The molten iron finished pouring in under a minute.
Wynn watched the ladle's tilt rate the whole way through. Too fast, and the iron would splash out over the rim. Too slow, and the metal at the ladle's lip would start to cool before the converter filled completely. He kept the rate steady.
The charge climbed to the marked line on the interior clay coat, the level that would put the tuyere cluster at the bottom of the charge once the vessel stood upright again. The ladle ran empty. The technician pulled it back from the converter's mouth.
Wynn stepped to the tilt lever and the counterbalance carried the weight. The loaded converter, iron charge included, swung through the arc from receiving position to blast position with only one man working the lever. It came upright. The tuyeres now sat at the floor of the charge, seven small openings buried beneath orange-white metal.
The bellows had been running since before the pour started. The line into the tuyere pipes was already open.
