forehearth

[ fawr-hahrth, fohr- ]

/ ˈfɔrˌhɑrθ, ˈfoʊr- /

(in a blast furnace or cupola) a reservoir for iron or slag, accessible through a door at hearth level.

Origin of forehearth

First recorded in 1880–85; fore- + hearth

At the first stands the smelter, who with a ladle pours the alloy out of the forehearth into the moulds.

De Re Metallica |Georgius Agricola
In this method the molten lead in the forehearth absorbs the silver.

De Re Metallica |Georgius Agricola
When the alloy has been poured out of the forehearth, the smelter foreman and the mine captain weigh the cakes.

De Re Metallica |Georgius Agricola
Then the stannum runs out of the furnace into the forehearth; this is an alloy of lead and silver.

De Re Metallica |Georgius Agricola

Afterward, when the tap-hole has been opened, they flow into the forehearth and mix there with the molten lead.

De Re Metallica |Georgius Agricola