A 2,000-TON FORGING PRESS AT THE TACONY ORDNANCE CORPORATION PLANT.
This press can forge ingots up to 45 inches in diameter. The ingot under the press is shown in a partly forged state. Note that the original octagonal shape of the ingot as it came from the mold has been forged down to a square shape and later will be forged into a round shape. After coming from the mold, the ingot has been subjected to a careful chemical analysis to determine its fitness for use as a gun barrel.
A 9,000 TON HYDRAULIC FORGING PRESS IN THE PLANT OF THE MIDVALE STEEL CO.
This press is needed for such large caliber guns as the 14-inch and 16-inch guns. The piece of forging under the press is armor plate and not a gun forging.
THREE TUBES OF THE 155-MILLIMETER GUNS SUSPENDED AT FURNACE.
Three tubes of the 155-millimeter guns suspended at furnace ready for heating and quenching to give them the necessary combination of hardness and toughness. The door of the furnace is open. The tubes remain in this furnace for perhaps eight hours at a temperature of 1,500° Fahrenheit or until a bright yellow color, uniform in every part.
