System: Build My Own Territory

Chapter 209: Chapter 151: A Thousand Slaves (5K)

Only through division of labor can these apprentices, who have little forging experience, accumulate experience through repeated work.

Until dusk.

Lynn then summoned everyone back.

The moulding sand dug over these few hours is enough for Ehrelo to make dozens of sand boxes in this one workshop.

Returning to the blacksmith workshop.

Lynn directly instructed Ehrelo to nail a rectangular box based on the chest armor’s dimensions.

The chest armor is quite large, about sixty centimeters.

Lynn poured some of the freshly dug moulding sand into the box.

Using an iron hammer, Lynn repeatedly hammered the moulding sand to make it more compact.

After confirming there were no voids, Lynn picked up the semi-finished chest armor made earlier in the day, using it as a model placed into the sand box, then added more moulding sand.

The moulding sand was filled and compacted, forming a cavity in the shape of the chest armor...

The hollow in the middle of the chest armor became the core!

Soon, the sand box for the chest armor was completed.

Next.

What Lynn needed to do, naturally, was to build the bloomery furnace!

The principle of the bloomery furnace is to use the reaction of pig iron with oxygen to reduce the carbon content in the pig iron.

Thus, converting pig iron into wrought iron.

Compared to the iron smelting blast furnace, the construction of the bloomery furnace is much easier.

Lynn immediately had several carts of red bricks and lime clay adhesive brought in and began construction at the rear of the workshop.

The bloomery furnace is not very large, eight meters wide and five meters tall, accounting for the flue, it’s just under six meters.

The main body is constructed with red bricks, with the furnace body overall presenting a circular shape.

A grate is installed at the bottom of the furnace body, used for supporting fuel and iron ore.

A feed port is left on the side of the bloomery furnace body, for adding fuel and pig iron!

The top of the furnace body has a flue, allowing exhaust gases to be discharged from the furnace during fuel combustion.

Finally, the molten iron outlet!

With the bellows waterwheel continuously driving the bellows, the pig iron is constantly heated, quickly reacting with oxygen, and upon reaching its melting point, turns into molten iron flowing out from the iron outlet.

Lynn stood on the construction site, watching Ehrelo leading a group of apprentices who were busily at work.

He could not sit idle, frequently guiding the construction.

Time flew by quickly.

By the afternoon, the bloomery furnace was finally completed.

Looking at the bloomery furnace in front of him, Lynn spoke, ”Start the iron smelting!”

Upon receiving Lynn’s order, Ehrelo quickly led a dozen apprentices to get busy.

Basket after basket of pig iron and anthracite, in a one-to-one ratio, were added into the bloomery furnace.

Using straw to ignite the anthracite, the anthracite began to burn fiercely.

In just an hour.

The entire bloomery furnace was engulfed in the intense burning of anthracite, glowing bright red.

But this was just the beginning of the iron smelting!

Of course.

The most primitive method of iron smelting required blacksmiths to stir the pig iron with an iron rod.

This allowed the pig iron to react with oxygen.

Such an operation was extremely dangerous and was directly replaced by Lynn with a bellows waterwheel.

Manual stirring was to facilitate the combination of pig iron with more oxygen.

Yet, isn’t the wind from the bellows equipment also carrying oxygen?

Difficulties are dead, but humans are alive!

This method could increase efficiency and reduce unnecessary casualties!

With the waterwheel-driven bellows equipment continuously blowing air.

The pig iron in the bloomery furnace melted, turning into molten iron, flowing to the bottom level.

Without hesitation, Lynn instructed two apprentices to lift the sand box and place it on the task of collecting molten iron.

Lynn picked up a pair of long iron tongs and opened the iron outlet of the bloomery furnace, allowing the burning red molten iron to flow steadily out, into the sand box.

In no time, the molten iron filled the cavity shaped like the chest armor.

With quick reflexes, Lynn shut the iron outlet’s switch.

However, Lynn did not immediately approach, instead standing still to quietly wait.

Waiting for the freshly drawn molten iron to cool and reduce temperature.

The bloomery furnace was somewhat akin to the iron smelting blast furnace but not exactly the same.

The iron smelting blast furnace was mainly used for extracting pig iron from iron ore, at the front end of iron smelting.

Whereas the bloomery furnace is for reprocessing pig iron, converting pig iron into wrought iron.

...

Lynn’s gaze shifted, and it wasn’t just him waiting.

Ehrelo and the group of blacksmith apprentices were watching with wide eyes, eagerly awaiting.

Over half an hour later.

Lynn walked towards the sand box, scrutinizing.

The molten iron in the sand box had completely cooled and turned from a reddish-orange liquid into a somewhat blackened iron block.

Picking up the long iron tongs on the workbench, Lynn carefully lifted the crude chest piece from the sand box.

A semi-finished chest armor appeared under the watchful eyes of Lynn, Ehrelo, and the group of blacksmith apprentices.

Despite Lynn trying his best to polish the inside of the sand box smoothly during its making.

Because the chest armor was cast from molten iron, its surface still had some dents.

But that didn’t matter much.

The cast crude chest armor would undergo detailed processing and polishing.

Trimming the edges, smoothing, carving patterns, and then the quenching treatment, and so on.

In other words.

The sand box created by Lynn can be fully used for the mass production of standard plate armor!

Ehrelo approached Lynn from not far away.

He spoke hesitantly, ”Master Lynn, is it considered a success?”

Handing the chest armor to Ehrelo, Lynn replied with a hint of joy in his voice, ”It is a success.”

Upon hearing Lynn’s words, the entire blacksmith workshop erupted in cheers.