Post by Admin on Jan 30, 2015 0:16:09 GMT -5
(21:12:22 )
[PIC]
|..Exavier of Minus..|
[PIC]
[ Exeter Metal Works ]
-Within the immense complex that has a large forge with several furnaces, a bright and open studio for sales and slave branding, and a well appointed office in the back...-
says to ALL: I was working in the forge, we had a huge order of collars that were to go out in the next couple of days and I wanted to be sure that they were all up to standard. I had helped with the pouring of the steel and some of the riveting but if anything was going to go out of the Exeter Metal Works, particularly an order this large, I wanted to be sure that it was perfect. I was spot checking the collars as they were being loaded in to crates to send to the House of Golden Blossoms. I had one of my men already outside with a small wagon and a kailla. It would take him some time to reach his destination but provided the collars met with approval upon arrival it would be a new lucrative business contract. Finally content that all of the work was up to standard I release the crates to be loaded into the wagon and sent out of Minus. I tell the men that we could call it a day and head back to the office to finish some paperwork and head home for the evening.
(21:43:55 )
[PIC]
|..Exavier Exeter..|
|..Minus..|
[PIC]
[ Commerce District . Merchant Booth ]
-At one of hundreds of booths where goods, services and food are sold to people attending the Fair...-
says to ALL: I leave that merchant booth and make my way further down the central avenue, always heading in the general direction of the central tent. I was clearly in no big hurry to find my way there though. I stop at another vendor, this one was selling pre made and matching hinge and lock sets for collars. This was one thing that I was completely unable to make for myself so I look through what he has. I can see several sets that will work for me so I set them out one at a time. Finishing with about 30 sets in total of varying types and locking mechanisms. They were also made out of a few different types of metal. I finish piling them up and discuss what the vendor would be willing to take in exchange. We actually settle on a thin gold collar that I have in my pack, it was a fair trade since some of the hinges and locks were made of silver. I take it out of my pack and hand it over, sliding all of the hinges and locking mechanisms back into the top of my pack. I bid the vendor farewell and head off down the avenue again.
(21:22:25 )
[PIC]
|..Exavier of Minus..|
[PIC]
[ Exeter Metal Works ]
-Within the immense complex that has a large forge with several furnaces, a bright and open studio for sales and slave branding, and a well appointed office in the back...-
says to ALL: I had put all of the orders of delivery in the crates so that they could be signed off on. I was not charging hardly anything for this order but that was how one expanded some business prospects. The iron ore was coming in at a rapid rate from the voltai mountains now, and I had several books open that explained how smelting pots were put together and how they worked. I wanted to refine the ore into iron ingots on site at the mine but I was not sure if that was feasible. I had been doing some drawings of my own in the center of the large drafting table, with the heavy leather bound tomes opened along the edges. My work done for the day I put out the lamps in the room and close and lock the door. Omega and the rest had already gone home for the evening. I grab my cloak from the peg near the door and wrap it around my shoulders before stepping out the back door and into the alleyway behind the Exeter Metal Works, heading for the main street.
(21:19:03 )
[PIC]
|..Exavier of Minus..|
[PIC]
[ Exeter Metal Works ]
-Within the immense complex that has a large forge with several furnaces, a bright and open studio for sales and slave branding, and a well appointed office in the back...-
says to ALL: I had a fresh batch of collars in front of me. They were made with steel made from iron ore out of the brand new Exeter mines in the Voltai Mountains. The whole project there was coming together well. I set aside enough of the collars to make up Chloe's order. Two dozen in all, made in freshly minted steel, in perfect order made from some of the hinges and locks that I purchased at the fair the last time through. At this point they were just plain steel that had been polished to a mirror shine. Identical in every way to the other 100 that I sent to Aslan in the House of Golden Blossoms. Each had a riveted on loop that a leash could be attached to as well. I check each of the two dozen that I was going to sell to Chloe and the slaver house. I had not done much of the work with my own hands, only pouring steel and a few other things in the process of making them. I wanted to be sure that no mistakes had been made, even though I had excellent smiths in the forge working for me.
(21:30:00 )
[PIC]
|..Exavier of Minus..|
[PIC]
[ Exeter Metal Works ]
-Within the immense complex that has a large forge with several furnaces, a bright and open studio for sales and slave branding, and a well appointed office in the back...-
says to ALL: I had a large case of stencil letters made from steel somewhere around here, just for this very purpose. The forge was huge, but I was incredibly OCD about where I put things away. I went to one of the back walls, opening two cabinets and finding the set that I needed. These were done in a special way, curved so that they could sit against the collar. Usually, it would be for just one or two letters, in this case many more, but the principle was the same. The block lettering sat in little channels that perfectly fit along the side of a collar. I make sure all the parts are here and carry the rather large wooden box over to my workbench, setting it down and looking inside. Yes these would work perfectly, the process would take a couple of ahns though. Now that I had everything set out, I could finish the collars when I was at the forge tomorrow. It was time to head back to my villa and check on my beautiful slave girl. It was late in the evening and I had been here all day anyway.
(20:28:20 )
[PIC]
|..Exavier of Minus..|
[ Exeter Metal Works ]
-Within the immense complex that has a large forge with several furnaces, a bright and open studio for sales and slave branding, and a well appointed office in the back...-
says to ALL: I was in the Exeter Metal Works. All of the collars for the House of Bladewing were set out upon the work bench. I had also set up the steel stencil so that I could etch them with acid. The process was not all that complicated from here and would not take long. I clamp the first collar into a vice and then set the curved stencil upon it. I lock that down as well making sure that it is straight. There were more letters than I would usually etch but this was not an issue as I had all of the materials available to take care of the issue. I would be doing a total of 24 collars, I was not sure if she would need that many but it would suffice for now. I also had set aside a few of my specialty collars that I had displayed in the studio. I had one that was silver with black enameling on it, showing a slave in service. I thought perhaps this would work for her first girl or another slave that she was fond of. One side of it was made up of the enameling and the other half was open and would be etched in the same way that the steel ones were, though I had to use a different acid for the etching. The first of the steel collars set, I then start to ready the other things that I needed. A wire brush and a obsidian basin that would not be eaten through by the acid. I then put on my heavy gloves and sort through the bottles I have available until I find the right type of acid. I select the bottle that contains ferric chloride powder. I dump some of the powder into the basin and then add a specific amount of water to it. The mixture burns my nose and eyes a little bit but I was sure that this would work.
(20:31:28 )
[PIC]
|..Exavier of Minus..|
[ Exeter Metal Works ]
-Within the immense complex that has a large forge with several furnaces, a bright and open studio for sales and slave branding, and a well appointed office in the back...-
says to ALL: Once the mixture was set, I took the wire brush and dipped it in, I could see little a little whips of smoke curling from the wire brush, knowing that the acid would eat through it I move quickly. I brush the acid across the face of the steel collar, the stencil set well and truly pulled tight to the steel of the collar itself this would allow the only contact of the acid with the steel of the collar to be in the shape of the letters. I let this set for several ihns and then dunk the whole thing in water, diluting the acid and washing it off of both the stencil and the collar. Unclamping the stencil from the collar I look it over, the effect was perfect. The steel was left untouched other than in the area that spelled out House of Bladewing. The steel in that section had darkened enough that it was easily legible, even from a distance. I then move on to the next collar, and then the next. I was working quickly since the wire brush was being eaten away by the hydrochloric acid that was created when I mixed the water with the ferric acid.
(20:37:10 )
[PIC]
|..Exavier of Minus..|
[ Exeter Metal Works ]
-Within the immense complex that has a large forge with several furnaces, a bright and open studio for sales and slave branding, and a well appointed office in the back...-
says to ALL: I had mixed up enough of the acid that I would be able to do all the etchings, I made sure that with each collar I clamped the stencil to was secured properly, if any of the acid oozed underneath the stencil it would ruin the effect. I was moving quickly within the steaming hot confines of the forge. I could hear the hammers falling in the background from the other men still at work this evening. Often the forge was somewhat cleared out at this time of night but with the huge orders coming in from Ar lately I knew that the men were working late to make some extra coin while there was lots of work to do. I continue this process until all 24 of the collars have the acid etching on them. Each of them have been cleaned and wiped down as well. I put the entire lot into a large leather satchel, taking care not to scratch any of the etchings though that would not really be possible now that they were done.
(20:42:21 )
[PIC]
|..Exavier of Minus..|
[ Exeter Metal Works ]
-Within the immense complex that has a large forge with several furnaces, a bright and open studio for sales and slave branding, and a well appointed office in the back...-
says to ALL: I dilute the acid that is in the obsidian basin in a 50 gallon drum of water, still I call over one of the men to take it outside of town and dispose of it. The type of materials used to etch the silver were not nearly as strong and would not be dangerous to have around. I pack up the bottle of the ferric chloride, taking special care to be sure that the cork is in the top of the bottle securely and then I start to go through my various bottles of harmful chemicals coming across the copper sulfate that I want. I also find a bottle of sodium chloride, or what would be considered to be regular table salt. It was interesting the reactions that these two chemicals had with each other when they were mixed with water. I had read quite a bit on the subject and had one large leather bound tome in the library that was more of a chemist manual than something that a normal blacksmith would use. I'd come across it on a trip to Brundisium many years ago. I spent a lot of time in that city as that was where I had based my fleet of ships for many years. Making sure to mix a one to one ratio of the sodium chloride and copper sulfate in the same obsidian basin, this acid was not nearly strong enough to damage steel or even etch it but it would work perfectly on the silver of the collar that I wanted to show Chloe as something that could be done if she wished it. If she did not it would be a simple process to melt the collar down and reuse the silver for something else. I clamp the same stencil to the silver collar, taking more care with the clamping as I did not want to damage the silver.
(20:45:51 )
[PIC]
|..Exavier of Minus..|
[ Exeter Metal Works ]
-Within the immense complex that has a large forge with several furnaces, a bright and open studio for sales and slave branding, and a well appointed office in the back...-
says to ALL: Using the same wire brush, but now there was no smoke curling up from the steel bristles, I wipe the newly made acidic compound across the stencil. It really does not take long to etch the silver. I had prepared all of the collars ahead of time by washing them down and making sure that the surfaces were perfectly smooth. It was important that they be clean and prepared in order for the etching to work correctly. I carefully pull the stencil away when I am done and then wash both the collar and the stenciling equipment. I was able to dump this much less caustic acid into a large basin of water and it diluted completely. I wash up all of my tools and then put the silver collar in its own special wooden box. This would keep it from getting dinged up during transport to the House of Bladewing. I then add that box to the large leather pack that I was putting everything else in. I make sure that all of my chemicals are put away and the cabinet that holds them is once again closed and locked. It would not be good for someone to accidentally get into the different chemicals when they were looking for something else. The collars finished I consider if I want to work on another project tonight or head off in search of my slave girl.
[PIC]
|..Exavier of Minus..|
[PIC]
[ Exeter Metal Works ]
-Within the immense complex that has a large forge with several furnaces, a bright and open studio for sales and slave branding, and a well appointed office in the back...-
says to ALL: I was working in the forge, we had a huge order of collars that were to go out in the next couple of days and I wanted to be sure that they were all up to standard. I had helped with the pouring of the steel and some of the riveting but if anything was going to go out of the Exeter Metal Works, particularly an order this large, I wanted to be sure that it was perfect. I was spot checking the collars as they were being loaded in to crates to send to the House of Golden Blossoms. I had one of my men already outside with a small wagon and a kailla. It would take him some time to reach his destination but provided the collars met with approval upon arrival it would be a new lucrative business contract. Finally content that all of the work was up to standard I release the crates to be loaded into the wagon and sent out of Minus. I tell the men that we could call it a day and head back to the office to finish some paperwork and head home for the evening.
(21:43:55 )
[PIC]
|..Exavier Exeter..|
|..Minus..|
[PIC]
[ Commerce District . Merchant Booth ]
-At one of hundreds of booths where goods, services and food are sold to people attending the Fair...-
says to ALL: I leave that merchant booth and make my way further down the central avenue, always heading in the general direction of the central tent. I was clearly in no big hurry to find my way there though. I stop at another vendor, this one was selling pre made and matching hinge and lock sets for collars. This was one thing that I was completely unable to make for myself so I look through what he has. I can see several sets that will work for me so I set them out one at a time. Finishing with about 30 sets in total of varying types and locking mechanisms. They were also made out of a few different types of metal. I finish piling them up and discuss what the vendor would be willing to take in exchange. We actually settle on a thin gold collar that I have in my pack, it was a fair trade since some of the hinges and locks were made of silver. I take it out of my pack and hand it over, sliding all of the hinges and locking mechanisms back into the top of my pack. I bid the vendor farewell and head off down the avenue again.
(21:22:25 )
[PIC]
|..Exavier of Minus..|
[PIC]
[ Exeter Metal Works ]
-Within the immense complex that has a large forge with several furnaces, a bright and open studio for sales and slave branding, and a well appointed office in the back...-
says to ALL: I had put all of the orders of delivery in the crates so that they could be signed off on. I was not charging hardly anything for this order but that was how one expanded some business prospects. The iron ore was coming in at a rapid rate from the voltai mountains now, and I had several books open that explained how smelting pots were put together and how they worked. I wanted to refine the ore into iron ingots on site at the mine but I was not sure if that was feasible. I had been doing some drawings of my own in the center of the large drafting table, with the heavy leather bound tomes opened along the edges. My work done for the day I put out the lamps in the room and close and lock the door. Omega and the rest had already gone home for the evening. I grab my cloak from the peg near the door and wrap it around my shoulders before stepping out the back door and into the alleyway behind the Exeter Metal Works, heading for the main street.
(21:19:03 )
[PIC]
|..Exavier of Minus..|
[PIC]
[ Exeter Metal Works ]
-Within the immense complex that has a large forge with several furnaces, a bright and open studio for sales and slave branding, and a well appointed office in the back...-
says to ALL: I had a fresh batch of collars in front of me. They were made with steel made from iron ore out of the brand new Exeter mines in the Voltai Mountains. The whole project there was coming together well. I set aside enough of the collars to make up Chloe's order. Two dozen in all, made in freshly minted steel, in perfect order made from some of the hinges and locks that I purchased at the fair the last time through. At this point they were just plain steel that had been polished to a mirror shine. Identical in every way to the other 100 that I sent to Aslan in the House of Golden Blossoms. Each had a riveted on loop that a leash could be attached to as well. I check each of the two dozen that I was going to sell to Chloe and the slaver house. I had not done much of the work with my own hands, only pouring steel and a few other things in the process of making them. I wanted to be sure that no mistakes had been made, even though I had excellent smiths in the forge working for me.
(21:30:00 )
[PIC]
|..Exavier of Minus..|
[PIC]
[ Exeter Metal Works ]
-Within the immense complex that has a large forge with several furnaces, a bright and open studio for sales and slave branding, and a well appointed office in the back...-
says to ALL: I had a large case of stencil letters made from steel somewhere around here, just for this very purpose. The forge was huge, but I was incredibly OCD about where I put things away. I went to one of the back walls, opening two cabinets and finding the set that I needed. These were done in a special way, curved so that they could sit against the collar. Usually, it would be for just one or two letters, in this case many more, but the principle was the same. The block lettering sat in little channels that perfectly fit along the side of a collar. I make sure all the parts are here and carry the rather large wooden box over to my workbench, setting it down and looking inside. Yes these would work perfectly, the process would take a couple of ahns though. Now that I had everything set out, I could finish the collars when I was at the forge tomorrow. It was time to head back to my villa and check on my beautiful slave girl. It was late in the evening and I had been here all day anyway.
(20:28:20 )
[PIC]
|..Exavier of Minus..|
[ Exeter Metal Works ]
-Within the immense complex that has a large forge with several furnaces, a bright and open studio for sales and slave branding, and a well appointed office in the back...-
says to ALL: I was in the Exeter Metal Works. All of the collars for the House of Bladewing were set out upon the work bench. I had also set up the steel stencil so that I could etch them with acid. The process was not all that complicated from here and would not take long. I clamp the first collar into a vice and then set the curved stencil upon it. I lock that down as well making sure that it is straight. There were more letters than I would usually etch but this was not an issue as I had all of the materials available to take care of the issue. I would be doing a total of 24 collars, I was not sure if she would need that many but it would suffice for now. I also had set aside a few of my specialty collars that I had displayed in the studio. I had one that was silver with black enameling on it, showing a slave in service. I thought perhaps this would work for her first girl or another slave that she was fond of. One side of it was made up of the enameling and the other half was open and would be etched in the same way that the steel ones were, though I had to use a different acid for the etching. The first of the steel collars set, I then start to ready the other things that I needed. A wire brush and a obsidian basin that would not be eaten through by the acid. I then put on my heavy gloves and sort through the bottles I have available until I find the right type of acid. I select the bottle that contains ferric chloride powder. I dump some of the powder into the basin and then add a specific amount of water to it. The mixture burns my nose and eyes a little bit but I was sure that this would work.
(20:31:28 )
[PIC]
|..Exavier of Minus..|
[ Exeter Metal Works ]
-Within the immense complex that has a large forge with several furnaces, a bright and open studio for sales and slave branding, and a well appointed office in the back...-
says to ALL: Once the mixture was set, I took the wire brush and dipped it in, I could see little a little whips of smoke curling from the wire brush, knowing that the acid would eat through it I move quickly. I brush the acid across the face of the steel collar, the stencil set well and truly pulled tight to the steel of the collar itself this would allow the only contact of the acid with the steel of the collar to be in the shape of the letters. I let this set for several ihns and then dunk the whole thing in water, diluting the acid and washing it off of both the stencil and the collar. Unclamping the stencil from the collar I look it over, the effect was perfect. The steel was left untouched other than in the area that spelled out House of Bladewing. The steel in that section had darkened enough that it was easily legible, even from a distance. I then move on to the next collar, and then the next. I was working quickly since the wire brush was being eaten away by the hydrochloric acid that was created when I mixed the water with the ferric acid.
(20:37:10 )
[PIC]
|..Exavier of Minus..|
[ Exeter Metal Works ]
-Within the immense complex that has a large forge with several furnaces, a bright and open studio for sales and slave branding, and a well appointed office in the back...-
says to ALL: I had mixed up enough of the acid that I would be able to do all the etchings, I made sure that with each collar I clamped the stencil to was secured properly, if any of the acid oozed underneath the stencil it would ruin the effect. I was moving quickly within the steaming hot confines of the forge. I could hear the hammers falling in the background from the other men still at work this evening. Often the forge was somewhat cleared out at this time of night but with the huge orders coming in from Ar lately I knew that the men were working late to make some extra coin while there was lots of work to do. I continue this process until all 24 of the collars have the acid etching on them. Each of them have been cleaned and wiped down as well. I put the entire lot into a large leather satchel, taking care not to scratch any of the etchings though that would not really be possible now that they were done.
(20:42:21 )
[PIC]
|..Exavier of Minus..|
[ Exeter Metal Works ]
-Within the immense complex that has a large forge with several furnaces, a bright and open studio for sales and slave branding, and a well appointed office in the back...-
says to ALL: I dilute the acid that is in the obsidian basin in a 50 gallon drum of water, still I call over one of the men to take it outside of town and dispose of it. The type of materials used to etch the silver were not nearly as strong and would not be dangerous to have around. I pack up the bottle of the ferric chloride, taking special care to be sure that the cork is in the top of the bottle securely and then I start to go through my various bottles of harmful chemicals coming across the copper sulfate that I want. I also find a bottle of sodium chloride, or what would be considered to be regular table salt. It was interesting the reactions that these two chemicals had with each other when they were mixed with water. I had read quite a bit on the subject and had one large leather bound tome in the library that was more of a chemist manual than something that a normal blacksmith would use. I'd come across it on a trip to Brundisium many years ago. I spent a lot of time in that city as that was where I had based my fleet of ships for many years. Making sure to mix a one to one ratio of the sodium chloride and copper sulfate in the same obsidian basin, this acid was not nearly strong enough to damage steel or even etch it but it would work perfectly on the silver of the collar that I wanted to show Chloe as something that could be done if she wished it. If she did not it would be a simple process to melt the collar down and reuse the silver for something else. I clamp the same stencil to the silver collar, taking more care with the clamping as I did not want to damage the silver.
(20:45:51 )
[PIC]
|..Exavier of Minus..|
[ Exeter Metal Works ]
-Within the immense complex that has a large forge with several furnaces, a bright and open studio for sales and slave branding, and a well appointed office in the back...-
says to ALL: Using the same wire brush, but now there was no smoke curling up from the steel bristles, I wipe the newly made acidic compound across the stencil. It really does not take long to etch the silver. I had prepared all of the collars ahead of time by washing them down and making sure that the surfaces were perfectly smooth. It was important that they be clean and prepared in order for the etching to work correctly. I carefully pull the stencil away when I am done and then wash both the collar and the stenciling equipment. I was able to dump this much less caustic acid into a large basin of water and it diluted completely. I wash up all of my tools and then put the silver collar in its own special wooden box. This would keep it from getting dinged up during transport to the House of Bladewing. I then add that box to the large leather pack that I was putting everything else in. I make sure that all of my chemicals are put away and the cabinet that holds them is once again closed and locked. It would not be good for someone to accidentally get into the different chemicals when they were looking for something else. The collars finished I consider if I want to work on another project tonight or head off in search of my slave girl.