The modern packing house

by F. W. Wilder

—It is wise never to begin hashing until there is fat enough to either finish the day’s work, or at least to keep the house running and to hash a kettle full regularly, as it is impracticable to stop in the middle of the operation of hashing a kettle of fat, for when once commenced it must be completed.

Sixth.

—Use sufficient steam on the hasher jacket to facilitate the cutting, having the material come through as cold as possible. If too much steam is used it partially melts the fat in the hasher and disintegration is not perfect.

Seventh.

—For melting kettles which hold about 1,400 pounds of hashed fat about half an hour should be required to do the hashing. While the capacity of the hasher might be much greater it is well to have the fat partially melted during the course of hashing, so as not to have too large a body of unmelted fat in the melters.

Eighth.

—The time for melting, settling and letting down the stock into the clarifiers from the melting kettles should not exceed two hours and twenty minutes. As soon as hashing is begun, the agitator should be started revolving. When through hashing, the man overseeing the melting, after allowing the agitator to run five or ten minutes, should lift it out of the kettle and clean it off thoroughly with a paddle, and then drop it back into the kettle. If this is not done several times during the course of hashing, unmelted fats will be found in the bottoms when they are ready to drop to scrap vat.

The steam should be turned on in the jacket of the kettle as soon as hashing is started. Keep the steam on until the fat shows a temperature of 140° to 142° F. The steam should then be shut off and the surplus heat in the kettle will run the fat up to 155° F., which should be the maximum melting point for No. 1 melting oil. No. 2, or the flavored oil, may be melted to 158° F. No. 3, or lowest grade of oil, may be melted at 160° F., and in some instances 165° F.

As soon as it is evident that the fat is thoroughly melted the agitator should be stopped and pulled out of the oil, and it should stand at least an hour, the steam being shut off from the jacket, giving it a chance to settle. On this particular process depends the entire result of the making of oleo oil, as the fat being so thoroughly disintegrated in the hasher when it is melted, a great deal of tissue from this fat is held in suspension in the oil and it must have very careful handling in order to get it thoroughly settled out. If it is not all removed from the oil, the latter will turn strong from the decomposition of the tissues.

After the oil has settled throw in about fifteen to twenty pounds of fine salt, scattering it thoroughly over the surface of the oil, the salt having the effect of carrying with it any unsettled tissues which may still remain in the oil. The top of the oil should then be carefully skimmed, for there is a scum floating on the top when it is settled. After this is done the siphon pipe is dropped down into the oil and the oil is taken off very carefully. It is very essential in drawing this with the siphon pipe that as little scrap and water as possible be taken with it. After the oil has been taken off, the bottom valve of the melting kettle is opened, dropping the contents into the scrap vat. The kettle should be thoroughly washed and cleaned before it is used again.