A
finery forge is a
hearth used to
fine (i.e., produce, refine)
wrought iron, through the
decarburization of the
pig iron. The fining process involved liquifying cast iron in a fining hearth and
removing carbon from the molten cast iron through
oxidation. Finery forges were used as early as 3rd century BC, based on archaeological evidence found at a site in Tieshengguo, China. The finery forge process was replaced by
puddling process and the roller mill, both developed by
Henry Cort in 1783-4, but not becoming widespread until after 1800.