Whaleship Skimmer
Whaleship Skimmer
- Description
- After a whale’s blubber was melted down into oil in the try-pots, a few solids, like skin and gristle, remained floating on the surface of the oil. These were removed with a skimmer. The tool’s long handle helped keep the crew from being burned or splashed with hot oil. The leftover oily pieces of flesh, or “fritters,” were then tossed under the pots and recycled into fuel to keep the fires burning.
- date made
- 1880s
- Physical Description
- brass (part: bowl material)
- ferrous metal (part: handle material)
- Measurements
- overall: 3 1/4 in x 8 1/2 in x 192 1/4 in; 8.255 cm x 21.59 cm x 488.315 cm
- ID Number
- 1990.0018.066
- catalog number
- 1990.0018.066
- accession number
- 1990.0018
- related event
- The Development of the Industrial United States
- See more items in
- Work and Industry: Fisheries
- Work
- Cultures & Communities
- Natural Resources
- On the Water exhibit
- Transportation
- Exhibition
- On the Water
- Exhibition Location
- National Museum of American History
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
