Rurik had a sword hanging on his waist, and there were two followers behind him. If he hadn't been too young, he would have looked really impressive.
The three of them walked towards the beach. The thick smoke from the chimney accurately showed the location of the blacksmith shop.
As they approached, the sound of "ding-dong-dong-dong" reached Rurik's ears.
After a while, a bearded guy wearing a rough leather coat and two hairy arms appeared in front of them.
This person is none other than the senior blacksmith Clavarson.
The old guy has noticed Rurik with a golden ponytail approaching from the corner of his eye, and he has not stopped working at hand.
Rurik approached happily: "I thought you would stop working to say hello when I arrived."
"Oh, my little master, I Very busy now. You know." Klavason stared at the sword embryo tightly clamped by the pliers, still not intending to stop working.
Rurik looked around and saw that the two long wooden benches in the "blacksmithing workshop" with only a wooden shed roof for ventilation (when spring arrived, the windshielding boards were taken away), had been placed vertically. There are five swords. To be precise, they are still sword embryos.
To the naked eye, their lengths and colors are very consistent.
"The swords on your stool, are they about to enter the final stage?" Rurik chatted.
"No. They haven't been formed yet. They have only been forged ten times, which is far from the fifty times you requested. But..." At this time, Klavasen finally stopped. He held the pliers, put the red sword embryo aside, and let it cool naturally.
Klavason took his wooden cup, picked up a glass of water from the bucket not far away, and drank a glass quickly.
"Ah! It's so comfortable. Rurik, you know about me, I've taken on a lot of orders! I'm very busy now and must try my best to make steel swords. If it's just about cutting ordinary iron swords, I found that just forging it twenty times is basically enough."
"I don't know about this," Rurik was a little surprised, because this Klavasen was obviously cutting corners!
"You understand now. But don't worry, those brothers and I have already tried it. Twenty times is enough. Finally, use grease to quench it one last time, and the sword body is done."< /p>
"A sword completed in this way is still worth sixty silver coins?"
"Of course." Klavason smiled with satisfaction, "That's how the price is set, including those The same goes for people. If you sell a sword, six silver coins will be yours. I don’t dare to spend even one silver coin on it.”
Rurik already knew that the blacksmiths had formed a guild spontaneously. The technique of making steel swords was also spread by Clavarson.
Technology will spread sooner or later. If five professional blacksmiths can do one thing at the same time, the efficiency of producing steel swords will naturally be much higher. Now that KlavasenSwords can also be produced more efficiently if costs are deliberately saved for the sake of practicality.
They have completed nearly fifty orders, and he still has more than two hundred orders to be completed.
Clavason was very honest about the orders placed by several other blacksmiths, including himself. The cumulative orders of all of them have reached as many as five hundred! To complete them, the blacksmiths believe that their struggle will continue even if it is winter. These struggles are certainly worth it, and that’s a huge amount of money!
Rurik estimated that from these orders alone, he should end up with 3,000 silver coins in his account.
Just the production of steel swords? No! Once you understand the benefits of carburizing and quenching, shouldn't you make some steel axes? According to the agreement, he will get 10% of the profit from any sale of a steel axe.
Rurik led his men over, and he ordered his two men to gather around the small stove.
"Kanuf, Fisk, you have all seen that this is the job of the blacksmith. Burning stones to make weapons."
"So that's it?" Fisk looked at the The flames were dancing, and Klavasen, who had a white beard on his face, held a sword embryo with a pair of tongs and placed it in the fire. Immediately afterwards, Klavason, whose son could not help him for the time being, personally operated the airbag blower. Every time the air was pressed, the flames shot up fiercely, scaring Fisk and subconsciously retreating.
“Are you afraid?” Rurik joked.
"No. This is my first time coming to the blacksmith shop. It turns out that our swords are all made this way."
"You?" Karavarson squatted on the ground to press the air bag. He frowned and said displeasedly: "My child, the sword I am making now is not an ordinary sword. Are you free? Can you come over and help me press this? My child, before you become a warrior, you must understand your sword How it was born. Listen, from now on you will use the steel sword I made, so come here and help me."
Fisk thought about what this old guy said. It makes sense, so he takes on the role of blacksmith's assistant.
As for Kanuf, his hands were itchy too.
With the help of two child laborers, Klavason was able to have his hands free to add charcoal to the stove at any time, and his eyes could closely observe the condition of the flame.
Rurik was watching the jumping flames with his hands behind his back, deliberately waiting until Klavason finished his work.
He did not wait too long, because Klavasen knew very well that Rurik's sudden arrival must mean something, and it might be related to that incident.
Clavason finally stopped what he was doing. After folding and forging the sword embryo, he put it directly in the fire to carburize it. Now there was no need for the help of a blower. The two children were panting and sweating. The child also stood up.
Karavarson drank another large glass of water happily, turned around and asked; "Tell me, what do you want from me?"
"That's it! About the Big Brother Merchant Gould's mug,I think the time has come and I need you to help me make it. ”
“Do you think it’s enough? However, I don't know how to make it. But if you can give me some pointers, like giving me instructions on how to make a steel sword, I think... I can satisfy you. "
Rurik curled his lips slightly: "Of course, as long as you follow my requirements, you will definitely succeed. I will also make money selling glasses in the future. "
Here, Rurik directly calls it "boli" instead of "gs" in the ancient Germanic language.
Boli is glass, describing a completely transparent A substance with a texture similar to stone.
However, Klavason still had a vague understanding of it.
Because the Germanic word "gs" also comes from the Latin of the Romans, and the Romans also came from Egypt. People learned about the production of glassware and learned the term
Although the Western Rome was destroyed, the craft of glass making was not discontinued.
The Frankish Kingdom could still make glass on its own. Utensils, such as making some decorative glass gems, or making glassware.
But these utensils are mainly enjoyed by nobles. Their high price and narrow market make it difficult for poor farmers to understand them. /p>
The same is true in Eastern Rome, where all kinds of glassware are still enjoyed by dignitaries.
That’s why the glassware spread to the Nordic world is so rare and the price is ridiculously high.
p>
For this reason, Klavasen had not even seen glass, neither "gs" nor "boli", both words were unfamiliar
Rurik tried his best to describe it. It’s wonderful.
“It uses some special stones, adds special materials, and forms a sticky red substance like slag in the stove. This mass of material is placed in a container and pressed with another device to form the shape of a quilt.
When it gradually cools down, it becomes as transparent as ice. But this cup is much harder than ice!
Gould spent a hundred silver coins for a transparent cup, we don't ask for much. As long as we can produce it in large quantities and sell it for ten silver coins each, that's fine..."
Rurik tried his best to introduce the beauty of a glass.
He is special I would like to emphasize two points: First, it is not difficult to obtain the raw materials for this item, and it is relatively simple to make. Second, this item can be purchased for at least ten silver coins.
Undoubtedly, compared to the unknown so-called. What is the glass like? Klavason attaches great importance to these two things.
Clavason couldn't help but ask: "My little master, this is true. I can make a quilt relatively quickly using only some stones. How can I sell it for ten silver coins? ”
“It’s absolutely true. Rurik pinched his waist confidently, "You just have to do as I say." "
As he spoke, Rurik paused, looked around, and muttered: "It's just that it's too late today. You must notRaw materials can be collected immediately, and even after collecting them, we still need some other equipment. Now... you find me a wooden board and give me a piece of carbon. ”
“Okay. ”
Soon, a wooden board that was supposed to contain blacksmithing equipment was carried over by Karavasin. He faced its flat back to Rurik, and handed over a so-called charcoal pen. It was actually a slender carbon rod.
Rurik squatted down and ordered Klavason to squat in front of him.
He began to draw on the wooden board and spoke. Details.
From the beginning, writing was a kind of picture. Even the pure phonetic alphabet of the Nordic counterpart, Rune, originated from the hieroglyphic modification of ancient Egyptian writing.
By drawing the picture, Rurik believed that Klavasen could understand it.
Because the drawing on the wooden board was basically a diagram of a mold.
Due to his professionalism, he couldn't help but draw a three-dimensional diagram.
In the final analysis, what he drew was a schematic diagram of a mold system.
Karavarson didn't know anything about three-dimensional diagrams, but this one. The old guy knows the craftsmanship of bronze casting very well, and with just a few nudges from Rurik, Karavasin already understands it completely.
“Rurik, although I can’t understand your drawing at all, don’t worry. I don't understand. You want me to make two special utensils out of bronze, no problem. "
Rurik clicked for a long time. Maybe the old guy in front of him did understand: "Well, you should understand the meaning of these two bronze tools. If there is a ball of mud at that time, if you put it into the utensil, it will eventually be pressed into the shape of a cup. I also need you to make a wooden frame to fix the upper device to ensure the stability of the pressing. "
Clavason nodded, "It seems that in a sense this is a stone mortar for pounding onions." ”
“It is indeed similar. Pound onions many times. As shown in the picture, I only need this appliance once. "
Rurik had already drawn very clearly on this board. He drew a sketch of a manual punching machine and ordered Karavasin to follow this principle.
Rurik doesn't care at all how beautiful the so-called pressing machine is.
That's impossible. In the final analysis, what Rurik wants is the finished product. Even if the glass has many impurities and irregular regulations, of course, crude machines have great value. In the final analysis, technology is constantly accumulated and developed from generation to generation, even if there are rapid innovations in the process. , after all, it’s just that generations of people continue to modify the original machine.
“That’s it. Since you can make the machine according to the diagram, I feel relieved. Now please listen carefully to the material I need. "
"Yes. "Klavasen straightened his nerves, "Raw materials are the most important thing, tell me. I know this is all part of Odin's wisdom. ”
"Hehe, I guess." Rurik said solemnly: "I want you to prepare four things. First, those pebbles that are as transparent as possible, and the sand in the stream is also fine. Second, It's pure white lime. Third, it's like boiling salt. I want the crystals in it. This is the only one I can ask the priests to make for me."
Clavason does understand these four substances, including the third type of ash. He now knows that the precipitate after the ash melts into water is the key to making soap.
"Rurik, of these four things, I have to collect sand and lime myself. It would be best if you could help me get the essence of the ash. As for the lead, I have it here."
Rurik thought for a while and said: "Okay, I can wait. At first I just wanted to do an experiment to prove that I can do it. You don't need to collect so much material, as long as we If it succeeds, let's try to increase production."
"Oh! My child, you really respect my old bones." Klavasen laughed, "I'm an idiot. Blacksmith, maybe I don’t have enough energy to help you make a cup, or something else.”
“Of course. Even so, I’m here to tell you this. Sen, I will come back the day after tomorrow. By that time, I hope you have completed my request. You must complete it as soon as possible. No matter what the result is, I will pay you..." Rurik thought for a while and said casually: "Five. Ten silver coins!"
"What? So much money?" Klavasen was startled.
"What? Do you think you have less money?"
"No! Enough is enough." Klavasen's excitement was written on his face, and he felt comfortable when he mentioned the money. "This is better than business. The morning after tomorrow. No! When the sun goes down tomorrow, you can come to me. I will definitely succeed."
"It will be the day after tomorrow. I hope it won't happen halfway. There will be problems."
Rurik did not stay any longer. He had already informed him of all the requirements for making glass, raw materials and processing equipment, and promised a huge sum of money after the completion of the work. .
Have you really started trying to make glass like this?
Having made a decision, we must go one way to the end.
If you ask yourself, Rurik admires his decision.
Many ethnic groups learned the technology of making glass thousands of years ago. The technology of glass blowing came from ancient Egypt two thousand years ago. The technology quickly spread to the Mediterranean coast and was finally developed by Rome.
The technology they use is still blowing, which is really a technical job. If a glass blower is not technically qualified, he can blow out his cheek.
Russians who have never even seen what glass is, expect that a few words of advice can make a small number of people learn to blow glass? It's really unrealistic. Even if you just try it, you can follow the hot air flow back from the copper pipe and you canThe worker's throat was completely burned and he became mute.
But another processing method, the technology of pressed glass, is completely implemented.
After all, glass, due to its magical molecular structure, makes people confused whether it is a liquid or a solid. It does not have a solid-liquid decomposition temperature. When the temperature increases, it begins to become viscous, and finally turns into a hot red paste like ketchup.
A ball of paste with a temperature that is not too extreme, like plasticine, is placed in a mold and can of course be pressed into the desired shape.
Compared with glass blowing, this pressing technology is more suitable for making window glass and wide-mouth quilts. If bottles are made industrially, the industrial blowing method is incredibly efficient. Later, a beverage company's factories around the world could blow out two million glass bottles a day.
The most critical point is that the process of pressing glass is simple, which is its advantage. To make glassware quickly, Rurik could only think of this pressing method that could be realized quickly.
After all, it is still just a possibility.
Theoretically, the possibility of success is very high! Rurik firmly believed that even if he could not create pure transparent glassware, it would be enough to create colored translucent products.
As for the toxicity of lead-containing glass, Rurik didn’t care. Anyway, the purpose of lead is to lower the melting point. If it is glassware and tableware that you use, of course you cannot use lead glass.