there is generally indicated at 10 in fig1 and 4 a coil entry portion of a steel strip pickling line constructed according to a presently preferred embodiment of the instant invention . coil entry portion 10 includes a first conveyor 12 for transporting hot - rolled strip coils 14 to a coil preparation station 16 and to a coil car system 18 . the coil car system operates to move coils 14 from the first conveyor 12 to an uncoiler station of a later - described strip treatment portion of the pickle line . as is most clearly depicted in fig2 and 4 , the first conveyor 12 comprises a motorized , reciprocable carriage 20 rollingly supported at opposite sides thereof by wheels 22 which travel in spaced , parallel rails 24 provided in a subterranean conveyor passageway 26 . situated atop the carriage 20 is a pair of coil saddles 28 by which the carriage supports the coils during transport . upon loading of a coil 14 on saddles 28 , the coil is first delivered by carriage 20 to the coil preparation station 16 . the coil preparation station , as shown in fig1 and 3 , includes a blocker roll 30 , a coil set removal unit 32 , x - ray or equivalent monitoring equipment 34 for examining steel characteristics such as gauge , surface quality , and the like , a crop shear 36 and a scrap box 38 . along with thickness measurement , the coil preparation station , by virtue of the crop shear 36 , enables cutting of the strip to an approximate preliminary length as well as squaring of the leading strip end to facilitate its passage through the downstream strip treatment equipment . any excess steel cut by the crop share is deposited in the scrap box 38 . once adequately prepared , the lead end of the strip is temporarily secured to the coil whereupon the coil is delivered by the carriage 20 to an entry uncoiler car 40 ( fig5 a and 6a ). generally , the dimensions of steel strip subjected to processing by the pickle line of the instant invention will range in gauge from about 0 . 060 to about 0 . 500 inches in thickness and about 48 to about 72 inches in width , although strip of somewhat greater or lesser gauge and / or width may be successfully processed . the entry uncoiler car is mounted on wheels 42 and travels transversely to the first conveyor 12 . the coil car system 18 engages the entry uncoiler car and moves the car to an entry uncoiler 44 , the initial component of a strip treatment portion 46 of the steel strip pickling line . as is common , the uncoiler 44 is a motor driven mechanism including a payoff snubber and breaker roll by which the leading strip end is unwound from the coil 14 and charged into a coil peeler or flattener 48 . the flattener is also a motorized device and comprises a series of small diameter driven rolls 50 ( fig6 a ) situated both above and beneath the strip and between which the strip ( which is designated by the letter &# 34 ; s &# 34 ;) passes . although the axes of rotation of the upper and lower rolls 50 are parallel to one another and extend generally normal to the strip travel direction , the upper rolls are horizontally offset relative to the lower rolls whereby the strip is caused to flex upwardly and downwardly as it passes the flattener rolls . this flexure forms cracks in the strip &# 39 ; s surface scale that facilitate acid attack at the downstream pickling zone to be described in detail hereinafter . the flattener then propels the strip past an x - ray thickness gauge 51 ( or similar gauge ) before feeding it to a two - high temper mill 52 manufactured by the mill equipment company ( hereinafter &# 34 ; meco &# 34 ;) of pittsburgh , pa . in conventional pickle lines wherein a two - high temper mills are similarly located , the temper mills merely serve as secondary scalebreakers as well as provide a certain degree of &# 34 ; shape correction &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; strip elongation .&# 34 ; in addition to these known functions , the unique characteristics of temper mill 52 employed in the pickle line of the present invention offer the capability of controllable strip gauge correction or reduction . that is to say , the meco two - high temper 52 mill is equipped with hydraulic roll bending cylinders 54 positioned generally about four feet laterally of the centerline of the mill housing 56 ( fig5 a ). a positive or convex bend or crown of up to about 0 . 013 inches can be induced in each of the two 38 - inch work rolls 58 ( fig6 a ) by activating the roll bending cylinders 54 with up to two million pounds of hydraulic force axially applied to the ends of the work rolls . as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art , less hydraulic force applied by the roll bending cylinders 54 will result in a corresponding reduction in the crown induced in the work rolls 58 . it is , however , the ability of the work rolls to be bent or crowned by cylinders 54 which affords temper mill 52 the capacity to precisely administer a desired measure of strip gauge reduction in addition to the scalebreaking , shape correction and strip elongation functions of other two - high temper mills currently used in conventional hot rolled coil processing lines . although per se known in the art , it is the present inventor &# 39 ; s understanding and belief that the meco two - high temper mill 52 has heretofore been used solely in cut - to - length lines for working heavy gauge materials on the order of about 0 . 125 to 0 . 625 inches in thickness . it was not appreciated that such a mill could have meaningful utilitarian and economic advantage in pickle lines wherein the steel source product is of substantially thinner gauge . following treatment by temper mill 52 , the strip thickness is then remeasured by an x - ray or similar gauge 59 after which it is engaged by a driven deflector pinch roll 60 . pinch roll 60 maintains tension in the strip upon exiting the temper mill and may be operated to selectively propel and direct the strip , as desired , to either a recoiler 62 ( fig6 a ) or further downstream toward the pickling zone of the strip treatment portion of the pickling line . recoiler 62 is generally operated under conditions wherein strip of improper gauge may be recoiled by the recoiler and transported ( once coiled ) from the strip treatment line by a laterally translatable exit car 64 or similar means . when a strip is to be recoiled , a belt wrapper 65 ( shown in phantom ) is urged against the recoiler mandrel and forms the lead end of the downwardly deflected strip about the mandrel . once the belt wrapper detects tension in the strip , i . e ., that it is being positively recoiled by the recoiler 62 , the belt wrapper is retracted . the recoiler 62 may also be activated to recoil strip purposely not intended to be pickled , or for reasons other than improper gauge is unsuitable for further processing . a further advantage arising from providing a recoiler at this stage of the strip treatment portion 46 is that strip can be selectively worked by temper mill 52 while downstream components of the strip treatment portion of the line undergo maintenance . should further processing be desired , the strip is directed by pinch roll 60 to pass along a first delivery table 66 , through a side guide 68 and then an entry crop shear 72 for squaring the entry end of the strip in preparation for pickling . any strip scrap sheared by the crop shear 72 falls into a scrap cart 74 . while still under propulsion by pinch roll 60 the strip passes a second delivery table 76 and enters a cleaning station 78 shown in fig5 b and 6b . within the cleaning station , the strip is sprayed with a mist of cleaning solution such as a caustic 10 % naoh or koh solution which is dispensed from a plurality of spray nozzles 80 serially arranged above and below the strip in the direction of strip travel . upon exiting the cleaning station , the strip then passes an entry wringer roll 82 of a first pickling tank in a series of such tanks which comprise the presently preferred configuration of the pickling zone . more particularly , the pickling zone includes a plurality , desirably three , pickling tanks of substantially similar construction and operation that are serially arranged in the direction of strip travel and which are illustrated in fig5 b , 6b , 5c and 6c . the first pickling tank is identified by reference numeral 84 , the second by reference numeral 86 and the third by reference numeral 88 . each tank is bounded at its entrance and exit by a wringer roll 82 to assure that the pickling liquor ( described below ) is substantially contained therewithin . the semi - continuous ( push - pull ) pickle line utilizes a &# 34 ; turbo flow &# 34 ; hydrochloric acid pickling zone with an inverted laminar sparging ( ils ) system in each pickling tank 84 , 86 and 88 . in the preferred embodiment , each pickling tank is configured as a 47 - foot long , shallow - bath ( 15 inch maximum ), substantially v - shaped cross - section , granite lined tank . hydrochloric acid is injected at about 800 gallons per minute per tank through sparging means comprising a plurality , preferably four , substantially laminar flow producing ports 90 located in the bottom of each tank ( fig6 b and 6c ). the sparging means direct the acid upwardly and substantially vertically toward the bottom side of the strip in a substantially laminar flow . the flow of the acid coupled with velocity of the moving strip cooperate to aggressively scrub the relatively thickly scaled bottom surface of the strip and rapidly dissolve scale and oxide films residing thereon . the thinner and less developed oxide films at the strip top surface , on the other hand , require less forceful acid attack and are satisfactorily removed at essentially the same rate as the bottom surface scale via the usual turbulence created by a strip travelling through a pickling bath . oxides can thus be removed at cost effective line speeds ( i . e ., up to 300 ft ./ min . or even greater ) from both the bottom and the top surfaces of strips traditionally possessing difficult steel chemistries with respect to oxide formation and retention . in addition , the v - shaped cross - section of the pickle tanks in combination with the shallow bath depth assures vigorous recirculation and , therefore , optimum chemical utilization of the acid solution per unit volume thereof . furthermore , the substantial reduction in both length and volume of the pickling tank produces tangible reductions in materials and energy consumption in relation to conventional pickling zones . following pickling , the strip enters a rinsing station 92 comprising a flash pickle section and several stages of water dispensing nozzles 94 which direct counter current sprays or streams of rinse water at the strip . with further reference to fig5 b and 5c , it will be seen that the strip treatment portion 46 includes various storage tanks for the cleaning solution , acid solution , spent pickling liquor , rinsing water and other materials that are required at various stages of the strip treatment process . for example , fig5 b illustrates a cleaning solution recirculation tank 96 and clean rinse tank 98 employed in the strip cleaning process occurring at the cleaning station 78 . likewise , that figure also depicts first and second fresh acid storage tanks 100 and 102 , first and second acid recirculation tanks 104 and 106 , and first and second spent pickling liquor tanks 108 and 110 . a spent acid discharge station is identified by reference numeral 112 and an acid fill station by reference numeral 114 . a fume emission control station is identified by numeral 116 , a motor control room by numeral 118 and a boiler room by numeral 120 . also included , but not illustrated , are numerous operator stations including both manual and automated controls for such parameters as steel quality monitoring , acid bath ph and temperature control . fig5 c illustrates the third acid recirculation tank 122 . a buffer tank 124 and neutralizing tank 126 store suitable materials for controlling the ph of the waste water solution used in the rinsing station 92 . a caustic material storage tank 128 is also shown , as are a water collection tank 130 and condensate tank 132 for use in operation of the rinsing station 92 . for clarity of illustration , the necessary pumps conduits and related equipment for delivering water , acid , cleaning solution and other materials to and from the various stations in the strip treatment portion 46 of the steel strip pickling line are not illustrated as such equipment will be readily understood by the ordinarily skilled artisan and is not central to the invention . additionally , the dimensions , number and configurations of the pickling tanks in the pickling zone , as well as their operational characteristics , may be somewhat varied within the scope of the invention , as conditions dictate , to effect satisfactory pickling of steel for which the pickling zone is adapted for use . after the strip has been rinsed in rinsing station 92 it enters a strip dryer 134 shown in fig5 d and 6d , which dryer may be of the hot air or equivalent type . the strip is then coated at a coating station 136 , preferably with a dry lubricant such as gilcote ® manufactured by mangil corp . of cleveland , ohio . following coating at station 136 the strip passes over a dryer and carryover table 138 before entering a pinch roll 140 and exit resquare shear 142 . shear 142 is operable to square the trailing end of the pickled strip prior to recoiling . scrap strip sheared by shear 142 falls into a scrap cart 144 . subsequent to passing shear 142 the strip enters side guides 146 , preferably of the roller type , and , thereafter , a slitter pinch roll 147 and then an adjustable slitter / side trimmer 148 . the slitter / side trimmer cuts the strip into accurate and uniform width while also enabling the strip , if desired or necessary , to be cut into two or more narrower strips suitable for coiling . a run out table 150 follows the trimmer / slitter 148 . the run out table includes an inspection table 152 carrying a battery of lights 154 . lights 154 preferably assume the form of high - intensity mercury arc spotlights , although illumination means of similar brightness would be acceptable . one or more mirrors 155 are pivotally supported on a stationary platform 156 situated generally opposite lights 154 . normally , the mirror ( s ) 155 are oriented at about 60 ° to the horizontal but may be adjusted according to the inspector &# 39 ; s preference . the inspection table further comprises means 158 for adjusting the elevation of the table whereby the table may be sufficiently lowered as the strip passes thereover to expose the bottom surface of the strip to illumination by lights 154 and permit reflection of the bottom surface by mirrors 156 . adjusting means 158 may be extensible and retractable means such as , for example , motor driven scissor jacks , screw jacks , hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders or similar apparatus known in the art . so constructed , the run out table permits both strip surfaces to be simultaneously visually observed and quality inspected by the line operator / inspector as the strip passes an operating platform 160 ( fig5 d ). under normal operation , the inspector activates the adjusting means 158 causing the inspection table 152 and lights 154 supported thereby to lower . the lowered inspection table then trips an unillustrated limit switch to turn on the lights . when inspection is completed , the table 152 may then be raised and the lights 154 turned off by the inspector utilizing suitable controls or , alternatively , by a sensor which detects the trailing end of the strip and transmits a signal to cause the adjusting means to raise the table and turn off the lights . subsequent to the run out table , the strip is engaged by a drag tension device 162 which propels the strip through an oiler station 164 preferably comprising an electronstatic oiler or other suitable oil applicator . the oiler station operates to coat both surfaces of the pickled strip with oil for lubrication and protection during storage and handling . moreover , the oil composition is preferably selected to be one which is compatible with the lubrication system of the cold - mill reduction unit ( not illustrated ) within which the steel strip may be later processed . the strip then progresses to a deflector pinch roll mechanism 165 that desirably includes an edge guide 166 and reel chute 168 . the deflector pinch roll mechanism deflects the strip onto one of two mandrels 170 or 178 of an exit recoiler 172 . the exit recoiler serves as the final component of the strip treatment portion 46 as well as the initial component of a coil delivery portion 174 of the push - pull pickle line of the present invention . the exit recoiler is driven by a motor 176 . preferably , the exit recoiler is configured as a dual mandrel turret recoiler , the second mandrel thereof being identified , as noted hereabove , by reference numeral 178 . the recoiler 172 is thus capable of recoiling a first pickled strip about one mandrel thereof , e . g ., first mandrel 170 , then rotating 180 ° under propulsion of suitable unillustrated drive means to situate the strip coil into a discharge position while presenting the other mandrel , e . g ., second mandrel 178 , into position for recoiling a second length of pickled strip . the aforesaid discharge position is that of the second mandrel 178 in fig5 e . from the discharge position , the coiled strip 180 is delivered by a second motorized , reciprocable coil car 182 ( shown in various locations in its course of travel in fig5 e , 6e , and 7 ) to a multiple arm turnstile 184 , the final component of the coil delivery portion 174 . the turnstile according to the presently preferred embodiment possesses four radially directed coil support arms 186 each of which may receive a coil 180 from coil car 182 . once the coil is appropriately engaged by an arm 186 , the turnstile may be turned to orient the coil such that it can be removed by a grapple or hook of a suitable coil lifting device ( not shown ) which may place the coil at a selected site . the operations of the exit recoiler 172 , the second conveyor 182 and turnstile 184 are coordinated with one another , as well as with the coil entry and treatment portions of the pickle line , such that delivery efficiency of pickled coils may be optimized . although the invention has been described in detail for the purpose of illustration , it is to be understood that such detail is solely for that purpose and that variations can be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention except as it may be limited by the claims .