If he wanted to produce bicycle chains by industrial means, he would need to make each metal piece and each cylinder exactly identical.
This required his molds to be extremely precise, and the current molds made casually from clay were definitely unusable.
So, what should he use as a mold?
He had no idea at all.
Gears and chains are very commonly used parts that often undergo friction and interlocking, so he thought they should be made of steel. He needed to blow high-carbon steel and then pour it into the molds.
He always thought his furnace should be fine in terms of temperature; after trying out the various methods a few times, he would know which is more effective.
If the mold issue was resolved, could he then produce parts that are precise enough?
He wanted the precision of a steam engine or an electric motor.
Is it really a problem with the molds?
He was extremely troubled by this question.
The casting method is absolutely important.
