The small black box that produces smokeless coal is undoubtedly a great help in this regard.
Pure wooden windmills and waterwheels are not durable and need frequent replacement of easily worn parts shortly after use.
To make them durable, metal components must be added.
There's quite a bit of scrap iron brought from the ship, some larger pieces weigh forty to fifty pounds, which can be cut into small manageable pieces with space-time cutting for forging or casting.
The main reason for not attempting to forge metal items previously was that the temperature produced by burning wood was insufficient.
Also, Chen Zhou was bogged down with trivial matters, and the rainy season on the island interfered, preventing him from finding the time to build a charcoal kiln or try forging iron products to his needs.
Due to many factors, as of January 1, 1662, Chen Zhou hadn't built even the essential facilities needed for forging metal tools, such as an anvil, bellows, and forge.
...
