Annealing oven for continuously moving wire

Claim 1

IN A WIRE ENNEALING OVEN, (A) CASING STRUCTURE DEFINING AN ELONGATED OVEN CHAMBER HAVING AN INLET AT ONE END AND AN OUTLET AT ITS OTHER END, (B) MEANS FOR HEATING AND CIRCULATING A GASEOUS MEDIUM LONGITUDINALLY THROUGH SAID OVEN CHAMBER, (C) SEALING MEANS AT OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID OVEN CHAMBER ADMITTING PASSGE OF WIRE STRANDS THERETHROUGH BUT SEALING SAID INLET AND OUTLET AGAINST ADMISSION OF AIR INTO SAID OVEN CHAMBER, (D) SAID SEALING MEANS EACH COMPRISING A PAIR OF SUPERPOSED RESILIENT SPONGIOSE PADS IN FACE TO FACE ENGAGEMENT, (E) THE ENGAGING FACES OF THE PADS OF EACH PARI THEREOF BEING ALIGNED SUBSTANTIALLY WITHTHE LINGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID OVEN CHAMBER AND ADAPTED TO RECEIVE AND ENGAGE STRANDS OF WIRE THEREBETWEEN FOR PASSAGE OF SUCH STRANDS LONGITUDINALLY THROUGH SAID OVEN CHAMBER, AND (F) MEANS INCLUDING A MANIFOLD ELEMENT FOR SUPPORTING SAID PADS IN SAID FACE TO FACE ENGAGEMENT, FOR INTRODUCING LIQUID TO SAID PADS TO CAUSE SATURATION THEREOF, AND FOR REMOVING EXCESS LIQUID FROM SAID SEALING MEANS.