"What is this?"

This morning, as soon as he entered the factory yard, Zhao Shizhen was startled by the scene in front of him.

He saw several strange large water tanks in the courtyard, standing in the courtyard more than a foot high, either upside down or upside down.

"Zhiyuan, what are you busy with?"

Seeing that Shi Yiwen was busy there, Zhao Shizhen asked puzzled.

"Making alum."

Shi Yiwen, who was directing the craftsmen to build the "cylinder tower", replied truthfully.

"Alum? What is it for? ”

"Printing books."

"Can you use it for book printing?"

In the face of Zhao Shizhen's incomprehension, Shi Yiwen, who was busy with his work, did not continue to explain, but commanded the workers to continue to build the "cylinder tower".

If you want to "write" a book, you must have enough transcription paper, which is not complicated, just apply a layer of gelatin and white pigment mixture on ordinary paper, there is no difficulty at all, after all, whether it is gelatin or white pigment, you can buy ready-made, only need to brush the mixture on the paper in proportion. When the oily handwriting on the paper is pressed against the layout, the coating is melted by rubbing water to prevent the paper from shifting, and the paper is separated from the graphic particles when the transfer paper is lifted. Then there is the most critical step in lithographic printing - the pre-corrosion of the lithograph, after all, lithographic printing is to make plates through corrosion, which involves a key chemical raw material nitric acid.

The production of nitric acid is not complicated, it is obtained by adding sulfuric acid to earth nitrate and heat treatment. Although there is "green alum", that is, sulfuric acid, sold in the capital, the high price and limited production make Shi Yiwen have to consider making his own sulfuric acid to make nitric acid.

Although there are materials in the library on the "lead chamber method" for the production of sulfuric acid, in the end, Shi Yiwen still chose the "Tufa tower sulfuric acid", which is the "seven-tower soil method for making sulfuric acid" developed on the basis of the "cylinder tower method" invented in the base area during the Anti-Japanese War in the 50s.

After ordering a batch of special vats in a nearby kiln factory, Shi Yiwen instructed the craftsmen to set up the vats in a group of two, one up and one down, and then use a thick lead pipe to connect the butted vats, and use binders to form a closed space, which became a distillation tower composed of five groups of vats. The principle of producing sulfuric acid by the lead chamber method is used, and the lead chamber is replaced by a large vat to form a distillation column.

Using the simple "tower method" but only took six days, the factory produced the first batch of sulfuric acid, compared to acid production, only when guiding the workers to make nitric acid, it took a lot of effort, although these workers in the factory more or less literate, but they do not know how to use thermometers, hydrometers, these have to be retrained.

"Look, measure its specific gravity with a hydrometer......"

In the acid making shed, enduring the stimulation of acid mist, when Shi Yiwen was teaching workers to make acid, another idea came to his mind, maybe he should consider setting up a technical training school to train technicians.

Looking at the craftsmen around him, Shi Yiwen naturally thought of the apprentices in the factory, they are now learning with the masters, and they can basically get along, but what about the future?

As Edwin pondered how to start the school, a young man looked at him from afar, looking a little nervous, and he just stood there waiting. Even though he was teaching the apprentices, Shi Yiwen noticed this person.

"Zhepei, who is that person?"

Shi Yiwen said to Xu Siyuan. Now Xu Siyuan is the manager of this factory, the reason why he was chosen is not only because the factory has not had a suitable supervisor, on the other hand, Shi Yiwen found that Xu Siyuan is also very interested in this area, sometimes his son's interest must be influenced by his father, Xu Guangqi will be interested in Western water conservancy and construction machinery and other practical studies may also be influenced by him.

"It's Sun Blacksmith in the factory, young but good at work."

Xu Siyuan raised his eyes and looked at it and recognized the person.

"Let's see if he's looking for me?"

Listening to the command, Xu Siyuan walked over and asked.

"Blacksmith Sun, but what's the matter with the owner?"

"That, that Xu is in charge, the little one made something and wanted to show it to the owner."

Shi Yiwen, who was originally training workers, was immediately interested when he heard this.

"Built something? What is it? ”

"When I go back to the owner, it's just a screw-making machine, yes, a machine tool."

A machine tool for the production of screws!

Shi Yiwen was surprised.

"Then I'll have to see."

Because there are more than 300 workers in the factory who have pressed their homes near the factory, a small market has long been formed next to the factory, and Sunsmith's home is also next to the factory, but it is three brick and earth structure grass houses.

"Childe, this is a machine tool I made, specially used to produce screws, whether it is a carriage or a musket, it requires a large number of spirals, before we produced screws, they were all handmade, and then turned out with spirals, not to mention, and the speed of production is very slow, so I wondered, can we use another method."

As Blacksmith Sun explained, Shi Yiwen carefully observed the lathe, although this lathe is very primitive, it is a lathe used to turn screws by sliding the tool through a screw rod, and the tool is no longer fixed in one position. It seems to be somewhat similar to Besson, which was not promoted a hundred years later.

"Boss, you see, what kind of screw you want, whether it is a large screw or a small screw for the carriage, you can make it by adjusting this screw......"

Blacksmith Sun explained while motioning his son to turn the wheel of the lathe, accompanied by the harsh sound of metal cutting, the threads on the nails were being generated with the naked eye, and the cut metal chips were also twisted into a spiral.

"This, this ......"

Surprised to see a screw being turned out, and then stunned to look at the big screw that came out of the car after adjusting the lathe, Xu Sicheng muttered.

"How can you make screws like this?"

Surprised, he asked,

"If my estimate is not bad, this knife steel must use good steel, otherwise, it will definitely not work."

The steward's words made Blacksmith Sun's face blush slightly, and he said with some embarrassment.

"It's just that the knife is used too quickly, and the steel fire must be selected as the best, otherwise, if you can't make a hundred, the knife will be blunt, and it is not easy to make good steel......"

"This is no problem, if you want good steel, we will refine it ourselves."

Staring at the simple lathe, Shi Yiwen said without hesitation.

"There is still room for improvement in this lathe, the wooden frame is easy to deform, you can consider using an iron frame, and this tool holder ......"

After pointing out a few areas that needed to be improved, Shi Yiwen looked up at Blacksmith Sun.

"Well, do you think it can be changed like this?"

Of course, it can be changed to, and if it is further improved, it is the famous Maudsley machine, which is the first thread cutting lathe, it has a screw and a smooth rod, and uses a sliding tool holder - Mohs tool holder and guide rail, which can turn threads of different pitches.

"Ken, for sure......"

Thinking in his mind about the few things that needed to be improved pointed out by the owner, Blacksmith Sun was surprised, and his face changed slightly, but his son looked at it and said casually.

"The owner, follow your idea, this has changed, does my father still have the money?"