Chapter 37:
At that mont.
If gunpowder was stirring at the Imperial University, then at the Black Sky Ironworks they were on the verge of a great leap in steel production.
They had ticulously prepared for the decarburization process of pig iron over the past period.
And now.
Lets begin!
Under the watchful eyes of countless craftsn including Kim Kiwoo.
The final experint of wrought iron production was underway.
They had already practiced enough beforehand. Therefore, the craftsman did not hesitate to open the outlet of the blast furnace.
Clang clang clang!
Then molten pig iron poured into a round barrel.
After all the pig iron was contained in the barrel, the craftsman closed the outlet.
The first hurdle was safely passed.
Then it was ti to proceed with the next step.
Turn the waterwheel!
Yes!
Following the instructions of the senior craftsman, the craftsn moved swiftly.
Clank clank.
Soon the waterwheel started to spin vigorously by the craftsn.
Squeak squeak!
At the sa ti, a loud sound of tal scraping echoed. It was coming from the tal rod that connected the waterwheel and the wheel.
The wheel turned by the power of the waterwheel and started to stir up molten iron in a circular barrel with a long paddle attached to it.
Good.
So far everything went well without any problems.
They had already done enough experints on decarburization process of pig iron but it was unpredictable what would happen in practice.
But fortunately nothing unexpected happened so far.
It was a good start.
It wasnt just Kim Kiwoos thought.
Wow The waterwheel is really amazing. It can turn such a big paddle by itself.
The industrial director exclaid as he watched the paddle spinning by the waterwheel.
It would have been difficult for a human to stir molten iron on top of that glowing barrel. No, it was almost impossible.
It was hard enough for a human to endure that trendous heat, let alone stirring such a big paddle.
Until now, the waterwheel had made many tasks easier or more efficient, but this was sothing that seed impossible without the waterwheel.
Kim Kiwoo chuckled and said.
Its too early to be surprised by this.
What do you an?
We have just begun to use the power of flowing water. And the water will keep flowing.
Surely it will.
Unless the world ends, water flows from top to bottom. The river never stops.
That ans, more ways to use it will appear over ti.
Hmm Do you think sothing else will co out of here?
Haha. You seem to underestimate human curiosity. Now that we know how to use the power of water, it will surely be as I say. Ill bet on it.
Kim Kiwoo asserted. He knew that later they would even make electricity with hydropower.
Haha. I hope it will be as you say. If the power of water is used more, surely the lives of the imperial people will improve.
It will. And not only the power of water, but also other powers of nature will be used.
Other powers?
Yes. Dont you think there are only powers of water to use?
Um
The waterwheel was just spreading across the empire.
But other powers than water.
It was a topic he had never thought of before.
Seeing his expression, Kim Kiwoo smiled and continued.
You dont have to think too hard. The power of wind can also be used by humans, right?
Ah!
An exclamation burst out of the industrial directors mouth.
Co to think of it, just like water flows, wind blows.
That is, just as they made a waterwheel to use the power of water, they could also use the power of wind.
The industrial director understood Kim Kiwoos intention.
Not only water and wind, but also many other phenona in nature can give us power. For example
Kim Kiwoo raised his finger and pointed at the molten iron being mixed by the paddle.
The iron?
No. The heat around it.
Heat
The industrial director furrowed his brow.
He understood the concept of using the power of water and wind.
But to turn heat into power?
He couldnt comprehend what that ant.
How did we manage to utilize iron?
Well we used charcoal as fuel.
Right. We used the heat from charcoal to lt iron ore. And we also made cent and bricks with the sa principle, didnt we?
Yes, you are right.
But is there a way to convert this heat into power? Like we made waterwheels to harness the power of water.
Only then did the industrial director grasp Kim Ki-woos words.
Is that possible?
I dont know. It might be hard for now. But I dont think it will be impossible forever.
The industrial director pondered Kim Ki-woos words.
Using heat
But no matter how hard he thought, he couldnt co up with a way.
How could heat be turned into power? Could such a device be made?
However
Soday, His Majesty will find a way.
His Majesty had made many things possible that seed impossible.
Wasnt it because he never settled for the present that the current empire was built?
He felt that in the future, as His Majesty said, they would be able to use various natural forces.
Of course, he wouldnt be able to lead the research on this with his old and frail body.
He didnt have much ti left to live.
But I can still play a role in spreading His Majestys intentions.
There were many people with better brains than him at the Imperial University.
His role was to inform them of these absurd words that His Majesty occasionally threw out.
The industrial director had been doing this. And he did the sa this ti.
After returning to the capital, he wrote down this conversation with Kim Ki-woo and spread it widely at the Imperial University.
This beca the catalyst for scholars to open their eyes to the concept of energy.
***
While their conversation continued, the experint of producing wrought iron went on.
The molten iron was stirred by a furnace for enough ti, then poured into ingots and made into iron bars.
After the iron bars cooled sufficiently,
Kim Ki-woo approached them himself.
Give a hamr.
The craftsn were startled by his appearance.
Do you want to do it yourself? We can do it for you
Its fine. I want to try it myself.
Not only the craftsn, but also the officials and guards looked worried, but Kim Ki-woo didnt care.
What was so dangerous about this?
Being too protected was not always pleasant. Like now.
Kim Ki-woo took a hamr and swung it down at the iron bar.
Clang!
Wow!
Just one strike.
But the result was clear. The craftsn had lived with iron for a long ti, so they understood it better than anyone else.
The iron bar was dented.
This would never happen if it was cast iron.
That ant
Its wrought iron!
We succeeded! Hahaha!
The doubt that this thod would produce wrought iron disappeared quickly.
The craftsn hugged each other and expressed their joy. Kim Ki-woo also smiled broadly.
Good. Now we just need to find the right ti by changing how long we stir the furnace.
Well do that.
Okay. I trust you.
The experint was practically successful.
Now they just needed to find the optimal ti.
That ant there was nothing more for Kim Ki-woo to do here.
It was ti to move on to the next step.
How to make wrought iron into steel.
That is, the crucible steel thod.
***
Kim Ki-woo moved busily.
Still, it took more ti to implent the crucible steel thod than to make the decarburization process of cast iron.
I have to make a crucible furnace underground.
Of course, he didnt make it deep in the ground.
He made it deep enough for people to put in and take out the crucibles.
That way, I can make crucible steel continuously.
If he made such a facility on the ground, he would have to go up and down the stairs to take out the crucibles.
Even if that was possible, he would have to make a wide space where he could step safely
There was no need to bother with that. It was easier to make it underground from the beginning.
There were plenty of builders and laborers in the Black Sky. Kim Ki-woo used them as much as possible.
They dug up the ground and made an underground furnace, and surrounded it with fire-resistant bricks.
And they installed a bellows connected to a waterwheel that faced the underground.
After this work, the crucible furnace was finally completed.
How does it look to you?
Hmm I dont see anything wrong with it.
The industrial director and Kim Ki-woo checked the crucible furnace for the last ti.
I dont see anything wrong with it either.
Kim Ki-woo and the industrial director ca out of the crucible furnace.
And they checked each of the ten crucibles.
Did you fill them with different ratios?
Yes. We filled them with different amounts of wrought iron and cast iron.
A crucible that could hold about 13~15kg of iron.
Now it was ti to experint with how much wrought iron and cast iron to mix in it.
When they found the ratio that produced the best quality steel, they would fill the crucibles with iron according to that ratio and make steel.
Lets get started then.
They had reached the long-awaited climax.
Unlike before, when they decarburized cast iron, there was nothing more to prepare.
As Kim Ki-woo gave his order, they filled the furnace with enough coke.
Whoosh!
And they lit it up.
Whoo! Whoo!
The bellows connected to the waterwheel blew air into the coke.
The furnace began to heat up gradually.
Soon, intense heat emanated from around it.
It looks like we can put in the crucibles now.
At the craftsmans words, Kim Ki-woo nodded his head.
Put in the crucibles.
Then they put in ten crucibles with lids on them into the furnace.
Of course, they carefully used tongs to put in the crucibles from a distance.
The heat was too strong. If they slipped and fell into the crucible furnace, they would die on the spot.
There was no one who could survive at that temperature.
Ti passed like that.
Fortunately, there were no special problems during that ti.
The craftsn were already skilled enough in using coke.
It wasnt like they put any flammable material in the crucibles, so there wasnt much chance of a big accident happening.
Your Majesty. The ti is up.
Is that so? Then lets take out the crucibles now.
Understood.
As Kim Ki-woos command fell, the craftsn began to move.
Creak
The craftsn soon groaned.
The furnace was estimated to rise up to 1,600 degrees Celsius.
It was a process of approaching such a hot furnace and taking out the crucibles.
Even from a distance, the heat reached Kim Ki-woo and made him sweat. How hot must it be for them?
The crucible furnace was open.
That ant that heat was spreading strongly around it.
It was hard to breathe just by getting close to it.
But soone had to go there personally to get those crucibles out.
The craftsn sweated like rain and used tongs to take out one crucible at a ti.
Its a hellish environnt.
Kim Ki-woo watched as the craftsn took out one crucible and put in another one, and thought:
They wouldnt live long doing this work.
Kim Ki-woo pushed his thoughts aside and watched their actions closely.
The craftsn opened the lids after taking out the crucibles.
And they discarded the slag debris separated by li powder.
After removing the slag, they put the molten iron into molds.
Its finally over.
Kim Ki-woo clenched his fist tightly.
He was confident of success.
The iron was perfectly lted. Surely carbon had spread evenly in its molten state.
Among them, he would find the best ratio for making high-quality steel.
Once he confird the optimal ratio, it would be over.
He would finally be able to mass-produce high-quality steel.
It was the end of a long or short journey.
The End.
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