Chapter 72: The Expert

"Of course I know how to make knives, if I couldn't make knives, could I still call myself a bladesmith?"

Gao Yuan appeared very confident, and Wang Hu really liked the look of confidence on Gao Yuan. He waved his hand and said, "Come, sit down and talk. How exactly do you make your knives?"

Gao Yuan spread his hands and replied, "That's a very broad question; there are so many ways to make a knife, I wouldn't even know how to start answering you. Simply put, you can forge or use the stock removal method. Forging is the blacksmith's approach, using steel to hammer out a knife and then heat-treating it. The stock removal method involves cutting a knife shape out of a steel plate then heat-treating it, or you could directly grind a knife out of a heat-treated steel plate."

Xiang Weiguo knows how to use knives, and as a military man, Wang Hu has definitely used knives too, but knowing how to use a knife doesn't mean you know how to make one. This is similar to the idea that you don't need to know the hen that lays the eggs you eat, or understand how a refrigerator is made to use it.

Wang Hu nodded, and with a wry smile, he said, "I know that bayonets are made in ordnance factories, but I have no idea how the factories do it. Now, we're trying to figure out how to equip you volunteers with weapons. Firearms, for us military folks, are second nature, but when it comes to cold steel, we need to give it some serious thought. Xiang is an expert in using cold steel, and you're an expert in making it. So, we'll primarily consider your opinions."

Xiang Weiguo gestured to Gao Yuan with his hand, signaling him to listen first.

"What I'm thinking is that each group should have two long knives, the kind that can chop a person in two with one slash."

Xiang Weiguo made a chopping gesture, then said in a deep voice, "Stabbing and wounding will do, but I won't reiterate the characteristics of zombies. When it comes to zombies, what we need is a long knife that can ensure a fatal blow with each strike."

Wang Hu nodded again and again, and Xiang Weiguo continued, "Also, zombies aren't human. They don't know how to dodge or counterattack, so to ensure the power, the knife can be appropriately heavier and longer."

Xiang Weiguo's words were mainly intended for Gao Yuan since he had already discussed this with Wang Hu.

Gao Yuan nodded and said, "Uncle Xiang, Commander Wang, I understand what you mean. You called me here because you want me to talk about how to make these knives, right?"

Wang Hu laughed and said, "It's not about how to make them, but how to simply manufacture them, based on our current conditions, and how we can mass-produce them."

Without hesitation, Gao Yuan replied, "Then we can rule out forging. Forging requires lower-quality materials; it doesn't matter if the steel is long or short, round or square, as long as it's steel it can be used to make knives. You can even make them with the sandwiched steel method, like using construction rebar. The raw materials would definitely be easier to find, but the problem is where are you going to find a blacksmith nowadays? Mass production would be impossible."

"Um, let's talk about a simpler method."

Gao Yuan was fully confident, and he didn't need to think because he had done the same thing too many times before.

"The simplest method is to use car leaf springs, which should be the easiest material to find, right? You can even use iron plates with enough thickness, but, of course, steel plates would be best. Do you have any?"

Wang Hu shook his head and said, "No, the spring steel is the most readily available, but is its performance adequate?"

"Absolutely no problem, spring steel is a type of manganese steel. As long as the heat treatment is done right, it's very tough and also has good hardness. The only downside is its tendency to rust."

Gao Yuan was brimming with confidence as he smiled and said, "Look for vans and small trucks; their leaf spring's thickness and length can be used directly. Leaf springs from large trucks are too thick and too wide, which makes them more troublesome to work with."

"Talk about the specific processing conditions and requirements."

"It's very simple, start by fully annealing the leaf spring, then find a way to cut it into the required shape..."

"Hold on, don't go so fast, explain in more detail. How do you cut it into the required shape?"

Gao Yuan thought for a moment and said, "Wire cutting, waterjet cutting, gas welding, or even using an angle grinder, we could heat it up and press it with a punch press—we'll use whatever we can find. I think the most feasible method right now would be gas welding, right?"

Wang Hu wrote down Gao Yuan's words in a notebook and then expressed his pleasure, "That's right, everything else is hard to sort out, but we actually do have acetylene gas welding, and there's also liquefied petroleum gas welding—that's great, there are no problems with that!"

Gao Yuan smiled and said, "Good, we'll use gas welding to cut out the shape, then grind it with a grinding wheel. Once we have the blade, we'll still use gas welding—or electric welding works too—to weld the blade to a steel pipe, and we'll have a knife."

Wang Hu paused for a moment, then said, "That does sound very simple!"

Gao Yuan spread his hands and said, "Of course it's simple, it was never difficult. Such a knife might look ugly, but do you believe that its performance would be considered a precious blade in ancient times? And what's better is that this kind of long knife doesn't need to be too sharp. Let me put it simply, you can use the grinding wheel to directly grind an edge that's good enough to use, with no need for fine grinding. It saves time and effort."

Wang Hu nodded at Gao Yuan and said, "I think it's very feasible. How about you take charge of making knives?"

"Sure, all of this is particularly simple. If you teach someone once, they'll get it. Just have someone watch me do it once, and that'll be enough. However, there are some requirements that must be met, such as the high demands of the quenching step. But I believe that among the survivors there must be someone who has worked in heat treatment. It would be good if we could find a professional in heat treatment."

Wang Hu laughed and said, "You and Xiang team can decide on the knife design. I'll be responsible for arranging manpower and equipment for you. Once the equipment is ready, you can start working on it. This way you'll be able to have weapons to use sooner. Xiao Gao, you've given a very mature solution, good!"

Gao Yuan let out a sigh and said with a helpless look, "Of course it's mature, this is how I started playing around with it in the beginning, using the simplest materials and methods to make knives."

"I'm just curious, have you always been a bladesmith?"

Gao Yuan shook his head with a resigned expression, "I wanted to be a bladesmith, but it wasn't to be. Eventually, I had to get a regular job."

"Why wasn't it possible, was it illegal?"

"It wasn't illegal, it's just that couriers wouldn't ship…"

Wang Hu was somewhat taken aback and asked, "Why did you have to ship them?"

"Because they were bought by knife enthusiasts from out of town, there are only a few locals."

Wang Hu still didn't quite understand, and Gao Yuan explained with a smile, "The knives we enthusiasts play with are different; they are high-end stuff. You still think I'm making pig-killing knives for a few dozen bucks each? No way."

Wang Hu grew even more curious and asked, "High-end? How high-end?"

Gao Yuan pondered and said, "Well, they sold for a few thousand yuan each. I don't make long swords or long knives, because those would be even more expensive, and I'm not good at those."

Wang Hu was extremely surprised and said in disbelief, "A short knife for several thousand yuan? That's indeed high-end."

The typical reaction of someone who isn't a knife enthusiast, Gao Yuan smiled and said, "You know, things you play with are expensive."

Wang Hu's demeanor was one of incomprehension and disbelief, but he still said with satisfaction, "Back to the point, this knife business had me worried for days. Now, at last, we have a mature solution. Gao Yuan, you'll start making knives tomorrow. Make a few first to test them out, choose the best model to mass-produce. No problem with that, right?"