After 12 or 15 hours of refining treatment in this furnace the metal is tested, analyzed in the chemical laboratory, and, if found to be refined to the proper degree, it is allowed to flow out of the furnace on the opposite side from that through which it entered. Flowing out of the furnace the entire charge of 60 tons finds its way into a huge ladle which is suspended from a traveling crane capable of safely carrying this great weight. The ladle is then transferred by the crane to a heavy cast-iron mold which is built so as to contain as much of the 60 tons of molten metal as is required for the particular gun forging under manufacture. The mold, which we have before us now on our imaginary trip through the gun plant, will provide an "ingot" from the molten metal that will be 40 inches in diameter and 100 inches high. On top of this ingot is a brick-lined so-called "sinkhead." This sinkhead is that portion of the molten metal that has been allowed to cool more slowly in the brick lining than the ingot does in the cast-iron mold proper. The ingot with the sinkhead will weigh approximately 60,000 pounds. This sinkhead is to insure greater solidity to the portion of the ingot which is used for the gun forging. Only that part of the ingot below the sinkhead enters the forging. The sinkhead itself is cut off while hot under the press in a subsequent operation and afterwards remelted. Next the ingot is placed under a 2,000-ton forging press which handles ingots up to 45 inches in diameter. There it is forged into a square shape after coming from the mold in an octagonal form. Previous to its being put under this press, however, a careful chemical analysis has been made of the ingot to determine that it is satisfactory for gun purposes, and then before being put under the press the whole ingot is heated in the charge chamber and fired either by a gas or oil flame. [Illustration: VIEW OF LADLE, CONTAINING 60 TONS OF MOLTEN STEEL SUSPENDED FROM A TRAVELING CRANE. The ladle is receiving metal from the furnace and the crane is conveying the ladle to the mold.] [Illustration: MOLTEN STEEL BEING POURED FROM LADLE INTO MOLD, WHICH IS OF HEAVY CAST-IRON CONSTRUCTION, AT THE TACONY ORDNANCE CORPORATION. Arrow points from letter A to a completed ingot from a mold. The brick-lined sink head is a part of the mold and is to insure greater solidity to the portion of the ingot which is used for the gun forging; only the part below the sink head entering the forging, the sink head itself being cut off hot under the press in a subsequent operation.] [Illustration: VIEW OF INGOT MOLD.] [Illustration: A 2,000-TON FORGING PRESS AT THE TACONY ORDNANCE CORPORATION PLANT.