frightfiction Chapter 692: Burnt Powder Really Works
Chapter 692: Burnt Powder Really Works
Before the afternoon, the sun was still a little hot. The sunlight shone through the sparse leaves onto the ground, forming patches of light. Everyone had already gathered under the banyan tree.
This is an open space surrounded by wooden fences. A huge iron pot is placed in the middle, and various materials are piled around it, including tree pulp, coke powder, wooden sticks, wooden boards and other tools.
Everyone had an expression of anticipation and nervousness on their faces because they were looking forward to adding something new today.
"Let's try using scorched powder." Xu Zize's voice rang out in the crowd. He stood in front of the crowd, looking at everyone with a firm gaze.
He and Jing Chunxi had already discussed this plan last night. Coke powder is a rare material, formed when black stone is burned and splashed onto the surface. It has a strong adhesive property and will stick tightly to stone walls. Cooked tree pulp has similar properties, so they both thought that coke powder might produce a wonderful reaction with the pulp.
As soon as they spoke, everyone sprang into action. No one objected. They had been doing so many experiments, and although the things they had previously added were all things they could imagine and see, they hadn't worked at all. Now that they had something different, it was inevitable that hope would arise.
The craftsmen skillfully lit a fire, heated the iron pot red, and then carefully poured the slurry into the pot. The slurry rolled in the pot, making a "gurgling" sound and emitting a faint and strange fragrance.
But when it came to adding coke powder, Ling Bo and the two craftsmen were in trouble.
"Sir, how much should I add?" Ling Bo hesitated as he looked at the coke dust in the sack. Coke dust was very precious. Yesterday afternoon, seven or eight people scraped the walls of the five charcoal kilns clean, and the remaining coke dust only filled up half a sack. If it was wasted, it would take a lot of effort to burn it again.
"Add a ladle to the first pot first." Xu Zize hesitated for a moment, then made his decision when Jing Chunxi nodded approvingly, agreeing to let him make the decision. Jing Chunxi also added: "Start with a little and gradually increase the amount."
In their opinion, a large scoop is not too little. If it is the right thing, whether increasing or decreasing, starting with one scoop can also be a reference.
After the charcoal powder is added, it's time to heat the pot and stir constantly. Two craftsmen, each holding a long iron shovel, stand beside the pot, taking turns stirring constantly. They have to ensure the temperature is just right, prevent it from burning, and ensure the glue powder is evenly distributed throughout the pulp.
The firelight shone on their faces, and sweat streamed down their cheeks, but they still focused on the work in their hands. The people around them also gathered around, their eyes fixed on the slurry in the pot, hoping for a miracle to happen.
The wait was a bit long. Minutes and seconds passed, and the pulp in the pot slowly thickened. Finally, one of the craftsmen took the wet bark and pulled hard at the boiling hot pulp. They found it was different from the ones they had cooked before, and after a while, they couldn't pull it apart. The two of them exclaimed, "This really works!" "It must be done!"
The fire was stopped, and the boiling hot gum was poured onto the prepared wooden boards. It made a sizzling sound, and the thick hot steam forced everyone to take a few steps back.
Kuaijiao brought three guards, who were deployed at the four corners at the same time, one on the left, one on the right, one in front and one behind. Two of them used a long, round wooden stick to roll the gum quickly from the middle to both ends, rolling it back and forth like a pancake.
Soon, the large ball of gum was flattened into a gum cake more than an inch thick. Seeing that they were a little exhausted, a few more guards came up to take turns, and Chuyi also took one of the positions.
"Hurry up, the gum is almost cooling down. Don't roll it in the middle. Roll out one corner each and see how thin you can roll it." Xu Zize was a little anxious when he saw that the gum cake was still so thick, and he urged.
The guards quickened their pace, rolling the edges of the rubber cake with their wooden sticks. As they rolled it, the rubber cake gradually became thinner.
"Uncle Ling, give it a try and see how tough it is."
Seeing Ling Bo taking action, Jing Chunxi didn't want to be idle at this time. He picked up a piece of oilcloth that was not much bigger than a palm that he had prepared long ago, avoided the four people with sticks, folded the oilcloth in half, quickly grabbed the edge of the rubber cake, and pulled it out with all his strength.
"It's very elastic. Look, look, it doesn't break." Jing Chunxi pulled and shouted loudly, causing everyone except the four people who were rolling the rubber cake to look at her and the rubber she was pulling.
She pulled the gum out half a foot long, so that the part where it was pulled became thinner and thinner, but it did not break like in their previous experiments.
"Really? Miss, you're amazing!" Xiao Man and the other children exclaimed in amazement, and Jing Chunxi herself was beaming with pride. Her excitement only grew stronger, and she began waving the hand free of the oilcloth, as if to show off her accomplishments.
However, at this moment, Xu Zize, who was standing by, was startled when she saw Jing Chunxi's action. Although the gum in her hand was no longer smoking, the temperature was definitely not very low.
How could this girl be so troublesome and not afraid of anything? Pushing her away with all his strength, Jing Chunxi stumbled back a few steps. When he stood still, he found that the oilcloth in his hand had fallen to the ground, and the gum he had pulled out had also bounced back.
"What are you doing?"
Jing Chunxi was so angry that he forgot the respectful title he usually addressed him, and anger appeared on his face.
"Don't do things that are not your business!" Xu Zize's face was not very good. Without even looking at Jing Chunxi, he said to Kuaijiao, "You come!" Kuaijiao quickly took the oilcloth and continued to pull the gum.
Jing Chunxi stood aside, looking at Xu Zize angrily, his heart full of grievance and confusion.
The result of the final experiment finally made Jing Chunxi feel half relieved.
"It's much more tear-resistant and not easy to tear. It's also softer and more elastic, and it dissipates heat faster than before."
The final conclusion reached by Ling Bo and the two craftsmen was not groundless, because everyone saw the results of the experiment.
"After it cooled down, we cut a piece and rubbed it on a rough stone. It was quite wear-resistant. After rubbing it dozens of times, we only saw a few scratches." A Kuan excitedly showed everyone their discovery.
A Kuan and Daniu didn't join in just now, but unexpectedly, after the cooldown, they still started playing, and they played well. It is true that the young are formidable, and they achieved good results while playing.
"This is absolutely perfect for shoe soles. I don't have to worry about rainy days anymore."
"Let's make some covers for the wheels too! That way we'll have to replace them less often."
"It won't give you a sore bottom."
Everyone was discussing it at once, their faces filled with excitement, as if they had already witnessed the tremendous changes brought about by this new material.
However, just as everyone was discussing it heatedly, Cuifang suddenly became unhappy. She stopped everyone in her loudest voice and said, "You agreed to make the ball for us first, and you're not keeping your word. I need to cut a few more pieces of rubber to make a Cuju."
Cuifang's words made everyone stunned for a moment, and then everyone laughed. Yes, they almost forgot about the children.
"Can we make a hollow ball? That way we don't waste so much gum." Daniel's ideas often came to him spontaneously. The balls they played with were a bit heavy and didn't allow them to jump high, so this idea wasn't just a sudden thought; it had been brewing for a long time.
His words caused everyone to laugh again.
"Don't talk nonsense." He had just finished speaking when Ling Bo stopped him. He thought it was a joke. His son liked to talk nonsense and was also whimsical. He said things but couldn't do them.
"You can give it a try later," Jing Chunxi said immediately, no doubt encouraging the children. Daniu, who had just taken two steps back, stretched his foot back again. His eyes lit up, as if he saw hope for the future.
Xu Zize intervened, "We'll have to try a few more times tomorrow. Once we're done, we can do whatever we want." His words heightened everyone's excitement. They nodded in agreement, their faces filled with anticipation. They also knew this was just the beginning; they still needed to explore the perfect ratio.
As night fell and the firelight under the banyan tree gradually died down, everyone left with full hope and expectation. They needed to rest up enough to greet the dawn of tomorrow.