♪♪
Narrator:
CLAY TARGETS ARE MADE
TO BE DESTROYED
THE VERY FIRST TIME
THEY'RE USED.
MANUFACTURED IN MULTIPLE COLORS,
THESE INVERTED SAUCERS
ARE USED AS PRACTICE TARGETS
AND CAN BE LAUNCHED BY HAND
OR THROUGH AUTOMATED MACHINES.
[ HIP HOP PLAYS ]
ALSO REFERRED TO
AS CLAY PIGEONS,
THESE TARGETS ARE NOT
ACTUALLY MADE OF CLAY.
THEY'RE MADE WITH PITCH,
A CERAMIC-TYPE MATERIAL,
OR RESIN.
SINCE THE 1920s,
THIS FRENCH COMPANY
HAS BEEN PRODUCING CLAY SAUCERS
FOR BOTH TARGET PRACTICE
AND COMPETITIONS,
INCLUDING THE OLYMPICS.
THE FOUNDER INVENTED
THE FIRST AUTOMATED TARGET-
MOLDING MACHINE IN 1947.
PITCH TARGETS ARE MADE
FROM PETROLEUM PITCH,
A SUBSTANCE DERIVED
FROM CRUDE OIL;
AND CALCIUM CARBONATE,
COMMONLY KNOWN AS TALC.
TALC IS THE FILLER,
WHILE PETROLEUM PITCH
IS THE BINDING AGENT,
WHICH SOLIDIFIES INTO A HARD,
BRITTLE MATERIAL.
THE TALC ARRIVES TO THE FACTORY
HEATED AT 176° FAHRENHEIT.
A TECHNICIAN
TRANSFERS THE TALC
FROM THE TRUCK
TO A HEATED STORAGE SILO.
A SCREW CONVEYOR MOVES
THE TALC FROM THE SILO
TO THE BLENDER TANK,
MIXING IT WITH THE PITCH.
♪♪
THE PETROLEUM PITCH ARRIVES
TO THE FACTORY
HEATED TO 392°.
THE PITCH IS TRANSFERRED
TO A HEATED STORAGE SILO
AND PUMPED INTO A BLENDER.
♪♪
EVERY 10 SECONDS,
22 POUNDS OF PETROLEUM PITCH
AND 64 POUNDS OF TALC
ARE RELEASED INTO THE BLENDER.
♪♪
THE MATERIALS COOL AS SOON
AS THEY LEAVE THE HEATED SILOS.
A GAS BOILER REHEATS
THE INGREDIENTS IN 509° OIL.
THE HOT OIL CIRCULATES IN PIPES
AROUND THE BLENDER,
HEATING THE PITCH-TALC
MIXTURE TO ABOUT 390°.
THIS PROCESS CHANGES
THE CONSISTENCY TO A PASTE.
THE PASTE
FLOWS FROM THE BLENDER
TO THE AUTOMATIC
MOLDING MACHINE.
THIS VALVE CUTS THE FLOW
AT REGULAR INTERVALS
TO TIME THE INJECTIONS
INTO THE TARGET-SHAPED MOLDS.
♪♪
THE MACHINE COMPRESSES THE PASTE
WHILE COOLING IT WITH WATER,
SO THAT IT SOLIDIFIES.
♪♪
A TRANSFER DEVICE
MOVES THE TARGETS
ONTO A CONVEYER BELT
ONE AT A TIME.
AS THEY MOVE TO THE
NEXT CONVEYER BELT,
THE MOLDS ARE FLIPPED
RIGHT-SIDE-UP.
♪♪
EVEN THOUGH THE MOLDS
ARE STILL HOT,
THEY'VE REMAINED SOFT
AND PLIABLE.
♪♪
AS THE TARGETS CONTINUE
TO COOL AND HARDEN,
A SEPARATING DEVICE
LINES THEM UP
FOR THE CONVEYER BELTS
THAT GO TO THE PAINT CHAMBERS.
♪♪
THE PAINT IS MADE PRIMARILY
OF CARBONATE
AND BIODEGRADABLE
POWDERED PIGMENT.
♪♪
A TECHNICIAN POURS
A PREMEASURED AMOUNT OF WATER...
♪♪
...AND A BAG OF PIGMENT
INTO A MIXER.
♪♪
THE MIXER COMBINES
THE INGREDIENTS TOGETHER.
♪♪
ONCE THE WATER AND PIGMENT
HAVE BLENDED TOGETHER,
A PRE-MEASURED AMOUNT
OF CARBONATE
IS ADDED TO THE MIXER,
ALONG WITH A BINDING
AND THICKENING AGENT.
AFTER ADDITIONAL BLENDING,
THE PAINT IS READY.
♪♪
THE TARGETS MOVE
FROM THE CONVEYER BELT
ONTO SPINNING HOLDERS,
WHICH CARRY THE TARGETS
THROUGH THE PAINT CHAMBER.
♪♪
INSIDE, A SPRAYER COATS THE
SPINNING TARGETS WITH PAINT.
♪♪
THE TARGETS EXIT THE CHAMBER
WET AND COOLED.
♪♪
ANOTHER SEPARATOR
DIVIDES THE TARGETS
ONTO TWO CONVEYER BELTS,
WHICH CARRY THEM
THROUGH A HOT-AIR TUNNEL
FOR 30 SECONDS,
TO DRY THE PAINT.
♪♪
THE CONVEYER BELT FEEDS
THE TARGETS TO A MACHINE,
WHICH PILES THEM IN STACKS.
♪♪
CLAY PIGEONS CAN BE MANUFACTURED
IN SEVERAL SIZES.
OLYMPIC REGULATION SIZE
IS THE LARGEST,
CONTAINING A WIDTH
OF 4 INCHES.
♪♪
A SMALLER TARGET IS USED
FOR TRAINING PURPOSES
AND CONTAINS A WIDTH
UNDER 4 INCHES.
♪♪
REGARDLESS OF THEIR SIZE,
ALL TARGETS ARE ENGINEERED
TO REMAIN STABLE IN FLIGHT
WHILE FOLLOWING THE INTENDED
TRAJECTORY AND, FINALLY,
SHATTER WHEN SHOT.
♪♪
