"Oh, right, Faubert! How many glazed ware have you made? "
Just as Faubert was about to go out and organize the manpower, Li Zexuan suddenly asked.
Previously, the workshop developed glass mainly to use it on the front cover of the compass. Later, as the fleet went south, the demand for the compass also declined. However, the glass kiln could not be idle. Li Zexuan ordered the workers to continue to produce glass cups and other glassware. Although the output was not very high, it must have accumulated a lot after so long.
This thing can make a huge profit ~!
If the cement could not be produced, selling this batch of glassware might be able to alleviate the urgent need!
"Young Master! You finally remembered ~! "
Faubert was stunned and then said with a bitter face, "Previously, according to your instructions, the workshop's glass kiln continued to produce glassware. Now, those glassware have piled up in a room! There are at least more than a thousand pieces! "
Speaking of this, Faubert's expression flashed with a hint of complexity. Before this, to all of them, glassware was a high and mighty luxury. If any family had a glass cup, wouldn't they treat it like a treasure? But now, the glassware in the workshop was overflowing. All of them were piled up in the warehouse like garbage. The world was changing too fast!
"Hehe! That's just right! Faubert, arrange a group of people to package this batch of glassware in a while. The more exquisite the packaging, the better! I want to sell them at a good price! "
Li Zexuan said excitedly.
He knew that the rarer something was, the more valuable it was. Taking out so much glassware at once, the average price would definitely be lower. However, he could not wait any longer. He needed a lot of money.
"Yes, Young Master!"
Faubert also heaved a sigh of relief and cupped his hands.
"Mm! This is not enough! Faubert, I still have a way to make glass mirrors. The process is very simple. Get someone to make fifty of them first! "
Li Zexuan did a rough calculation. These thousand pieces of glassware, in the most ideal situation, could only be sold for fifty to sixty thousand strings of cash. So, he thought of a very important derivative of glass — mirrors.
He believed that as long as it was a rich lady, she would not be able to resist its charm. Naturally, it would be more profitable.
"Oh? Young Master, please tell me! This old man will remember. "
Faubert's eyes lit up and quickly said.
"Hehe! This is very simple. Faubert, get someone to stick the tin foil on one side of the glass and then pour mercury. The tin foil will dissolve in mercury and become a silver-white liquid.... then it will become a glass mirror that is a hundred times clearer than a bronze mirror! "
Li Zexuan said confidently.
Speaking of mirrors, it has a history of more than 3,000 years. In the beginning, people used bronze mirrors. It was a round plate made of bronze that had been polished until it was smooth and clean. The reflection of the human figure in this bronze mirror was not bright. It would also rust and had to be polished often.
Around 1700 AD, the Glass Mirror was born. In the beginning, people made glass mirrors by sticking a piece of tin foil tightly on the glass and then pouring mercury. Because mercury was able to dissolve tin, it became a viscous silver-white liquid called tin amalgam, which was tightly attached to the glass plate. Glass mirrors were a big step forward from bronze mirrors and were very popular. For a time, it became a treasure that kings and nobles competed to buy.
At that time, only the factories in Venice could make this new glass mirror. European countries went to buy it, and wealth flooded to Venice like a tide. The mirror factories were concentrated on Murano Island, surrounded by sentries and tightly sealed off. Later, the French government used a lot of money to bribe four Venetian mirror craftsmen and secretly smuggled them out of the country. Since then, the secret of the mercury glass mirror was made public, and its value was not so noble.
However, the reflection ability of the mercury coated mirror was not very strong. It was time-consuming to make, and mercury was poisonous, so it was later eliminated.
Modern mirrors had a thin layer of silver on the back. This layer of silver was not painted on, nor did it need to be electroplated. It was painted on by a chemical "silver mirror reaction". Glucose water was added to the ammonia solution of silver nitrate. The glucose reduced the silver ions into silver particles and deposited them on the glass to make a silver mirror. Finally, a layer of paint was applied.
Li Zexuan also wanted to make this kind of silver mirror, but it would take a lot of effort to make nitric acid. He wanted to leave this difficult task to his future students.
As for the key material of glass mirrors, tin foil, it was already available in the Tang Dynasty. Tin foil was a handicraft product unique to Shaoxing in the early years. In ancient times, its main use was to make underworld money to worship ghosts and gods. It first appeared in the Han Dynasty.
"It can be done like this? Can it really be done? Young master? "
Faubert was excited when he heard Li Zexuan say "a hundred times clearer than a bronze mirror" and quickly asked.
"Of course, I don't have time to explain the principles of this to you, Faubert, but as long as you do as I say, you will definitely be able to make this kind of high-quality glass mirror!"
"Haha! Good, good, good! I'll arrange it now, I'll arrange it now! "
Faubert couldn't wait and wanted to go out and take people to do the experiment.
Li Zexuan quickly stopped him and said, "Faubert, wait!"
"What's wrong?"
Li Zexuan said seriously, "Mercury is very volatile. Once it is inhaled into the lungs, it will definitely cause poisoning. If the workshop wants to use this method to make glass mirrors, it must first solve this safety problem! Let's do it this way, you can ask people to sew a batch of special masks. Add a few layers of carbon powder inside the masks, and then use coarse cloth to separate them. The thicker the better! The people who participate in the manufacture of glass mirrors must wear this special mask. "
Faubert felt strange and said, "Young master, can't we just use the previous masks? Why do you need to do something superfluous? "
"Of course not! We must use this mask! Faubert, listen to me! "
Li Zexuan said decisively.
Ordinary masks are only used to prevent particulate matter, which is commonly known as dust. However, mercury vapor is poisonous and harmful gas, so they must wear that kind of protective equipment that includes a filter device. If it weren't for the lack of conditions, Li Zexuan would have asked people to make gas masks!
"Yes! Young master! Then this old man will go and arrange these matters now! "
Faubert had no choice but to do as he was told.
"En! Faubert, you go and do your work! I'll go to the editorial department at the back office! "
Li Zexuan thought about it and also went out with Faubert.
In order to sell this batch of glass at a good price, the necessary publicity was indispensable. So he had to ask Ma Zhou to design the advertisement in advance.
At this time, the superiority of Datang Daily was completely reflected! They could advertise themselves at any time!
…
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