In a hundred-year-old warehouse near Baltimore’s Green Mount Cemetery, master woodworker Dale German is hard at work. Bent over an electric lathe and surrounded by an aromatic mound of wood chips, he chisels a block of mahogany into a rounded handle of an oyster knife. Next he carefully adds a heated knife blade, emblazoned with letters.
The knife, one of only 500, is part of a project commissioned by the Oyster Recovery Project and Pride of Baltimore, Inc. in an effort to raise funds to support Chesapeake Bay restoration and preserve its rich maritime history.
Each knife handle is carved from tropical hardwood that was left over after the construction of Pride II in 1988. The knives are being crafted in an extremely small quantity over a limited timeframe.
The knives can be pre-ordered through the Oyster Recovery Partnership’s website. Orders placed by December 18 will ship in time for the holiday season: click here for complete details.
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