Chapter 70 Lithography
The Palace of Versailles is to the west of Paris, while the town of Saint-Antoine is to the northeast. In order to avoid running in both directions - mainly because he couldn't stand the bumpy ride in the carriage - Joseph spent the night with the president of the Paris Chamber of Commerce. The next morning we headed directly to the town of Saint-Antoine.
This small town on the outskirts of Paris is somewhat similar to a "special economic zone" and is the only place around Paris that is not affected by various guilds. Craftsmen could find work here without joining a guild.
Since they can save a guild dues, the salary required by the craftsmen is slightly lower. A large number of workshops that want to save costs have taken root here.
After years of development, the town of Saint-Antoine has become home to thousands of craftsmen and their families.
Joseph asked Emang to find a guide and took him to inspect several paper workshops in the town one by one, but he gradually frowned.
Those few small workshops had almost no conditions for experimenting with new papermaking technologies.
The largest workshop has more than 200 craftsmen and is very large, but the owner of the workshop, Lei Weillon, does not want to try new papermaking technology.
After all, new technologies require considerable investment for production trials, and the results are unpredictable. The risks involved are too great.
Joseph also gritted his teeth and had the idea of buying the workshop and starting his own business, but he gave up in the end.
The price of Levillon's workshop is at least 500,000 livres, and the trial production of cheap papermaking technology also requires an investment.
Because Joseph has frequently used his "money power" recently, his net worth, which was as high as more than 2.3 million livres a while ago, has now shrunk to only about 700,000.
If all of it is used to destroy the paper-making workshop, if money is needed elsewhere, you will immediately be in trouble.
Therefore, after careful consideration, Joseph found that he could only put aside the issue of cheap papermaking until he had more money.
However, this result was within his expectation. After all, an industry with a large scale and high output value such as papermaking cannot complete technological changes overnight.
You know, if the industrial upgrading of the paper industry can be completed and rolled out across the country, it can even have a considerable boost to the French economy.
When Joseph returned to the Palace of Versailles, three panel makers from the Paris Merchant newspaper office had been waiting for him for a long time.
Joseph looked at the heavy tool bags on the three's backs and the hammers of different sizes stuck in their waists, and at the marble floor as bright as a mirror in the bedroom, and immediately gave up the plan to teach them lithographic printing techniques here.
Emang suddenly came quickly, bowed to him and said, "Your Highness, the chalk slabs you want are still piled on the carriage. Where do you think they should be unloaded?"
Joseph frowned and said to himself: It would be great if there was a workshop here.
Thinking of the workshop, a place suddenly appeared in his mind. He couldn't help but smile and said to Emang: "Let's all move to His Majesty the King's workshop."
"This..." Eman was surprised, "Are you sure?"
"I will go and tell His Majesty."
Joseph gestured to the three craftsmen again, "Please follow me."
More than ten minutes later, in the well-equipped, spacious and bright workshop of Louis XVI, His Majesty the King of France curiously looked at the stone slabs in front of him and the craftsmen wearing coarse cloth.
Joseph first sincerely thanked his father for providing great help to the French publishing industry, and then looked at the three craftsmen with a very serious expression:
"The technology I am about to tell you is extremely important! It must not be disclosed to anyone without my consent, otherwise..."
He thought for a while, picked the most serious charge, and said: "It will be regarded as treason."
In the royal workshop are the present king and the dauphin. Standing outside the door were tall and mighty palace guards. The craftsmen had never seen such a battle before. They were all so nervous that their legs were shaking and they didn't dare to raise their heads. They just kept swearing and swearing never to mention a word to anyone else.
Immediately, Emang took the prepared confidentiality agreement and asked the craftsmen to sign one by one.
In fact, Joseph also knows that there is no patent law nowadays, so this technology cannot be kept secret for long. In the future, he is also preparing to popularize lithography throughout France.
However, this is currently his weapon for victory, and his technology must not be leaked. In the future, he will send people to protect the three panel makers at all times, at least until he can control the public opinion in Paris.
After completing the confidential mobilization work, Joseph began to formally introduce the lithographic printing technology.
He asked a craftsman to fix a polished chalk slab on the table, then took the printing ink that had been prepared and mixed some paraffin wax and rosin into it.
After the additives in the ink were completely dissolved, Joseph dipped the brush into the ink and wrote "Salute to His Majesty the King" on the chalk slab.
An hour later, when the ink was basically dry, Joseph used a brush to apply dilute nitric acid twice on the slate.
The parts of the slate covered with ink were not affected, while a thin layer of nitric acid was etched away in other places.
"The base plate is finished." Joseph said casually, smeared water on the slate, and then applied printing ink.
He lamented in his heart that during the month when he went to the mountainous area to teach on a voluntary basis, he helped the principal use a mimeograph machine to print test papers for the children several times. He did not expect that his "skills" would be used here.
At this time, the areas on the slate that were corroded by nitric acid absorbed water, so the ink could not adhere to it, and the original dry ink was covered with ink.
Joseph covered the paper on the stone slab, pressed it gently, and then carefully took it off. A line of words appeared on the paper - Salute to His Majesty the King.
But the characters are upside down.
The three craftsmen looked at each other, and they all saw extreme shock in each other's eyes.
Although this line of text is simple and not neat, it only took more than an hour from the beginning of the board making to the completion of printing! This has completely subverted their understanding of printing!
Louis XVI watched with interest for a long time, then asked leisurely: "Is there anything special about the printing process just now?"
Seeing His Majesty the King's sincere question, one of the oldest panel makers bowed in fear and explained to him: "Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's technology is enough to make all current printing methods obsolete!"
Another craftsman continued excitedly: "We used to use copper plates. We had to first cover the copper plate with a layer of wax, then cover it with paper, and use a pen to carve out the unnecessary parts of the painting on the paper.
"The pen will take away the wax under the paper. After the painting is finished, put the copper plate into the ferric acid solution. The areas not covered by wax will be corroded. Then take out the copper plate, wipe off the wax on the surface, and then apply ink for printing.
"Just the wax engraving step takes a long time, and etching the copper plate takes more than half a day. It usually takes at least two or three days to complete a base plate.
"And His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's method of making boards is to directly draw the necessary parts, which is much simpler than carving out the unnecessary parts!"
The new book has set sail. The young author is here to beg for monthly votes and recommendation votes. Everyone is welcome to leave comments. The young author is grateful!
