I built a manor in the Middle Ages

Chapter 192 Bellows
It is not difficult to build an earthen stove. The difficult part is that even though the loess is carefully selected, there are still many impurities inside.

Luke simply sat on the ground and spent a while picking up all the debris and throwing it away. Then he piled up a circle of water pits and began to stir the yellow mud.

But before that, you need to chop the thatch into pieces and soak it.

"The yellow mud with thatch added will be more solid. This is the experience of building mud houses in the past."

Luc pulled out the notched dagger, looked at the rough cracks on it, and couldn't help muttering, "This thing is really not durable."

Luc did not have the arrogance to not care about the damage of one or two pieces of iron just because he was about to cast iron. On the contrary, he felt very distressed.

He had no doubt that he could really make iron, but he was very worried about the quality of the final product.

Even though he knew nothing about iron smelting, he at least knew that weapons required higher quality iron than farm tools.

Therefore, every weapon currently available is really not missing a single one.
Carefully put away the dagger and don't rush to pile up.

The thatch needs to be soaked for at least a few hours.

Luc looked at the yellow mud. In fact, the best material for the iron furnace at the moment was bricks.

But that would require a lot of engineering and reasonable planning, and this iron smelting was essentially a practice, which not only tested whether Jason was really qualified as he said, but also provided an opportunity to think about the future development of Black Ridge Valley.

Seeing that the two were still digging, Luc took the opportunity to move the charcoal down the mountain. After waiting for a while, Jason finally stopped the pickaxe and said, slightly panting, "Sir, we have almost enough iron ore!"

Luke's eyes lit up, and he hurried forward to look at the small pieces of ore on the ground. The two men had minced them very finely.

Luke didn't wait any longer. The next moment, following Jason's suggestion, he gathered some loose wood and lit it, then threw all the fist-sized iron ores into the fire.

"Baking it for a while makes it easier to smash, and it also makes the iron harder."

Jason explained, "This is a trick Smith told me."

Looking at the blazing fire, Luc asked the two to clear the surrounding weeds to avoid causing a forest fire.

Every blacksmith has his own experience, and it seems that this is one of the Smith's unique secret techniques.

After baking and cooling, you can then grind the iron ore into powder.

This task was naturally given to Ryan and the others, while Luke fished out the completely soaked thatch.

Ignoring the water droplets dripping from the tip of the thatch, he wrung it out and threw it aside for later use, then squatted down and started to paste the clay stove.

Yellow mud is not like bricks and stones, so it is more difficult to build a hollow structure. Luke thought about it, took some thatch, stacked them layer by layer, pressed them hard, rolled them into a bundle, and placed it upright on the open space.

The straw bale was thick at the bottom and fine at the top. Luc scooped up a handful of yellow mud and slammed it onto the outer layer of the bale. It was a pity that the iron ore couldn't be revealed yet, otherwise digging mud would be perfect for children.

Luc continued to apply it, covering all parts except the top part, then he used crushed straw to stick to the surface, and then applied another layer of crushed straw.

On the other side, Ryan Jason was also smashing the ore with a hammer.

It was not until the sun was high in the sky that the two groups of people finished their work.

Light a fire on the tip of the thatch, and when it burns out, a hollow earth stove will be created, which can also dry the wet soil.

Feeling the choking smoke, several people squatted indecently near the river, chewing bread and dried meat. Jason suddenly slammed his thigh:
"Oops! I forgot to build the blower!"

"Blower?" Ryan was sitting on a huge rock and looked at Jason in confusion when he heard it.

He was a carpenter by training and didn't understand the purpose of a blower.

Luc understood instantly.

".Damn it, I actually forgot about that!"

Luc didn't know anything about iron smelting, but he knew one thing:
Why is iron difficult to cast?
In addition to the difficulty in finding iron ore and building furnaces, another big problem is that in many cases, the temperature is not high enough!
Charcoal can make up for the fuel problem, but in order to truly succeed in iron smelting, oxygen must be supplied continuously.

Only in this way can the flame burn more vigorously - iron smelting requires high temperature! "Sir, do you have any extra leather?" Jason asked hurriedly.

He knew how to build a blower, but that required leather.

Seeing Jason's regretful look, Luc shook his head. "The last bit of hide has been wetted and made into a simple pair of pliers with a wooden fork. We'll have to wait until the hunt is successful if we want the hide."

"Besides, it needs tanning."

too long.

"Linen will work too. I heard from Smith that there's a more primitive way without a blower, but it's very laborious."

Jason wiped his nose and offered a second plan, but just as he finished speaking, he saw Luke slowly stand up.

Luke waved his hand and said:

“No thanks, I thought of a better tool.”

Come in a hurry, go in a hurry.

The group accomplished nothing except leaving behind a clay furnace in Black Ridge Valley that they could not take away.

When he returned to the Knight's Castle, Luc didn't even dismount, but rushed straight to the logging camp.

Since there was a temporary lack of wind-powered tools, Jason would go and mine some more every day to see how much iron ore he could produce. He then went straight to little Maiman with the idea in his mind, stopped his work on making the light crossbow, and told him all his ideas.

"Six-sided dovetailed planks?"

“It’s not difficult, but it takes some time.”

".An oak tie rod, with ventilation holes on both sides and a hollow partition. Hmm, I see!"

Little Maiman nodded seriously as he listened, and when Luc finished speaking, he turned around swiftly, took out the wood and started working.

Thanks to the charcoal and tendons, making straight wooden boards is faster. Little Maiman is a hardworking man. He quickly sprinkles the charcoal on the tendons, pulls them apart and lets go. With two snaps, four symmetrical black lines appear on the wooden board.

Little Maiman cut along the black line skillfully, his hands as steady as a rock. In a short while, he carved out a square wooden board, and then took the tools to carve the dovetail joint.

Luc found a wooden stool to sit on and took the water bag off the horse's back. Yes, what he wanted to make was a bellows!
The moment he heard the word blower, Luc immediately thought of this simple yet practical tool.

Just by pulling the rod, it can output wind power continuously. It is simply a tool born for iron smelting!
Little Maiman made rapid progress and had carved out two wooden boards by evening. Luke took advantage of the gap to pick up a light crossbow and found that it was only half the length, width and thickness of a heavy crossbow.

"Master, what should we do next?"

The two wooden boards serve as the front and back of the bellows, with a gap for the pull rod and a small window-like vent on the top left in the front. It is covered with wooden boards that can be opened and closed. With a slight flick, it draws a semicircle in the air.

The back panel also has such a vent.

Luc carefully examined the air inlet and outlet, realizing that these two inconspicuous devices were the core of the bellows' operation.
The reason why the bellows can generate wind continuously is due to the continuous circulation between them.

This was not the first time they had made dovetail joints. They had already practiced it when building the wooden wall. The next morning, Luc called Ryan as well, and the three of them worked together for a rare occasion. Finally, they completed the construction of all the parts needed for the bellows in the afternoon.

"Yes, put it together like this. Press the round tube onto the air outlet on the lower right side. It will be installed on the earthen stove later, so remember to nail it firmly."

"Are those the chicken feathers Mary sent? Put them on the drawbar quickly!"

As the sun set, the three men worked very hard and finally a complete bellows appeared before everyone's eyes.

Luke pulled the lever, and a wheezing sound immediately lingered in his ears. The front and rear vents opened and closed as the lever moved, and the hollow partition inside blocked the air, eventually pushing it to the air outlet at the bottom right.

Feeling the fierce airflow coming from his right hand, Luc smiled and said, "It's done!"

(End of this chapter)