In the late Ming Dynasty, rising from the grassland

Chapter 214 Use titles and beauties to create industrialization
At first, Lin Rui only said that the iron rod of the spring should be round and smooth, uniform in size, and not uneven. He casually said that it should be similar to an embroidery needle.

After listening to the words of the blacksmiths, and stroking the smooth and round spring in his hand, he realized that his demands were too high and he did not fully understand the craftsmanship of the Ming blacksmiths.

Then he looked at the blacksmiths and said, "If this iron rod is twice as thick, the surface does not need to be as smooth as an embroidery needle. It only needs to be uniform and round. How long does it take a blacksmith to create one?"

"Go back to your Majesty, if that's the case, I'm afraid it will only take three to five days!"

A blacksmith thought about it and said, and several others nodded. Obviously, the thicker the iron rod, the easier it is to make and polish. In addition, there is no need for the texture of an embroidery needle, so the difficulty is reduced several times.

"Okay, then let's build it according to the new requirements and divide the process into three. From now on, those who make rough iron bars will be responsible for grinding them, those who polish them will only be responsible for polishing them, and those who operate the winches will be responsible for operating the winches so that they can be made Practice makes perfect and maximize efficiency!”

Lin Rui then gave them the spring and made arrangements.Even if it is twice as thick, it is only about the size of a little finger, and it can still be mounted on a horse-drawn carriage.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The old man in charge and several old blacksmiths responded quickly, feeling relieved in their hearts.

After all, Your Majesty treats them well. If such a simple thing makes Your Majesty dissatisfied and unable to use it, it would really be unworthy of Your Majesty's respect and kindness.

At this time, several carpenters also installed two bearings of the same size on a chariot that had not yet been equipped with an umbrella cover.

The chariot is not much different from the previous improvised chariots, that is, the entire axle is replaced by a metal one, which is a full foot long and as thick as a child's arm.

The craftsmen also put a lot of effort into making this metal axle suitable.

At first, I chose to make it directly from wrought iron by hand, and then polish it. It was not difficult. Two blacksmiths could make it in five or six days. However, after trying it several times, I found that the wrought iron was too soft and the chariot was not easy to use when driving at high speed. , it is easy to bend and deform under bumps.

So they chose to make it out of harder fine iron. But as the saying goes, steel can be made in a hundred times, and what is made out of fine iron is indeed easy to use, but it is not only time-consuming and labor-intensive, but also expensive, and the blacksmiths themselves know that it is unreliable.

Fortunately, the chariot thing reached its peak in the Spring and Autumn Period. Finally, everyone worked together and directly cast it in bronze. The recipe of bronze was passed down by several old craftsmen.

"Get up!"

Lin Rui greeted him, and a charioteer raised his whip and drove the chariot in a circle slowly in the open space. Due to the butter smeared on it and the friction between the iron beads and the wood, the movement was very small. There was no crunching sound at all.

"Come on, two of you, and start running!"

Seeing that there was no problem with normal driving, Lin Rui ordered again.

The old man in charge and the carpenters and blacksmiths all became nervous when they heard this, obviously knowing what was going to happen next.

Sure enough, when two people got on the chariot and the chariot drove around at high speed, Lin Rui went up to check and found that the inner and outer rings of the two bearings were cracked. Although they had not fallen off, I was afraid that if they kept running for a while, they would be damaged. It has to be broken into several pieces and dropped.

A group of craftsmen also gathered around cautiously.

"Your Majesty, I'm afraid this bearing must be made of wrought iron or cast. Otherwise, even if it is replaced with the best hardwood, it probably won't be enough."

"Yes, it probably won't work if you cast it in bronze. You have to use wrought iron or even refined iron."

The carpenters and blacksmiths were not stupid. This thing couldn't be made of wood at all. Since Lin Rui didn't explain it in advance, they didn't choose to make it of metal.

"Oh, can you make these two rings using wrought iron?"

Lin Rui looked at them with some doubt. He naturally knew that the bearings had to be made of metal, but this thing was definitely more difficult than the springs. Even if they could make two rings, what would be used for the grooves inside?Is it possible to polish it bit by bit?
"Your Majesty, these two rings are not as slender as the iron rods of the spring, and they will be different when loaded on the carriage. If the fine iron is melted and cast directly, and then the grooves inside are polished, I guess it can be used. , at least it’s stronger than the one made of wood!”

An old blacksmith said, obviously he also saw the difference between the bearing and the spring when it was stressed, but he didn't know how to describe it.

After the bearing is installed on the carriage, the outer ring will be stuck with the wood, and the inner ring will also be stuck with the axle. Most of the stress points are on the balls inside, and there is no need to repeatedly pull and squeeze like a spring. The upper cylinder was already stronger than the slender iron rod, so he thought it could be cast directly.

"That's right, Your Majesty. If it is made directly from wrought iron, the time it would take is immeasurable, but it would be much easier if it were cast directly."

The other blacksmiths also nodded frequently. The slots in the inner and outer rings of this thing need to be polished according to the size of the ball. After the ball is installed, it will be just stuck and cannot be too loose. If it is made directly, it will probably take a little more. It is estimated that the difficulty of grinding the card slot inside is no less than grinding an iron pestle into a needle.

"Can you cast it directly with a mold?"

Lin Rui looked at them with burning eyes. He also estimated that direct casting would be possible, but the quality was poor and it took three to five months to replace it. He was just worried that they couldn't get a suitable mold.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty, this bearing is actually quite simple. If we think about it, we can definitely cast it."

Almost all blacksmiths are confident about casting a certain kind of bearing. Not to mention that the bearing is only a few items and does not need to be too delicate. As long as it can be cast, they can cast an entire chariot with a mold. "Okay, then you just have to wait and see. I won't ask you how to make the mold. I only have three requirements. First, after it is cast and put on the carriage, it must be used for at least three months.

Secondly, the dimensions of the bearings should all be unified, and it is best if one component can be cast repeatedly using the same mold.

The third and most important thing is to save time and effort. If you can't get one for me in ten days and a half, that is absolutely impossible. "

Lin Rui nodded and did not ask them how to make the mold. Instead, he raised three fingers and said.

No one said anything about the first and third requests, but when they heard that they had to use the same mold to repeatedly cast parts, the faces of the generals finally showed embarrassment. Obviously, the molds they planned to make were all one-time. Yes, just crush it directly after casting.

"Your Majesty, it may be difficult to use this mold repeatedly..."

"You can use the iron mold directly to divide the iron mold for casting the outer ring and the inner ring into four pieces. Put them together when you need to cast them, and then take them apart after the casting is completed, so that they can be used repeatedly.

So the difficulty lies in how to cast four iron molds that are seamless when put together. You have to figure this out yourself, but there are some gaps, and it is acceptable to polish them later. "

This time Lin Rui gave some pointers.

When everyone heard this, their eyes suddenly lit up, and they immediately found the direction. Although it was much more troublesome and complicated to make such an iron mold, it was not an ingenious thing, and it could still be done if you thought of a way.

Seeing that no one said they couldn't make it, Lin Rui breathed a sigh of relief. He only knew how to use iron molds to splice them together, which could be used repeatedly. As for how to cast iron molds, he didn't know anything about it.

Next, Lin Rui simply told them about the screws and nuts, and asked them to try making a few with wood to see if they could be used.

As a result, several master craftsmen and carpenters with excellent carving skills spent just one day crafting a screw and nut by hand according to Lin Rui's instructions.

Lin Rui tried twisting it and found that although it couldn't fit perfectly, it had little effect and was completely usable. He secretly admired the craftsmanship of the carver.

After all the carpenters saw the functions of nuts and screws, their eyes glowed with gold and their expressions were excited, as if they had discovered some treasure.

Indeed, although screws and nuts are simple, they are known as the mother of industry, and its role can be imagined.

This made carpenters who were accustomed to mortise and tenon splicing immediately became very interested, as if a new window had been opened.

"Your Majesty, if these two gadgets can be made of wrought iron, then, then..." An old blacksmith held two wooden screws and nuts, unable to speak with excitement.

Obviously they also saw the function of this screw and nut, and the other blacksmiths' eyes also shone.

"Can you build it?"

Lin Rui rolled his eyes at the blacksmiths. He knew without asking that even with a little polishing, these blacksmiths would never be able to polish the threads of screws and nuts. After all, metal is no better than wood.

"Your Majesty, it can be cast. You can carve the patterns with wax first..."

The blacksmiths did not give up and rushed to come up with ideas.

"You see, the texture of this thing is so fine, and the strength required can be imagined, so it absolutely cannot be cast, so a machine must be used to carve out the internal and external threads at one time."

"I am announcing here today that whoever can create a perfectly fitting metal screw and nut without the need for casting will be granted the title of Marquis, a mansion, and ten beauties. Likewise, if anyone can create a perfectly fitting metal screw and nut without the need for polishing, A small iron rod, round and smooth, uniform in size, one foot long and as thick as chopsticks came out, and he was made an earl, given a mansion, and five beauties."

Lin Rui first explained to them, and finally called all the blacksmiths and carpenters together and announced loudly.

The reason why he wanted to make wooden screws and nuts, as well as springs and bearings, was to let everyone know the principles and huge functions of these things, and then offered rewards for these craftsmen to study them.

Because whether it is screws, nuts or spring bearings, they are the most basic industrial parts and the basis for the start of the industrial era. If you want to achieve high-precision mass production, you absolutely cannot make and polish them by hand. Over time, craftsmen will naturally think As tools are invented, industrial machines such as lathes, milling machines, and drill machines will be constantly tinkered with like a carpenter's saw, plane, and drill.

As long as these craftsmen are given motivation, the real object is here, and they can learn from the principles of carpenter's tools, Lin Rui believes that they can definitely create it.

After all, the current woodworking and ironworking technology of the Ming Dynasty is definitely far superior to that of Western Europe. Unfortunately, it has always stood still, with little progress in more than 1000 years. The reason is firstly lack of power, and secondly, lack of demand.

They only think about hand polishing and do not want to invent more practical and convenient tools. Of course, this is also directly related to the fact that the upper class regards complex and sophisticated iron tools as exotic skills.

Sure enough, all the carpenters and blacksmiths were stunned after hearing Lin Rui's announcement. They all looked in disbelief. After reacting, they all knelt on the ground and cried excitedly, kowtowing to Lin Rui.

Because in the past, only military generals could open up territories and expand the territory before they could be granted titles. Now the king actually promised a group of craftsmen the reward of titles. Never in ancient times has a king valued craftsmen so much. How can everyone not be excited?
(End of this chapter)