Closing and Sealing the Can

Each can of salmon was given a loosely crimped lid. They were then sealed tight in a vacuum. Once filled and weighed, an automatic salter added a little salt to each can. The ‘Curler Clincher' then loosely crimped or clinched a lid onto each can. The can lids were fed into the clincher by the ‘capper', a woman whose job it was make sure the supply of can lids was always topped up. Lids were crimped loose because the cans of raw salmon were then sealed inside a vacuum chamber. As the cans entered a ‘Vacuum Closing Machine’ the air was pumped out of each one by a vacuum pump and the lids sealed tight. The cannery Lineman kept these machines in perfect working order.