The big project this spring has been rebuilding the "water packer", this is the machine that takes the cans with fruit and sugar already in them and fills them the rest of the way with hot water. The existing machine is great because we are able to quickly switch it between the 15oz and the 28oz cans. Unfortunately the gears that cause everything to move synchronously are wearing out. I couldn't, in good conscience, use this machine for another canning season. If the teeth on the gear stripped off I would be broken down in the middle of the season for a week while I made an emergency repair - the fruit doesn't like to wait.

The gears on this machine are rather old fashioned so I was looking at having the central gear recast as a one-off process. I contacted a company that does these and got a price back of roughly $8,000 for just one of the two gears. I have decided to hold off on rebuilding this machine until I learn how to pour cast iron myself.

Instead, I am pulling a second water packing machine we have (who knows where it came from, but it was here when I arrived) into service. I have always liked the look of the machine, for example take a look at those gears, it is a better design and in much better shape. Unfortunately, it didn't have a motor mount and several intricate brass parts were broken. I have manufactured a motor mount and have ordered the brass in to manufacture the broken parts. I hope to have it up and running by the end of this week.

update August 2: Equipment Is Working Well!

Equipment is working well in the cannery and considering that the water packer was new that is really saying something. The water packer has probably smashed several hundred cans as we have worked to get it dialed in but it has run 6,000 cans without smashing one as of yesterday. I am very pleased as this is a great improvement over previous years.