The needle seems to have a simple structure, but it is not easy to actually manufacture. In ancient times, there were no assembly lines, let alone automated machinery, so there was no way to mass-produce high-strength and easy-to-use needles.
But they didn't grind a large iron pestle into a thin iron needle like the legend. This was just a story after dinner to inspire the younger generation to work hard. The ancients were not so stupid, and they really ground the rod into a thin iron needle. Even if the needle is used and the hair is turned white, it may not be successful.
Liang Chuan also accidentally saw this little piece of technical skills in the book Tiangong Kaiwu. Song Yingxing is also a talent. If such a person lives into the 21st century, what will happen to Edison?
Our great China is full of talented people and has countless scientific creations. In the long history of the vast sea, there are people who know all kinds of magical skills. However, most of them are passed down by hand or mouth, and they can write books and create books. There are only a few masterpieces, and Song Yingxing is the best among these talents, so that future generations have the honor to witness the wisdom of the ancients.
That's why Liang Chuan, a young man who doesn't understand anything, can still explain these technical theories succinctly.
Liang Chuan doesn't know how to do it. Liang Chuan can do the difficult and rough work of making sugar by himself. For high-tech alternative small technical jobs such as making needles, Fang Tianding can only do it by himself and provide 'technical guidance' by his side. That’s it.
The wind whistled loudly in the Fang family's iron shop, and the fireworks in the stove occasionally stirred up sparks.
"Master Fang, you first have to get a mold. Are we going to make wire from this mold?"
"Mold?" Fang Tianding's method of working is to smash the iron from big to small, from dull to sharp. He has never heard of any mold.
Liang Chuan said: "The meaning of the mold is that we make a prop, similar to a shell, and smelt the molten iron and pour it into it. In the future, using this mold to make wire can save many steps, save time and effort, and the needle can be formed in one go. mold!"
Fang Tianding still stood opposite Liang Chuan with little knowledge, not knowing how to answer the question.
"Punch an iron ruler. Make a small hole in the iron ruler. The size of the hole should be about the same as the thickness of a needle. It can't be too big or too small."
"What is this used for?" Fang Tianding asked patiently. Although he didn't understand, it was the first time that a master who had been working for so long heard that an iron ruler was needed to make needles. Could it be that he wanted to use an iron ruler to make needles?
"This iron ruler is not for grinding and smashing. Master Fang, you have to turn the iron ingot into molten iron, and then pour the molten iron into a relatively thin iron bar. The iron bar will become soft after it is heated red again. The soft iron bar will It has to be used in conjunction with the hard iron ruler."
These techniques are very simple, and Fang Tianding understands them as soon as he hears them, and there is no need for Liang Chuan to demonstrate them.
"Then what?"
Liang Chuan said: "The red-hot iron bar needs to be passed through the small hole on the iron ruler. With a hard pull, it can be pulled into a thin, straight iron wire. If the small hole is too big, the needle pulled out will be too thick and too thick. If it’s small, the needle won’t be able to draw the thread.”
Fang Tianding suddenly realized that according to this method, the shape of the needle can be formed quickly, which is indeed a good method.
Looking at Fang Tianding's expression, Liang Chuan knew that he had understood what he meant. He smiled and continued: "Cut the pulled out thin wire into small sections, and the small needle will be completed."
Next comes the more technical part.
Liang Chuan himself was not sure, he just tried his best to recall the technical points mentioned in the book at that time.
"The thin wire is now the thickness of a needle. Choose the thinner end of the two ends and bend the thin wire over."
Liang Chuan stretched out his finger, bent his index finger down, and showed it to Fang Tianding. At this time, the bent part of the wire is separated and has not yet formed an integral body.
"To do this, we need Master Fang's craftsmanship. The iron wire must be red-hot again and forged into one piece. However, the iron wire is very thin and soft, and either the eye of the needle will be damaged or the loop of the needle will not be connected."
Fang Tianding hesitated for a while: "My hands are heavy, and I'm afraid that the eye of the needle will close with just a slight touch like this. If you ask me to make an injection, I will hit it hard every time. It's not embarrassing to give an injection." Kill me."
Liang Chuan thought for a while and said, "Fang Wan's hands are so skillful that this job doesn't require much effort. How about letting Fang Wan do it?"
Fang Wan always did some inconsequential things, but this time she was asked to do such an important thing, which made her a little nervous.
"I'm afraid that if I don't do well, I'll ruin things for you!"
"No way, Fang Wan, don't be afraid. Practice makes perfect the better you do it. No one can learn it all at once. Even a great craftsman like your father started as an apprentice."
Fang Wan said with a slight blush on his face: "Okay, boss, I'll give it a try."
Nowadays, whenever you meet Liang Chuan, you don't call him by his first name. Instead, you feel a sense of intimacy when you call him boss.
Liang Chuan encouraged: "Fang Wan, if you are afraid of damaging the eye of the needle when you forge it, then use a small piece of iron to pad it. The iron piece is a little thick so that it can maintain its shape."
Fang Tianding was surprised that Liang Chuan's idea was so novel, and he immediately proposed a solution. He could forge it himself using this gasket method, so why did his daughter need to do it?
"That's right, boss, your method is so good! My father has always used a sledge hammer to make iron all his life. No matter how big or thick the iron is, it can be hammered into the size of a needle!" Fang Wan said happily, It was as if he was complimenting Liang Chuan and accidentally bringing his father in.
"Fang Wan, please remember that during this forging process, you must keep adjusting the width of the iron piece. The width of the forged iron wire will become smaller and smaller until it becomes a suitable needle. The finished needle will have a flat elongated hole. Thin wire with a flat tail.”
"I've made a note of it, Boss."
The two fathers and daughters were very curious. This boss obviously didn't have any blacksmithing skills, but he knew how to do blacksmithing well. Could it be that he learned it from a book?
Liang Chuan continued: "Although the thin wire drawn from the drawing is formed, the shape is not uniform. At this time, it needs to be red-hot and forged. Fortunately, this kind of thin wire turns red as soon as it is placed on the smelting furnace. It does not need to be It can be further processed if it takes too long, which can be considered a convenience. The wire should be made thin and slender, and the thick tail should be made longer and longer, and it should also be made thinner and thinner to make the needle even."
"Sanlang, do you want to make the thickness of both ends of the needle equal?" Fang Tianding asked.
"Yes, the same thickness does not mean that the front and back are equal, but that the front is thin and the back is thick. The difference in thickness cannot be too big, so that the needle can be tough. After all this is done, it can be rounded to make the needle look rounder. .”
Following Liang Chuan's method, Fang Tianding began to make this kind of iron needle. The iron ruler is not difficult to find. The key is that the small hole in the iron ruler is difficult to drill. Fang Tianding spent a lot of effort and finally used an iron awl to make a small hole in an iron ruler. The red-hot iron bar was thin. The head was passed through the small hole, and then pulled hard to make it long and thin. Finally, according to Liang Chuan's method, the semi-formed thin wires were pulled out.
Liang Chuan couldn't help but gulped when he saw that Fang Tianding's iron awl was so strong. The iron ruler was half a centimeter thick, and it forced him to make a hole. It was harder than an impact drill.
"Lao Fang, you still have such a treasure!" Liang Chuan looked at the iron awl and his mouth was watering. He couldn't help but ask. In his opinion, it is rare to have such a hard tool in this era.
Fang Tianding's old face turned red: "This is something I have worked hard on myself. If nothing happens, just give it a few hits. If it doesn't work hard, I will be sorry for the effort I put into it. "
Liang Chuan said overjoyed: "If we had this treasure, why would Fang Wan have to waste so much effort? In this way, Master Fang, you can round up the iron bar, flatten the end, and use this iron awl to make holes. Wouldn't it be more convenient!"
Fang Tianding couldn't wrap his head around it, so he slapped his thigh and said, "Yeah, just heat the wire red and chisel it with an iron awl. Let's see if my brain is not as useful as your young people."
"In case you are afraid of having strong hands when punching holes, you can also insert a small piece of iron to make the flat square hole round!"
After Fang Tianding followed Liang Chuan's method and flattened the stretched wire, he then used his own treasured iron awl to prick the wire while it was red. As expected, a bright hole was formed on it! In this way, the speed of making iron needles can be greatly improved. Originally, I was worried about how many can be made in a day with this lukewarm method? Looking at it now, my worries are unnecessary.
After a while, the iron needles with small holes were formed. Fang Wan was responsible for scraping and grinding the iron needles. Firstly, the shape of the iron needles can be made more symmetrical. Secondly, the surface of the needles can be smoother and easier to use. More comfortable.
"Master, what do you think of this needle?" Fang Wan polished a thin needle and handed it to Liang Chuan.
Liang Chuan took the black, thick and long iron needle. This needle was much larger than the needles produced by machines in later generations. One needle was three or four long, round and fat, and could be held in his hand. Feel a little weight.
"This needle looks good, Fang Wan, what do you think?"
"This needle will definitely work better than the original needle without a needle hole!" Fang Wan said confidently with a smile.
Liang Chuan took the iron needle and pierced it twice on the clothes he was wearing. The texture of linen clothes was thicker than cotton clothes and ordinary cloth clothes, so the needles used when wearing linen clothes had to be harder. The hardness is about the same, so how to increase the hardness can only be achieved by using thick and long needles.
When the needle stuck into his clothes, it actually bent slightly!
Liang Chuan frowned and asked, "Why is this needle a bit soft?"
Fang Tianding was puzzled and asked: "Aren't all iron needles like this? Sanlang, your clothes are too thick, the needle cannot withstand so much force, and it will definitely bend when it is inserted!"
Liang Chuan thought for a while and wondered if there was some missing procedure. The iron needle wasn't hard enough!
Liang Chuan's eyes were fixed on this iron needle. He accidentally glanced at the Fang family's stove and an idea came to his mind. By the way, this is just an iron needle. Later generations used steel needles, so the hardness was different. So big!
