A supremely capable tool for opening oysters
and bivalves of any description

Inspired by UNCLE HENRY KIRKUM'S OYSTER ROAST
WILMINGTON, NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC
Ironwood, Brass pins #1
Ironwood, Brass pins #1
Richlite, G10 pins #2
Richlite, G10 pins #2
Padauk & Ebony, G10 pins #3
Padauk & Ebony, G10 pins #3
G10, Ebony + Mammoth Molar #4
G10, Ebony + Mammoth Molar #4
Richlite #5
Richlite #5
UltreX SureTouch (the grippiest material ever) #6
UltreX SureTouch (the grippiest material ever) #6
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.
Click price below [PayPal Link in RED] that corresponds to the number of the shucker you want.
Use PayPal to pay for desired shucker.
Afterwards - send your mailing address via email to: info@norrisknives.com.
3 styles/sizes (see graphic below)
Stainless Steel "blade"
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

Shipping & taxes included. Prices vary according to materials used for handles.
Each piece is unique – No two are exactly the same.
Material details
Norris Knives maker's mark
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
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 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.
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