Chapter 47: Six Fillings and Six Firings

With a light "Ding~" sound, Lin Sicheng held the Sunflower-mouth Plate and exited the testing room.

Shang Yan came back to her senses, her back leaving the chair, her expression very strange.

Lin Sicheng did not yet know that Wang Qi Zhi had sold him out completely, so he felt very strange: he had only operated the machine, so why was Professor Shang so shocked?

"Professor Shang, what's wrong?"

"Nothing!"

"Oh, then shall I prepare the Glaze Material?"

Was she not even going to pretend anymore?

At the very least, shouldn't she check the records, see if there was an error in the voltage excitation, if the balance signal was stable, or if the calibration curve had any abnormalities?

Muttering to himself, Shang Yan glanced at the computer: Forget it, what else was there to look at?

The various values in the report were as normal as if they had been filled in by hand.

Seeing her not making a sound, he took it as consent, and Lin Sicheng pointed to the material box brought from Wang Qi Zhi's laboratory:

"Trouble you, Teaching Assistant Feng, to prepare the materials."

"Yes, alright..."

Having long been stunned into a daze, Feng Lin, who had been shrinking in the corner like a wallflower, hurriedly stood up.

"Senior Sister Li, prepare the Glaze Material... Senior Sister Li?"

After calling out twice in a row, Li Zhen finally came back to her senses, as if she had just woken up.

It was normal; she had been shocked into numbness...

Lin Sicheng glanced at her and tapped the table: "Write it down!"

Li Zhen blushed and hurriedly grabbed paper and a pen.

"Base Glaze: Natural mineral materials: Lead Red 40%, Borax 20%, Quartz and Feldspar 10% each... Oxidizing agents: Potassium Oxide... Calcium Oxide... Cobalt Oxide... Copper Oxide... Iron Oxide... Arsenic Oxide...

Key points: Melt at a furnace temperature of 900 degrees, water-quench into granules, and grind to over 200 mesh..."

"Coloring Glaze, one, dark green, mixed according to the proportions of eight color scales: Copper Oxide, Iron Oxide... then to medium green... then to Light Green... temperature 800, oxygen-rich firing, grind into granules to 200 mesh..."

"Two, light pink... three, golden yellow... four, Jiang red... five, bright silver..."

"Teaching Assistant Feng, prepare the Copper Base... area... thickness... Tempered Purple Copper Wire, width... length... also prepare White Hyacinth and Quick-drying Glue..."

As soon as Lin Sicheng opened his mouth, Wang Qi Zhi was stunned: How did the proportions he was stating not match the detection analysis report?

Looking at the original artifact's Glaze Material sample test: Feldspar was a full 35%, yet in Lin Sicheng's glaze ratio, it was only 10%?

In the report, Borax was only 5%, but in the new ratio, it accounted for a full 20%.

Especially the Lead Red, which was only 10% in the original glaze, but accounted for 40% in the new ratio?

The key was that Wang Qi Zhi did not remember any kind of Bronze or porcelain glaze being mixed this way: using more Lead Red and Borax than Feldspar and Quartz?

He frowned, pondering the principles behind it, when a murmur like sleep-talking reached his ears.

"He really knows how... he actually really knows how?"

Turning his head to look, Shang Yan had her eyes wide open, as if hooked onto Lin Sicheng's face.

No... your teaching assistant is like this, and you are too?

Could it be this exaggerated?

"Professor Shang... Professor Shang?"

"Oh, oh... Professor Wang, please speak."

"Why is this Glaze Material ratio so strange?"

Shang Yan let out a long sigh: "It is very strange, but it is correct!"

Wang Qi Zhi was stunned: "What kind of explanation is that?"

"The first is fluxing, the second is strengthening the structure, and the third is maintaining the fluidity of the glaze during Blue Pointing. The most critical thing is: matching the Copper Base and adjusting the thermal expansion coefficient of the glaze, while lowering the furnace temperature during the second Blue Burning as much as possible...

I estimate the furnace temperature during Artifact Restoration will not exceed 700, and should basically be controllable between 650 and 700. The possibility of the original artifact's Glaze Layer cracking a second time is not high..."

Wang Qi Zhi understood in a second: If they patched the glaze according to the ratio in the test report, the furnace temperature would need to be at least 800 degrees, but the original artifact's Glaze Layer would definitely crack. So Lin Sicheng simply re-mixed the glaze to lower the furnace temperature.

"But in this way, it's equivalent to the Base Glaze being diluted multiple times. How can the color expression, glaze surface luster, and texture be guaranteed?"

"Therefore, he has also prepared five types of Coloring Glaze... which means he has to perform Blue Burning at least six times, entering the furnace six times... through the gradient effect, seeking to be consistent with the original artifact's Glaze Layer..."

Pausing slightly, Shang Yan frowned tightly again: "But as far as I know, until now, only Professor Yang Shiqi and Professor Qi Haonan from the Forbidden City used a similar method when repairing the Qing Dynasty Copper Base Gold-gilding transparent Enamel flower basket clock... besides that, there has never been another..."

Wang Qi Zhi finally understood why Shang Yan was shocked to that extent: this method was difficult, and it was quite difficult.

He considered himself a layman, but that was actually relative. At least he was very clear about the influence of temperature on coloring oxidizing agents and color scale changes.

If the temperature differs by even one degree, the color rendering coefficient after sintering can differ by more than ten degrees.

This meant Lin Sicheng had pushed the difficulty of repairing this plate up several times over?

As for whether it would succeed... seeing Shang Yan's ghost-struck expression, Wang Qi Zhi's intuition was that it was unlikely.

But combined with his understanding of Lin Sicheng: the more you think it's impossible for him, the more likely it is...

Just as he was guessing wildly, a "Crack!" sound reached his ears, and Wang Qi Zhi raised his head, his eyelids twitching uncontrollably.

Lin Sicheng had actually pried the fish tail off the bottom of the plate?

No... you haven't even started patching, and you're already causing destruction?

"Lin Sicheng, what are you doing?"

"Testing the safe furnace temperature range, of course?" Lin Sicheng said with an expression of taking it for granted, "Wasn't that what we agreed on?"

It was agreed upon, yes, but you didn't say you were going to pry off such a large piece?

Forget it, it was already pried off anyway. Anyway, if he couldn't patch it well, there was still Professor Lin to provide a safety net...

Wang Qi Zhi waved his hand, meaning for him to continue.

Lin Sicheng was methodical: composition, pattern, pinching, adhering, welding, correcting... roughly following the pattern on the bottom of the plate, using copper wire to piece together and replicate the pattern of those two fish on a new copper plate.

It sounds simple, but it still left Wang Qi Zhi and Shang Yan stunned.

First is precision: a stroke and a snip with the pliers, then a bend with the tweezers, and the required arc is pinched out; then, when stuck onto the copper plate, it fits perfectly.

According to Lin Sicheng's requirements, Feng Lin was supposed to trim excess wire ends or fill in tiny gaps. But with both fish nearly finished, she just stood there, never finding a chance to move a finger.

Second is speed; from drafting the base design to soldering and correcting, he pieced together over a hundred copper wires of various sizes, and Lin Sicheng used less than an hour.

The key is that the scale relative to the pattern on the basin bottom is almost one-to-one... it feels like Lin Sicheng has a ruler growing in his eyes?

Shang Yan watched for a long time, then sighed: "Professor Wang, if you were to do the pinching, how long would you need?"

Two to three hours, I suppose...

His brain processed the thought subconsciously, and the words were already at the tip of his tongue, but Wang Qi Zhi's tongue suddenly took a turn: "Why would it need to be measured in hours?"

Shang Yan was taken aback, then curled her lip: A confession without being asked!

I asked how long it would take, who asked you about hours?

Just then, Li Zhen finished preparing the Base Glaze, Lin Sicheng began Blue Pointing, and Shang Yan and Wang Qi Zhi focused intently, not even blinking.

Seeing the Blue Gun (glazing tool) in his hand, it was as if he had grown an extra finger; the glaze powder seemed to have a spirit of its own, automatically flowing to where it should, and Shang Yan was already beyond words.

She had just been laughing at Wang Qi Zhi, but looking at it now, did she seem any better herself?

Just as she was secretly lamenting, Lin Sicheng had Li Zhen open the kiln, and Shang Yan narrowed her eyes: the most critical part was coming.

Filling the glaze, entering the kiln, firing, natural cooling, removing from the kiln... then filling the glaze again, entering the kiln again...

Repeatedly, six times in total, it was already the second day.

Actually, by the Blue Pointing stage, there was no longer any need for assistants, but Feng Lin and Li Zhen did not leave. At most, during those three-plus hours of cooling each time, they took turns napping in the nearby lounge.

Shang Yan and Wang Qi Zhi had no choice: they couldn't just cancel two days of classes, could they?

But the two of them timed it carefully, arriving at the conference room just before the final kiln opening.

There was only Li Zhen and Feng Lin in the laboratory, the two of them head-to-head, staring at the Sunflower-mouth Plate on the table, not knowing what they were doing Artifact Research on.

"Came early?"

The two exchanged a glance, and Wang Qi Zhi looked around again, "Where is Lin Sicheng?"

Li Zhen and Feng Lin hurriedly stood up and greeted them: "Professor Wang, Lin Sicheng went home this morning."

Wang Qi Zhi was stunned: "What the hell?"

"He went home... that is, after the last time it went into the kiln, you were in a meeting, so he didn't dare call you... but he did leave instructions when he left:

Once the time is up, just open the kiln after it cools to room temperature, then place the pattern on the basin bottom, and take a photo for him. If there is a problem, he will come over immediately... We already took the photo, but he didn't come over..."

Does that mean there is no problem?

No... how can this kid be so carefree?

Even if it was just a sample, he still slogged through two whole days...

Cursing under his breath, Wang Qi Zhi walked to the table and took a casual glance, but his eyelids couldn't stop twitching:

The basin wall was tinged with blue, two koi fish were joined head-to-tail, one with a head and tail of crimson gold, the scales on its spine shimmering with starlight. The fish head poked out of the water, rippling with shimmering waves.

The other went from red to pink, its body slightly arched, its tail stirring up tiny whirlpools, with a few droplets of silver-foam-like water suspended in mid-air.

Being pretty and good-looking was secondary; the key was that feeling of vividness, liveliness, harmony, and accord... Wang Qi Zhi felt: those two fish on the basin bottom were born to look like that.

He even felt a trace of regret; had he known it would be this successful, he should have let Lin Sicheng repair it directly instead of test-firing some sample.

He sighed and prepared to ask Shang Yan for her critique, but just as he turned his head, he recoiled sharply: No way, Professor Shang, aren't you being a bit exaggerated?

She was motionless, her eyes unblinking, as if she wanted to gouge her own eyeballs out and embed them into those two fish.

She was even muttering to herself: "Six fills, six firings... that clock in the Forbidden City only took five firings..."