New Gods of North America.

Chapter 708 Solder
In the evening, as Wayne patrolled the Ellan community in his carriage,
There was also an uninvited guest in the carriage, Alex Brook.

This wasn't the first time this guy had worked with Wayne. From the initial silencer to the "multi-barreled gun" that the detective agency transported back to Georgeburg, and then to the mill modifications and equipment installation in the workshop, the two were now quite familiar with each other.
So the future owner of the Brook factory made a special trip tonight, originally to show his importance to the cannery and to personally confirm the technical details with Wayne.

Then Wayne casually grabbed a man and planned to take him to the guide Cilan's house to use as a free professional propaganda lecturer for the cannery.

These days, tin cans are mostly made using the old-fashioned method of welding the bottom, body, and lid together in sequence.
The processing conditions at the Brook family factory were relatively advanced for that era. They could pre-press the bottom and body of the can into one piece, which saved the cannery a "bottom welding" process and made subsequent filling easier.

However, current machinery is not yet capable of precisely sealing the edges of cans filled with food, so the final welding of the top lid still needs to be done manually for the time being.

The final "sealing" step is a skill-based task, since the metal sheet of the can is so thin. If you dare to knock on it, it will deform. Therefore, it is still necessary to inform and train the workers in advance.

If the conversation had ended there, Wayne, while still finding canned food production a bit troublesome these days, wouldn't have had any immediate ideas for improving the process.

Since the initial investment and basic sales issues had been resolved, this business was at least guaranteed to be profitable. So Wayne only thought about following the crowd when it came to the specific processes. He did whatever others did, just to get the framework up and running first.

Until Alex Brooke showed Wayne the budget bill their factory had given to the cannery from the carriage:

"Because Wayne, you requested to avoid using lead-containing raw materials, the solder we provide to you is completely lead-free tin metal. According to our estimates, your cost for solder alone will be about 70% higher than that of a normal cannery."

Wayne was shocked: "The price difference is so outrageous?!"

Alex Brook nodded: "Although tin is much cheaper than gold and silver, it is also a 'precious metal.' For the same weight, tin costs about six times as much as lead."

"Actually, since your workshop's expected usage is not small, the supplier has offered a significant discount to secure the order. However, since the market benchmark price is basically the same, the price difference between the two will still not be too low—it's not too late for you to change your mind now."

The solder commonly used for welding tin cans these days is actually a lead-tin alloy. Its melting point is lower than that of lead or tin alone, making it easier to process and providing better strength.

However, lead can accumulate toxins in the human body, and children are especially susceptible to it. Considering food safety issues, Wayne chose lead-free solder, feeling that although the cost would be higher, it would at least be more ethical.

But what Wayne never expected was that...
My conscience is so fragile, yet its market price is so high!
Wayne couldn't help but start working overtime: "Actually, I think... canned food doesn't necessarily have to be sealed by welding. Perhaps we can try to continue improving the processing technology of tin cans, for example, by using the bendable property of metal to make them interlock, which might eliminate the need for solder."

Alex Brook disagrees: "While the process of making tin cans may seem simple, it's actually quite technically demanding. The sealed can must maintain its airtightness, have sufficient structural strength, and not deform significantly during processing—it's not as easy as it seems. If this were so easy, the canning process wouldn't have remained unchanged for so many years..."

Bullshit!

Modern canned goods don't require welding at all; I remember they were all formed by directly rolling and pressing the edges.

Besides, canned food isn't high-tech; some online vendors in modern society can even seal snacks at home. And so on...

WeChat sellers can do this all from home...?
Following this line of thought, Wayne racked his brains for a while before suddenly, as if a lightbulb went off in his head, and he found a solution.

So he looked the other person in the eye and asked, "Are you sure this problem is difficult to solve?"

Alex Brooke felt a little guilty under Wayne's gaze: "At least currently, all known canned food production uses welding to seal the containers."

Wayne wasn't very familiar with this area, but he had seen canned goods and various gadgets in modern society.
There were some things he hadn't paid much attention to before, but now, to save money, his brain had already recalled them for him, and Wayne quickly drew a sketch on the carriage:
"Here's an idea: you can make a tool like this, which should allow workers to seal the cans. If the sealing effect isn't good enough in the short term, we can also pre-apply a safe adhesive between the metal sheets. As long as it can guarantee no problems for one or two years, the cans will still be considered qualified."

In modern society, small "manual can sealers" exist. Some small, individually owned shops buy semi-finished empty cans, use them to seal homemade snacks, and then sell them.
Wayne himself had never bought one, but in his memory, a set of those things, including empty cans and tools, would cost at most a hundred dollars. If he hadn't just had a sudden realization, he would never have thought that he would need such a thing one day—after all, modern automated filling machines are much more advanced than manual can sealers.

The principle behind that device is to first use an iron disc to support the top of the can, ensuring that the can is not deformed as a whole and allowing the can to bear the force reasonably. Then, a coaxial handle rotates and pushes a roller, gradually interlocking and compressing the iron sheets of the can along its circumference, thus achieving a seal.
Although we can't produce the thin, semi-finished metal cans that are as lightweight as those in modern society, if we could make a similar device, even if workers slowly tapped it with hammers and then added some harmless sealant at the end, we should be able to achieve a similar sealing effect.

Alex Brooke stared at the sketch for a moment and thought, "This design actually seems feasible... and if we use this kind of tool, the technical requirements for the workers will be further reduced, and they won't even need to learn the most basic welding."

That's right, we can also save a little money on the other end, since the salary of a skilled worker is not the same as that of a purely manual laborer.

From another perspective, the range of people that canneries can recruit can be broadened as a result. For example, even if children don't earn much money by piecework, it's still better than having to loiter on the street or commit petty theft.

At least some of them might not want to live that way.

Wayne hadn't expected such an unexpected bonus, so he was quite generous: "Modify the canned goods sample according to this idea, and make another batch of these tools. If the results are good enough, I'll have Luke Matthew pay your factory an extra sum."

Alex Brook seemed a little embarrassed: "The Fisk family has already promised quite a few empty can orders. Would it be inappropriate for us to charge like this?"

Wayne, on the contrary, was quite embarrassed: "I'll have Luke Matthew help me apply for a patent for this, and then I'll grant your factory a free license to use it. However, during the patent period, it can only be used for empty can production in our workshop. So the money I pay you is actually for the technical fees to help perfect the patent, as well as the fees for customizing the specific tools. See if you can make it a reality as soon as possible."

Alex Brook did not object, but his expression was somewhat amused and exasperated: "If the authorization is only for production in your workshop, it doesn't seem to make much sense."

"No. Unless we set up our own processing plant later, we'll probably outsource all the production of empty cans to you. That way, when the patent expires, you'll be at least one of the most experienced local processing plants in this field. Canneries looking to use the new process to save on welding costs might also prioritize you. Do you think it's a good deal to exchange potential future orders for your current short-term assistance in R&D?"

"...Okay, I'll start making arrangements when I get back."

(End of this chapter)