The old things I repaired have become fine

Chapter 229 Shen Le: Why are the instruments purchased for million still not enough?
Choosing not to use kingfisher feathers for repair does not mean that Shen Le can reduce the effort he spends on repairing the phoenix crown.

In fact, he still had a lot of work to do. Even though the phoenix crown looked relatively intact and not damaged, it did not mean that there was less work to do.

Shen Le sighed and took photos of the Phoenix Coronet, taking photos from multiple ranges and angles. Then, he took it to the laboratory and took a CT scan...

Yes, the first step in restoration is to give the cultural relic a physical examination. This thing looks relatively intact on the outside, but who knows what's going on inside?

Are there any parts on the dragons and phoenixes, the butterflies, the claws inlaid with pearls, and the entire crown that are particularly rusted?
Is there any part where the strength is very low and it will break with the slightest movement?
Is there any part that is actually broken and is only barely held in place by the support of various parts nearby?

These problems cannot be seen with the naked eye, and can only be detected through non-destructive testing. If you want to take a CT scan, you cannot go to the nearest town people's hospital, as you will probably be kicked out:
"What the hell? What the hell is taking pictures of a phoenix coronet?"

"All metal?"

"Didn't we agree that you can't have any metal objects on your body during the CT scan? Belt buckles, zippers, keys, you all need to take them off. Since you're a boy, I won't mention underwear..."

Only when it is sent to the laboratory, will colleagues in the laboratory show an understanding look like "Oh, here it comes again".

Even, he can be enthusiastically guided on how to place the objects to be tested, how to adjust the software, and how to export the 3D data he needs...

Yes, because it is a metal component with a particularly complex shape, 3D reconstruction is required to visually see where the problem is.

Otherwise, if he relies on himself to look at those slice CT images one by one, he will never understand it in his lifetime!
After the CT scan, I took it back to the studio and continued my research. Thank goodness, some of the things I recently bought finally arrived, so I don’t have to go to Binhai every time to borrow equipment by scanning my face.

Although it was the face of the Special Affairs Bureau, but the face of the Special Affairs Bureau is still a face!

Just like Palu’s life is life too!
Shen Le picked up a handheld X-ray fluorescence spectrometer that was shaped a bit like a hair dryer, but whose head was N times larger and heavier than a hair dryer. He aimed it at various parts of the phoenix crown and slowly rotated it.

This instrument can analyze the base material of an object, for example, telling you whether the piece in front of you is gold or silver.

OK, the surface is gold, and some places where the gold color disappears appear as silver, which confirms that it should be gilt silver.

For example, some places that are obviously welding points can tell you the composition of this part, so that you can follow the map and prepare traditional welding flux.

This thing is not expensive, just over 100,000 yuan each. Yes, with Shen Le’s current wealth, he can already say the word “just”.

You can use the things you buy however you want and for as long as you want.

I feel like there was something wrong with the last measurement, so it’s okay to measure it again. I won’t get the cold shoulder from the researcher who recorded the time and needed to use the instrument.

"It's just so heavy... 1.2 kilograms! Holding it in my hand all the time, aiming it at this point, then that point, and turning it slowly, it's so tiring!"

Shen Le put down the spectrometer and shook his hands vigorously.

Lifting a 1.2 kg dumbbell times and holding it for minutes with slow movements in between will consume completely different amounts of muscle!
Even though he had the bonus of internal strength, and even though he practiced the Five Animal Exercises every day, he still felt that the muscles in his entire arm were a little sore.

Logically speaking, the teachers in the laboratory are ordinary people and can hold the instruments and operate them normally. He shouldn't be so tired!

Is it because the way I’m exerting force is wrong?
Or was he just too nervous?

Shen Le insisted on measuring the data, and then put the phoenix crown under the super-depth-of-field microscope to observe the craftsmanship details.

Well, this VHX-600 ultra-depth microscope combines a viewing microscope, a tool microscope, and a metallographic microscope in one. It is not expensive, costing less than yuan...

fall!
Where is it not expensive!
Whether it is expensive or not depends on what you compare it with. For example, the SEM scanning electron microscope next to it... the spectrometer and super depth of field microscope combined are not even a fraction of the others...

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha……

Shen Le worked hard for three or four days and finally figured out the general situation of the phoenix crown.

This purely folk phoenix crown had the lowest specifications he had ever seen. Not to mention the twelve-dragon and nine-phoenix crowns or the nine-dragon and nine-phoenix crowns, it didn't even have three dragons and two phoenixes.

Shen Le looked left and right, and only saw two birds made of pearls. They should be gilded birds. Because they looked too abstract, he couldn't be sure whether they were phoenixes or pheasants.

There are two large pearl flowers in the center of the Phoenix Coronet, and several smaller pearl flowers are gathered around them. In the outer circle, a pile of gold and silver pieces are gathered together tremblingly...

There were two birds made of pearls flying on the top of the phoenix crown, and on the left and right of the phoenix crown, there were two gilded... probably birds too. A string of pearls hung from the left bird's beak, and there was nothing in the right bird's beak.

Shen Le: “…”

So this is actually a damaged phoenix crown?

Do I need to fill it up?

Shen Le sighed, regretting that he had not seen it clearly in his memory and had not carefully observed what the phoenix crown looked like. He had no choice but to roll up his sleeves and start looking up information:

Well, in the Ming Dynasty, especially in the late Ming Dynasty, it was customary for common women to wear the ninth-rank crown and clothing when they got married. As for what the phoenix crown of the ninth-rank lady looked like... "Ming History, Chapter 43, Vehicle and Clothing, Chapter 3" stipulates the crown and clothing of the lady as follows:

"From the seventh to the ninth rank, the crown is smeared with gold and silver, with two pearl phoenixes, two pearl laurels at the beginning, six pearls half-open, twenty-four emerald clouds, eighteen emerald laurel leaves, and a pair of emerald rings.

The upper part of the belt is decorated with eight gold and silver ornaments, two gold and silver pheasants, and two pearl knots in the mouth.

Well, those two strange-looking birds are probably, perhaps, Zhai birds. The pearl flowers in the middle are probably "pearls with laurel at the beginning, two, pearls half open, six" -

Unfortunately, the record of customs and clothing was not clearly written. He looked through the information for a long time before he found out that the "beginning" talked about the shape of the flowers on the crown and clothing.

"Opening" means in full bloom, and "half-open" means not fully open. As for this pearl flower, is it in the form of a laurel flower?

Shen Le looked left and right, up and down. Forgive his lack of imagination, the pattern of the pearl flower was too abstract, and he couldn't see it at all...

Anyway, after finding the pattern on the Internet, Shen Lexin decided. Combining the data from various instruments, the ring of this phoenix crown is a little deformed and needs to be repaired;
Inside the ring, the copper wire gilded crown is a little deflated and needs to be reshaped;
The silver-gilt flower ornaments were crooked, slanted, and unsoldered, and two of them were missing. Shen Le had to think of a way to make them.

The left and right halves of the Zhai bird were welded together, and the middle part was obviously desoldered, leaving only the head part, which needed to be re-welded;
Oh, and there are also the green clouds and green laurel leaves below. Some are pure metal pieces, and some are actually inlaid with kingfisher feathers. The kingfisher feathers have obviously faded and fallen off. He has to repair this...

Shen Le sighed and began to repair it. He couldn't find any silver-gilt accessories. If he ordered them directly, he was afraid that they would use gold plating instead of gold plating. He could only do it himself and slowly make the accessories:

The first thing is of course to find the right silver. According to the silver content measured by the X-ray fluorescence spectrometer, buy old silver with similar proportions. Yes, modern 925 silver is not enough.

Then, use a tin hammer to slowly hammer, hammer by hammer, not too light, not too heavy. Beat it into a uniform silver sheet, cut it into flower ornaments with scissors, and then shape it, shape it, shape it...

Well, shaping is not important, what is important is practice. The ring and the flower ornaments are a little deformed. Instead of trimming them later, which will be crooked with one hammer and flattened with another hammer, it is better to practice now!

Oh, I am suffering...

After practicing hammering out the flower ornaments, the remaining part of the silver sheet is beaten to 0.5 mm thick and then carefully welded together.

The solder also needs to be prepared separately. You can't just buy some rosin and solder online. Shen Le specially took out a scale:
Three equal parts of tin, copper and silver are heated together to form an alloy, then crushed into small particles. This thing is called "six-percent solder" by ancient craftsmen and is specially used to solder gold and silver wares.

When welding, add borax to 60% of the flux. According to weight, add one part borax to three parts flux. Mix well with clean water and carefully drop a line of flux on the weld.

Then, place the weld over a low flame and bake it slowly...

"Why isn't it baked yet?"

"Why isn't it baked yet?"

"Am I using too little fire?"

Shen Le scratched his head. He pushed his thumb forward and turned up the flame a little. A stream of flames rolled up, and immediately, the solder turned white, and then the silver sheets on both sides cracked with a click...

There was no choice but to choose two more pieces of silver and start over. This time, Shen Le was extremely patient and slowly baked them over a low flame until the water evaporated and the solder turned white little by little.

Shen Le followed the instructions in the materials and videos and quickly turned the flame from low to high. He watched the silver sheet burn red and the solder melt into liquid and seep into the weld...

Turn off the fire immediately!

Get out the silver!

It's over. I didn't put enough solder and the silver piece broke again...

Once again, too much solder was added, and small bumps formed on the weld...

Let's do it again... The problem this time is that the placement is not even. Some places are welded, and in some places, gaps can be clearly seen...

Shen Le tried again and again, and he was sweating profusely. He also tried to use his mental power to explore, but the temperature of the flame was too high, and when his mental power extended to it, he felt a burning pain.

There is no other way but to use mental power to control the application of solder during the soldering stage, and withdraw immediately once the fire is turned up!
“My level is still too low!”

Shen Le sighed. It would be nice if there was a laser welding machine. It is said that it can achieve fine welding of a few tenths of a millimeter. Unfortunately, I can't afford it...

joke!

The equipment in this room has cost me half of my fortune, a total of 50 million!
Unfortunately, it’s still not enough… Why is it still not enough…

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(End of this chapter)