Casting of high oxygen-affinity metals and their alloys

A process for casting high contaminating gas affinity metals or metal alloys through the use of a furnace having a bottom region which communicates with a mold having vented orifices, said process substantially preventing the pick-up of contaminating gases by said metals or metal alloys during their melting and subsequent casting, said process comprises feeding said high oxygen affinity metals or metal alloys into said furnace forming a charge, introducing a liquid inert shielding gas above said charge to lessen contamination of said charge upon heating and upon subsequent steps of the process proximate the surface of said charge, melting said charge and pouring said liquid metal or metal alloy into said mold and maintaining said liquid inert gas above said charge throughout said melting and pouring step, wherein for a period of approximately ten seconds or more before pouring said metal or metal alloy into said mold, gaseous inert gas is injected in the mold with an over-pressure to purge the mold, the purged atmosphere being vented through the vent orifices of the mold prior to or at the time the molten metal or metal alloy is poured into the mold thus substantially avoiding any contamination of said molten metal or metal alloy during pouring and during its solidification in the mold.