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Ask This Old House - Season 24 - Episode 07: Seabees; Paint Galvanized Railing
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00:05On Ask This Old House, our experts travel across the country to answer questions about your house.
00:18Today, Nathan takes a trip down memory lane, visiting the Navy Seabees in Gulfport, Mississippi, to see what has changed
00:26since he left.
00:28Then, Tommy talks about hitches, the various parts, and how to properly attach them to a trailer.
00:35And Morrow helps a homeowner fix peeling paint on our galvanized steel railings.
00:40See how nice and easy that goes?
00:42On Ask This Old House.
00:48A major part of my training as a builder came from my time in the Navy Seabees.
00:52I grew up listening to my father, grandfather tell stories about their time in the Seabees,
00:57and I knew when I got old enough, I definitely wanted to enlist.
00:59I spent five years in the Seabees, but today I'm heading back to Gulfport, Mississippi,
01:03to see how the Navy is training the next generation of tradespeople.
01:09Good morning, ma'am.
01:10Hey, good morning, Nathan.
01:11Nice to meet you.
01:11Nice to meet you as well.
01:12Master Chief, good to see you again.
01:13Good to see you again.
01:14Sir, nice to meet you.
01:15Hey, nice to meet you.
01:16Well, it's good to be back.
01:16I called Gulfport home from 2009 to 2014, and I got the opportunity to deploy three times.
01:24Afghanistan, Djibouti, Africa, and Timor-Leste, and each time I came back to Gulfport and I called it home.
01:29I had a great time, but I need to know, has anything changed with the Seabees?
01:32Absolutely not.
01:33Seabees are still globally deployed all over the world to some of the same places that you just mentioned.
01:38And, you know, our forces are really the construction arm for the Navy.
01:43We're able to do horizontal construction, vertical construction, specialized construction, even some underwater construction.
01:50Anywhere that the nation needs us to do it, whether that's humanitarian relief, disaster relief,
01:55or doing some expeditionary construction to support the maneuver of our forces.
02:00It's funny, you know, you talk about the training and how perfect it is.
02:03That actually followed along with me in life.
02:06After leaving the Seabees, I was really well prepared for the trades, right?
02:10Right back into it, doing carpentry with my father back home.
02:13But a lot of my friends that were Seabees got out as well and all entered the trades.
02:17So I think it's paying dividends later for the civilian life.
02:20Absolutely.
02:21Yeah.
02:21So how are the sailors doing today?
02:23Sailors are doing great.
02:24Two parts of the schoolhouse.
02:26Sailor finishes boot camp.
02:28They come to NCTC Gulfport to learn their initial construction skill sets.
02:32Here we focus on builder and steel worker.
02:34And then also later in their career, they'll come back to really hit a journeyman level skill training in their
02:40craft.
02:41Oh, very nice.
02:41And so CB, we all know it.
02:43But what does the CB stand for?
02:45CB initially stood for Construction Battalion.
02:49But we've been in the Navy.
02:52Did a play on words.
02:54C, as in the C.
02:56Yep.
02:57And we put the B on it.
02:59So we're CBs.
03:00Creating that iconic logo?
03:01Yes.
03:02Yes.
03:02And another important thing, the discipline.
03:04How's the discipline here at the U School?
03:05The CB chiefs, we're responsible for good order and discipline.
03:09And we're making sure it's maintained at every level.
03:12I'm glad to hear it, but I also want to see it.
03:14Do you have anyone that could show me around?
03:16I do.
03:16Let me introduce you to Senior Chief Bryant.
03:18He can show you around the campus.
03:19Nice to meet you, Senior Chief.
03:20Nice to meet you, Nathan.
03:21Head out.
03:21Go take a look.
03:22Absolutely.
03:23Thank you, everyone, for your time.
03:29All right, Nathan, welcome back to A School.
03:32It's good to be back.
03:33So as Commander Johncock was talking about before, the students will come here, and really
03:38what we're trying to focus on is that foundational level knowledge, starting at the basics of
03:43math, moving into some terms and definitions, going over concrete and masonry, floors, walls,
03:50and stairs, and moving on to next phases where students can actually apply those skills that
03:55they learned in the classroom.
03:57So it's really operating like a modern-day trade school.
03:59The kids are getting the exposure in the classroom and then in the lab?
04:02It is, all the way through.
04:04What kind of skill set are you seeing sailors show up with these days?
04:07For the most part, zero.
04:09Uh-oh.
04:09They come in with none.
04:10And really, that's where we have our training geared towards for students who have no background
04:15knowledge in the trades.
04:17We start them at the bottom and bring them all the way up.
04:19Awesome.
04:19Can we check out our classroom?
04:20Absolutely.
04:21Let's go.
04:21All right.
04:22Good afternoon, Mr. Kumba.
04:24Good afternoon, sir.
04:25Hey.
04:25How's it going?
04:26Mr. Kumba, this is Nathan.
04:27Nice to meet you, sir.
04:28Mr. Kumba is our lead instructor, and B1 Hennedy is our instructor supervisor.
04:31Nice to meet you guys.
04:32What are you guys learning today?
04:33Today, they're in the classroom setting learning some concrete.
04:35All right.
04:36Concrete.
04:36Yes, sir.
04:36Nice.
04:37What do you guys like more?
04:38The time in the classroom or the time in the lab?
04:40The lab's on, sir.
04:41Very good.
04:42I agree.
04:42This class is pretty lucky because they actually placed some permanent concrete here at the
04:46schoolhouse.
04:46It's going to be here for years to come.
04:48Oh, awesome.
04:49So after they're done with that, we'll move on to a masonry lab, and they'll go out and
04:52play some block and then get into some light framing.
04:55That sounds good.
04:55Can I take a look at the lab?
04:56Yes, sir.
04:57Let's go.
04:57All right.
04:58Nice to meet you guys.
04:59Thanks, sir.
05:01Hurrah.
05:02Hurrah.
05:03All right, Nathan.
05:04Welcome back to the B-Phase Lab.
05:06When we were in the classroom, we talked about forming and reinforcing.
05:09You can see a mock-up here that the students can come in, take a look at it, and understand
05:13what it's supposed to look like when it's fully constructed.
05:16Looking good.
05:17And this group's well on their way over here, huh?
05:19Oh, yes, sir.
05:20So once they complete A-Phase and move over here to our B-Phase Labs, where the foundations
05:24they just learned how to construct are already here placed for them.
05:27So they'll move in.
05:28They'll learn out how to lay building lines out, as well as start framing out a floor.
05:32So from there, they'll move on to their walls.
05:34Four students per house.
05:35There'll be two windows and two doors.
05:37And where do they go from here?
05:39From there, they'll do a little bit of shingle work, some rolled asphalt, and they'll move
05:42on to the interior phase.
05:44That sounds like the best part.
05:45Yes, sir.
05:50So how many students are going through the school every year?
05:53We push through about 4,000 students a year of Army, Navy, and Air Force at the entry and
05:59advanced level.
06:00That's a lot.
06:00Yeah.
06:00So I'm sure you know there's a huge hole in the skilled trades.
06:03There's a lot of kids that are needed, and there's a lot of old people getting out, and
06:07they need that young force to come in.
06:08And I know that you're setting these kids up not only for the success in the military,
06:12but also success later on if they choose to join the trades.
06:15Absolutely.
06:16And I know we could use them.
06:17Yeah.
06:17So thank you for everything.
06:19Thank you very much.
06:19Good to meet you, and good to be back.
06:21Glad to have you back.
06:21One more thing.
06:23Yeah.
06:24Hey.
06:24What is this?
06:25Hey.
06:25Oh.
06:26So we want to, we've served together.
06:29Oh, yes.
06:29Absolutely.
06:30And we just wanted to highlight some things.
06:33Oh, yeah.
06:34Cruise book from 74.
06:36Oh, yeah.
06:36And who is this fellow right here?
06:38Oh, geez.
06:38That looks like a BU3 Gilbert right there.
06:41Oh, that's awesome.
06:42So, man, it was a pleasure serving with you.
06:44It was a pleasure to see you.
06:45And thank you for coming back and highlighting what we do in the CBU.
06:49Thank you, Master Chief.
06:49Good to see you again.
06:50You too, brother.
06:51Take care.
06:51All right.
06:51Bye, guys.
06:52Bye.
06:52Bye.
06:52Bye.
06:53Bye.
06:54Bye.
06:54Bye.
06:55Oh, Pops, look at you.
06:56You are in your happy place, aren't you?
06:58I love towing trailers.
07:00You are trailering something all the time.
07:02Every time I see you, you're dragging something behind you.
07:04Trailers are so great.
07:05You take everything you want, even if you don't need it.
07:08All right.
07:09So I'm not much of a trailer guy.
07:11I suspect a lot of people maybe try, don't really know.
07:14Walk us through what I need to know to trailer something.
07:16Well, if you're going to trailer something, let's say you're going to rent a trailer and
07:19you want to carry some stuff, move some furniture, whatever.
07:22Yeah.
07:22First thing you have to know is what size the trailer is and what its capabilities are.
07:28And on the trailer, you'll see one of these.
07:30And this is what hooks to the vehicle.
07:32Okay.
07:33All right.
07:34So basically, this one here is rated right here.
07:36The ball size is one in seven eighths.
07:39And it has a capacity of 2,000 pounds.
07:41And is that 2,000 pounds the weight of the trailer or is it the weight of the trailer when
07:45you
07:46put all your stuff in it?
07:47It's the weight of the trailer with everything that you put in it.
07:49Total.
07:50Okay.
07:51All right.
07:51So when you've got something like this, it says here, tongue.
07:54Is this called a tongue?
07:55Yeah.
07:55So when you've got a tongue, the tongue will tell you, because it's on the trailer, what
08:00do you need.
08:00And it's going to tell you this ball size?
08:02It's going to tell you the ball size.
08:03So one in seven eighths.
08:05One in seven eighths.
08:06So now we take, this will be on your truck.
08:08You put that down and you lock it in.
08:11All right.
08:11Now the trailer is connected to the vehicle.
08:14Okay.
08:14So now pull that off.
08:16How's that?
08:17I got a little cross section right there.
08:19Oh.
08:19I'll show you what it's like.
08:20Does Richard know you made a cutaway?
08:21Yeah.
08:21No.
08:22All right.
08:23So this one here says two inches.
08:24This is two inches.
08:25So this is an inch and seven eighths ball.
08:27So when I put this in there and lock it down.
08:31Oops.
08:31Hang on.
08:32Yeah.
08:33All right.
08:33It's too floppy.
08:34Believe it or not, you'll hear it and feel it when you're towing the vehicle.
08:38Small ball problem.
08:39Yep.
08:39So take it out and put this right size in.
08:43Lock it in.
08:45That's in there.
08:45Good.
08:46It rotates, turns when you're going to turn the trailer, but it doesn't come out.
08:50Very nice.
08:51So now pick that up.
08:52And obviously, you know that you can't use that.
08:56Not going to work.
08:57Okay.
08:57So it's a no brainer.
08:59Once you get a trailer that you're going to either rent or buy, you establish the fact
09:03that it needs a two and five sixteenths.
09:05Two and five sixteenths.
09:06Right.
09:06Very nice.
09:07Okay.
09:07And then so the balls, these are threaded with nuts and a lock washer.
09:12Very important that you have a lock washer.
09:14They come and go off of this thing.
09:16Now this one here has got balls and they're welded to it.
09:19I presume the idea here is that one, what's this called?
09:23Shaft.
09:23Shaft.
09:23So one shaft gets you three balls and just spin it.
09:27And a hook.
09:27So whatever you want to do with it.
09:29So shaft goes into, what's the thing on the receiver?
09:33The receiver.
09:34Yep.
09:34Different dimensions here?
09:36Yeah.
09:36Different dimensions.
09:37There's different dimensions to that.
09:38You want to make sure you match that up with whatever vehicle you have.
09:41And then basically, again, you want to match the ball size just by rotating it and lock
09:45it in place with a pin.
09:46So in this case, the ball is sitting in line or right flat on the shaft.
09:53Yep.
09:53And you want to know that size, but you really want to know how high the trailer is off the
09:58ground.
09:59And when I say the trailer, you want to know how high the trailer is when you set it at
10:03the place that it wants to be.
10:05You don't want the trailer to be level.
10:07You want it to be up just a little bit.
10:10Then once it's set, you lower or raise the trailer, lay it, roll it down to get it where
10:16you want it to be.
10:17Then you take and you measure from under here to the ground.
10:22That's the height that you have to match with your receiver and your shaft.
10:26And do I want them to be aligned?
10:28Is this a no-no?
10:29That's a no-no.
10:30And this is a no-no.
10:31This and no.
10:33Yeah.
10:33Wave to each other.
10:35Basically, if it's up and straight, the trailer is going to pull better.
10:39Right.
10:40If it's down, it's going to really roll when you go over 50.
10:44So something like this, you could have a trailer that could be properly in line but higher than
10:49you have for your truck.
10:50Right.
10:51That's what these are for?
10:51So what you have to do is get a drop like this or a lift.
10:55Oh.
10:56So these little curves right here get you, what, to raise it up or lower it down?
11:00Another one right here goes down.
11:03All right.
11:03So if that was the height from the ground to the truck or so on down the line, or this
11:08was the height that you needed from the ground.
11:10And they have a lot, a lot of different variables in between all of these.
11:14Higher or lower or closer.
11:16You flipped yours over.
11:17Can I flip this over as well?
11:18Absolutely.
11:18So this could be used as a drop or a rise.
11:22Exactly.
11:23Very nice.
11:23Okay.
11:24Wow.
11:24That's clever.
11:25Yeah.
11:25Off to now.
11:26Now this one right here has got the three balls.
11:30It's adjustable.
11:31So you can spin it to the one that you want.
11:33Oh.
11:34Okay.
11:34So you don't have to worry about changing the ball.
11:36Okay.
11:36Now the other thing is, is it's also adjustable up and down.
11:40I'll hold it for you.
11:41You know, so if I pull this pin, now watch your fingers there, because we do, you normally
11:47want to do this on the vehicle.
11:48Right.
11:49Okay.
11:50So now you can raise that up.
11:51Oh.
11:52Or you can bring it down, or I can flip it over.
11:55Over.
11:56And get it up higher.
11:58Up here.
11:58Or lower.
11:59Down here.
12:00Right.
12:01And so that you don't walk into it, we got to flip it back down.
12:06Right down.
12:07Right down.
12:08It'll flip right under, and it will hide right under your vehicle, and you won't run
12:12into it with your leg.
12:14Oh.
12:14Have you ever done that?
12:15Oh, yeah.
12:16Many times.
12:17Many times.
12:18And it hurts.
12:18Oh, so this is the Mac Daddy right here.
12:20Yep.
12:21Yep.
12:21One thing could eliminate six or seven of these things.
12:23Right.
12:24And if you tow a lot, then you want something like this, because you don't want to take the
12:27time to basically change the ball to fit a different size trailer.
12:32Beautiful.
12:33Now, the other thing you have to start thinking about is, how are you going to activate the lights
12:37on the trailer?
12:38So the lights that I want on the trailer, I presume they're running lights and brakes
12:42so that the guy behind you...
12:44Yeah, you definitely need to have running lights, but you definitely want brake lights.
12:48Okay.
12:49Because you don't want anybody running into it, and directional.
12:51So you have to look about what kind of plug comes with the trailer.
12:55Sometimes it might be simply like this, four pins, or you might get one like this, which
13:01is seven pins.
13:02Hmm.
13:02All right.
13:03Now, the four pins are going to give you the basics, your right, left, light, and brake
13:08lights.
13:08And the seven pins?
13:10The seven pins are going to give you right, left, ground.
13:12It's going to give you a braking capability, because the trailer requires brakes.
13:18You're going to need power to go back to power the brakes.
13:21So brakes on the trailer wheels, in addition to brakes on the pickup wheels.
13:26Yeah.
13:26And the trailer could have brakes on all four wheels, or just on the front two wheels.
13:30Tap the brake pedal, it's going to activate those.
13:33Right.
13:33And you adjust the brake controller in the truck in relationship to the weight of the
13:39trailer.
13:39So if the trailer's empty, it's light.
13:41Then your brake controller is way off.
13:43But if you load it up and you've got 5,000 pounds pushing the truck when you want to stop,
13:48or the car, you want to make sure that you get help by the brakes.
13:51Yeah, yeah, yeah.
13:52Makes sense.
13:52All right?
13:53Okay.
13:53So that's all important.
13:54Beautiful.
13:55So...
13:56Oh, yeah.
13:56One more thing.
13:57So when I tow a lot to Florida, I may tow my boat, and I want to be able to
14:02lock the
14:02trailer to the vehicle when I stay over at night.
14:05I don't want anybody taking the trailer and unhooking it.
14:07So basically, this is a lock.
14:09You can put this pin through in place of this pin.
14:13That stays on it.
14:14And then you have this mechanism right here.
14:16Take a little key, put it in there, turn the lock, and they can't take this out.
14:21They can't remove the boat.
14:22So this never comes off of the car.
14:24Right.
14:24The trailer can't...
14:26Ah, clever.
14:27Yeah.
14:28Yeah.
14:28It just makes it a little hotter.
14:29If they really want it, I suppose they'd take it.
14:31Got it.
14:32Yeah.
14:32Wow.
14:33So this one really helps.
14:34It begs the question, what's this Mac Daddy right here?
14:37All right.
14:38So if you tow a lot and you tow heavy trailers...
14:41Like you.
14:41Yeah.
14:42Well, basically, when you drive over the road, you can feel the trailer in there.
14:46And if you're on a bumpy road, it can be jerky.
14:48Okay.
14:48All right.
14:48So you want something that's going to smooth that out.
14:51Oh, this bad boy right here has torsion suspension in it.
14:55All right.
14:55Oh, wow.
14:56So when the truck goes up, this goes down, this rotates.
15:00And there's a cushion in there to soften that jerkiness.
15:04Wow.
15:04So this smooths out your ride.
15:06It smooths out the ride.
15:07And then obviously it gives us the option for two different size ball size.
15:11Yeah.
15:11And we can stick the stem in different heights.
15:15So low, medium to high.
15:17Yeah.
15:17You can adjust your height.
15:18So we got to tow this out of here.
15:20I can only imagine which one you're going to choose.
15:22We're going to pull this one on because we want to be comfortable on our way back.
15:25All right.
15:25I got it.
15:25It's a little heavy something.
15:27Yeah.
15:27See?
15:28It's a two-minute.
15:39Hi.
15:40Hi, Dawn.
15:42Yeah.
15:42So glad you could come over, Mauro.
15:43Nice to meet you.
15:45All right.
15:45Let's talk about, is this the railings you wrote me about?
15:48It is.
15:49Okay.
15:50We had it installed about five years ago.
15:53He galvanized and then painted it.
15:55Things were really great for about a year.
15:57But then we started noticing blisters and then the paint started blowing off.
16:01Did you ever contact the manufacturer about this?
16:04We tried, but he had gone out of business.
16:06Do you have any ideas as to why it did this?
16:09Well, galvanized steel is an excellent option for railings, especially for the outdoors.
16:15But there's one thing, I think it happens here, it was not prepped right.
16:19Or they might be using the wrong paint for that.
16:22There's one way we can fix this up.
16:24We're going to have to strip it down the whole thing, clean it really well, and then apply
16:30the right paint on it.
16:31It's going to be a little bit of work, but we can do it.
16:34Are you ready to go?
16:34Yes.
16:35Let's do it.
16:35I've got some tools.
16:36You and I go to work.
16:37Okay.
16:41Well, we're all prepped.
16:42We've got the hats.
16:43Now it's time to prep the stairs.
16:45We're going to use the drop gloves to protect the landing and the steps.
16:50And I also have this plastic with tape and also a cutter that we're going to put against
16:54the wall there to protect it.
16:56And also on both sides of the stairs.
17:04All right, here's what we have.
17:06We have different tools, different sizes.
17:09Okay.
17:09We're going to get with this little potty knife.
17:11All you have to do is push this right underneath the paint and shake this as much as you can.
17:19See how nice and easy that goes?
17:20Look.
17:21Wow.
17:24It's going to come off easier than I thought.
17:25I hope the whole thing is like this.
17:29So once we do that, what's next?
17:31All right.
17:32For the ones that we can use this potty knife, it's fine to do it.
17:35But for the hotter surface, we might have to scrape.
17:38Okay.
17:39Let's go to work.
17:40Sounds good.
17:40Take the small one.
17:41I'll take the big one.
17:52All right.
17:53Very good tip for you.
17:55For the balusters, one easy way to remove the paint faster is breaking the edges first.
18:01Just like this.
18:04All right.
18:05Now look at this.
18:09Wouldn't it be easier just to use a sander on this?
18:11Well, it would be easier, but, you know, we've got a much easier way to do it with just a
18:16potty knife.
18:16Uh, and also sander, uh, will damage the zinc coating on this metal.
18:24So is there an easier way to get some of these sticky parts off?
18:29Yeah, so you can have your tool here, and just give it a little tap, and it comes right off.
18:37All right.
18:39Check this out.
18:51All right, Dawn, this looks really good.
18:54On to the next.
18:56On to the next.
19:14All right.
19:16We're going to use a light scrubbed pad to remove any residue, and we'll be ready to paint.
19:21Just soak it in.
19:23Just go very light.
19:25Just like that.
19:28Why do you use denatured alcohol?
19:31Uh, because it cleans better, and evaporates, and dries faster.
19:41Next step, we're going to apply one coat of primer.
19:44Why are you going to prime?
19:46Well, I like to do the three coats process.
19:49One primer, and two finished coats.
19:51Also add an extra protection.
19:53Okay?
19:54Would you ever consider spring?
19:56Uh, I would in another situation, but when I look at the front of the house, you get beautiful
20:01guard on both sides of the stairs, and the stairs is attached to the house.
20:05A lot of protection to do at this time, protecting those beautiful flowers.
20:09Not a good idea.
20:10But, we're also going to use a quarter-inch nap that will give us a nice and smooth finish
20:16throughout the process.
20:18Let's do it.
20:19Sounds good.
20:20All right.
20:21I wanted to carry that.
20:23We're going to start from the top.
20:26Here's all we're going to do.
20:27You're going to put enough paint on your roller.
20:31All right.
20:32And then, you're just going to go nice and smooth.
20:35In one long stroke.
20:37Don't stop and go.
20:38Just go all the way up there, and then come back.
20:42If you see a spot that you missed, just go there, and fill it in.
20:47Okay.
20:48And even the small areas like this, you can do it with a brush.
20:54See, when you see a drip like that, just roll it all the way down.
20:59That's good.
21:06All right.
21:07Prime is all set.
21:08It needs about an hour to dry.
21:10We'll come back, and we'll apply the first coat.
21:13Why is it such a strange color?
21:15Well, it looks like green, but once we put it on, it will become black.
21:20But what kind of paint are we using?
21:22We're going to use a DTM, acrylic enamel.
21:26What does DTM stand for?
21:28DTM stands for direct to metal.
21:33And the finish that we're going to use?
21:35Semi-gloss.
21:40You still don't believe this is going to start in black, right?
21:44I'm a doubter.
21:52This is going to look so nice.
21:57Well, Don, what do you think?
21:59It's beautiful, and I'm so glad it's black.
22:02Well, it's black, and we have two coats.
22:04It's going to dry really nice, so you can enjoy,
22:08and you can use the front door anytime after paint is dry.
22:11So when will I have to repaint it?
22:13Only when you decide to change the color.
22:15Oh, that's a relief.
22:16Well, thank you so much for coming.
22:18I never could have done it myself.
22:20It's my pleasure.
22:20It looks good.
22:21I was happy to help you out with this project.
22:23It's nice and clean.
22:25Enjoy, and we'll see you on the next one.
22:41Next time on Ask This Old House,
22:43Lee helps a homeowner regrade their lawn.
22:47She loves this.
22:49Then, do you lack a green thumb when it comes to houseplants?
22:53Jen gives some suggestions on low-maintenance plants.
22:56And, Nathan helps a homeowner swap their hollow core doors for solid ones.
23:06All that on Ask This Old House.
23:39We'll see you next time on Ask This Old House.
23:39Ask This Old House.
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