Method and apparatus for continuously coating a metal strand-like article with molten metal

Claim 1

A PROCESS OF CONTINUOUSLY COATING A METAL STRANDLIKE ARTICLE WITH MOLTEN COATING METAL WHICH COMPRISES CLEANING THE STRAND-LIKE ARTICLE, AND WHILE THE ARTICLE IS IN THE CLEANED CONDITION, MOVING SAID ARTICLE PAST A MEMBER HAVING A LIP AGAINST WHICH ARTICLE MOVES, CONTACTING THE ARTICLE WITH MOLTEN COATING METAL AT THE APPROACH SIDE ONLY OF SAID LIP, SAID MOLTEN COATING METAL BEING DERIVED FROM A SOURCE THEREOF, SAID SOURCE HAVING A TOP GRAVITATIONAL LEVEL WHICH IS LOCATED BELOW THE LEVEL OF SAID LIP, THE MOVEMENT OF THE ARTICLE ACTING TO CARRY A THIN FILM OF THE MOLTEN COATING METAL BETWEEN SAID ARTICLE AND SAID LIP, MAINTAINING SAID MOLTEN COATING METAL AT THE APPROACH SIDE OF SAID LIP IN CONTINOUS CONTACT WITH THE METAL IN SAID SOURCE SO AS TO FORM A CONTINUOUS BODY OF THE MOLTEN COATING METAL EXTENDING FROM SAID TOP GRAVITATIONAL LEVEL OF SAID SOURCE UPWARDLY TO SAID LIP, THE SURFACE OF SAID BODY LOCATED AWAY FROM SAID ARTICLE BEING AN UNBROKEN UPWARD EXTENSION OF THE SURFACE OF THE METAL IN SAID SOURCE OF SAID GRAVITATIONAL LEVEL, AND ISOLATED FROM AIR AT SAID SURFACE, THE WEIGHT OF SAID BODY OF MOLTEN COATING METAL BEING OPPOSED TO THE PASSAGE OF SAID MOLTEN COATING METAL BETWEEN SAID LIP AND SAID ARTICLE, AND SAID MEMBER HAVING A PORTION ADJACENT SAID LIP, WHICH PORTION IS SO LOCATED AS TO CONTACT ANY FILM OF OXIDE FLOATING ON THE SAID SOURCE OF MOLTEN COATING METAL TO KEEP SAID FILM FROM CONTACTING SAID ARTICLE.