Chapter 8: Chapter 7: Mixing

After walking through the city. The sun was already a few hours away from midday. The streets were full of walking people. Restaurants are busy with their businesses. Allan, tired from walking so long, climbed up to his room and collapsed on his bed. He laid there motionless for a while, before pulling up the first order of mixing in a try to calm down. He wanted to finish this book and rest for a bit.

He still had more work today. Finishing up his blade shouldn’t take long. Father won’t come back before deep in the night as well.
Allan slowly flipped to a half-point where he left and glanced in with keen eyes. Depictions from yesterday entered his mind. Metals of color, mixed ingots, and their properties.

Reading through this First order was not that bad after his experience. There were some things and examples that he wouldn’t understand at all without his night encounter.

“It’s about properties of metals. After they formed and were mined from the ground in the shape of ores. Millions of years later, or perhaps even longer, would pass for them. Their color, shape, weight, and worth depended on their countless ways of forming around many factors. Dirt, water, stone, weather, and other types of influences made a vast amount of changes. There were different planets and stars with vastly different materials than others. Some could very well be nearly identical if it was in an inhabitable zone while orbiting around a big hot star. Ones which were dead from the life, but a lot of resources could be found in almost every planet in the universe.” Allan read.

“Oh, my… This talk about planets and stars just hurts my brain. It is easy to imagine life in other ways, but for countless of them to be out, that is just outrageous.” Allan thought, after glancing outside of the window.

“Anyway. What is wrong with this book now? It suddenly reads like a fine, informative and it even makes sense now. Did two people make different halves of this book or what?” He wondered about the sudden increase in the quality of information.

The headline on the next page was named Facing the problem of density. The way armor works are to protect. Their need differs from weapons. A weapon, such as a sword, for example, doesn’t need to be fully hard. Like an unmoving mountain, the stiffness can cause cracks and while wielding it, it would affect its wielder. The flexibility made the way to better blades. Heat-treating, hammering, and normalization are keys to this matter. But what came before all of this?

The metal itself is tossed into a furnace. Glowing hot substance of unknown age. Yet heat will change the hardness. Making it soft for it to change shape. It was a simple way and reliable way to make normal swords. You can even use some secret earth materials to merge with ore to produce better swords. On an unknown planet came forth a mixing technique. It was tightly protected, but at the end of a day and greed, someone made it known. Exponentially difficult learning, which came with the fundamental techniques, made it hard to start and difficult to master. Impossibly vast combinations made it even more complicated.

What density had to do with this? While mixing certain metals together, with the right flame and heat control, there would come synchronization. 2 different metals of two different melting points would share the same fate and become one. Density means weight, volume, and force behind the ores. All ores in existence can be forged into something new. Further secrets could lead to another discovery and so on. This is a basic view of mixing throughout the times.

There was once a great smith. He did not specialize in a single side of forging. He slowly, over time, mastered a little of everything. From swords and armors to ships and star ships. He became a legend and even created 2 major creations before disappearing into obscurity. Leaving to the unknown.

“Interesting. It reminds me of some fiction that some authors sold in the library. Fantastical stories, where main characters traveled across the imaginary universe.” Allan thought, after reading chapters at the end of this book.

“I like nonfiction stories more. Ones which could be actually useful.”

“Father, where did you find this thing? It sounds weirdly convincing and reasonable. At least the effects of mixing are being written in greater detail. There are even some examples of metals that are compatible. I know some of them are even in our shop warehouse. Not sure about their quality, but they should be enough for some experiments. Downstairs is enough room.”

Allan thought about it for a minute. Deciding to try some mixing after finishing his blade. Later chapters described some excellent points, despite the earlier half, which was mostly a fluff that made not much sense.

Closing the book, Allan stored his stuff away and got ready for his work. His body was back with vitality. He grabbed some fruits from the kitchen.
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He decided to bring with him the First order of mixing. Just for some assurance, if his memory failed him. Downstairs, looking at the cool blade. Considering his choices, Allan decided to use a fine whetstone for the entire process of sharpening and grinding. It would take some more time, but the process would be smooth and he would have enough movement to slowly work.

Starting a wheel on one of the two sharpening stations with his feet. Allan started grinding the blade. The process was meant to take the better shape of the blade and solve some shortcomings of forging.

There was also a technique of forms, using it with and pouring liquefied molten iron or any kind of melty metals into it and form a quick shape of the blade. There were many downsides. Such as lesser quality with cracks and limited lifetime. It made a higher quantity of blades at such a cost. It wasn’t very popular for outrageous waste of materials over time.

Dust fell to the ground. High noise sound of grinding filled the room. After an hour, the shining blade was in Allan’s hand. With a length of around 80 centimeters and a curved edge that ended at a sharp point. This was the basic form of a straight sword. Meant for almost any kind of person who has a need for a weapon. From hunters, mercenaries, and soldiers.

Satisfied with his results, Allan moved to handle. He decided on wooden material and a one-sided guard which would support the wrist. With a quick sketch, he went for a piece of dry maple wood. Light-colored wood with good toughness was perfect. With an ax, Allan chopped at it with a powerful swing. A piece of wood with the right length dropped to the ground.

Moving to the other sharpening station. There was a different kind of whetstone. In fact, 3 types of them had opportunities for different textures. They are meant for woodwork and polishing the significantly easier wood to work with than metal. They rotated around and made an easy way to maneuver with a small piece of wood or even bigger ones since there were plenty of movements and space.

Two halves quickly formed in Allan’s hands. Shaped for a blade, he moved all pieces to a table. Grabbed a large piece of Long-horned deer leather and with scissors made thin strips from it.

“Time for an assembly.”

Allan opened the bucket that was on one of the shelves. Inside was a thick brown liquid known as sap from the Great Dawn trees. Taking a sword with a piece of handle, dropping a spoonful inside. The same was done to the other half of the handle and they were brought together. Hugging the blade was a handful of a wooden handle. Allan brushed some of the sap into the handle and tightly wrapped the surrounding leather.

The sap is known for bringing the handle and the blade together, so they wouldn’t separate. Leather, wrapped around the handle, was mostly an aesthetic choice but often used for the better grip and protection of wood. It was just an additional solution for potential issues. Sap inside of the blades couldn't really deteriorate as it was in the close and tight space between wooden parts.

Allan put some oil on a blade. Wiping it clean with a piece of cloth. His sword was complete.

“That was fun. I wonder how long it took me to finish it.” Allan wondered.

He extended his hand; the blade facing his eyes. “Perfect for adults. Nice weight too.“

It was clear that it was a slightly bigger sword for Allan's stature. Handle added a few centimeters to the length of the blade. 155 centimeter tall, Allan looked very unnatural with his blade but was otherwise quite satisfied with his work. In a good mood, he pondered if he wanted to try mixing or not. It was getting late.

“I will try it anyway. What's to lose? We have enough fuel stored for a long time.”
Allan finally decided and went outside for some wood and charcoal for the furnace. Bringing back a few buckets of them, he started the fire. It took around an hour to fire it up for good enough heat. Meanwhile, he decided to make a plan of what he would try. Glancing at the book on a table.

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“Mix of gray iron and black mithril sounds good.”
Walking to a warehouse, he took a few plates of already processed ores.

“I hope father won’t notice. I will only use a few plates for generic flying knives.” Allan said in a little concerned manner.

“It will be fine.”

After a while.

The furnace was ready for operation. Allan prepared his materials on a table where laid his decision. On top of each other were 5 plates of metal. 3 black and 2 gray rectangle plates, around 15 centimeters wide and half a centimeter thin.

“Bring it on!” He hyped himself up. Inserting plates into a heated furnace in one movement. All of them on top of each other with no obscurities or

“It should take around half an hour inside.”

Allan closely watched for 30 minutes into a furnace. Pulling out a hot piece of metal. No colors were visible, only a red heated slab of metal. It had the appearance of the plates, which melted together into a single piece. Longer kind and rather flat.

“It's up with father’s work downstairs.”

Moving toward with tongs, he started to hammer it down with his right hand. Left was tightly holding it down with his tool.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

“So tough” He wondered. It was much harder than he thought. “I worked with both of these materials individually before and it was easier. Is it what is mixing about?”

Chunk slowly but surely turned to a wide strip of centimeter thin, 10 centimeters wide, and 40 centimeters in length. Sun was almost away before he finished.

He took a special wide metallic ax, which was used to separate a wide strip into smaller sizes. He put it below his big anvil in a special place.

The edge of the ax was facing up. Allan started to hammer down. Occasionally reheating it so it would be easier to separate them.
In a range of 2 centimeters wide, strips of thin plates were on his table. Still hot. Allan, according to his knowledge, reheated them individually and work through them one by one with his hammer. Although he had never seen his father make a set of flying knives, he knew what to do and how. At least for the regular kind. Unfortunately, this was a mixing we are talking about.

Bang! Bang! 70th hit by a hammer, he looked at the symmetrical-looking knife with a tip.

“Crap! Layers are separating from each other on the sides.” Allan cursed. Not knowing what it meant, yet nothing good for sure.

Continued to hammer down, and the first rough knife was finished. “It's time for normalization. Right?” Allan wasn’t sure, but still, put it into a cylinder-shaped barrel with oil. It sizzled and cooled off quickly.

“Time for quick sharpening. I wonder what these edges will do.” While grinding and sharpening, he used a different whetstone than before. Meant for both grinding and sharpening.

Screech! He slowly worked through it, but unfortunately, layers separated even more.

“Ugh. No tip and edge. It is a simple failure.”

Allan looked at the rest of the metallic strips. Still the same blackish color. The grey color is nowhere to be seen. Only when the layers separated one could see a dark gray color inside. Allan knew very little about this and was unsure what he should take this for.

“Let's see what will do next strip.” Allan said with some hope.

2nd knife ends in failure as well.

3rd knife failed.

Failure.

Failure.

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