Although you can find necessary information such as temperature and carbon content by looking up information on the Internet, this information cannot be transformed into the experience necessary for ancient steelmaking.

Therefore, Li Hongyun could only use his talent to enhance his observation and memory, and write down all the details through constant attempts.

"The first step is to refine sponge iron.

"The ancient method of refining the Yi sword that I found is to spread the dried iron sand and charcoal layer by layer in the furnace, then light the fire and blow the air continuously;

"It is also said that the ore powder of iron ore and the limestone used as a combustion accelerator, that is, limestone, can be mixed in a ratio of approximately 2:1 to form raw material powder and then smelted in the furnace.

"The raw materials given to me in the workshop are ready-made iron sand and limestone powder. As for the shape of the entire furnace, it looks somewhat different from the jade steel furnace of Yi Dao. It is more like a fusion of multiple furnaces...

…

"In this case, I will try adding limestone powder first. Anyway, it is absolutely impossible to succeed the first time. You have to constantly adjust the amount of various raw materials and the heat to get a relatively good result.

"Speaking of which, this game is quite friendly. At least it provides me with an unlimited supply of iron sand and other raw materials..."

Li Hongyun directed these tool makers and craftsmen to mix iron sand and limestone powder, and fill the furnace with charcoal layer by layer. After filling, he started to light the fire and asked the craftsmen to start blowing air continuously.

.

In the process, Li Hongyun discovered that these craftsmen were really just tool men.

Whatever he assigned these craftsmen to do, they would continue to carry it out to the letter; but for the things Li Hongyun didn't say, they would rather stand by and do it than do it.

For example, during the smelting process, a large amount of impurities will flow out from the bottom of the furnace.

These impurities are slag from smelting, and they need to be cleaned regularly after flowing out, otherwise they will be blocked.

It took a lot of trouble for Li Hongyun to arrange all the craftsmen clearly, but he himself carefully speeded up the flow of time or paused to confirm the status of the iron ore smelting.

There is an unlimited supply of high-quality iron sand and charcoal in the game, which is already very friendly.

Because in reality, although iron ore exists in large quantities, their iron content varies.

The main task of iron-making is to extract iron from iron oxides and other impurities, so the higher the iron-containing ore, the easier it is to smelt high-quality iron.

General iron ore cannot be smelted directly. It must be crushed, ground into very fine particles, and screened multiple times, so as to ultimately ensure the efficiency of smelting and the quality of the finished product.

Since the ancients did not have large machinery, crushing a large amount of iron ore was quite troublesome. These craftsmen preferred to find gravel with a relatively high iron content for smelting.

As for charcoal, it was actually not easy to obtain in ancient times.

Not only do you need to build a kiln for firing, but the charcoal burned by different types of trees will also be different. If you want to ensure the burning time, burning temperature and other conditions, you need to carefully select the wood.

Moreover, in the process of burning charcoal, there are also high requirements for the construction of charcoal kiln.

There is also an unlimited supply of the best charcoal in the game, which also saves players a lot of time.

Li Hongyun carefully observed the status of the furnace, including the color of the flame, the approximate temperature, the color of the slag flowing out from the bottom, etc.

The role of combustion accelerants is obvious.

Limestone powder and charcoal work together to reduce iron oxide to iron and form separable calcium salts with impurities.

Since the melting point of impurities in the entire furnace is lower than that of iron, a large amount of impurities will be discharged in a molten state during the smelting process. Iron, because of its higher melting point, will not melt at this temperature, but will only be softened into lumps.

, stay in the middle and lower part of the furnace.

The whole process was very long. Li Hongyun was relatively conservative at the beginning and did not dare to fast forward for too long. He quickly stopped and took a look every time he fast forwarded a section.

But gradually, he lost patience and began to fast forward.

The sun rose and set, and the entire smelting process lasted for three days and three nights.

These craftsmen are waiting around 24 hours a day, taking care of each other in turn. Every once in a while, they have to add an appropriate amount of iron sand, charcoal or other things, and they have to constantly discharge the residue from below.

Of course, it is up to Li Hongyun to decide how much to add.

It is said that craftsmen with many years of smelting experience can judge the burning situation in the furnace just by listening to the sound of the furnace fire, and increase or decrease the input of raw materials according to the situation. You can also check whether the iron sand has been burned by the color change of the flame at the bottom of the furnace.

It turned into a spongy piece of rough iron.

This sponge-like rough iron block is called jade steel during the forging process of Yi Dao.

This is not surprising, after all, the principles of ancient iron-making are roughly similar, and the forging technology of Yi swords was also passed down from China and has been developed locally.

But later, due to the different cultures of the two sides, the casting technology developed differently.

Because the Qi Dynasty and Sheng Dynasty had a large number of armies, they were destined not to spend too many resources on one weapon, and they pursued standard weapons that could be equipped in large quantities. Moreover, due to the popularity of heavy armor, the role of ordinary swords

It is also very insignificant, and it is far inferior to weapons such as axes and spears in use;

As for the Yi Dao, because the local armor rate was low and the scale of the battle was small, they continued to study the knife forging technology. Finally, they overtook the Sheng Dynasty, and General Deng Yuanjing in turn learned the Yi Dao's system to create the Sheng Dynasty.

The standard weapon of the army.

"It's almost there, look!"

Li Hongyun saw that the iron nuggets and charcoal ash were accumulating more and more, and the entire smelting process in the furnace was basically over. He immediately ordered the craftsmen to quickly break open the furnace, remove the slag and charcoal ash that could not be melted, and took out the extremely high temperature from the inside.

spongy lump of rough iron.

This process is very painful, because the temperature of the furnace is very high. During the process of opening the furnace, the high temperature generated by the flame will burn the skin of the craftsman, making people unbearable.

But these craftsmen cannot wait until it cools down before starting work, because the iron material may solidify with many impurities after it is completely cooled.

"Such a big piece of crude steel..."

Li Hongyun was a little stunned when he saw what the craftsmen had dug out.

Because these crude steels were so big, it was a bit beyond his expectation.

When making iron for the first time, Li Hongyun had no estimate at all about how much iron sand to add or how much crude steel to make. He just mastered the essence of kneading dough. If there is too much dough, add water, if there is too much water, add more dough. He strictly follows what he found before.

Configure it in proportion to fill the entire furnace.

"So what do I do next...

"Well, sorting."

Li Hongyun looked at the several large pieces of crude steel in front of him and roughly determined his next goal.

Judging from the situation of crude steel, it seems to be pretty good.

In fact, there are many details in the smelting process. If there is a problem with the proportion of various materials, or the temperature is insufficient due to the entry of moisture, it may cause the entire furnace to be scrapped.

And Li Hongyun may have triggered his European Emperor talent, and the crude steel he produced actually looked pretty good.

But this is only the first step in forging.

The next important task is sorting.

In the process of forging knives using the ancient method, after the crude steel comes out, it can be cut and then taken to the blacksmith shop for repeated forging.

But in the forging process of Yi Dao, there is another important process after such crude steel comes out, which is selection.

Because there are many impurities and unqualified iron materials such as pig iron in this crude steel, only a small part of it is suitable for making weapons.

This special material that is most suitable for making weapons is called jade steel in Yi Dao, and it is actually a type of carbon steel.

Its properties are between pig iron and wrought iron. The carbon content in it must be about 1% to 1.7%. The specific carbon content depends on the carbon monoxide content in the furnace and the heating time.

The so-called pig iron refers to iron with a carbon content of more than 2%, which is brittle and easy to break; wrought iron refers to iron with a carbon content of less than 0.05%, which is too soft and not suitable for combat.

In ancient times when iron smelting technology was underdeveloped, some foreign soldiers would bend their long swords after stabbing the enemy and had to straighten them on the ground before continuing to use them. This was because the carbon content of wrought iron was too low and too soft.

Only iron with a carbon content within this range can be called steel, and its hardness and flexibility have reached an optimal balance.

Li Hongyun directed the craftsmen to beat the raw crude steel into small pieces while it was hot, then soak them in water to cool, and then take them apart for observation.

I have to say, these sponge steels are pretty good-looking.

At first glance, it looks like a black stone, but if you look closely, you will find that there is a dense honeycomb structure on it, much like a sponge. You can also see that the granular raised parts seem to sparkle with a metallic luster.

"It is best to choose heavy steel blocks with bright silver color. If the edges are rough and have gray-black debris, it is an unqualified product and cannot be used...

"Um……

"Why do I feel like I'm not up to par..."

"This one seems okay.

"This piece...should be okay, right?"

Li Hongyun checked and reluctantly picked out a few pieces that looked pretty good.

Of course, he was not sure whether he had made the right choice, because this choice itself relied entirely on pure experience and required a large number of failures to accumulate.

"Okay, let's try it with these pieces first."

Li Hongyun clamped several pieces of sponge steel that he carefully selected with iron pliers and reheated them, then placed them on the anvil and began to beat them repeatedly.

His original idea was to complete the entire beating process himself.

After all, in this dungeon, the player's physical energy is infinite, so he will not get tired no matter how long he hammers.

And if you beat yourself, you will definitely have a clearer grasp of the strength.

But after hammering for a while, Li Hongyun gave up and chose to leave it to other craftsmen to complete.

Because this process is so boring!

The so-called hard work is definitely not an exaggeration.
To be continued...