoned.
Well, what started out
as 2,500 degrees of
molten-metal mixture
is now room-temperature...
A finished cast-iron skillet
ready for your kitchen,
ready for you to hand down
to your children's
children's children.
It was out here on the Penobscot
River in Old Town, Maine,
that Europeans observed
Native Americans
traveling in one
of these... A canoe.
As it was then, it is now...
That these wooden canoes
are ideal for cruising
the backwater.
Everything about the assembly
of the Old Town wooden canoe
is designed to create
a perfect balance
between form and function.
It needs to be durable and sleek
so paddlers expend the
least amount of energy
powering the canoe
through the water.
It also needs to be lightweight
to allow for easy hauling
when you run out of river.
Making our canoe easy to lift
is all about the
type of wood we use.
Now, they use five types of
wood to build a canoe here.
They use ash, spruce,
mahogany, cypress, and cedar.
Each wood is selected
for a particular use,
depending on its
natural properties.
Look... hot cross buns.
Robbie and I need to
make the bones of this boat,
and for that, we'll
use white cedar...
Oh, wow. Look at that.
Which is ideal for the ribs
because it's so pliable
and rot-resistant.
The ribs spend about three hours
in a 225-degree steam box.
Steam loosens the
bonds of the cedar cells,
allowing us to permanently
alter the shape of the slat...
Even tie it into a knot.
Okay, uh... that is
some seriously pliability.
Let me try to do that with
one that's not steamed.
It's not gonna happen.
That's why we steam the wood.
- Absolutely.
- [Laughs]
We need to give the
ribs their distinctive shape,
so we use a mold that's
made of metal and wood.
These molds have been
used for almost a century.
Now, this is probably
the Cartier diamond here.
This probably is the most
valuable thing under this roof.
- It is.
- The molds.
We're making Old
Town's Guide canoe,
which, compared to other canoes,
has a wider, flatter bottom,
allowing paddlers to
navigate in shallow waters
and provide critical stability.
What you're gonna
do is look for your line.
Here's my line.
And we're gonna put
it underneath the block.
I'm lining it up onto a line
that's on the mold already.
That line moves along here.
And there's a light pencil
mark on the rib already
before it went into the steamer.
So we're going to affix this
rib to the rails on each side.
- Absolutely.
- Okay.
We've got about five minutes
before a rib begins to stiffen.
With the first ribs on,
Robbie and I will leave it
to these guys to finish up.
The cedar ribs
will set overnight
to harden into their new shape.
Our ribs are set. Time to plank.
It is now time to get
down to brass tacks...
Literally 3,500 brass tacks...
And get into our planking.
What wood do we
use for planking?
That is a western red cedar.
Now, western red cedar...
Now, do you like this
wood for its pliability
or the oil content in here?
Helps you with
some waterproofing.
- Both.
- Both.
ROBBIE: This is a clench tack.
UNGER: Okay.
And if you flip it over
and look at the end,
you'll see the very
fine point on there.
UNGER: Yep.
Once it hits the metal,
that'll bend itself right back
around back up into the rib.
And I just... Now, do
you guys do a tapping,
or do you give it a real bang?
We do a bang, but
you do a tapping.
- Really?
- Yeah.
This brass tack
is perhaps our canoe's
most important component.
Did you feel that
when it hit the metal?
Yeah.
Did you notice it
was a little bit harder?
It's going down like this
and then curling under
a little bit and back.
It's going through the
rib, back into the rib.
Since brass won't rust,
the result is a tight grip
that'll hold up for decades.
In addition to being
water-repellent and pliable,
red cedar is also rot-resistant.
But there's another
important reason
Old Town uses red cedar
for planking... its beauty.
They could use
mahogany or maple...
Both have gorgeous
grain patterns...
But hardwoods are heavy woods.
With red cedar,
we get all the good
looks and half the weight.
It'll take one
craftsman about a week
to finish planking this canoe.
Once we have finished
sanding our canoe...
I still have some work
to do on this one...
We have to tie all
the elements together,
the elements being the wood.
We need to seal it up and
give it rigidity and strength.
Now, prior to 1950...
And still to this day when
they're refurbishing canoes...
They use a preshrunk
cotton canvas.
It's the skin they wrap on
the exterior of all that wood.
This is kind of how it'll look
once it gets painted green.
But on the canoe we're making,
this is post-1950s
technology here.
This is the real revolution.
They seal it using
fiberglass and layers of resin.
The resin is added
in several layers,
and it makes the
fiberglass transparent,
much like water
does to a paper towel.
Though this process
adds about 30 pounds,
the end result is not
just a beautiful canoe,
but one with a glassy finish,
resistant to scratching
and entirely waterproof...
One that will glide through
the water with minimal drag.
Once the resins dry,
the interior fittings go in.
The yoke, made of hard mahogany,
braces the canoe at midpoint
and serves as a carrying
handle for a paddler.
Next, seats go in.
And the deck plates go on,
providing some structural
support, front and back.
Finally, on the bottom, the
keel to keep us on course.
It's made of ash because
this wood holds its shape well...
No shrinking, no warping.
The final step is a seal
coat, to help make sure
our canoe will be both
beautiful and durable.
Now the best part of
the assembly of a canoe.
Built for
maneuverability, speed,
and carrying up to
500 pounds of cargo.
She's a beaut.
The perfect vessel to
paddle around a pond
or a scenic trip downriver.
And best of all, she'll be
a beaut for generations.
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"...
the fire and thunder
it takes to cast iron.
And the assembly
of an American icon.
This is Lodge Cast Iron.
It is loud, and it is filthy.
And while it is the last place
you'd ever want to
talk about cooking food,
this is where they
make cast-iron cookware.
Now, this cast-iron
skillet right here
is having a renaissance because
of some very special science
that makes this a
superior cooking surface.
And to assemble this, we
have to step into a world
that appears far more
medieval than modern.
This is the only
place in the country
still making cast-iron cookware,
and they've been at it
for more than a century.
Unlike other cookware, cast
iron only gets better with age,
and it's virtually
indestructible.
But to get it right
involves nine critical steps.
Before we start cooking,
we got a lot of messy,
loud, and hot work to do.
Now, the main elements
in cast-iron cookware
are iron, carbon, and silicon,
mostly derived
from three things.
Recycled cast iron...
That's the first one.
Scrap manufacturing
steel... That's the second one.
And the third one is pig iron.
Pig iron is essentially
the first by-product
of the smelting of iron ore.
It is also a critical ingredient
in both steel and what
we're after... cast iron.
These raw materials are combined
into a 2,000-pound heap...
and dumped into
a 600-degree oven,
which burns off any oil or water
that might be on this stuff.
Why?
We don't want any explosions
in the next part of the
assembly... the furnace.
That is the loudest
noise I've ever heard.
[Machine whirring]
This is an electric
induction furnace.
The furnace runs at
2,800 degrees Fahrenheit
and can hold up to three
tons of molten metal.
It takes 15 minutes
to heat all of that up
into a superhot liquid.
It's at this point
we take a sample.
We're basically
trying to make sure
our chemistry is perfect and
there are no harmful elements
that will ultimately
make our pan brittle,
causing it to break.
This is a very dangerous
step in the process.
Any contact with this
hot mixture could be fatal.
But it is vital, as any
copper, nickel, or chrome
that were part of the scrap
metal we included in the mix...
It'll weaken the iron.
Depending on measurements,
the workers will add silicon
that will both
counteract the influence
of these unwanted metals
and give the
finished pot strength.
When the mixture hits
the perfect temperature
and composition,
2,000 pounds of molten iron
is poured into a
transfer container.
We're almost ready to mold.
First, since the iron contains
dirt and other impurities,
we've got one more
important step before molding...
Scraping off the slag.
He's adding a chemical
there called vermiculite.
Now, vermiculite is a
sort of binding agent,
and it holds together
oxides, or slag,
that forms in our metal mixture.
This slag forms
when our 2,000-pound
mixture reacts to oxygen.
When we get that slag,
it could lead to
impurities in our cast iron,
so we remove it.
Again, the objective here
is to keep our cast iron...
The chemistry... just perfect
so the castability is perfect
and that the product that
you get in the end is perfect.
It behaves the way
it's supposed to.
While the liquid hopper
travels along cables
in preparation for pouring...
this machine is
making sand molds.
It makes two halves.
When those two
halves come together,
we will pour our metal
mixture down in between.
This thing can produce
enough sand molds
to create 400 to
1,600 pieces an hour.
Lodge uses sand molds, a
1,500-year-old technology,
because it remains the
best and most practical way
to cast iron.
Our molten iron is so hot,
it would melt almost
any other material.
But the sand can hold
its own against the heat.
This is how it works.
Compressed air forces
moist sand into a chamber
that is the exact
contour of our skillet.
Perfect reverse impressions
on both sides of the pan
are formed in the
cavity in the sand.
The molten iron fills the
cavity, creating our skillet.
In pouring our molds,
the liquid metal must
be exactly 2,500 degrees.
That's the perfect temperature
for pouring the perfect mold.
If the liquid metal
were any hotter,
it would penetrate between
the sand and the mold
and create a rough finish.
Now, if it were any
colder, the result would be
that the metal mixture does
not even stick to the mold,
thereby creating an
incomplete casting.
The cookware moves along
a vibrating conveyor belt
for about 40 minutes to
shake the burnt sand off.
The sand is captured,
cooled, and recycled.
From here, our cookware
embarks on a hellish
cleaning adventure.
This first stop is the Didion.
This business of casting iron
is a bit like Dante's "Inferno."
Everywhere, there is
heat and rocks and fire.
And it is very loud.
A process that really hasn't
changed for thousands of years.
In the rotating Didion,
the pans are tumbled among
hundreds of lumps of iron.
Any rough pieces on our
cookware are knocked loose
as the scrap iron
essentially scours the pans.
Next, we blast the cookware
to remove yet another layer
of the leftover molding sand.
Now, the cookware
goes in looking like this.
Kind of rutty... not something
you want in your kitchen.
So they fire all
this steel shot.
It's a very effective way
of removing the sand,
and it's pretty efficient
because it all gets recycled.
There's no real waste.
This is what the pans look like
when they come
out of this chamber.
A few taps of the hammer
knock off the rough edges
from the casting process.
Any pots that don't
cut the mustard
are sent back to the
furnace for a second chance.
Grinding gets rid of any
stubborn sand particles
that are still holding on and
ensures a smooth surface
before the final step,
the river-rock bath.
Here the pots, pans, or lids
bounce in a bath of river
rocks, soap, and water...
A 12-minute power scrubbing
that removes fine particulates,
like dust, from the casting
and happens to be
very cost-effective,
since the rocks
essentially last forever.
At the end of
this brutal beating,
our pots are hung out to dry,
ensuring they're ready for the
process that sets them apart.
A critical, critical step
is called seasoning.
Now, that seasoning
has nothing to do
with seasoning your food
and improving its taste.
It has everything
to do with this.
Step one in seasoning
involves guns and 100,000 volts.
Vegetable oil is applied
with electrostatic spray guns
that create a uniform
coating of charged oil particles.
The positively charged oil atoms
bond with the neutral
iron atoms in the pan,
creating a barrier between
your food and your pan,
without the need for
a synthetic surface.
And the result is
a nonstick surface.
The more you cook in cast
iron, the more food you put in it,
the more oil you burn off,
the more that nonstick
capability increases.
Here the cookware is baked in
an oven at a high temperature,
forcing the oil's hydrogen and
oxygen elements to burn off,
but leaving behind the carbon
that bonds to the pan's surface,
making our new skillet black.
At this point, our
pan is seasoned.
Well, what started out
as 2,500 degrees of
molten-metal mixture
is now room-temperature...
A finished cast-iron skillet
ready for your kitchen,
ready for you to hand down
to your children's
children's children.
It was out here on the Penobscot
River in Old Town, Maine,
that Europeans observed
Native Americans
traveling in one
of these... A canoe.
As it was then, it is now...
That these wooden canoes
are ideal for cruising
the backwater.
Everything about the assembly
of the Old Town wooden canoe
is designed to create
a perfect balance
between form and function.
It needs to be durable and sleek
so paddlers expend the
least amount of energy
powering the canoe
through the water.
It also needs to be lightweight
to allow for easy hauling
when you run out of river.
Making our canoe easy to lift
is all about the
type of wood we use.
Now, they use five types of
wood to build a canoe here.
They use ash, spruce,
mahogany, cypress, and cedar.
Each wood is selected
for a particular use,
depending on its
natural properties.
Look... hot cross buns.
Robbie and I need to
make the bones of this boat,
and for that, we'll
use white cedar...
Oh, wow. Look at that.
Which is ideal for the ribs
because it's so pliable
and rot-resistant.
The ribs spend about three hours
in a 225-degree steam box.
Steam loosens the
bonds of the cedar cells,
allowing us to permanently
alter the shape of the slat...
Even tie it into a knot.
Okay, uh... that is
some seriously pliability.
Let me try to do that with
one that's not steamed.
It's not gonna happen.
That's why we steam the wood.
- Absolutely.
- [Laughs]
We need to give the
ribs their distinctive shape,
so we use a mold that's
made of metal and wood.
These molds have been
used for almost a century.
Now, this is probably
the Cartier diamond here.
This probably is the most
valuable thing under this roof.
- It is.
- The molds.
We're making Old
Town's Guide canoe,
which, compared to other canoes,
has a wider, flatter bottom,
allowing paddlers to
navigate in shallow waters
and provide critical stability.
What you're gonna
do is look for your line.
Here's my line.
And we're gonna put
it underneath the block.
I'm lining it up onto a line
that's on the mold already.
That line moves along here.
And there's a light pencil
mark on the rib already
before it went into the steamer.
So we're going to affix this
rib to the rails on each side.
- Absolutely.
- Okay.
We've got about five minutes
before a rib begins to stiffen.
With the first ribs on,
Robbie and I will leave it
to these guys to finish up.
The cedar ribs
will set overnight
to harden into their new shape.
Our ribs are set. Time to plank.
It is now time to get
down to brass tacks...
Literally 3,500 brass tacks...
And get into our planking.
What wood do we
use for planking?
That is a western red cedar.
Now, western red cedar...
Now, do you like this
wood for its pliability
or the oil content in here?
Helps you with
some waterproofing.
- Both.
- Both.
ROBBIE: This is a clench tack.
UNGER: Okay.
And if you flip it over
and look at the end,
you'll see the very
fine point on there.
UNGER: Yep.
Once it hits the metal,
that'll bend itself right back
around back up into the rib.
And I just... Now, do
you guys do a tapping,
or do you give it a real bang?
We do a bang, but
you do a tapping.
- Really?
- Yeah.
This brass tack
is perhaps our canoe's
most important component.
Did you feel that
when it hit the metal?
Yeah.
Did you notice it
was a little bit harder?
It's going down like this
and then curling under
a little bit and back.
It's going through the
rib, back into the rib.
Since brass won't rust,
the result is a tight grip
that'll hold up for decades.
In addition to being
water-repellent and pliable,
red cedar is also rot-resistant.
But there's another
important reason
Old Town uses red cedar
for planking... its beauty.
They could use
mahogany or maple...
Both have gorgeous
grain patterns...
But hardwoods are heavy woods.
With red cedar,
we get all the good
looks and half the weight.
It'll take one
craftsman about a week
to finish planking this canoe.
Once we have finished
sanding our canoe...
I still have some work
to do on this one...
We have to tie all
the elements together,
the elements being the wood.
We need to seal it up and
give it rigidity and strength.
Now, prior to 1950...
And still to this day when
they're refurbishing canoes...
They use a preshrunk
cotton canvas.
It's the skin they wrap on
the exterior of all that wood.
This is kind of how it'll look
once it gets painted green.
But on the canoe we're making,
this is post-1950s
technology here.
This is the real revolution.
They seal it using
fiberglass and layers of resin.
The resin is added
in several layers,
and it makes the
fiberglass transparent,
much like water
does to a paper towel.
Though this process
adds about 30 pounds,
the end result is not
just a beautiful canoe,
but one with a glassy finish,
resistant to scratching
and entirely waterproof...
One that will glide through
the water with minimal drag.
Once the resins dry,
the interior fittings go in.
The yoke, made of hard mahogany,
braces the canoe at midpoint
and serves as a carrying
handle for a paddler.
Next, seats go in.
And the deck plates go on,
providing some structural
support, front and back.
Finally, on the bottom, the
keel to keep us on course.
It's made of ash because
this wood holds its shape well...
No shrinking, no warping.
The final step is a seal
coat, to help make sure
our canoe will be both
beautiful and durable.
Now the best part of
the assembly of a canoe.
Built for
maneuverability, speed,
and carrying up to
500 pounds of cargo.
She's a beaut.
The perfect vessel to
paddle around a pond
or a scenic trip downriver.
And best of all, she'll be
a beaut for generations.