Chapter 1059: Whitney's Charge
Indeed, tools like pliers and wrenches, which seemed utterly unremarkable to people of later generations, required custom orders in this era.
Not only were they expensive, but if a technician wanted a tool that felt right in their hand, they often had to stay with the blacksmith during the forging process. At the very least, it would take ten days of effort.
As for why blacksmith shops didn't mass-produce them?
It was because every technician had different habits. Mass-produced tools would likely never find a buyer.
Take the simplest example: the wrench. In most countries, every company used its own screw specifications. What size opening would you make for a wrench? Furthermore, some screws had hexagonal heads while others had triangular ones; they were completely incompatible.
Therefore, a technician had to commission them specifically, drawing up the wrench's blueprints and handing them to the blacksmith before work could even begin.
Historically, the United States had pirated a vast number of British machines, but because they lacked the matching tools, many of those machines remained unusable even after they were built.
However, the situation in France was entirely different.
France had unified its standard units of measurement and implemented standardized industrial production for years. From production standards to tool standards, there were complete sets of specification documents.
Straight-nosed, curved-nosed, or needle-nosed—every variety had strict standards ranging from the materials used to the manufacturing process. They were categorized into twenty specifications, from M1 to M20, with sizes increasing sequentially to meet all production requirements.
Blacksmith shops only needed to produce according to the government-issued standards to be guaranteed customers. Since factories also followed standardized production, technicians were required to use these uniform tools.
What if a technician wanted to use square-headed screws? I'm sorry, but first of all, they weren't sold on the market; secondly, you wouldn't be able to find a wrench that could turn them. French standards dictated that all screws must use hexagonal heads.
On the other hand, because blacksmith shops could mass-produce tools according to standard specifications, the price was at least five or six times lower than custom-made ones. This reduced the investment required by technicians, which in turn lowered the production costs for factories.
Low costs brought high competitiveness.
It took Whitney only twenty minutes to select the entire set of tools he needed. He remembered that back in the United States, getting tools custom-made had taken about half a month.
Afterward, he began to study the unfamiliar tools on the counter.
"That is a pipe bender, sir," the shop assistant introduced from the side. "And that one there is a hand-cranked grinding wheel. It has an internal flywheel; it's very easy to use..."
Whitney picked up an exquisite, P-shaped tool. "What is this used for?"
"A micrometer. It was invented by His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince. By utilizing the pitch of the screw threads and the graduations on the movable scale, it can measure lengths down to 0.01 millimeters." The assistant caught a glimpse of Whitney's shocked expression, took the micrometer, and began to demonstrate. "Look, like this, and then like that... you can read the result right here."
Whitney fiddled with the delicate instrument, then suddenly slapped his forehead. 'If I model the workpiece feed mechanism after this design, the machining precision could increase several times over!'
He dropped the micrometer into the pile of tools he had just selected. "Add this. How much for everything?"
The shop assistant looked up and calculated mentally for a moment. "Fifty-three francs, sir."
"What?!" Whitney's eyes widened. "Fifty-three francs?"
He had originally thought this large haul of tools would cost at least a hundred US dollars, which was about 250 francs. He hadn't expected it to be only a fifth of that price.
The assistant, thinking he found it too expensive, quickly explained, "The micrometer is the pricey part, sir. As you know, that device requires extremely high precision to manufacture. If you don't want it, the other tools come to thirty francs in total."
The American didn't hesitate to drop a handful of notes. He signaled his servant to carry the tools—which weighed roughly twenty kilograms—and boarded his carriage.
He held the micrometer himself, fiddling with it cautiously.
Four days later, Whitney's talent certification was signed and approved.
Perret, an official from the Talent Committee, personally delivered the certification documents to the inn where he was staying and then asked politely:
"If you need any help, please feel free to come find me at the Academy of Sciences."
Whitney hesitated for a moment before saying, "Well, could you perhaps help me find a job? Anything related to mechanical processing would do. The salary doesn't have to be high, as long as I can use the company's workshop after hours."
Perret looked somewhat surprised. "Mr. Whitney, are you short on funds?"
"I... I suppose so..."
"But why... I mean, you could focus entirely on your research and development."
The Talent Committee provided high stipends to these individuals specifically so they wouldn't be distracted by the problems of making a living.
Whitney said with a bitter face, "I want to develop a milling machine. But I have no workshop, and I don't have enough funds to buy raw materials. So I thought I'd find a machining job so I could solve both problems at once."
Perret blinked. "Why haven't you applied for the 'New Technology Promotion Fund'?"
"Ah? What is that?"
Perret glanced at Whitney's manservant. "Mr. Bastian, didn't you remind Mr. Whitney to read the 'Rights and Obligations of High-Level Talents'?"
"I... I'm very sorry, it was an oversight on my part."
Perret took out a copy of the "Rights and Obligations" from his bag, flipped to page twenty, and smiled. "You should take a look at this; it will be helpful to you.
"You need to prepare a technical description of what you intend to develop, along with a research plan, and submit it to the Talent Committee. If it's approved, you can receive government funding."
Whitney's eyes were already wide. "Is... is that true?"
"Of course," Perret said, clearly experienced in these matters. "As long as your technology has value, you can usually apply for five hundred to two thousand francs in startup capital.
"Later on, the Talent Committee will evaluate your progress multiple times and decide whether to continue the funding."
This was, of course, the scientific research support model that Joseph had brought over from the future.
The total amount of New Technology Promotion Funds applied for each year was only about five or six hundred thousand francs. If even one or two projects succeeded, that small amount of money could be earned back several times, or even dozens of times over.
After Perret left, Whitney nearly cried with emotion.
In the past, to develop the cotton gin, he had poured his entire life savings into it, only to end up drowning in debt.
But now, the French government was actually giving him money for free to work on his inventions!
'God, is this place a paradise you sent for all technicians?'
Whitney's application took only about twenty days to be approved, and then he received his first installment of 1,400 francs.
The Talent Committee even recommended several skilled technicians to serve as his assistants and helped him rent a workshop to use as a laboratory.
This allowed Whitney's research and development work to move forward at full speed immediately.
The only thing that made him feel slightly uncomfortable was that from that day on, there were always two bodyguards following him at all times. There was also someone constantly guarding the laboratory.
Perhaps because Whitney's creative drive had been suppressed for too long, his efficiency was terrifyingly high once it finally exploded.
In just over two months, he and his assistants had built the first scaled wooden model of the machine.
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