Part of collection purchased from Brendan Kurtze by the City of Portland. Whaling industryWhaling implement, iron, painted gloss black, 2 prongs, short section of handle riveted into handle sleeve. The blubber fork was used to transfer sliced pieces of blubber, called "bible leaves", into the try pots for rendering or boiling it into oil. Bible leaves were thrown into the trypots with a blubber fork or blubber pike and heated until the whale oil tried out from them, much like the grease coming from bacon as it cooks. Care had to be taken not to burn the oil, but to be certain that all oil was extracted from the bible leaves.kurtze museum, whaling, blubber fork, maritime

Originated from a private museum at Bolwarra. It is unknown if the whaling tools are associated with Portland's whaling industry.Iron whaling blubber fork. Two prongs one end, curved hook the other.

City of Portland Collection|Kurtze Museum|19/4/2000. Once a whale was killed and its blubber was cut up and hauled aboard the ship for processing, the chunks of flesh were moved around the slippery vessel with long-handled, two-tined blubber forks. These forks were used to pitch the pieces of minced blubber into the hot try-pots to boil it down into oil. The long handles prevented sore backs from too much bending over and protected the men from getting too close to the boiling oil. (taken from Smithsonian Museum)WhalingTwo pronged utensil, painted with glossy black paint. An attempt to repair handle, short stem of handle rivetted onto handle sleeve.whaling, whaling tools

No. 19 in a series of 25 cigarette cards from Ogdens Tobacco Company series on whaling production. Full colour depiction of a rnage of whaling tools on blue background; inclludes harpoon, lance, whaling spade, blubber fork and mincing knife. White border around card. Reverse has information relating to illustration on front.