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.
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.
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.
VIEW OF INGOT MOLD.