Dirty Jobs

Mike starts the day in Sarasota, Florida. At Reef Innovations, we meet Bob and Larry who basically make fish condominiums out of their specially designed reef balls and reef cakes. To make their reef balls, they use a Ph balanced marine grade biodegradable concrete with microsilica added. These artifical reefs are made so fish, coral and other marine life have a place to live especially after hurricanes or shipwrecks damage the natural reefs. It takes thousands and thousands of years for a reef to form naturally so the destruction of a reef can be devastating to ocean life. The company started out with just a reef ball design, but now they've expanded into making reef layer cakes that are made specifically for lobster, crab and other crustaceans.

They start making their reef balls and cakes by laying out strips of fiberglass. Next they will saturate the fiberglass with resin which will hold it all together. Once the resin hardens, it will create a hard shell. The strips are patted onto the edges of their mold. The surface of the shell is first treated with adhesive, then more fiberglass is sprayed on top. The fiberglass strands are fed into a gun which sprays shredded fibers onto the shell. Next they need to even out the resin and remove any air bubbles. After completing one panel, Mike feels stoned from the smell of the resin so he goes outside.

Outside, Larry shows Mike a dried version of what he just did. To make a layer cake, they first they put the molds together. They leave one panel off of the mold so they can get inside and make the "legs" of the layer cake. Rocks are used to make the legs and once they're set in place, they fill the whole base with some sand.

Mostly city and state governments order these reefs. Larry says they also do business with resorts and hotels that want to build artifical reefs for snorkeling and diving. Sometimes they do charity work for poorer countries that need help after a disaster. They helped rebuild a reef in Thailand after that country was hit with a tsunami. By collecting the damaged corals and reattaching them to the reef balls, they saved the marine environment in that area. They have 600,000 reef balls and/or reef cakes in 56 countries around the world.

Mike is locked inside the mold as the workers bolt the panels into place. He is astonished to learn that he will be inside the mold as the concrete is poured. First he needs to spray sugar water on the inside of the mold to create a surface texture. The sugar water acts as a mold release so the panels from the mold won't stick to the concrete after it has dried. Bucket upon bucket of sand are given to Mike to be dumped into the mold. The sand is used as filler to create the layers of the cake. The sand acts as a repellent to the concrete so Mike has to hose down the legs of the cake to remove any excess sand before the concrete is poured. Mike needs to remain inside to spread the concrete around evenly with his feet. The concrete will begin to harden in an hour. They should be able to remove the mold the next day.

After the concrete is poured they will add rocks and shells then make more layers with the sand and concrete. The process repeats itself until they reach the top of the mold. Large shells are inserted into the concrete so the fish can dart into the holes and hide. Mike does a good job in strategically placing the shells so the fish enjoy the layout of their new home. Mike is given a special Dirty Jobs sign to stick on top of the finished reef cake.

Larry then shows Mike a reef cake that has completely dried and is ready to be taken out of the mold. They take off the shell, remove the excess sand and hose it down. Then the crew gets to go on a boat into Sarasota Bay to see the reef cakes actually placed on the ocean floor. A dive crew guides them down to their final location. The fish will be able to move into their new home immediately.

Next Mike shows us a T-shirt that reads "Goat milk makes your butt better". The shirt, a hat and the accompanying letter come from Ginger in Gause, Texas. She invited Mike to meet her goats and take a shower. He took her up on that. She says she makes the best soap in the world out of goat milk.

This is the first time someone has reached out to get Mike clean. He visits Fat Bottom Farm and meets Ginger and her daughters, Madeline and Rebecca. First they need to get the goat milk. We learn that goat milk is the most consumed out of all milks in the world. Anglo Nubian goats weigh 125 pounds. Each goat can produce a gallon of milk a day which is 30% more milk than cows.

Madeline shows Mike how to milk the goats, but apparently he didn't pay close enough attention and needs help. Ginger says it's like squeezing water out of a water balloon. Goat milk is a natural moisturizer that contains over 50 different nutrients that nourish and revitalize the skin.

Goat milk is very thick. The next step is to strain the milk to separate it from the dirt and hair. Mike then learns a new word: saponification. This is the process of soap making where lye is added to a fat and it is blended to create a chemical reaction (i.e. soap). Mike tests Madeline on her knowledge of saponification and accuses the poor girl of drifting off.

All Fat Bottom Farm soap is made out of four base oils: castor oil, coconut oil, olive oil and soybean oil. Measurements must be precise. Once measured the oils will be heated and then optional conditioning oils will be added. These extra oils may consist of avocado, almond, rice bran, hemp, sunflower, apricot and cucumber oils. Mike gets to choose a pound of the conditioning oils that he wants in his soap. The conditioning oil will moisturize, soothe and soften the skin.

Beeswax is then added to the mix. It is used for its healing and hardening properties. Their recipe calls for 8 ounces of beeswax. After the beeswax, it's time to add the lye. Lye is very dangerous, but is a necessary ingredient for making soap. When the lye and the milk are combined, the lye breaks down the fat of the milk to create the building blocks of soap and glycerine. The lye turns the milk orange and there is a strong smell of ammonia.

The lye needs about thirty minutes to react with the oils. During this time Mike gets to pick his scents. The various scents he can choose from include key lime, chocolate, butt naked, cedar, patchouli jasmine and sandalwood, roseberry, citrus basil, lavender and almond. He also can add oatmeal, cornflower, rose hips, honey, or Vitamin E which acts as a preservative.

The soap molds need to be set up properly so the liquid doesn't pour out and make a mess. Gaps and holes are bad. Mike tries to blame Madeline for the spaces in his mold. Their lye and milk mixture is starting to react and is getting chunky. They add it to their base oils and using an industrial drill, Mike stirs up the pot. The pot is starting to congeal which is called trace. When it's close to being ready, Mike gets to add his fragrances. Then the mixture can be poured into the molds. The ladies say that Mike's soap smells pretty good.

While waiting for the soap to harden, Mike has fun on the goat farm including squirting goat milk onto Cameraman Doug. (He didn't seem to appreciate that.) Mike drinks some of the freshly squeezed milk, but Ginger tells him that's not a good idea. Madeline then wrestles with a goat and Mike sits in something "wet and goatlike".

Once hardened, they remove the soap from the molds. They had one mold that didn't have a liner which creates quite a challenge for Mike to take apart. After many whacks with a hammer they get the soap out. Then they divide the soap into four blocks. Mike doesn't do very well at the shaping of the soap. Next he cuts them into bars. His first batch doesn't turn out so well, but the next batch looks pretty nice. He then is allowed to try his soap in a shower with the goats.

Finally Mike travels to Benton, Louisiana. We meet Bill who refurbishes frack tanks that are used for water storage. They normally are lined up at a well site where companies are trying to drill for natural gas. Fresh water is pumped down a hole to fracture the rock to get to the natural gas. Sometimes salt water found in the natural gas deposits gets pumped back into the tank with the rest of the water. The salt water causes corrosion. The inner coating is not rated for salt water so the coating fails which causes the steel to fail creating leaks.

Mike starts out as a helper. They have different soaps and degreasers to clean out the tanks. Mike helps Paul who can't climb into the small hole of the tank. It's Mike's lucky day because he can just barely fit through the hole and do the work. Paul gives Mike a wand and is told to get to the front of the tank. He needs to manuever through a maze of rods to get to the other side of the tank. Every 5-7 years, someone gets to climb inside and do this job. With proper maintenance, a frack tank can last 20+ years. Support rods are only in the older tanks. Mike sprays a strong blast of water inside the tank to wash out the rust. Unfortunately, plastic isn't strong enough which is why it can't be used instead of metal for the frack tanks.

The next task is sandblasting and Paul shows Mike another tank. For this job, coal slag is being shot under pressure through a nozzle to remove the old paint and rust. The coal slag comes out of the nozzle at 150mph. Without a specialized suit, the slag particles could be hitting Mike's skin at the same speed. Fresh air is pumped into the suit so he can breathe. A new frack tank can cost $50,000, so this company is recycling tons of metal every year. After sandblasting the outside, Mike then has to go inside and do it again. He compares it to being up on Mars in the middle of a dust storm.

Finally Mike is taken to the paint area. They are going to coat the underside of the tank because that's what sits on the ground when it's in service. That side needs the most protection. They will be using a coal powder epoxy. Mike gets a head sock, coveralls, eye protection, and a respirator. He is told to "put the paint where it ain't" and needs to make sure the paint gets in the cracks. Mike says the fumes are incredible.

Again, once he finishes the outside he has to paint inside. There are circulation fans inside the tank, but the fumes are entirely worse than they were outside. These tanks hold 15,000 gallons of water. They need to create an airtight and watertight seal. An apprentice takes a year and a half to do the paint job Mike is performing right now. Mike didn't finish one job he started that day so he gives up and goes home.