IMPROVEMENT IN COVERING FOR MEATS
Year: 1887

page_text: I, EDWARD METZGER, of Pittsburg in the County of Allegheny, and State of
Pennsylvania, one of the United States of America, Paper Manufacturer, do hereby
declare the nature of my invention for IMPROVEMENT IN COVERING FOR MEATS,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification,
Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view illustrating a hain covered according to my
invention.
Figure 2 is an enlarged section of a part of the ham and its covering.
Figure 3 is a plan view of a washer forming part of the invention.
After hams have been cured it is customary to incase them in a covering of canvas,
which is subsequently coated with a pigment, which fills the pores of the canvas,
and prevents the access of flies to the ham. The material of this covering and the
labor of applying it are expensive and entail additional cost to the customer.
The object of my invention is to provide a covering for hams which is easily applied
and of little cost.
It consists in enwrapping the ham with paper, of which the first layer is a
membranous paper consisting of vegetable parchment or paper which has been
shellaced or treated with paraffine, pine-tar, or some other substance which will make
it resist the action of decay and moisture, then covering this with other layers of
paper or paper and cloth which are not shellaced or treated as above described, but
are held together by flour paste or some other similar adhesive, the outside layer
being finally coated with a suitable sizing.
The covering is applied as follows:-First I wrap the ham in the membranous
paper. I then cover this with a layer of tissue-paper, and dip the ham thus covered
in a vessel of. flour paste or some other similar adhesive liquid. A second layer of.
tissue paper is then applied, and is in turn dipped in the paste, and thus successive
layers of the paper are applied until the desired thickness of covering is had, each
layer being stretched or moulded to fit neatly on the ham. The last layer of paper is
coated with a sizing of silicate of soda, glue, shellac, or some similar substance,
which gives a glossy appearance to the covering and renders it impervious to the
attacks of insects and to the effect of water or heat. This sizing is preferably
applied by dipping the ham in the sizing after the covering has dried.

page_text: I prefer to use silicate of soda in solution as the sizing for the outer layer of paper,
because it is cheap and easily applied, and because I find it gives a hard, stony gloss
to the covering, which renders it very impervious to the attacks of insects, and by
closing the pores of the covering prevents evaporation of the juices of the ham.
The covering when completed is a tightly-fitting, tough, impervious integument
resembling in appearance and texture a membrane of skin. The cost is trifling, and
it serves its purpose better than the ordinary canvas cover. Instead of applying the
tissue paper in separate successive layers, it may be applied by taking several
(preferably twenty or more) superposed sheets, or a single sheet doubled upon itself
so as to form as many layers.
These, when saturated with paste applied to the outer layer, form a unitary pulpy
mass which can easily be fitted over and moulded into the shape of the ham. If it is
desirable, a layer of textile fabric-such as cheese cloth-may be interposed and
pasted between some of the layers of tissue to give the covering greater strength.
This, however, is not necessary. I illustrate in figure 1 of the accompanying
drawings a ham covered in this way.
A is the ham, B the layer of parchment paper, C the layers of tissue-paper, and D
an intervening layer of cloth. To attach a cord to the ham it is passed through the
shank, and after being doubled is threaded through a perforated tin washer or
button E, the membranous paper at the end of the shank being turned or doubled in
around the cord and under the button. The string is twisted and knotted as at F.
The button prevents the cord from spreading the paper and opening a crack for the
entrance of flies. To seal this end more securely, shellac, rosin, or
some other
sealing material is applied to the cord around the button, and the cord should be
saturated in pine-tar or some other substance which will resist moisture.
The paper covering of the ham may be colored by putting aniline or other
coloring matter in the paste; or the same effect may be produced by using
colored paper.
I do not limit myself to the use of tissue paper for the layers of the covering.
Other kinds of paper may be used, though the tissue paper is convenient, because,
when it is moistened with the paste, it moulds itself very neatly into shape.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
:―
1.-A covering for meats, consisting of a layer of membranous paper enveloping
the meat, and layers of paper enveloping the membranous paper and secured together
by an adhesive paste, substantially as and for the purposes described.
2. A covering for meats, consisting of a layer of membranous paper enveloping
the meat, and layers of paper enveloping the membranous paper and secured
together by an adhesive paste, the outside layer being sized, substantially as and for
the purposes described.
3. A covering for meats, consisting of layers of paper enveloping the meat and
secured together by an adhesive, the outer layer being sized with silicate of soda,
substantially as and for the purposes described.
4. A paper covering for lams, in combination with a cord holding the ham
inside the covering and projecting outside thereof, and a button covered by the
covering and encircling the cord, substantially as and for the purposes described.
Dated this 3rd day of October A.D. 1887.
.