52. Seeking Help from the Internet Gurus
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After finishing his meal, Yang Fan glanced at the clock—it was already eight o’clock. He decided to go online and watch some short videos to take a brief break. The advantage of having a ring that could connect directly to the network signal nearby was not to be wasted.
Scrolling through, he came across a live stream by a guy who was saying, “Hey everyone, check this out! Cockroach engraving! Cockroach engraving! Carving all sorts of names—Southern Ten Lives Big Cockroach, genuine and easy to raise, won’t die even if your cat dies.”
“Back length no less than three centimeters, engraved with gold powder, never fades. One cockroach limited to four characters.”
“Engrave your boss, your ex, your enemy.”
“Relieves stress and anger! Today’s big sale, only 199 yuan. Fast shipping, guaranteed delivery. Plus a cockroach breeding jar as a gift. Don’t hesitate, folks, place your orders now!”
Yang Fan couldn’t help but laugh foolishly for a moment; it lifted his spirits considerably.
As he continued browsing, he suddenly noticed a video by a user named ****UP. The video demonstrated how to make a small iron-smelting furnace out of mud in the wild, how to smelt iron using charcoal, and even how to forge a spearhead.
Yang Fan felt this guy was not just a casual player; he seemed to have a solid understanding of casting.
After following him, Yang Fan realized the streamer was live.
“Friends, I’m casting replica Han Dynasty toilet tally sticks, finely polished with no burrs, everyone who’s used them says they’re great. Only 33 yuan each, plus this diamond sand brand toilet paper. It cures chronic constipation and cleans better the more you use it.”
Damn, what a character.
Thinking about that rough toilet paper made Yang Fan shudder slightly.
He immediately sent a rocket gift.
The streamer’s live broadcast was rather dull—at most, he received a few small hearts.
A rocket gift cost fifty yuan; Yang Fan was thrilled.
A kindred spirit.
The streamer kept thanking his loyal fans profusely.
Yang Fan quickly sent a private message and added him on WeChat.
As expected, the request was accepted.
The profile picture was of a chubby man with a round face and large ears.
“Hey buddy, are you into casting?”
“Yeah, worked in a state-owned factory for ten years.”
“I have a few questions I want to ask you. If you help me solve them, I’ll send you ten rocket gifts.”
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“Shoot, boss,” the chubby man replied excitedly.
Yang Fan sent a photo of his self-cast shattered divine gun.
“Wow, a divine gun, and a nine-section divine gun at that. You’re a top-tier player, my friend,” the chubby man exclaimed. He was the leader of a group of ancient weapon enthusiasts with over three thousand members nationwide, all into armor and weaponry.
“Just messing around,” Yang Fan said modestly. “What should I call you?”
“Wu Hua. How about you?”
“Yang Fan.”
“Did you cast this yourself?” Wu Hua sounded genuinely professional. “Looks like the cooling time wasn’t long—made it in the last couple of days?”
“Yes, I actually tested it with gunpowder. Haha, you really know your stuff. If the police found out, we’d be in deep trouble.”
“You’re not going to report me, are you?”
“Come on, you’re the money man. Besides, we’re all enthusiasts here; we understand.”
“Can you tell me what’s wrong? Why does it always burst?”
“You’re using the old method, right? I zoomed in on the fracture cross-section. Quality-wise, you’re using a clay furnace to smelt your own iron, making sand molds with clay—wow, the whole package. You really know how to play.”
“I want to make ancient firearms using ancient methods—that’s the authentic way and way more interesting.”
Wu Hua sent a thumbs-up emoji followed by an image of continuous kneeling.
In big red letters: “Master, please accept my bow.”
“I’ll tell you why. It’s simple, but an outsider wouldn’t understand.”
Wu Hua explained patiently.
The problem with clay molds is that they require a long time to dry thoroughly, yet no matter how much you dry them, there’s always moisture inside.
When casting, the molten iron heats up and rapidly evaporates the moisture in the mold, but some of the steam infiltrates the iron.
This creates bubbles, which weaken the metal’s integrity and drastically reduce strength, causing the barrel to burst.
Also, to avoid bursting, gun barrels are made relatively thick, which leads to uneven cooling conditions between the inner and outer walls.
First, the inner surface area is certainly smaller than the outer one, so the inner wall cools slower.
Second, ventilation inside is poor, making heat dissipation difficult. The outside cools before the inside does.
This uneven cooling rate generates stress and causes invisible cracks inside the barrel, creating hidden fracture risks.
Mechanically, the barrel’s interior must endure the pressure from gunpowder combustion and must be the hardest and most wear-resistant part.
In casting, the faster metal cools, the harder it becomes, which results in a hard exterior but soft interior.
However, barrels need to be hard inside and softer outside, as a softer outer layer increases toughness and better prevents bursting.
“Is there any way to fix this?” Yang Fan asked.
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“Ten rockets for the full solution!” Wu Hua immediately raised his price.
“Most of the money from gifts goes to the platform. How about I send you a 200 yuan red envelope instead?”
“Deal!”
Wu Hua shared the solution.
First, give up clay mold casting in favor of iron mold casting. Iron molds contain no moisture, so no bubbles form.
“But clay molds are disposable—you break them to get the barrel out. If you use iron molds, won’t the molten iron stick to the mold after cooling? How do you get it out?”
“Don’t be silly, you don’t let them touch directly. First, coat the inside of the iron mold with graphite powder. That way, nothing sticks. After cooling, just disassemble the iron mold—it’s made of two halves clamped together, some large ones are assembled from multiple parts. Finally, sand off the graphite powder from the casting with sandpaper.”
Yang Fan was enlightened—he hadn’t realized this approach was possible.
“Also, think about it: with clay molds, you have to make a wooden pattern first, one per barrel. The cost is huge.”
“Iron molds are reusable, saving money and time. Clay molds need a drying period of ten to fifteen days, while an iron mold can cast hundreds of barrels a day.”
Yang Fan was stunned—this was the difference between an expert and an amateur.
The bubble problem was solved.
“What about cooling? The cracks haven’t been addressed yet.”
“Two ways: first, water cooling. This requires experience because water limits the max temperature to 100 degrees Celsius. Cooling too fast without skill can worsen cracking. Repeated quenching can increase hardness and strength, enhancing barrel performance.”
“The second method is oil quenching. It’s costlier, but oil has a higher boiling point, cools slower, and works better.”
Yang Fan understood.
“Buddy, I can make the iron molds for you. Just give me the dimensions, and I’ll machine them and send them to you.”
“How much each?”
“Not expensive—200 yuan a set, shipping included. I’ll throw in usage instructions and quenching process files.”
“Send me five sets.”
Without hesitation, Yang Fan transferred 600 yuan to Wu Hua, agreeing to pay the rest upon delivery.
He had the molds shipped to the teleportation factory, where his monkey assistant would store them in the warehouse. Yang Fan would then quietly teleport them over—small items like these required minimal energy.
Yang Fan keenly sensed this technology was extraordinary. If it could be applied to casting gun barrels, it could also be used for cannons.
If this knowledge reached Song Yingsheng, it would be like giving it to Xu Guangqi.
Giving it to Xu Guangqi was like handing it over to Sun Yuanhua.
Sun Yuanhua couldn’t even control his own subordinates; giving him this would be like gifting it to the Manchus.
If Yang Fan wanted to win over Song Yingsheng, he had to be sincere. Whether Song Yingsheng found out about this technique was a troubling question.