Making Augers for the Six Cheese Nacho Cheese Fountain Pumps

What did it take to make the wooden augers inside the pumps of the Markwood Six Cheese Nacho Cheese Fountain? Turns out quite a bit. This video shows the initial spiral being cut on a tablesaw of the Shopsmith Mark V, followed by producing the final cut on a Shopsmith Router Arm. Finally the augers are sanded and shellaced. What is shellac?

According to Wikipedia:

Shellac is a natural, food-grade finish obtained from the secretion of the female insect, harvested from the bark of the trees where she deposits it to provide a sticky hold on the trunk. (Yum!)

More? Sure, why not?

Shellac is edible and it is used as a glazing agent on pills and candies. Because of its alkaline properties, shellac-coated pills may be used for a timed enteric or colonic release. It is also used to replace the natural wax of the apple, which is removed during the cleaning process. When used for this purpose, it has the food additive E number E904. This coating may not be considered as vegetarian as it may, and probably does, contain crushed insects. In the tablet manufacture trade, it is sometimes referred to as "beetlejuice" for this reason. In some cases, shellac is known to cause allergies on contact, resulting in skin irritations.

There was still more to the making of the pumps, but this gives you some idea about the tough part.

No comments: