Blast furnace ironmaking is to accumulate iron ore, coke and limestone in the blast furnace alternately, and then blow preheated air from the tuyere at the lower part of the furnace. The combustion of coke and oxygen pumped into hot air produces carbon monoxide and hydrogen, and the oxygen in the iron ore is removed in the process of rising furnace temperature, and the temperature in the furnace can reach more than 2,000 degrees, so as to obtain liquid molten iron, which is solidified into pig iron ingots. The impurities of the iron ore combine with the limestone to form slag, which is discharged from the slag outlet. If the resulting gas can be removed from the furnace roof, it can be used for other purposes.

The method of blast furnace ironmaking is very ancient, but it is also very practical and efficient, in Ji Xinyu's previous life in modern ironmaking, it was also used to make iron, but the capacity and process were improved.

When Ji Xinyu found the blacksmith Niu Gu, he was also participating in the final test work of the blast furnace, and Ji Xinyu asked him to stop and find the other 8 steel research group military craftsmen and follow him to the workshop next to him. Ji Xinyu wanted them to try to make firecrackers, and now although he had established Lingchuan Mansion, there were less than 60 guards, and it was impossible to increase troops for the time being, and soldiers needed training to form combat effectiveness. This road doesn't work, then you can only use other methods to improve your combat effectiveness, Ji Xinyu, as a modern person, must first think of wanting to equip the guards with firearms.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Ji Xinyu smiled and said, "The nine of you can make fire guns?" ”

The nine people glanced at each other, raised their heads one by one, and said in unison: "Young master, we will all do." ”

Ji Xinyu nodded happily and said: "Okay, well, it will be better, how many firearms have you made before, and how familiar is it." ”

"Back to the young master, I asked them this question. In fact, they haven't made many qualified firecrackers, because in the official workshop, the imperial court has made firecrackers with a quota, but the material money and wages given are exploited layer by layer. It stands to reason that in order to produce a finished gun, the barrel needs to undergo a double amount of gunpowder detonation test, but almost no one does this test now, so that the gunpowder can be pretended. So it's not that their technology is not good, it's that the materials are deducted to cause the unqualified. Niu Gu said on behalf of these military craftsmen. Several military households also nodded helplessly, and they were powerless to change this.

In fact, all the craftsmen and military households in Zhongzhou are quite miserable. Legally speaking, these craftsmen and military craftsmen who have been included in the special household register are inherited from father to son, and they have to be inherited from generation to generation. And as a craftsman and a soldier, he is not allowed to participate in the imperial examination.

Artisans are required to serve in official handicraft workshops for 10 days a month, and if they do not go to work, they must pay a monthly contribution of silver to be hired by the government...... In addition to exempting some of the harsh taxes and miscellaneous taxes, artisans also have to pay regular taxes.

In short, the status of artisan households is even lower than that of ordinary households, after all, they do not have the way out that ordinary farmers have-the imperial examination.

Ji Xinyu nodded and said: "Then starting today, you will start making the barrel according to the drawings I gave you, and you don't need to produce other parts." ”

The most important part of a gun is the barrel, with the barrel is not difficult, and the manufacture of the barrel is very simple, but it is very time-consuming. Take a piece of steel or wrought iron, put it on the wrought iron furnace and heat it until it is red-hot, then put it on the U-shaped metal mold prepared in advance, and use the spherical hammer prepared in advance to continuously hit the middle part, the middle part of the iron plate will be overhead because of the relationship between the mold, and when the iron hammer hits this part, the iron plate will gradually sink. The spherical hammer constantly hits the iron plate and the place where the mold is volleyed, and the iron plate quickly bends inward.

In the process, when the iron plate is cooled, it will continue to be heated and then beaten, and after repeating it several times, the two sides of the iron plate will be closed, and the prototype of the iron pipe will come out, and some particular people will also ask to use a second layer of iron plate to wrap the barrel to prevent the barrel from bursting.

Next, a round iron rod of uniform thickness is inserted into the formed steel pipe, and the thickness of the iron rod determines the diameter. Ji Xinyu asked them to build a diameter of 1.5 cm, and then repeated the previous action, constantly heating and hammering, heating and hammering, adding iron powder and borax welding gaps, and gradually making the traces of closure on the iron pipe disappear.

At this time, the concave hammer is replaced, and the iron pipe is gradually formed by continuous hammering, until the gap at the edge of the steel pipe completely disappears, and the size and thickness reach the standard, and the heat treatment can be carried out.

After heat treatment, the drill bit size is gradually increased with a drilling tool, oiled, and the inside of the barrel is slowly sanded until a smooth bore is drilled into the barrel. This process is the most time-consuming of the entire firecracker, and it often takes eight to ten days for a qualified warmaker to grind a good barrel.

After the grinding is completed, the barrel is completed, and then it is simple to weld the fire door or something in the back. As for rifling...... The current craftsman still doesn't know this process and the significance of doing so, and Ji Xinyu doesn't want to make just a smoothbore gun, so now he just prepares the barrel, and the follow-up process can only be said later, and now he has no ability to continue.

After arranging the work of Niu Gu and the others, Ji Xinyu ran to the mine again, asked Aiden to put more ore and coal in the mining space, and then walked aside.

"Aiden, do you know vernier calipers?" Ji Xinyu just saw that the blacksmith was beating the iron rod as a caliber mold by feeling, and suddenly thought of asking Aiden to make a few vernier calipers for the blacksmith to use, so as to standardize the barrel and improve the accuracy of the barrel.

"It's as easy as a balance, but you need to assemble it yourself." Aiden replied without hesitation.

After a while, a bunch of vernier caliper parts appeared in Ji Xinyu's hands, and after assembly, it was a black vernier caliper, with a strip of scales on it, which was white.

"Aiden, can you still color?" Ji Xinyu asked with some curiosity.

"It is understood that according to the country's technology, most of the pigments are now made from plants or ores." Aiden said lightly.

Ji Xinyu also felt stupid after asking, a white trace, any scrap can be done, and he is still not used to Aiden's strength.

Then I made three vernier calipers and a few iron meter rulers, with a meter scale on one side and a size scale on the other. When Ji Xinyu assembled it and handed it to Niu Gu, he made a joke, Niu Gu would not use this strange thing at all. Ji Xinyu could only ask the other 8 people to come over and slowly teach them concepts such as meters, centimeters and millimeters, the connection with size, and so on. And let Aiden start to teach them the standard and the use of vernier calipers using the method of mental transmission.

By the time he had finished teaching, Ushiya's face was flushed, and he was already proficient in using vernier calipers. I saw him say to Ji Xinyu excitedly while trying: "Young master, did you make this vernier caliper?" You're so good at it! ”

Ji Xinyu had already thought of an excuse, looked at Niu Gu and said with a smile: "This is the boat that someone else robbed at sea before, and it won't be used to give it to me after finding it, and I also studied it for a long time before I understood." ”

"It turns out that Fanren's craftsmanship is so good." Ushiya sighed.

Ji Xinyu patted Niu Gu on the shoulder and said: "Fanren people don't have a view of the portal, and they like many people to study one thing together, and the craftsmen of Zhongzhou Country have many views of the portal, and it is common to pass on children or daughters." So in the future, you follow me, this kind of thinking is not necessary, so that you can learn from each other's strengths and make progress together, you know? ”

Saying these words was also said to the other 8 people, when it came to the end, Ji Xinyu had already looked around them, the 8 people looked at each other, and then looked at the vernier caliper and meter ruler, and all said: "Listen to the young master's orders." ”

Ji Xinyu looked at these 8 people and continued: "I know that you have had a hard time before, and in the future, you will be a group, a group that wants to study new things together, so the habit of cherishing yourself must be changed." And I won't let you suffer if you follow me, I will check your craftsmanship, if you are qualified, then you are the official craftsman of Lingchuan Mansion, and I will give you a monthly salary of five taels. Without waiting for them to reply, he turned and left.

Ji Xinyu knows that the monthly money of five taels is very attractive to military households, and they have to hand over a penny of silver to the official workshop every month, which is a fixed expense. They only earn about 2 taels of silver every month, although their income is more than that of farmers, but it is also much harder. A royal blacksmith like Niu Gu is just a little easier than a military household, and he only earns about 2 taels a month.