An historic ironmaking term for the pasty, slag-filled ball of iron extracted from a bloomery or puddling furnace. The spongy mass is taken directly from the hearth at welding heat and beaten with a trip hammer or run through a squeezer. This mechanical working forces out the liquid slag and welds the iron particles into a solid bloom.
Heard on the job
Pull the loup from the hearth and get it under the drop hammer before it loses its heat.
Also heard as
- loop
- bloom