Apparatus for the surface treatment of an object

An apparatus for applying a predetermined surface treatment to an object by means of dipping the object in a treating liquid and conveying said object in a direction, said apparatus comprising:

• a treating vessel containing the treating liquid for performing the predetermined surface treatment;
• at least one hopper of funnel shape disposed at the bottom portion of the treating vessel in which the object is dipped, said at least one hopper collecting precipitated sludge therein, the collected sludge being removed out of said at least one hopper through the lower portion thereof;
• and
• a multiplicity of slant plates inclined in the same direction with respect to said direction of conveyance and disposed above the bottom portion of the treating vessel in spaced relation with one another so that floating sludge in the liquid may fall through the clearances between the slant plates onto the bottom portion of the treating vessel, said slant plates preventing the sludge from being stirred up into the treating liquid.