Life of Being a Crown Prince in France

Chapter 460: Chapter 373 I Bring a Furniture Revolution to Europe

Joseph finished arranging the trial production of bulletproof inserts, and suddenly felt fatigue wash over him.

These past few days in the armory felt like a return to the days of doing projects with his mentor in his previous life. Thankfully, his father was there to help, ensuring he didn’t end up exhausted to death.

He watched Louis XVI depart for the Petit Trianon Palace—the King had indulged his craftsmanship addiction these few days and was now missing his wife—while Joseph himself did not delay, immediately driving to the Paris Royal Arsenal to discuss the production of casein glue with Lavoisier.

Without solving the issue of mass-producing the adhesive, the great strategic value of the bulletproof inserts could not be realized.

When Joseph’s carriage stopped in front of the administrative building of the Royal Gunpowder Agency, the entire agency buzzed with excitement. The management and craftsmen here were somewhat related to the military, and they cared deeply about victories on the front lines. They set aside their work and came to catch a glimpse of the legendary hero who created the “Great Victory of the Southern Netherlandsthe Crown Prince.

In the end, besieged by a “forceful crowd,” Joseph had no choice but to drag Lavoisier away from the Gunpowder Agency and head to his office at the Tuileries Palace to talk.

At the Gunpowder Agency, people gazed after the Crown Prince’s carriage longingly, and only after a good while, under the overseers’ angry roars, did they reluctantly go back to their tasks.

In Joseph’s carriage, Lavoisier furrowed his brows after listening to the Crown Prince’s request, “Your Highness, producing casein glue is not difficult, but, I’m afraid the demand for your bulletproof inserts may not be enough to support mass production.”

Joseph was taken aback. He was overwhelmed with busyness and had forgotten that in the pre-industrial era, as long as you were willing to invest and there were no technical hurdles, almost anything could be mass-produced.

But the question was, to whom would he sell the products? If they couldn’t be sold, it would only lead to continuous losses.

Although he was willing to incur losses for the sake of manufacturing vital military equipment, it was not a sustainable solution.

He looked at the “Father of Chemistry” and asked, “Mr. Lavoisier, to your knowledge, who would need this kind of adhesive?”

"Oh, previously only carpenters used it in small quantities and cobblers occasionally used a little to bond shoe soles. They typically ordered a small bottle from the drugstore at the beginning of each year.”

"Carpenters?”

"Yes, Your Highness,” said Lavoisier, “it was to meet the carpenters’ needs that casein glue was first invented. But as you know, this invention did not bring much profit.”

Joseph, deep in thought, said, “Can you explain in detail when carpenters would use this?”

"In any situation where nails can’t be used, Your Highness. Casein glue bonds wood very sturdily, and once it dries, the bond is even harder than the wood itself

As Lavoisier detailed the characteristics of casein glue, Joseph’s eyes gradually lit up.

If the dry strength of casein glue was so high and its affinity with wood was excellent, couldn’t it be used to manufacture synthetic board materials?

He was aware that in the later world, few ordinary households could afford pure solid wood furniture; ninety percent of the furniture market was made up of synthetic board materials like MDF and particle board.

These synthetic boards were made from “waste” wood chips and sawdust, mixed with adhesive and compressed.

One should not underestimate this seemingly “waste recycling” innovation—synthetic board materials triggered a furniture revolution at the end of the 19th century!

First, the price of synthetic boards was far lower than that of solid wood.

This was mainly because the solid wood suitable for furniture was limited to the straight trunks of trees; branches or crooked trees could not be used. ℞âꞐő₿Ęṡ

However, synthetic boards could make use of an entire tree because whether it’s crooked or in small pieces, it could all be crushed and glued into standard square boards. Even though there were additional costs for adhesives and processing, the overall price was still very affordable.

Similar to the shipbuilding industry of the 18th century, which consumed large amounts of lumber, the scrap wood discarded every year could furnish all the French people with new furniture.

If a synthetic board manufacturing plant could be built near the shipyards of Brittany, it would create a supply chain of lumber-shipbuilding-synthetic boards-furniture and might even significantly reduce the cost of shipbuilding.

In addition, and more importantly, the biggest advantage of synthetic boards over solid wood was not cost.

This might differ from the usual perception, but synthetic boards triggered a furniture revolution mainly because they had several unparalleled advantages:

The first was ease of processing. Synthetic boards were basically square and flat on both sides when they left the factory. Carpenters could quickly assemble furniture with just a simple sawing, while those using solid wood were still laboriously treating the lumber.

As a result, the output of furniture could increase by several times or even more than tenfold, and the variety of designs would also expand. With a broader selection and lower prices, a sales craze was naturally expected.

You see, the most profitable industrial products were never the most exquisite ones, but those that could meet the basic needs of the largest number of people. Just like how, in later times, Mercedes and BMW could never surpass Toyota and Volkswagen, which catered to the mass market.

Second, the nail-holding capacity of synthetic boards was far superior to that of solid wood. Because solid wood was dense, it exerted a force pushing out the nails, whereas composite boards made from wood dust and glue did not have this problem.

This meant that the durability of furniture made from synthetic boards was also stronger than that of solid wood.

Of course, this could be addressed by using the traditional Eastern mortise and tenon joint, but at present, furniture on the European Continent still primarily relied on nails. To expect tens of thousands of carpenters to suddenly change their customary skills was out of the question unless the Lord himself showed a miracle.

Lastly, the resistance of synthetic boards to woodworm was leagues ahead of solid wood. Hmm… for woodworms, adhesive was even more disgusting than dog excrement, not to mention that the stuff was poisonous.

Durable, woodworm resistant, and affordably priced furniture would undoubtedly easily overturn solid wood furniture and dominate the market.

Thinking of this, Joseph suppressed the excitement in his heart and asked Lavoisier, “If I can find a market, say over 500,000 kilograms per month, could you help me set up a casein glue factory of that scale?”

“500,000 kilograms?!”

Lavoisier was greatly astonished. The whole of Europe consumed perhaps only a few tens of thousands of kilograms of casein glue in a year, and the Crown Prince wanted to sell 500,000 kilograms in a single month, which was simply unbelievable!

However, when he saw Joseph’s earnest expression, he began to think deeply.

After a moment, he shook his head slightly and said, “Your Highness, it’s absolutely impossible to reach a monthly production of 500,000 kilograms in the short term. If you are willing to invest one million livres, I can try to reach a monthly output of 50,000 kilograms.”

"One million livres!” Joseph nearly blurted out an expletive. His initial investment in the United Steam Engine Company was also one million. How on earth could a “glue factory” with a mere monthly production of 50,000 kilograms compare to a steam engine?

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