This craftsman is already a bit older in the blacksmith profession.
As he was older, he didn't have enough physical strength, so he had to borrow other people's hands for more physical work. He focused on skills and experience, but he still failed.
After a few days of rest, he felt much better. He walked over slowly, holding his waist, with an annoyed look on his face.
Touching his stove casually is a taboo in the industry and is equivalent to destroying his job.
Zhou Xiaozhou was still doing preliminary work such as heating the stove. When he saw him coming, he smiled and said, "Master, I'm rude. I want to borrow the stove and return it after use. If there is any damage, I will compensate you according to the price."
Now that people are here, we can't deny them any face.
The craftsman took a look at him, but couldn't tell what kind of person he was. After all, the craftsman was not interested in caring about who was senior or junior. He usually only cared about his own duties and matters within the industry.
Although he was a little annoyed, he didn't want to lose his temper without thinking, and said: "Has this gentleman ever struck iron?"
"Been beaten, beaten..."
Even though it was only three or two days, it definitely counts as a fight.
"Master, don't worry. We are experts. You can sit here and supervise. If you have any different opinions...
No need to say it. "
Zhou Xiaozhou glared at the young man and said, "Find a comfortable chair for your master and make tea."
The young man quickly ran to find a chair, asked his master to sit down, and then ran to make tea.
Since he is an expert, the craftsman can't say much. After all, the stove is indeed idle and it is not his private property. It is legal for others to use it temporarily. Even if you don’t want to be borrowed, you still have to find a suitable reason.
What's more, the other party seems to have a good background and is not easy to offend.
He sat down slowly and said: "Looking at this gentleman's skills, he should have been in this line of work, but not long ago."
He has a very sophisticated eye and can tell Zhou Xiaozhou's working experience at a glance.
A layman looks at the excitement, but an expert looks at the door. With just a few gestures, you can know how deep your knowledge is.
"I haven't been working for long. I'm going to become an official now. I've delayed the future of a great craftsman."
Zhou Xiaozhou said casually, shaking his head, "It's a pity, it's a pity..."
Regardless of whether you are a big craftsman or a small craftsman, who would be a miserable blacksmith if they had the opportunity to become an official?
The master craftsman shook his head when he saw his hand, and said: "This gentleman is just a novice, so he dares to operate a stove alone. Isn't it a bit reckless?
It's good to be young and energetic, but some things can't be accomplished by being young and energetic, and it may even become a joke of overestimating one's abilities.
In my opinion, I’d better forget it, lest I ruin the stove and blame the superior officer later, I can’t afford it..."
If the stove was ruined by Zhou Xiaozhou, he must be responsible. Rebuilding the whole stove would cost a lot of money. How should he explain it?
Suddenly, Zhou Xiaozhou showed off a bloody hatchet. He was startled and shut up quickly.
This short ax had been sharpened by Zhou Xiaozhou's chops, and even had a lot of holes in it, and it was too light to handle.
In hand-to-hand combat, he felt that an ax was easier to use than a knife. After all, he was a strong player.
"Is there a mold for a tomahawk here?"
"Yes... yes."
Zhou Xiaozhou carried the weapon to find the weapon mold. Others were so frightened that they quickly evaded, and some even called for guards.
The guard naturally recognized his dragon-headed guard uniform and quickly saluted: "Does this gentleman need help?"
Instead of stopping him from acting recklessly, he came to help.
The craftsmen did not dare to say anything.
"not needed for now."
Zhou Xiaozhou found the tomahawk from a pile of molds, carried it back to the stove, and installed it. Then he threw the short ax in his hand into the furnace. Feeling that it was not heavy enough, he took out a few swords and threw them in again.
Still feeling it was not enough, I found a few pieces of unknown ore beside the stove and threw them in.
It takes an expert to identify what kind of ore it is, and he is indeed not good enough to tell what it is.
After thinking about it, I still feel that the portion is not enough. There is nothing to throw away, so I might as well pour in several hundred gold coins.
The golden gold was poured into the furnace, and there was so much gold that everyone was stunned.
You have so much money, what can you do?
These rich and wealthy children are so free, so bad... the art of blacksmithing.
This is no longer forging iron, but forging gold.
The number of onlookers suddenly increased.
It is also very interesting to see a prodigal son prodigal.
Zhou Xiaozhou ignored it and began to sit down and blow air to heat it.
This operation is very boring, just keep pulling the bellows without stopping, and make the fire hotter and hotter until it melts the molten iron.
Usually it takes two or three hours to pull.
This is a must-do job for new apprentices, who can pull their hands until they feel nothing.
It’s so tiring!
Apprentices with some status no longer do this work, and it is even less likely that the master will do it.
There is a big disadvantage in this, because the young apprentice cannot pull it and cannot continue to heat it. He will pull it and stop it, and the fire will become bigger and smaller, so the molten iron cannot melt in one go.
Not only does it extend the time, it also affects the effect.
This is actually quite important, but if you are an outsider as an apprentice, it will be good if you can stick to it, and you can’t ask for too much.
Zhou Xiaozhou's arm strength is far beyond that of ordinary people. He can pull up the blower very easily. He has a good sense of rhythm. He pulls it faster and faster, and the molten iron melts in less than an hour.
You can even use a blower while stirring the molten iron to remove as much impurities as possible.
What is used to stir molten iron at such a high temperature?
Iron will melt quickly if you stick it in.
It's simple to say, just wrap the bamboo poles with a kind of concrete and stir it for several times before it melts.
A few stirs are enough.
The more the bamboo pole is stirred, the shorter it becomes, until it is too short to be probed in. The concrete will float to the top again, and it will be scraped out with a gentle scrape.
At this point, the mold can be filled.
The furnace is tipped over, the molten iron flows into the mold, and the first half of the process is completed.
After filling the mold, wait for the molten iron to cool down slightly and solidify to the point where it won't splash when you hammer it, then you can hammer it.
It needs to be beaten repeatedly so that there are no gaps inside, so that it can be strong and durable and not easy to break.
The shape can also be slightly changed, and the blade can be made thinner and sharper.
As for the temperature at which it should be cooled before beating, it is also key. Usually, the higher the temperature, the better.
But the temperature is too high and people can’t get close to it. How to beat it?
Technical problems arise here, and each craftsman's operation will be different, and even many different schools have been formed. Some people think that it is better to wait for it to cool down naturally, and some people think that it is better to use cold water to cool it down directly. There are many different opinions on how to use cold water to cool down, how many times to cool it down, etc....
High temperature and sudden pouring of cold water may affect the quality even if it does not explode.
Zhou Xiaozhou didn't have the patience to waste time here. After it cooled down a little, he used the atomization of the rain and mist technique to slowly accelerate the cooling. When it cooled down enough that he felt he could get closer, he swung the hammer and started banging on it.
He has energy to protect his body, and his brocade robes also have a certain effect in preventing heatstroke. The temperature when he is close to him is much higher than that of ordinary people.
This first pass was indeed a random strike, because the first time the hammer was struck, the formation failed.
Since it has failed, I just want to feel it, bang it, and test the toughness of this furnace of molten iron to see if I need to add any more ingredients.
It feels okay.
In other words, there is no experience and no comparison at all, so I can't tell whether it is okay or not.
He assessed the quality of this furnace of molten iron as acceptable and no longer worried about it.
In fact, I don’t know how to neutralize the ratio at all.
