How It's Made — Season 17

Traditional hat bodies are shaped into broad-brimmed sombreros before receiving decorative trim and detailed embroidery. Oils, vinegars and seasonings are blended into salad dressings and marinades; moulded toy components are assembled into cap guns; and regenerative-medicine researchers combine living cells with supportive structures to produce replacement tissue.

Stainless-steel sheets are perforated, sharpened and formed into cheese graters. Peppers and seasonings are processed into bottled hot sauce, silver is shaped, joined and polished into jewellery, and wooden frameworks with leather seating are handcrafted into traditional Mexican chairs known as equipales.

Reeds and resonating chambers are carefully shaped to produce game calls that imitate wild animals. Oil, eggs and acidic ingredients are emulsified into mayonnaise; thin steel is hardened, ground and coated to make razor blades; and precision components are assembled into butterfly-opening safety razors.

Prepared corn dough is portioned, flattened and baked into tortillas. Engine components are forged or cast before being machined and hardened into crankshafts and camshafts; rugged airframes are equipped for bush flying; and aluminium rims, hubs and spokes are assembled into lightweight bicycle wheels.

Sectional frameworks and waterproof skins are fitted together to create kayaks that collapse for transportation. Paper and cardboard forms are decorated as piñatas, commercial truck chassis receive hydraulically operated refuse bodies and compactors, and fibre-reinforced materials are heated and machined into high-performance ceramic composite brake discs.

Thin layers of batter are baked and rolled while still warm to produce crisp wafer tubes. Dried wood residue is ground and compressed into dense heating pellets, while cast precious-metal blanks are polished, engraved and fitted with stones to create class and championship rings.

Supportive boots are fitted with long, carefully aligned blades to create speed skates. Chemical ingredients are polymerized and compounded into synthetic rubber, cocoa beans are fermented and dried after harvesting, and roasted beans are ground, refined and blended into bulk chocolate.

Metal steering-wheel frames are padded, shaped and hand-covered to suit individual vehicles. Aerospace tubing is bent, fitted and pressure-tested for use as fuel lines; pastry shells are filled and baked into apple pies; and pressed metal panels are welded and finished as household radiators.

Strips of leather are tapered and tightly braided into flexible whips. Automated machines portion dough, sauce and toppings to prepare pizzas; aromatic powders and binders are moulded and dried into incense cones; and miniature compressor and turbine components are machined, balanced and assembled into working scale engines.

Dried heather stems are dyed, bundled with resin and compressed into patterned blocks that can be cut and polished into jewellery. Photosensitive layers and chemical pods are combined into instant film, sugar is extracted and crystallized from sliced beets, and battery packs and electric drivetrains are installed in lightweight roadsters.

Waterproof housings, cameras, thrusters and electronic controls are assembled into remotely operated underwater robots. Pasta sheets are layered with sauces and fillings to produce lasagne; toothed steel strips are welded into continuous band-saw blades; and lightweight tubes receive grips, baskets and hardened tips to become ski and trekking poles.

Selected lengths of timber are coated with structural adhesive, stacked and pressed into strong laminated beams. Vehicle bodies, drivetrains and interiors are assembled into sport utility vehicles; plant-based ingredients are mixed and formed into veggie burgers; and spiral steel flights are shaped and attached to shafts to create wood-boring augers.

Precision-machined compressor and turbine wheels are balanced and installed inside heat-resistant housings to create turbochargers. Tortillas are filled, rolled and covered with sauce to prepare enchiladas, while tiny gears, springs, dials and cases are assembled and regulated to produce mechanical watches.