In the East, large-scale smelting of pig iron has always been a national-level project.
There were as many as sixty-four large state-owned iron works in the Western Han Dynasty. They used clay blast furnaces to produce molten iron and used it to finish processing into carbon steel, thus achieving the might of the Han Dynasty's iron cavalry. It's the kind of big ironworks that almost never stops smelting once it starts, unless the blast furnace is eventually corroded beyond repair by the molten iron. In that kind of smelting, craftsmen provide ore and charcoal to the furnace, and even coke made from coal. The craftsmen on the other side always estimate the furnace temperature and control the opening and closing of the taphole and slag outlet.
However, the Ross tribe does not have such strong industrial strength to ensure the continuous operation of an "iron-eating monster". However, the blast furnace was stopped because there was no raw material. As long as the debris inside was cleaned up before the next use, the damage to the furnace itself would not be great. In other words, its biggest damage is actually the damage to the price/performance ratio. Because in an ironworks where the supply of fuel ore is very stable, it is really unbelievable to have the blast furnace suddenly shut down.
Rurik was mentally prepared for the furnace to be forced to shut down after completing the ore smelting. Ah, at worst, the furnace will start up again after the new ore is in place.
The red flames soared up along with the gray-black smoke. The flames and thick smoke from the furnace proved that the temperature of the furnace was too low.
Rurik was silent for a while, "Klavasen."
"Yes."
"Maybe the stove will continue to burn until tomorrow. We will burn it all night long!"
"Huh? Didn't we just harden it? The incineration operation is performed by hardening the furnace.
"This is different!" Rurik corrected: "We are serious now. We must keep the furnace at the temperature limit before putting in the ore."
Klavasen could see that Rurik obviously had a thousand words. He was a boy with great wisdom, but there was no way he could understand it in a short time.
Fortunately, don’t ask too much, just follow Rurik’s orders strictly.
As for Rurik, he expected that blacksmiths would not be able to operate a blast furnace without a teacher. Even though Rurik only had a theoretical foundation, he chose to be worshiped by the blacksmiths and was the only technical advisor who could guide people to use this furnace to smelt molten iron.
The long heating furnace operation continued uninterrupted until close to noon the next day. Those mercenaries who sweated all night have now become a group of strong hired fishermen, and the mercenaries Exactly the same, the newcomers also went shirtless, and in the sun, their sweaty backs fully proved their hardships.
"It's really hard!"
Seeing this bustling smelting scene, Rurik had to sigh with emotion.
Always pay attention to the flaming Kravasen and Kawei, they finally waited for the moment they longed for.
Kawei hurriedly approached Rurik who was observing the demonstration.Beside him, he pointed at the flame: "The yellow fire will last for a while. My dear, we shouldn't waste any more time."
"Okay! Start putting in the ore!"
" Okay!”
No matter how much sweat you sweat, it’s all for this moment. Rurik looked at Kawei’s running back, paying special attention to his linen clothes that were soaked in sweat.
A large amount of ore was thrown into the furnace, and inside the furnace at this moment, the chromite ore acting as refractory bricks had built a strong insulation layer, and they took over all the hematite and magnetic materials. iron ore.
All the prepared ores were thrown in, and the flame color turned red almost instantly.
Kawei frowned deeply, knowing that the temperature of the furnace suddenly plummeted.
The frown on Klavason’s brow was obvious. He stood next to Rurik and asked nervously: "It turned into a red flame. What should I do?"
"It doesn’t matter. , I know it well.”
“Huh? This is also in your plan?”
“Yes, everything is within the plan.” Clawson."
"It's impossible to smelt all the ore in two days! Kawei will continue to take the brothers around the clock. Serving this furnace, and you. Since you object to the solidification of molten iron directly on the sand and gravel, make a large number of clay molds for me. I have no requirements. In the end, I need a batch of square cast iron ingots to make corresponding ones! The mold must be simple."
"This..." Klavason asked hesitantly: "Then why don't we cast the tool directly?"
"Forget it. Let’s wait until we are very ready for the second smelting. As for those iron ingots, I will teach you new smelting techniques in the future. Those iron ingots are the raw materials.”
Rurik is here. To put it bluntly, although Klavasen was curious, he didn't waste any time considering the heavy tasks on his shoulders. He stopped even being a spectator, and soon became anxious for his fellow blacksmiths, most of the potters in the tribe.
On one side is the blast furnace that has eaten a belly of ore and is undergoing a long period of roasting. The melting of molten pig iron is slowly happening at a relatively microscopic level. The changes onlookers are destined to turn into a furnace of molten pig iron.
On the other side, after the blacksmiths and potters gathered together for a small meeting, a pottery-making movement emerged in the chaotic streets of the tribe.
Because a piece of news spread like wildfire!
There are rumors in the tribe that the great Rurik needs a large amount of pottery, and as long as it can hold the molten iron, Rurik will pay the pottery maker a sum of money. Almost all the people in the tribe who know how to make pottery are involved in this money-making operation. Their idea is extremely simple, and their purpose is to get a reasonable bounty from the richest chief family of the tribe to supplement their family income.
When Rurik felt that the smelting had reached a level where iron could be tapped, it was already the third day after the ignition.
Within three days, the tribesmen produced a large number of pottery of varying quality, and burned pottery and charcoal without hesitation, causing the entire tribe to become a mess.
At least a large number of pottery vessels have been prepared to hold molten iron. No matter how bad the quality is, it is still better than letting the pig iron cool directly on the sand and gravel.
The lengthy furnace challenge challenges the patience of all participants.
No one has counted how much charcoal was consumed. From the bright smiles of the charcoal burners, Rurik was sure that they made a lot of money.
Rurik was standing next to the furnace, specifically twenty steps away from the end of the taphole. He didn't want to take the risk of being directly sprayed out by the molten iron.
At the same time, after hearing the news that the molten iron casting was about to be completed, when the sky was just bright, a large number of tribesmen gathered early and gathered near Klavason's house. One after another, as many as two thousand people became spectators. They pointed at the still lively smelting site, whispered to each other continuously, and the noise was extremely noisy.
Rurik became the center of attention.
He got up early just to stand by the stove and witness a great moment. He also took advantage of the hot molten iron to gain popularity for himself while the tribesmen were watching. .
Everyone is waiting for Rurik’s instructions.
Klavason and Kawei stood next to Rurik, facing a very tense moment. Their hearts were beating wildly and their bodies were shaking uncontrollably. .
“Are you nervous?” Rurik, who was as calm as water, asked knowingly.
"Of course. Soon...we will witness a miracle." Klavasen said.
"A miracle? No. You will get used to it in the future."
Rurik is really confident. In the past time, he often observed the color of the flames gushing from the constricted furnace mouth. , and even for a period of time, because the mercenary operating the blower worked too hard, more air was continuously injected into the furnace at a very high pressure, and the hot flame at the furnace mouth turned yellowish white!
What does this mean? If he had clairvoyant eyes, he would probably be able to see that the hottest hearth of the furnace was almost as perfect as a scorcher.
Oh, it makes no sense if two days of intense burning can't smelt pig iron.
"Now, open two exits?" Klavason asked cautiously.
"Let's start. Open the slag tap first, wait until the slag is almost flowing, and then open the taphole!"
"Okay!" Klavasen was about to do it This glorious task was handed over to his son Kawei.
The young Kawei, holding a special long-handled shovel, began to take out all the clay that blocked the slag outlet.
A stove is a solid shell, with only individual holes being weak points. What blocks the slag outlet is clay. It resists the erosion of slag and is easily hollowed out.
The slag outlet was cleared. When Kawei pulled out the tongs, he saw that the silicate slag was completely in magma state. They had turned into a very thin paste under the extreme high temperature. Under the pressure of the slag in the furnace, a stream of magma spewed out from the slag outlet. Kawei was so frightened that he sat directly on the ground, and did not bother to pick up the tongs. He rolled and crawled to the side, looking at it as if it was still flowing. The slag gushes out like "mountain spring water", and I can't help but hold my chest and lament that I almost lost my life.
This scene shocked all onlookers. Klavason was so worried about his son that he almost sat on the ground.
As for Lilia, she was supported by someone to witness what happened today. When she saw that her husband was almost injured, she almost fainted.
Rurik tried to remain calm, he did not want to panic in front of thousands of onlookers. He tried not to panic, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead suddenly, and continued to order Kawei who had just stood up: "Don't be afraid, it's just slag! When it runs out, you open the tap hole! Be careful, the molten iron is like The spring water spurted out, be careful not to get burned!"
"I! I understand"
Kawei was so frightened that he felt like a toddler touching the bottle for the first time. After he was scalded with the boiling water cup, he would never touch boiling water rashly again in his life. The same was true for Kawei. He learned a lesson and became extremely cautious when opening the taphole.
At the same time? The mercenaries were ready with a large amount of pottery for receiving molten iron, and all the casting molds were lined up.
Klavasen did his part to bring his carefully crafted clay crucible for smelting bronze. Through Rurik's explanation, he estimated that this crucible was the only one that was not afraid of molten iron corrosion.
This is indeed the case. The temperature of molten pig iron is not much higher than that of molten bronze. A crucible with a large amount of refractory ore has a higher melting and disintegration temperature.
The taphole at the bottom of the furnace was pierced!
The moment he was stabbed, Kawei realized that something was wrong. He felt a strong pressure, and his hands could hardly control the iron rod of the poker.
"Everything is ready! The iron is coming out!"
Kawei roared and pulled out the tongs instantly. At the same time, a stream of iron that was almost white was like a stream of iron. The stream flows in the iron canal.
Rurik's eyes widened. He was obviously not happy for a moment because of his great success. Instead, he just ran forward and urged the mercenary in charge of the pottery. After collecting the molten iron, he pushed the pottery away. .
The pottery containers whose task is only to hold the molten iron and let it naturally condense into white iron are being pushed away one after another. The hot iron fruit is indeed eroding the walls of the pottery, but the molten iron itself is cooling rapidly, and it is almost The white color is slowly turning red and dull.
The hot molten iron is still flowing continuously. Due to the reduction in the capacity of the molten iron in the furnace, the pressure has weakened a lot, making the flowing molten iron no longer so violent.
This is the opportunity Klavason has been waiting for!
Suddenly, his crucible was aimed at the iron trough, fully carrying the pot of molten iron.
"Hey! Good time for casting." He chuckled and clamped the crucible with the tongs. While Rurik was stunned, he aimed the "mouth" of the crucible at the feed port of the largest mold. .
The hot molten iron is really as smooth as spring water pouring into the mold, but it is filled with a lot of flames.
Some of the vent holes reserved on the mold are also spewing invisible hot gas, and the mold itself has become a very hot existence.
Where Rurik could not see, a large cast iron pot was rapidly forming. After all, molten iron is completely different from glass. When it cools to the critical temperature, it quickly hardens into a dark red solid.
Seeing that there was still a little molten iron left in the crucible held by the tongs, Klavasen stretched out his head and knocked it, shaking his head: "Oh, my crucible has too much capacity."
"Is the casting completed?" Rurik's attitude was anxious, but a natural desire to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages made him dare not approach the casting site rashly.
"And those axes."
"Then hurry up and finish. I hope to see your casting soon."
Rurik What is practical is that he hopes to quickly get a long-awaited large iron pot. Klavasen naturally understands that his old friend is eager to mass-produce an axe.
All the prepared molds have been cast, and the molten pig iron stored in the entire furnace has been collected in a short period of time.
The molten iron contained in a large number of clay containers is condensing rapidly. They are naturally cooled by the wind blowing in uncertain directions. Some people with very few eyes are standing on the roofs or in some settlements. On the felled trees, one can watch the changes in the legendary molten iron contained in a large number of pottery vessels.
The luminosity of the molten iron that originally emitted a bright yellow light began to drop. The molten iron that was first contained had obviously hardened and turned dark red, and continued to transform into gray-black.
Rurik put his hands behind his back and stared at the largest mold. He wanted to pour water on the mold to speed up the cooling. But he won't do this. The drastic drop in temperature will cause the iron pot to crack, which is terrible.
This is a taphole where molten iron flows, but no new molten iron flows out. It does not actually flow quickly, but a small part has always been at the bottom of the furnace. They begin to condense naturally and are once again mixed with the ferrochrome alloy that has been transformed into the furnace liner.
The stove should be recycled. Rurik looked at the stove that had been completely extinguished and couldn't help but shake his head.
Kawei shouted, attracting the attention of many mercenaries and hired coolies: "The furnace is empty! I will seal the exit."
Rurik pointed his eyes at him, Kawei Awe-inspiring understanding. A blast furnace produced a large amount of molten pig iron. It was closed because there was not enough raw material, and it was unknown when it would be opened next time.
It’s not a long wait, Klavasen estimated it based on the approximate condensation time of the bronze.Iron-hot, he felt the time was ripe.
He held the molten iron for forging the steel sword in his hand and looked at Rurik: "Sir, it's time to look at the axe."
"Is it finally done?"< /p>
"Yes."
Rurik nodded and walked over boldly. He saw Klavasen's strong right hand holding the molten iron tightly and fiercely hitting the mold. beat. The pottery, which had become brittle due to the erosion of the molten iron, cracked into a large number of fragments. After some beating, the cast iron ax blades were successfully cast, and a large number of iron bars outlining the diversion trough suddenly appeared.
Seeing this feat, all the onlookers were stunned.
Those with excellent eyesight watching the excitement from a distance began to exclaim. After a while, the exclamation of thousands of onlookers suddenly turned into a fierce roar.
Clavason simply smiled and bent over. He held his ax high and faced the sun in the sky, thanking God for his favor.
Pig iron casting was indeed successful.
Klavasen knocked down the four cast iron ax blades and pulled them down. As for the iron protrusions on the ax blades that were originally drainage channels, it was no longer relevant.
The ax head has not been polished, and its appearance is very rough, but its shape is specially made. You only need to provide a wooden stick, and hemp rope can be tightly trapped on the stick. This cast ax blade can fully meet the daily needs of ordinary people. The only finishing process it needs now is to use sandstone to grind a sharp edge. I am afraid that this work will not be done by the blacksmith himself, it will be the buyer's business.
The hot ax blade was poured with a bucket of water and became touchable.
Clavason held four ax blades in his hands and approached Rurik happily to show off: "Look, we succeeded. We made the ax blades very easily."
Rurik was indeed happy, but the durability of cast iron tools was too poor. Perhaps the most useful tool it could make was iron scissors.
Rurik forced a smile, pointed at the largest mold and urged: "There should be enough time, break it into pieces for me, I want to see my iron pot."
"There is indeed enough time." Clavarson felt itchy, and he immediately called a few strong men who were eager to try, and even his own son Kawei.
A group of people held their own hammers and shouted chants to knock on the largest mold.
The ceramic mold disintegrated quickly, and in broad daylight, it appeared gray-black.
Seeing this, Rurik confirmed that the conclusion he had just drawn was extremely correct.
His eyes widened. He was not only amazed that this was an iron pot that basically satisfied him and him, but also that it was gray iron, the most easily available cast iron.
Rurik’s daze prompted Klavasen, who was eager for praise, to urge: “Sir, what do you think?”
Rurik immediately came back to his senses: “Oh, that’s great. It's actually gray...gray."
This "gray" is really meaningful.Long, Klavason could detect the subtlety of Rurik's attitude, but he didn't know what it was.
What exactly does it mean?
Although in order to obtain carbon steel, Rurik wished that the blast furnace could directly burn white iron at a higher temperature in one step. Since all he got was dark gray gray iron, he was not interested at all. deficit.
Gray iron is the most cost-effective cast iron. It will bear the burden of popularizing iron tools to the entire tribe and servants.