Norris Knives - Cape Fear Oyster Shuckers

A supremely capable tool for opening oysters
and bivalves of any description
NEW HANOVER COUNTY, WILMINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA

#1 Ironwood, Brass pins

#2 Richlite, G10 pins

#3 Padauk & Ebony, G10 pins

#4 G10, Ebony + Mammoth Molar

#5 Richlite & brass

#6 UltreX SureTouch (the grippiest material ever)

#7 G10 (white) & G-Carta (speckled trout), brass accents

#8 G10 Inlay & G-Carta (Mexican Blanket), Black Palm, brass accents

#9 Cocobolo, G10, brass accents

#10 Richlite, Resin Blue inlay, G10 pins, brass lanyard tube

#11 G-Carta (Mexican Blanket) and G10. brass accents

#12 Cypress, brass star pins

#13 Richlite, Black Palm, Acrylic inlay, brass lanyard tube and pins

#14 Denim Micarta, G10 Inlay, Bolivian Rosewood

#15 Denim Micarta, Cottonwood Burl, G10 & Brass inlay

#16 Denim Micarta, Pink Ivory wood

#17 G10, Laminated Wood

#18 G10, Mammoth Molar

#19 Richlite, Mother of Pearl

#20 G10, Faux Abalone inlay

#21 Smokey G10, multi-colored Richlite

#22 G10, Marble Wood

#23 Quarantine Station Wood, Gold Star pins (red)

#24 Marble wood, Vintage Micarta & Acrylic

#25 G-Carta Custom Micarta, G10, Brass

#26 Flying Shark Teal Resin, Black Palm

#27 Multi G10, Aluminum Honeycomb

#28 Multi Acrylic Inlay, Marble wood, brass

#29 G-Carta Paper Micarta, Vintage Burlap Micarta, Copper

#30 Giraffe Bone, Copper

#31 Bog Wood, Paper Micarta, Honduran Rosewood, Brass

#32 Paper Micarta, Black Palm, G10, Brass

#33 Honduran Rosewood, Paper Micarta, G10, Copper

To purchase a Cape Fear Oyster Shucker:
Shucker ID numbers are located in captions on photos above.
Click photo to see larger image and caption.

Send an email to: info@norrisknives.com to inquire about price and availability.
Prices range from $150 to $300.

SOLD: #15

Various styles/sizes (see graphic below)
Stainless Steel
Heat treated and cryo-treated for optimum hardness/durability
Unique and one-of-a-kind handles
Very large brass lanyard hole
Handmade in Wilmington, NC

Each piece is unique – No two are exactly the same.
Material details
Model 3 Stone crab claw will open capped bottles!
Research source (D. Eggleston) for NC oyster predation.
https://cmast.ncsu.edu/cmast-docs/eggleston/pubs/invasive-species/Rindone-Eggleston-2011-JEMBE.pdf

#12* - Southport, NC Quarantine Station handle
Number 12 is made from wood salvaged from the Cape Fear River (Southport, NC) Quarantine Station built in 1895.
I can make additional shuckers with this material to order.
WWAY-TV3 Article

I have loved eating oysters for as long as I can remember.

One of my fondest memories is when I was about 5 or 6 years old my daddy took my mama, sister and I to Uncle Henry's for the first time. My daddy loved seafood - especially oysters. He owned and ran a restaurant himself in Wallace, NC (Norris' Restaurant) but what he loved even more was letting somebody else do the cooking and taking his family out to eat in Wilmington, Wrightsville Beach or Carolina Beach. In my daddy's opinion, UNCLE HENRY KIRKUMS OYSTER ROAST down off Masonboro Sound near Wilmington was the ultimate place for seafood and particularly old timey roasted oysters.

I remember the area out back where they roasted the oysters. There was a cinderblock lined pit where people would stand and watch as wet burlap sacks were placed on top of the roasting oysters. Copious amounts of steam, smoke and briny oyster liquids would swirl and blow around above the fire. It was an intoxicatingly delicious smell. Every time I smell oysters cooking today, I think of this scene - watching the endeavor of turning an unassuming invertebrate into something worthy of so much attention.

When we grew tired of the oyster roasting pit, my sister and I would climb the huge pile of oyster shells that got taller as the oyster season progressed. Dangerous as it was for a child, we were never told we couldn't climb the huge hill of shells. When it was time to eat, mama or daddy would call us back to the table where oysters, shrimp, flounder and other local seafood waited for us.

Uncle Henry's was a glorious but very simple place. One that I am glad to have memories from. There are also family stories aplenty of granddaddy Norris and a menagerie of cousins, aunts and uncles enjoying the place as well. A slurred, "I'll have tartar sauce" comes to mind, but that is a story for another day.

Uncle Henry's opened in 1924 and closed its doors in 1990.

My handmade stainless steel oyster knives are inspired by these memories and are an homage to Uncle Henry's Oyster Roast and the man who built it - Uncle Henry M. Kirkum.

Daniel Ray Norris
April 2024

Henry M. Kirkum (1872-1953) standing in front of his oyster roast.
Hurricane Hazel destroyed the building in 1954.
The oyster roast was rebuilt and the establishment thrived for many more decades.