Patent ID: 8414825

Claim:
A movable sweat hearth for use with a metal melting furnace having a wall provided with a metal-loading entrance, said sweat hearth comprising: a hearth body movable relative to the furnace into and out of contact with said wall of said furnace at said entrance, the hearth body having exterior walls enclosing a hollow interior except at a furnace-engagable side wall of the body provided with a single opening communicating with said interior requiring both loading of said metal into said interior and discharging of molten metal from said interior to said furnace through said single opening, the interior having a floor adapted to support a charge of metal, and the opening being positioned relative to the floor to allow molten metal to drain from said interior through said opening; and said hearth body being configured to align said floor at an angle to horizontal to slope in a downward direction towards said opening when said container is moved into sealing engagement with said wall of the furnace with said opening aligned with said furnace entrance; and to require said hearth body to be moved away from the metal-loading entrance of the furnace for loading of said interior of the hearth body with a charge of metal through said opening of the hearth body.