- 6 months ago
see more on:
https://realtv.mytvchannel.org/index.html
https://realtv.mytvchannel.org/index.html
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:01My name's Mike Rowe, and this is my job.
00:07I explore the country looking for people who aren't afraid to get dirty.
00:11Oh, oh, oh, this is dreadful.
00:15Hard-working men and women who earn an honest living.
00:18Then guess what he just did to you.
00:20Oh, dear.
00:20Doing the kinds of jobs that make civilized life possible for the rest of us.
00:24Now, get ready to get dirty.
00:30Coming up on Dirty Jobs, building a custom home for fish.
00:35Reef balls.
00:36So fish and poles and sponges will actually have a habitat to live in.
00:39For a small sea creature, this is a mansion.
00:42For a large land mammal like me, it's a dirty job.
00:45What I'm doing right now, is this a specific job?
00:48Oh, yeah, the guy that drew the short straw.
00:50Then, dear Mike, a letter from a viewer really gets my goat.
00:53And to a farm in Texas where they make soap out of goat's milk.
00:58Everybody gets milk.
01:00At a place that helps you get clean, leave it to me to find something dirty.
01:04It's pretty ugly.
01:05Whoops.
01:06And later, I'm getting tanked in Louisiana.
01:09What is the purpose of a frack tank?
01:10They use the fresh water and fracture the rocks and get them ready to produce natural gas.
01:14Some other things may get produced back into the tank.
01:17This job's got it all.
01:18Confined spaces, deafening sounds, toxic fumes.
01:21And not one, not two, but three uncomfortable outfits.
01:26This is a bad place.
01:29Oh, God.
01:30Today, I've come to sunny Sarasota to build a reef, an underwater reef.
01:48The reef in question will be constructed of reef balls and reef cakes.
01:52These, I'm assuming, are reef balls.
01:54They're made of concrete, but not just any concrete.
01:57This is a pH-balanced, marine-grade, biodegradable concrete with microsilica added.
02:03I don't know what that means, but I do know that if you're a fish, it's a great place to call home.
02:07Here at Reef Innovations, they make concrete reef balls and reef layer cakes in all shapes and sizes, for all shapes and sizes of marine life.
02:18And, of course, the most important part of reef creation is proper footwear.
02:22Yeah, once again, form and function have come together to create a bold new look in industrial footwear.
02:28I learned this little trick from Bob here, who's done the same thing to his feet, and that's Larry over there.
02:33Good to see you guys.
02:34Why are you making them?
02:34What are they made of?
02:35And what's the point?
02:36What we have out there is reef balls.
02:38They're a designed reef unit that we build for the marine environment, so fish and corals and sponges will actually have a habitat to live in.
02:46And we can repair damaged reefs from hurricanes or possibly a shipwreck or something running into a reef.
02:51How long does it take a normal reef to become a reef?
02:55Oh, thousands and thousands of years before what most people see is a tall reef that they can swim along and dive.
03:00It's like a, what, like a jump start to a real reef.
03:03It's a fish house, basically.
03:04It's a fish condominium.
03:05We're going to start out with making the layer cake, which is a new reef ball design that we build layers for lobsters and crabs and crustaceans and all like it the best.
03:13We're going to have a ball and eat some cake.
03:15Exactly.
03:15And before we do that, you're going to make a shell.
03:18These here are triple layers of ounce and a half.
03:21Right.
03:21That will be laying around the edge.
03:23This is basically fiberglass, and it's the resin that's going to hold it all together.
03:27Yep.
03:29And you want to saturate it up pretty good, because we're trying to wet through three layers of mat.
03:34The fiberglass is saturated with resin, which will eventually harden into a tough shell.
03:45Then we bring these over and set them right along the edges.
03:49Yep.
03:53Now, what is it ultimately that's going to kill me, the fiberglass or the resin?
03:56I would say the resin.
03:57After a while, it'll start making you angry.
03:59Well, why wait?
04:00Keep them strands pulling directly over your head.
04:02And the first thing you want to do is pull the trigger and get the part a little bit wet.
04:07Before spraying on more fiberglass, the surface of the shell is prepared with an adhesive.
04:12Fiberglass strands are then fed into a gun that sprays shredded fibers onto the shell.
04:23All righty.
04:24I think we got it.
04:26Like some sort of albino chia pet.
04:28The final step is evening out the resin and removing air bubbles.
04:33You like that smell?
04:33Honestly, I don't smell it anymore, but I do have a very pleasant ringing in my ear.
04:37Can you still feel your fingers?
04:39No.
04:39Fingers are gone.
04:40No sense of smell.
04:41Pretty soon, you'll start dropping tools.
04:43Yeah.
04:45Bob, I'm no expert, but it sure looks like we might be done one panel.
04:48We made it.
04:49And I'm kind of stoned, to be honest with you.
04:54So I need to step away from the resin.
04:57I'm a little cloudy-eyed, but I think it has something to do with the glasses.
05:02One thing you don't want to do is make a fish wait for his reef.
05:05So out here, the work is pretty much ongoing.
05:08Larry, this is the dried version of what I just did?
05:11Yep.
05:12Ultimately, that's what's going to come out.
05:13So we're going to be pouring concrete.
05:15We're going to be pouring concrete.
05:16And these, as you see stacked around the yard here, are the reef balls.
05:19These are what we originally designed and started with.
05:21But we are going to let you make a layer cake, just like this.
05:24But instead of something this small, we figured, you know, you might be up to a challenge.
05:29And you're going to make one that tall.
05:30Well, let's make a cake, then.
05:32All right.
05:32What can I do?
05:33First off...
05:34Let's put the molds together.
05:35Got to put the shells up.
05:36The pins on the base there is what actually holds it down so when the concrete goes in.
05:39Oh, I see.
05:39So it's on the inside.
05:40So these will come in handy when 5,000 pounds of concrete comes flying in and everything's
05:47getting pushed out.
05:52Now we want to fill up some sand and some rock.
05:54Yeah.
05:55Robbie and Josh are going to put our...
05:56We're going to put our...
05:56Some rock to make the legs of the layer cake.
05:58Sure.
05:58Put our legs in.
05:58It seems as though he's simply setting a rock on the ground.
06:01I'm not brilliant or anything, but I can move rocks.
06:07Like that.
06:08This is going to be a lot of weight.
06:10Yeah.
06:10So we'll need four legs on this one.
06:12We're going to put another one right here.
06:13Because this is the first layer of the cake.
06:16Right.
06:16This is the main base of the cake.
06:17Gotcha.
06:19Short leg.
06:20Just that one right there.
06:22Something like that.
06:23Right.
06:23Now what we're going to do is we're going to fill this whole base up with sand.
06:26Up to about right here.
06:27Okay.
06:28Oh, look.
06:29Sand.
06:30Middle.
06:30Do a bucket for Gabe.
06:32There you go.
06:35Spread it all around.
06:36All around the mold, about halfway up the rocks.
06:38You'll notice these are very labor intensive.
06:41That's why there's not a lot of them around the yard right now.
06:43Yeah.
06:44We pretty much build these per order.
06:46Well, who orders a reef?
06:48Most of it is city and state governments.
06:51Resort hotels and stuff in different places like in the Caribbean that would like a snorkeling
06:55diving reef out back in the sand for their...
06:57So, literally, your phone rings.
07:00Larry.
07:00Hey, Larry.
07:01We heard you make reefs, yeah?
07:02We'd like one.
07:03How big?
07:04Big.
07:05I'll be right there.
07:05I like that.
07:06And we do this all over the world.
07:07Right now, we have over 600,000 reef balls and or layer cakes in 56 countries.
07:14Our foundation is also a public charity.
07:16There's a lot of countries out there that don't have a lot of money for doing reef reconstruction,
07:21building, like, for instance, Thailand with the tsunami.
07:24We went in and actually helped rebuild the reef and collect the damaged coals and reattached
07:29them to a reef ball reef so that they would grow again and the fishermen in the villages
07:33would still be able to have resources from the marine environment, like fish and crabs
07:37and lobsters.
07:38Coming up.
07:39And just so we make sure he doesn't go anywhere, let's lock him in there so he can't escape.
07:44Ask a reasonable question.
07:46Should I have a jumpsuit on at this point?
07:48Kind of strange answer.
07:51I'm going to jump suit.
07:53Then, how exactly does goat milk make my butt better?
07:57I don't know.
07:58My great uncle said that.
08:00Getting to the bottom of Fat Bottom.
08:02What kind of butt were you referring to when you sent me the shirt?
08:05I'll let you run with that one.
08:08And later.
08:09Well, unless there's some sort of new math I'm not aware of.
08:12It would appear maybe you might be going alone.
08:14A job for which I'm a perfect fit.
08:17See, this brings back just a host of unpleasant memories.
08:26Yeah, we're going to go ahead and spread this sand around now.
08:29All right.
08:29Your hands work good.
08:30What's the Belize reef called?
08:32How are we talking?
08:33We're going to spray this on the mold.
08:35What it's going to do is it's going to create some surface texture like you see on these balls
08:38over here.
08:38Just put the inside of the mold just like that.
08:40If you want to take this and go all the way around.
08:42Sure.
08:42Why sugar water?
08:43The sugar water acts as a mold release so the mold doesn't stick to the concrete.
08:47Now, if you want to go ahead and step up inside there just a little bit more, we've
08:50got another shell for you to work on.
08:52And just so we make sure he doesn't go anywhere, let's lock him in there so he can't escape.
08:58Hey, Dad.
09:01Perfect.
09:01Keep going.
09:02You're doing great.
09:03Wow.
09:03There'll be a little echoing in there.
09:07Is that ringing in your ears stopped yet?
09:08No, it never stops.
09:10I thought that was the rosin talking.
09:13Should I have a jumpsuit on at this point?
09:18Last time I mentioned jumpsuit with this crowd.
09:21A super, that's what they call it?
09:22Okay.
09:24Got it.
09:26Got it.
09:26There's a corner right here, Mike.
09:28We go through a lot of sand.
09:29Have you played in this sand before?
09:30Pretty much the last 40 years.
09:31One thing we have to do is sand is what will repel concrete.
09:35So we're going to wash off our top of our concrete pieces right here.
09:38Sure.
09:39It's like exposing a part of a tooth that you want to leave behind so the crown has something
09:43to stick to.
09:44I'm full of amusing dental metaphors.
09:46So you're going to pour concrete where I'm standing and then we're going to put more rocks
09:51on top of that, I guess?
09:52Shells.
09:53Rocks and shells.
09:53Rocks.
09:54And then more sand and then concrete again and it's just going to layer over layer over layer.
09:58What you're on right now is this lower section.
10:00Yeah.
10:00So the space here is where the sand is here.
10:04And eventually, of course, we'll get the sand out.
10:06Yep.
10:06When the concrete is put into this space, where am I?
10:10You're going to be in there with it.
10:11Is that them now?
10:15Ever get that sinking feeling?
10:19And as it goes, we use your feet to push it around and spread it evenly.
10:23Good.
10:23I can't chat now.
10:26They're going to dump some concrete on me.
10:28I'll get back to you.
10:30There you go.
10:32Okay.
10:34Let me see.
10:35So this would take how long to harden?
10:36Yeah, we can take it apart tomorrow.
10:38Concrete will actually start to harden in about an hour.
10:40You know, I've lost the rocks.
10:42Oh, there's one.
10:42That's okay.
10:42Yeah.
10:43Stick these down in the concrete.
10:44Sure.
10:45Set them up like that in there.
10:47Yeah.
10:47So actually, the fish have somewhere they can actually swim into and swim out up.
10:51Oh.
10:51So this is like a little room inside the condo.
10:53There you go.
10:54Put the bedroom right over here.
10:57Just get it here.
10:58You've got to give a place for the little ones to hide to.
11:00Sure.
11:01Definitely want to be careful where you sit.
11:02More connectors in there.
11:03More connectors.
11:05Okay.
11:05There you go.
11:06Last.
11:06Just like that.
11:08That's good.
11:09And then, and so it goes.
11:11All right.
11:12All right.
11:13Is it going to work out?
11:17Seems to be.
11:18That's why when we usually do it and you're not here, we put the little guy here in there.
11:21Okay.
11:24You ever been to the elephant pen at the zoo?
11:29Yeah.
11:30It's narrower and narrower.
11:31A little like that.
11:32Oh, yeah.
11:33Connectors.
11:33Sand.
11:34Concrete.
11:34Shells.
11:35Then connectors.
11:36Sand.
11:37Concrete.
11:37Shells.
11:38It never stops.
11:39With the exception of those two shells and some sand stuck in my butt, we're almost there.
11:43That is a shell, right?
11:46More concrete.
11:47It's coming around.
11:49All right.
11:50Now, I know you guys are all reef makers, but is this a specific job?
11:54You got a name for this?
11:56Oh, yeah.
11:56The guy that drew the short straw.
12:00A little sitting room over here.
12:02Could be a parlor.
12:03A vestibule.
12:04Big one.
12:04Right over there.
12:06The higher up in the water we get, the more you get some of the larger fish places to hide.
12:10All right.
12:13Spread that around.
12:15All right.
12:16Any places to have one, just stick it in there.
12:19My butt looks big in these.
12:22So are we done?
12:23Well, you got one more thing to put on the cake.
12:25Doc loaded it up out of stainless yesterday.
12:28There are going to be some very confused fish down there.
12:31Well, I hope the fish appreciate it.
12:34I'm sure they will.
12:35Now that you got the icing on this cake, we've got more for you to do.
12:38Sure it does.
12:39Why would I think I'd be done?
12:41So this, then, is a smaller version of the layer cake that we just made right there that's going to be dry, I don't know, when, 20 years from now or something?
12:50Well, the rain keeps up, probably.
12:51Okay.
12:52This has been set and drying for how long?
12:55A couple of days.
12:56A couple of days.
12:57Pull the panel off.
12:59Set it on the ground behind you if you want so it's out of the way.
13:01Just like the big one you did, now you can see all that work you did, putting all that sand and that concrete and doing the different layers.
13:10I need to get the sand out.
13:12On the ground so we can reuse, get some big chunks out.
13:15Just when I was starting to think the dirty part was over.
13:18Silly of me, really.
13:19Very respectable reef.
13:21Uh-oh, it didn't make it.
13:23It was a sand dollar.
13:24It just made change.
13:25You know, when you get the sand out and hose this thing down, the real beauty of this job starts coming out, except for the footwear.
13:40How's it going over here?
13:42Well, it feels a little, I mean, there's sand in the ocean and the reef's going in the ocean.
13:48Why do we have to get the sand off the reef?
13:50Well, we just like to try to get it as clean as we can so the fish can move in right away.
13:54Right, they can, you know, leave it a security deposit, chat it up with the landlord.
13:57Exactly.
13:58I've got to tell you, as reefs go, these are very innovative.
14:01Very nice, and you can see the immense amount of habitat that's got.
14:03I mean, there's a place for almost every critter out there in the ocean to find a spot to live.
14:07Even the little guys that like to hide inside the little shells.
14:09It's very nice.
14:11You do good, dirty work, Larry.
14:13But unless I misread the situation, I'm done.
14:17Yeah, you're done.
14:19Pleasure.
14:24Finally, it was time to put the concrete reefs we made someplace where they could do some good, namely in Sarasota Bay.
14:31Larry headed up the dive team that guided the layered reef down to its final location on the ocean floor.
14:37Once this layer cake reef is finally settled on the bottom, the marine life will start to move in right away.
14:49It took a lot of hard work to make you a home, Nemo.
14:52Hope you appreciate it.
14:57Coming up, butt naked.
14:59This is a, I've got to say butt naked smells good.
15:01That's a definite possible.
15:02There may be such a thing as too much freedom of choice.
15:05We have cedar also.
15:07Give me the cedar.
15:07It's going to smell like a piece of bark.
15:10And later.
15:11Very, very difficult to maneuver inside of one of these things.
15:14When you get tanked, you go through a lot of bars.
15:17That's hideous.
15:18Extraordinarily awkward.
15:19Not good.
15:26Got this shirt in the mail a couple weeks ago.
15:29It got my attention.
15:30The shirt came with the hat.
15:32The hat came with the letter.
15:35Dear Mike, my name is Ginger Bonnie.
15:37I live in Gauze, Texas, and I was wondering if maybe you'd like to stop by sometime and meet my goats and take a shower.
15:43You might not know it, but the best soap in the world comes from goats.
15:47And from what I've seen, you look like you could use a good cleaning.
15:51Sincerely, Ginger Bonnie.
15:54Some letters are just too weird to ignore.
15:56Hello, Texas.
15:57Well, I've done over 150 jobs so far.
16:04Some dirtier than others.
16:07Today, though, is the first time someone's reached out to invite me.
16:11Hello, goats.
16:12To get clean.
16:13Nice to know somebody actually cares.
16:18So, this is Fat Bottom Farms, and that's a goat, and that's Fat Bottom Farmhouse, I suppose, and these are the Bonnies.
16:25Hello.
16:26Hi.
16:26You're Ginger.
16:27I am.
16:27I'm Mike.
16:28Nice to meet you.
16:29Nice to meet you.
16:29And you are?
16:30Rebecca.
16:30Rebecca.
16:31Mike.
16:31And you?
16:32Madeline.
16:32Madeline.
16:33Mike.
16:34Okay.
16:35You got goats.
16:36Yes, we do.
16:36You make soap.
16:37Yes, we do.
16:38And you think I could use a cleaner.
16:39At certain times, you certainly can't.
16:41I appreciate the offer.
16:43This is not my first day on a goat farm, but I will say that I have no experience at all in making soap.
16:51The job at hand is to first what?
16:53Get the milk out of the goat?
16:55That might work.
16:58Everybody gets milk today.
17:01Goat milk is the most consumed milk in the world.
17:04Look at them.
17:04I've whipped them into a frenzy.
17:06These Anglo-Nubian goats weigh in at about 125 pounds.
17:11Come on.
17:11Each goat can produce a gallon of milk a day.
17:14Come on.
17:15Here's a good goat.
17:16Although a goat may be a tenth the size of a cow, don't let her diminutive stature fool you.
17:22Pound for pound, goats produce 30% more milk than cows.
17:27Wait for it there, Sparky.
17:29I'm thinking goats like to be milked.
17:30Who doesn't?
17:33How long have you been milking goats?
17:35I've got to put that out.
17:40Did you forget the question?
17:41Probably for about three years now.
17:44Yeah?
17:46How old are you?
17:47Eleven.
17:48You're eleven.
17:49Now before you start, let's just get some of the terms straight.
17:52What do you call this?
17:53I just call it the bucket.
17:54The bucket.
17:55That's good.
17:55This, of course, is the goat.
17:56These are your udders?
17:58Yes.
17:58Not your udders, but, you know, your udders.
18:00Yes.
18:00And what's the technique?
18:02Well, you pretty much just grab onto it like that and squeeze like that.
18:07Okay.
18:07Uh-oh.
18:17Maybe I should have paid better attention.
18:22How exactly does goat milk make my butt better?
18:24I don't know.
18:25Well, my great uncle said that.
18:29So it's a family secret, basically?
18:30I guess.
18:31The fact of the matter is, goat milk is a natural moisturizer.
18:36It contains over 50 different nutrients which nourish and revitalize dehydrated skin.
18:44Hey, Ginger.
18:45Hmm?
18:45What kind of butt were you referring to when you sent me the shirt?
18:49I don't know.
18:49I'll let you run with that one.
18:51Just like squeezing water out of a water balloon, you have to almost clamp the top off.
18:58Oh, so you're really squeezing from the area that you fill at the last moment.
19:02It has a little vestibule up there.
19:05There you go.
19:07You ever eat a goat?
19:08We don't eat the milk goats, unless they're little bucks.
19:11Could a milk goat be a buck?
19:13Yeah.
19:14But you can't milk a boy goat, can you?
19:16No, you can't.
19:17Word got out they were milking the boy goats over at Fat Bottom Farm.
19:21The authorities stopped by.
19:23Would you like me to finish that off?
19:25Starting to seize up a little.
19:28Now that the milk's out of the goat, we move on to step two.
19:31Oh, it looks like half and half.
19:33Goat milk is thick.
19:35The strainer separates the milk from the dirt and hair.
19:38Okay, so the milk has gone from the pot into the tote.
19:41Up until now, getting clean meant grabbing a bar of soap and lathering up in the shower.
19:47Not anymore.
19:48Now, there's a recipe to complicate things.
19:52Castor oil, coconut oil, olive oil, soybean oil, beeswax.
19:55Each oil has a different saponification value, and you have to calculate how much lye to add for each.
20:00I don't know what that word means.
20:00Saponification is the process of soap making, where you add lye to a fat and blend it, and it undergoes a chemical reaction called saponification.
20:11Let's review.
20:12Madeline, what is saponification?
20:14Making soap when you're...
20:17It's spaghetti.
20:19There's a fair amount of evidence to suggest that you drift it off again.
20:23The lye, the caustic, being mixed in with the necessary oils, that's saponification.
20:29Another word for lye is...
20:31Caustic.
20:31That's correct.
20:32And saponification is spelled...
20:34S-P...
20:35Wrong.
20:36Sorry.
20:36Check back.
20:38Coming up, I went with some avocado, a touch of almond, a splash of apricot, and some sunflower.
20:43A recipe that begs the question, soap or salad?
20:47Is it going to smell too girly?
20:49And later, sandblasting, huh?
20:51Is there a new fashion statement for me?
20:53Having a blast doesn't necessarily mean having fun.
20:57How do you like that?
20:58I don't like that at all.
21:06All Fat Bottom Farm soaps start with castor oil, coconut oil, olive oil, and soybean oil.
21:12We'll call these the base oils.
21:14Soap making is a science, and like a recipe, measurements must be precise.
21:21Once measured, they'll be heated.
21:24And in the meantime, I'll choose the conditioning oils.
21:28Can you use up to a pound of conditioning oil?
21:30Yes.
21:31Tell me about the hemp.
21:32Will it give me the munchies?
21:34Hopefully not.
21:36Conditioning oils moisturize, soothe, and soften your skin.
21:39And since this is my soap, a little extra conditioning won't hurt.
21:45I went with a little hemp, some avocado, a touch of almond, a splash of apricot, and some sunflower.
21:52Good.
21:53Beeswax is added next.
21:55It's used for its healing and hardening properties.
21:57It's a show to his boss.
22:02It's hot.
22:04No.
22:05Yeah.
22:05No, it's hot.
22:06This recipe calls for eight ounces of beeswax.
22:09She's only 11.
22:10I don't lie too often, so.
22:11Then, precautions are needed when working with lye.
22:14Lye will kill you, and that's the truth.
22:16As dangerous as it is, lye is a necessary ingredient.
22:22When the lye and the milk are combined, the lye breaks down the fat in the milk to create the basic building blocks, soap and glycerin.
22:31Now, you can probably even feel the heat, and the heat causes the milk to turn orange.
22:38Now, you can smell the ammonia.
22:40Oh, big time.
22:41Wow.
22:41The lye needs about 30 minutes to react with the oils.
22:44Just enough time for me to pick my scents.
22:49What's in this?
22:50There's just a mystery here.
22:51That is vitamin E.
22:52It acts as a little bit of a preservative.
22:54I could use some preservative.
22:56All right.
22:56I want some calendula and some corn flour.
22:59One benefit of making your own soap is that you can throw in just about anything you want.
23:04Is it going to smell too girly?
23:05And it'll still smell pretty good.
23:07It's tough, though, choosing scented oils for my one-of-a-kind manly soap.
23:12Yeah, God, this is for little girls.
23:16Look, you just kicked me.
23:18It's funny.
23:20Butt naked.
23:21Well, of course, I've got to smell butt naked.
23:24This is a...
23:24I've got to say, butt naked smells good.
23:26That's a definite...
23:27Oh, no.
23:28We have cedar also.
23:29Give me the cedar.
23:31Yes.
23:31I'm going to smell like a piece of bark.
23:35Patchouli jasmine and sandalwood.
23:37That's like hippie soap, right?
23:38Yeah, the flower child soap.
23:39There are a lot of hippies out there.
23:43They should use soap more often.
23:48The mold needs to be set up properly so the liquid won't pour out and make a mess.
23:54So gaps and holes are bad.
23:56I'm afraid Madeline messed it up, Ginger.
24:01I don't know what she did.
24:02Well, me.
24:04This is what we're wrestling with.
24:06See this here?
24:07A little tiny space right there.
24:08It looks like it should pop right in.
24:13And it's in.
24:14That's how we do it on Dirty Jobs.
24:16I don't like that.
24:17We know the lie and the milk are reacting with each other because it's starting to get chunky.
24:21This is all added to the base oils and the mixing continues.
24:31Now, equipped with an industrial drill and beater, speed things up.
24:39Making soap.
24:40Dirty Jobs.
24:43You see how it's beginning to make a little bit of a shape when you bring that out?
24:46Right.
24:47You have the very earliest stages of what is called trace.
24:50Trace.
24:51And trace is a thickening, congealing thing.
24:54Uh-huh.
24:55We need a lot more trace.
24:57We need quite a bit more trace.
25:06I mean, it looks the same to me, but I can tell because...
25:08It's very near trace and it goes pretty quick.
25:10So pick out your fragrances and find your additives here.
25:14It's a lot like cooking pudding.
25:16We know we're getting close because it's getting thicker.
25:19So now we add all the scents.
25:22Going big with the butt naked.
25:29A little bit of my own sweat.
25:31Good.
25:31This recipe will fill these two molds.
25:35The good thing is that one of the molds has a liner.
25:39There goes that big.
25:40This helps the soap come out more easily.
25:42The not-so-good thing is that we ran out of liner.
25:48So things may get complicated.
25:50It's baby food.
25:51Yep.
25:52And it actually smells pretty good.
25:56Oh, yeah.
25:57You didn't do too bad.
25:58Well, that's, you know, it's on my business card now.
26:01Mike Rowe.
26:02He didn't do too bad.
26:02The soap is hardening.
26:06Now, what to do on a goat farm?
26:12The proper term for it.
26:13This is too quick.
26:29We're doing good.
26:37I'm okay.
26:38Just kidding.
26:38Is it okay to drink this?
26:44It's not recommended, but you can do it.
26:46Cool.
26:48Her name is Madeline.
26:49This is a little game we call Madeline versus Prudence.
26:52Come on.
26:54Oh, jeez.
26:55Prudence takes one of the jaw.
26:56My money's on the 11-year-old girl.
26:58Get out of here.
26:59Oh, gosh.
27:01Come on.
27:03Ow.
27:04Oh, crap.
27:07I just sat in something very wet and goat-like.
27:24Coming up, what we have here is a rhombus of some kind.
27:27I directed the making of this soap, and I get final cut.
27:30This works nicely with a standard-sized log.
27:33What we're doing now is what you would call your substandard size log.
27:37And later...
27:38I am going in.
27:39...a visit to planet Mars without ever leaving Louisiana.
27:43That's a little slice of hell you got in there.
27:50How are we doing?
27:52Pretty good.
27:53It has set up nicely.
27:55How do we free them from their confines?
27:57That's a big bar of soap.
28:06I probably need all of that.
28:08Okay.
28:09A little more of a challenge, because it wasn't very lined or greased as well.
28:13It's going to be a lot of time.
28:14Why are you buyingーミ足 doing something?
28:15I dream up being free now.
28:25What do I want?
28:26Sure.
28:26Come on, hit it.
28:47Hit it.
28:48Yes.
28:49Come on, like you're angry.
28:52Yes.
28:53Yes, that's good.
28:54Come on, hit it.
28:55Come on, that's the dirtiest soap I've ever seen.
29:00Put this, this acts as a guide and you want your guide to be on your best corner.
29:05On the best side.
29:06Mm-hmm.
29:07Right there.
29:08There you go.
29:09The goal here is to divide one big piece of soap into four blocks.
29:14Dad, like, don't tell me.
29:15Don't tell me.
29:16There we go, like this, right?
29:20And that's, that's a waste.
29:22We use those at the house.
29:24It's pretty ugly.
29:25It is pretty ugly.
29:27Whoops.
29:28What we have here is a rhombus of some kind.
29:31It's hard to know how to approach something in this condition.
29:37The shape of the soap may be a dud, but it still makes sense.
29:44Cutting the bars is what comes next.
29:47Not so much.
29:48This works nicely with a standard size log like those first ones you cut.
29:53What we're doing now is what you would call your substandard size log.
29:57Non-standard, I would say.
29:58Non-standard log.
29:59Non-standard log.
30:00Mm-hmm.
30:01There you go.
30:02Available in fine hotels everywhere.
30:04Okay.
30:06That looks a little more like so.
30:07Pretty good.
30:08That's a rose petal?
30:09Yep.
30:10It's funny how something that looks just like poo can smell like roses.
30:27Where can I test it?
30:28Well, there you go.
30:34The official Dirty Job soap.
30:37Strong enough for a man.
30:39Made from a goat.
30:40Today I've come to Benton, Louisiana.
30:50Last time I was in this part of the country, I got dirty in a way that I never fully recovered from.
30:55I crawled inside a relatively new frack tank and cleaned it.
30:59These are frack tanks, by the way.
31:01Unfortunately, they are not relatively new.
31:03In fact, they've been used and abused to the point where a sane and rational man would throw them away.
31:07Bill Camphius, though, is not exactly sane or rational in my estimation.
31:11Nice to see you.
31:12Doesn't meet you, Mike.
31:13No offense intended, but my goodness, you refurbish these things?
31:17That's correct.
31:18Just so I'm clear, what is the precise purpose of a frack tank?
31:23The original intended purpose is that they line these up on a well site, and they're actually water storage.
31:28They're 500 barrels of water apiece.
31:30It takes 20 of them.
31:31They use the fresh water to actually pump down hole and fracture the rock in the zones that they're trying to produce and get them ready to produce natural gas.
31:39All right.
31:40And why are they so beat up, though?
31:43I mean, what's killing?
31:44Sometimes, even though they're intended for fresh water, some other things may get produced back into the tank.
31:50So maybe salt water is down there with the oil deposit?
31:54That's correct.
31:55With the natural gas deposit?
31:56It comes up and it corrodes these things from the inside out.
31:58That's right.
31:59If they flow back into the tank, the coating's not rated for that service.
32:02When the coating fails, then you get steel failure and therefore leaks.
32:06Well, we can't spend more than a day here, but what can I do?
32:09Well, what we've done is we've staged various tanks so that each one would be in a different part of the operation.
32:15And we're going to start you out as a helper.
32:17And then if you do a good job as a helper, we'll move you on up to blaster and maybe do some painting before the day's over.
32:22Gotcha.
32:23I'm going to take a wild guess and assume all that fluid sloshing around back there is going to be key.
32:28We've got different soaps and degreasers.
32:30And who's this guy dressed conspicuously like me?
32:32This is Paul Bickham, our yard foreman.
32:33Good to meet you, sir.
32:34Paul, I'm Mike.
32:35How are you?
32:36Well, Paul, how about beauty before age?
32:38Okay.
32:39Well, unless there's some sort of new math I'm not aware of.
32:54It would appear maybe you might be going alone.
32:57Maybe.
32:58On this particular tank, it would appear I will not fit.
33:04Well, this is a lucky day for you, huh?
33:07It would appear so.
33:08Maybe I won't fit either.
33:12Maybe we'll just all go home early and, you know, take care of all this in animation.
33:17There you go. CGI.
33:18See, this brings back just a host of unpleasant memories.
33:25Okay.
33:26Here's the wand and make your way towards the front of the tank and I'll feed the line to you and I'll meet you at the hole at the other end.
33:48I'll meet you at the hole at the other end.
33:49I'll meet you at the hole.
33:50All right.
33:51Every five to seven years, some lucky soul gets to climb inside and do this.
33:58With proper maintenance, a frack tank can last 20 years or more.
34:01The bars are support rods and they're found only in the older tanks.
34:05Without them, getting around inside here would be a whole lot easier, but not nearly as much fun for you to watch.
34:11Oh yeah!
34:12It's very, very difficult to maneuver inside of one of these things.
34:25It's hideous.
34:26Not good.
34:27Extraordinarily awkward.
34:28Fresh water is pumped out of this tank during the drilling, but salt water and chemicals come back in.
34:34Since the tank is made of steel, the result is all this rust, which begs the question, why not use plastic?
34:42The answer is because it's not strong enough.
34:47Here's what we're looking at.
34:49That's the stuff.
34:50That's why I've been in here two hours.
34:53Look at that.
34:54I can't even get it to come off the shelf.
34:56This is a bad place.
34:58You had enough?
34:59I had enough about an hour ago, Paul.
35:02There's certain advantages to not being able to fit through the hole.
35:09Yes, there is.
35:10Coming up.
35:11Usually an apprentice, when he first starts out, it takes him about a year and a half to get to the point where you're at right now before they ever let him pick up a gun.
35:19A year and a half.
35:21Making your way up the ladder, not always a good thing.
35:24I've been here barely a day.
35:26The fumes are making me a little loopy.
35:28And I definitely know when I'm out of class.
35:31Same day, different tank.
35:40Time for a new task.
35:41Sand blasting.
35:42And with a new outfit.
35:43Provided I can get myself out of the old one.
35:45Sorry, I can't wait to get these daggone things off.
35:48So this is next?
35:50This is next.
35:52What exactly is, I'm assuming it's the blasting of sand?
35:56Technically we're media blasting and the media will be coal slag for the day.
36:00We're going to under pressure shoot coal slag.
36:04Through that hose and nozzle.
36:06And why are we doing it?
36:08To remove the old paint and rust.
36:12Is there a new fashion statement for me?
36:14Oh yeah.
36:20I really like the fall fashion line here in Louisiana.
36:23Can you hear me at all?
36:26Oh cool, okay.
36:27There's no way he can hear me.
36:29I can say anything I want about him, he can't hear a thing.
36:32I'm not going to talk too much because it's deafening in my ears.
36:35The sound of my own voice is almost too much.
36:38The cold slag comes out of the nozzle at 150 miles an hour.
36:42The suit pumps in fresh air while keeping out flying particles.
36:46Without it, what the slag is doing to the side of the tank,
36:50it would also be doing to my skin and lungs.
36:53A new frat tank runs about $50,000.
36:56There's a long waiting list.
36:58By refurbishing these tanks,
37:00Vermillion Painting and Construction is recycling tons of metal every year.
37:04And this is just a small part of their operation.
37:09How do you like it?
37:10It's really hard.
37:11The job now is to go inside and sandblast as much as I can.
37:14See what you can do.
37:15I am going in.
37:20And we also have those bars in here as well.
37:22So frankly, I'm not optimistic at all about what's about to happen.
37:28Okay.
37:29Want to go in this basic area through here?
37:32Why not?
37:33Good as any.
37:52What's it like being on Mars during a dust storm?
37:55I'm going to say probably a whole lot like what I'm doing right now.
37:58I'm wearing something that looks and feels like a space suit.
38:01I can't see or hear anything.
38:03And I'm otherwise completely cut off from the outside world.
38:06If you want some time alone,
38:08get away from it all with nothing but your own thoughts for company,
38:12I recommend sandblasting the inside of a frack tank.
38:15How do you like that?
38:16I don't like that.
38:30I don't like that.
38:31I don't like that at all.
38:32That's a little slice of hell you got in there.
38:33And this is going to be our paint area.
38:51Sure.
38:52We're going to be coating the underside.
38:55Uh-huh.
38:56Because that's what sits on the ground when it's in service.
38:58Right.
38:59So it needs good protection.
39:00We're going to be using a coal tar epoxy.
39:01This is your head sock.
39:02And coveralls.
39:03Your respirator.
39:04Eye protection.
39:05There you go.
39:06You're ready.
39:07All right.
39:08The proper procedure.
39:09Put the paint where it ain't.
39:10Okay.
39:11Do you want to do it?
39:12Let's get it in the crack.
39:15This just may be the most dangerous smelling thing I think we've ever done.
39:42The fumes down here are just, it's just incredible.
39:47I'm really not sure this is a good idea at all.
39:51In fact, I'm sure it's not.
39:56Really?
39:57Bad idea.
39:59Now we need to go on inside.
40:01Now you want to try and keep your gun perpendicular to your surface.
40:11Even though circulation fans are operating, the fumes in here are much worse than they
40:16were outside.
40:17I don't know how these guys do this.
40:20If I get a little closer, the closer you are the better.
40:24You know, that's about right right there.
40:28A tank this size holds over 15,000 gallons of water.
40:32Really, what we're doing is coating.
40:36I mean, we've got to create, really, an airtight seal in here.
40:40Watertight.
40:41Right.
40:42You want to protect your steel, keep it from corrosion.
40:45Normally, my chief concern would be protecting my lungs from corrosion.
40:50Sadly, I left my lungs in tank number two.
40:56Usually an apprentice, when he first starts out, it takes him about a year and a half to
41:00get to the point where you're at right now before they even let him pick up a gun.
41:04A year and a half.
41:06You know what?
41:09I'm going to, uh, I'm going to take that as a hint.
41:13I've been here barely a day.
41:15The fumes are making me a little loopy.
41:18And I definitely know when I'm out of class.
41:21Paul, I'm going to make my way out.
41:23Okay.
41:24You guys stick around.
41:25We'll watch an expert do his thing.
41:27Tell you what.
41:34I've seen a lot of bad things.
41:37Touched a lot of bad things.
41:39Tasted a lot of bad things.
41:41But I don't believe I've ever smelled anything.
41:44That dangerous.
41:46Every single job I attempted today was a dismal failure.
41:49I didn't finish one thing I started.
41:50Paul, right now, is still inside this monstrosity with his paint gun
41:54going through what I believe to be the eighth or maybe ninth level of hell.
41:58As for me and the crew, our butts are kicked.
42:01We're going home.
42:03Goodbye.
42:09Here on Dirty Jobs, we're constantly on the lookout for places best described as vile, disgusting, gross, wretched, foul-fetted,
42:17fumed, foggy, and filthy.
42:18If you know of a place that fits that description, drop me a line at discovery.com forward slash dirtyjobs.
42:24Do it right now.
42:25You'll have my eternal filthy gratitude.
42:28Much obliged.
42:29It's okay.
42:30Yeah, so is mine.
42:31It goes away.
42:32I think it's mainly salt water and bentonite and sulfuric acid.
42:34Mix them until you like the fragrance and...
42:36You're not going to finish that sentence, right?
42:37Mm-mm.
42:38You've been leaving me hanging all day with that thought dot dot dot.
42:52That reminds me of another interesting point.
42:57Don't forget to...
Comments