Historical information

Part of the collection purchased from Brendan Kurtze by the City of Portland. From the Kurtze Museum.
Spades were used primarily for cutting up a whale. They were flat-bladed implements (except the gouge spade) with a chisel cutting edge and were mounted on wood poles by means of a socket at the aft end of the spade. The blades of later spades, after the 1850's, were usually made of cast steel, while the sockets and shanks were wrought iron. Cast steel held a cutting edge far better than the earlier wrought iron, and was necessary for repeated cutting. The sockets of spades were forge welded closed, without an open seam, for added strength. They were secured to the pole with a nail, screw or pin

Physical description

Whaling implement, iron, painted gloss black. Flat blade and handle sleeve on either end of shaft, no handle.
Spades were used primarily for cutting up a whale. They were flat-bladed implements (except the gouge spade) with a chisel cutting edge and were mounted on wood poles by means of a socket at the aft end of the spade. The blades of later spades, after the 1850's, were usually made of cast steel, while the sockets and shanks were wrought iron. Cast steel held a cutting edge far better than the earlier wrought iron, and was necessary for repeated cutting. The sockets of spades were forge welded closed, without an open seam, for added strength. They were secured to the pole with a nail, screw or pin