108 Condensed Milk and Milk Powder 



In large factories an automatic stamping outfit is attached to the 

 filling, sealing or labeling machine and the cans are stamped auto- 

 matically while they are 'being filled, sealed, or labeled. 



INSPECTING 



iThe sealed and stamped cans are placed, with caps down, in 

 wooden trays holding twenty-four medium sized cans. All trays of 

 one batch are stacked together. A card indicating number and date 

 of hatch and number of cans in the batch is attached to the stack 

 and a copy of the same is filed in the office. The cans are placed 

 with their caps down in order to detect "leakers" (cans with de- 

 fective seals). Before labeling, the trays should be taken down, the 

 cans turned over and examined for leaky seals. Unless the factory 

 is behind in filling orders the cans will have been in stock at least 

 twenty-four hours or usually longer. In the case of sweetened con- 

 densed milk, if any seals are defective, a little condensed milk will 

 have oozed out by that time. Inexperienced sealers are prone to 

 cause a high percentage of leaky cans. A careful sealer may reduce 

 the number of leakers to .1 per cent. 



Checking the Work of the Sealers. — In order to regulate and 

 improve the work of the sealers and to locate those doing poor work, 

 it is advisable to number the sealers and supply each with small tin 

 tags bearing his or her respective number. Each sealer drops one 

 tag into each tray of cans sealed by him. The inspectors record 

 the number of leakers found in each tray. Thus each sealer is 

 charged up with the leakers he made. 



Disposition of Leaky Cans. — Small leaks, in the case of sweet- 

 ened condensed milk, can usually be soldered over successfully and 

 the mended cans are returned to their respective batches. In the 

 case of very defective seals, attempts at mending generally cause the 

 milk in the can to burn, forming a brown crust on the cap, which 

 spoils the can for the market. The contents have a burnt taste and 

 smell, and upon stirring, brown and black specks of burnt milk ap- 

 pear. It is best to cut bad leakers open and pour the contents into 

 the succeeding batch of milk. 



Importance of Inspection. — The above description of inspec- 

 tion refers to sweetened condensed milk. This work is neglected in 



