How It's Made

Season 14 Episode 11: Graphite Pencil Leads, Clarinets, Special Effects

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.

Genre:

Documentary

Seasons:

32

Episodes:

416

Cast:

Lynne Adams

Quality:

HD

Duration:

21 min

First Air:

2001

Rating:

7.7