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Artifact

Mincing knife

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Martha's Vineyard Museum

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About this artifact

A mincing knife was used to cut a piece of blubber into smaller, thinner slices, while it was still connected to the skin. After it was cut, it resembled pages in a book. The whalers called these "bible leaves". This process made it easier to render the oil from the blubber, a process known as "trying" the oil. This mincing knife was used on the Bark Bertha from New Bedford, on January 15, 1878.

Date:
c. 1870
Dimensions:
Width: 3" Length: 35 1/2"

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