Rotary barrel salt bath furnaces

Claim 1

A METAL MELTING FURNACE FOR MELTING OXIDIZABLE METALS AND THE LIKE COMPRISING A CYLIDNRICAL HOUSING, A FLUID HEAT TRANSFER MEDIUM IN SAID CYLINDRICAL PORTION, A FRUSTO CONICAL END PORTION ON ONE END OF SAID HOUSING, AN OPENING IN THE APEX OF SAID FRUSTO CONICAL END, SPACED ENCLOSED PASSAGES OPEN AT ONE END ADJACENT THE INNER PERIPHERY OF THE HOUSING ADJACENT THE BASE OF THE FRUSTO CONICAL END PORTION AND EXTENDING TO AND DISCHARGING INTO THE OPENING IN THE FRUSTO CONICAL END, AND ADAPTED TO DELIVER FLUID HEAT TRANSFER MEDIUM TO THE SAID APEX, A TROUGH EXTENDING INTO THE OPENING IN THE APES OF SAID FRUSTO CONICAL END TO RECEIVE FLUID FROM SAID PASSAGES, BURNER MEANS DIRECTING A FLAME THROUGH SAID CYLINDRICAL HOUSING, FEEDER MEANS DELIVERING METAL TO BE MELTED INTO THE TROUGH WHEREBY THE FLUID HEAT TRANSFER MEDIUM RECEIVES SAID METAL, DRIVE MEANS ROTATING SAID CYLINDRICAL HOUSING, WELL MEANS ADJACENT THE HOUSING RECEIVING THE FLUID HEAT TRANSFER MEANS AND THE METAL THEREIN AND SEPARATING THE MOLTEN METAL FROM THE FLUID HEAT TRANSFER MEDIUM AND UNMELTED METAL AND RETURN MEANS DELIVERING THE FLUID HEAT TRANSFER MEDIUM AND UNMELTED METAL TO THE INTERIOR OF THE FURNACE.