What is Flensing knife?

What is Flensing knife?

The English brought the whale to the stern of the ship, where men in a boat cut strips of blubber from the whale’s back. There, men with flensing knives would not only cut up the blubber into long strips with the assistance of these capstans, but also cut up the viscera and bones to make various products.

What is a Flensing tool?

Flensing tool or blubber spade; made from iron which has badly corroded. The tool consists of a long handle with a narrow spade-like appendage at the end. Flensing tools such as this one were used to remove the skin and blubber of a whale. They were used like a knife, to slice strips off the whale carcass.

What is Scrimshaw made of?

Scrimshaw is scrollwork, engravings, and carvings done in bone or ivory. Typically it refers to the artwork created by whalers, engraved on the byproducts of whales, such as bones or cartilage. It is most commonly made out of the bones and teeth of sperm whales, the baleen of other whales, and the tusks of walruses.

What is an ulu knife used for?

In Inuktitut, ulu (ᐅᓗ) means “woman’s knife,” reflecting the historic use of the tool by female Inuit . Women used ulus for various domestic tasks, including food preparation and the separating of animal skins to ready them for the manufacturing of clothes. Some Inuit women continue to use ulus for these purposes.

How is a whale processed?

The whale was made fast to the starboard (right) side of the ship with heavy chains. The crew erected the cutting stage (plank platform) above the carcass and: Stripped off the blubber, a thick layer of fat, with cutting spades set in 15-foot long poles. The process was very much like peeling skin from an orange.

What does scrimshaw look like?

The appearance of genuine scrimshaw will be florescent bright white under the light. Even if a scrimshaw piece is ivory, how can a collector determine its age? Madden noted that when whalemen harvested ivory or bone the surface was relatively soft and easier to engrave. When it dried out, it becomes very hard.

How did the Japanese use the flensing knife?

During the open-boat whaling era in Japan in the late 16th to early 20th century, whales were winched ashore by large capstans. There, men with flensing knives would not only cut up the blubber into long strips with the assistance of these capstans, but also cut up the viscera and bones to make various products.

Where was the flensing blade used in whaling?

If you don’t have an account, create one here. this is a tool that was used in the slaughter of whale blubber in the 1800’s. It is called a flensing tool and was found while on vacation in the state of Maine. It was most likely used on a local whaling vessel.. hotairfan.

How are winches used in the flensing process?

Later mechanical winches and slipways were introduced. The whale was winched up the slipway onto a flensing plan, where men with long-handled knives shaped like hockey sticks would cut off long strips of blubber with the help of winches. As more and more of the carcass was utilized flensing became more specialized.

Where was the flensing tool found in Maine?

It is called a flensing tool and was found while on vacation in the state of Maine. It was most likely used on a local whaling vessel.. hotairfan. Vtg 1970s Kenward Sid Latham Seki J…