The workshop has a large space. Before the craftsmen arrived, Chen Jingke had already divided different functional areas and prepared some desks, shelves and other appliances.
Inside the small warehouse were piles of wooden boards that Zhang Ruiguang bought the day before yesterday, all of which were high-quality jujube boards.
Although Chen Jingke did not know the specific development history of printing, he also knew that jujube wood, boxwood, etc. were the most suitable materials for making printing engravings in terms of cost performance.
Including movable type printing, these types of wood are also the most cost-effective wood - this is written in history books and should not be false.
In fact, it is not difficult to explain the principle of printing. When Chen Jingke explained the principle clearly, he did not need to intervene in the subsequent matters at all, and the craftsmen who were eager to perform solved it by themselves.
The wooden blocks were processed according to the size of ordinary books. Fortunately, the supervisors also sent their tools, otherwise the work would not be started for a while.
When carving, everyone unanimously recommended a craftsman in his thirties or forties to make the first carving. When the technical issues were mentioned, the face of the obedient craftsman showed unprecedented confidence.
Without any humility, he took over the job without hesitation and took out his full set of tools to get started.
"His name is Mei Laoshi, and he is the best at carving small jobs among us." Tian Dachun explained at the side:
"Small jobs are very small and delicate patterns, which test the skill of the hands. If you shake them, the whole thing may be ruined. Mei Laoshi has not made any mistakes in ten years."
Chen Jingke couldn't help but be speechless. Although he didn't know how to carve, he also knew that the more subtle things were, the harder it was to work on them. There had been no mistakes in ten years. This was no longer a simple problem of craftsmanship.
He couldn't help but look forward to it a little more.
Mei Laoshi was a little embarrassed by the praise, and said: "Real people, don't listen to Dachun's nonsense, they are just a few tricks of the crop."
Although he was modest, he did not hesitate when he got the wooden board. He first glued the manuscript paper provided by Chen Jingke to the wooden board, then picked up the knife and started carving lines.
Tian Dachun lowered his voice and said: "The patterns of fine work are often more complicated. For fear of making mistakes, we will draw the pattern first and then start."
"If it's a front carving, just put the drawing directly on the material. If it's a reverse carving, you'll draw the design on paper first, stick it on the material backwards, draw out the outline and then carve it."
Chen Jingke nodded and said nothing, his eyes always staring at Mei Laoshi's hand.
Then he knew what it meant to be a skilled craftsman. The carving knife flew like butterflies in his hands, and the hard jujube wood board was like butter, and he easily dug out pieces of wood.
In some places, Chen Jingke felt that it was already perfect, and if he cut it again, there might be flaws, but he cut it without hesitation, and even more pieces of debris were peeled off.
At the end, he admired the other person's craftsmanship and felt sad at the same time. Is it normal that such a skilled craftsman has trouble supporting his family in this era?
Mei Laoshi didn't stop for a moment, and it took less than an hour to finish the engraving with more than seventy characters.
But even a blind person can see that this is a huge burden on his body. The moment he put down the carving knife, his hands began to tremble violently, and a look of pain appeared on his face.
He seemed to be afraid of being seen, so he quickly hid his hands behind his back.
Chen Jingke knew why he did this, he just wanted to show his value and keep his current salary.
So he pretended not to see anything, patted the other party's shoulder heavily, and said: "Yes, this craftsmanship is the best I have ever seen, and it is worthy of the new house and new clothes I gave you."
Sure enough, Mei Laoshi showed an expression of relief on his face and said modestly: "The crop handle style, as long as you like it."
Chen Jingke picked up the engraving and gently touched the text on it with his hand. He was surprised to find that it was extremely smooth and had no burrs as expected.
This craftsmanship is truly worthy of a master craftsman who has made no mistakes in ten years.
"How long would it take for an ordinary carpenter to carve a wooden board like this?"
Mei Laoshi said proudly: "It would take an average carpenter at least two hours to carve such a clean board."
Chen Jingke nodded and said: "You can slow down a little in the future. Your hands are the biggest treasure. If they are injured, you will really have nothing to eat."
The expression on Mei Laoshi's face immediately became panicked, and she wanted to explain something.
Chen Jingke waved his hand to stop him and said: "Your most useful hands to me are these hands. I gave you a house and clothes because of these hands. Protect them and do the job I gave you well, so that you can last a long time."
Then he said to the others: "The same goes for you. Only by protecting your body can you work for me for a long time. If your body collapses, you will have nothing."
Hearing this, the craftsmen not only did not feel insulted, but became very excited one by one, and looked at him with gratitude but also a little respect.
The next step is printing, and there is no need for Chen Jingke to intervene.
The craftsmen gathered in a circle with white paper and engraving plates to discuss, and quickly made up their minds.
To adjust the ink, use a brush to apply the ink evenly on the engraving, carefully put the white paper on it, and then use another clean brush to lightly brush it.
After it was revealed, everyone cheered.
Tian Dachun came to Chen Jingke holding the piece of paper and said, "Master, see if it's done."
Chen Jingke took the paper and saw that the handwriting on it was extremely clear and there were no unnecessary ink spots around it. He couldn't be more successful.
After all, it was a major invention, and he was very excited and said: "It's done, perfect."
Tian Dachun took a long breath and said: "That's good, that's good."
Other craftsmen were also very happy, which meant that their houses and new clothes were all saved.
However, Chen Jingke looked carefully and found problems. The paper was a little crooked and the ink marks were different in weight.
Obviously, it was caused by the paper not being placed in a straight position, and the force on the brush being used later was uneven.
This didn't bother him, so he directed the craftsmen to make a cover that could just cover the engraving, put the paper inside the cover, and then buckled the engraving.
With a cover to correct the orientation, the paper will not be crooked, even the manual alignment step is omitted, and the printing speed increases linearly.
The brush for applying ink has also been changed, replaced by the kind of roller used to apply putty during decoration in previous lives, with several layers of linen wrapped around the outside. Just roll it once with the ink on the engraving, which will make the ink stain faster and more evenly.
After laying the paper, roll it with a clean roller to apply even force and dye the ink evenly.
This indeed solved the problem.
There were no technical difficulties, and the rest could be easily solved. Chen Jingke took out the "Taomen Illustrated Sutra" and asked the craftsmen to make engravings and print them in unlimited quantities.
"The more the merrier. If you need any materials, just ask Zhang Kutou for them."