To provide a local furnace of a press-casting machine so that the a metal is melted smoothly in a short time without any gas absorption or inclusion of impurities.

A metal heating process is divided into a solid-phase area and a liquid-phase area, a direct heating apparatus (an induction heating coil 1 and a carrying apparatus 2) in which the metal itself generates the heat is provided to heat the solid-phase area, and an indirect heating furnace (a resistance furnace 5) to melt the metal by the radiation and the heat transfer from a graphite crucible heated by heat sources such as a resistance wire and the combustion gas is provided to heat the liquid-state area successive to the heating of the solid-phase area.