soaking furnace 10 thereby to ensure further continuation of the preheating or ingot making operation hereinafter the procedures for soaking the cold steel pieces sa stored outside the apparatus and or the hot steel pieces sb delivered from the ingot making position will be fully described in normal to the preheating chamber the cold steel piece sa is placed by means of the crane 56 on the charge trestle 54 arranged at the entrance of the preheating chamber 22 and is then crossfed into the chamber 22 by means of the pushing means 58 for further transfer through the preheating chamber in which steel piece sa is preheated to 800 u00b0 950 u00b0 c with the heat introduced from the soaking furnace 10 through the small flue 24 thereafter the steel piece sa rotates about its central axis by 90 u00b0 at the first rotation means 60 arranged in the outlet of the preheating chamber 22 then the preheated steel piece sa is pushed out of the groove 60 through the opening 68 onto the conveyor means 70 juxtaposed to the soaking furnace 10 for transfer until it is withheld in the vicinity of the inlet of the soaking furnace 10 by means of the stopper 82 arranged at the terminal of the conveyor means 70 the steel piece sa placed on the terminal of the conveyor.