AYER - How many ways are there to open an oyster? Several, if you use specialized knives produced by R. Murphy Knives, in business since 1850. You’ve got the Boston oyster knife, the Providence model, the New Haven, Chesapeake, Seattle, Gulf, and New York knives. Not to mention a new one, the Duxbury, developed by R. Murphy owner Mark Furman for Island Creek Oysters.
Eliseo Torres measures a blade after grinding.
MICHELE MCDONALD FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE
Eliseo Torres measures a blade after grinding.
“All oyster knives work,’’ says Furman. But shuckers have their preferences, and Furman, who, along with his wife, Mimi Younkins, bought R. Murphy three years ago, says, “You give the customer what they want.’’
If what the customer wants is a knife - almost any kind of knife - this is the place. Oyster-openers are one small category. On display in the front office of the small manufacturing facility, which has occupied this building since 1906, are knives for scallops, clams, and crabs; for cooking and filleting; for hunting and fishing; carving and whittling; rubber and leather; and more. Many are versatile in unexpected ways.
“We have a knife made for leaded glass that’s awesome as a cheese knife,’’ says Younkins. She and her husband came to this business after a career in custom renovation. Last fall, around Halloween, a pottery knife was repurposed as the perfect pumpkin carving knife.
Murphy isn’t the oldest cutlery manufacturer in Massachusetts (that distinction might fall to Dexter-Russell, of Southbridge, in business since 1818), but it’s one of a handful of survivors of this once-thriving industry. Stepping into the R. Murphy factory is like peering into the region’s manufacturing past. “It’s not done by robots; it’s not made in China,’’ says Furman. “It’s all done by hand. Some of our competitors have dazzling technology, but it’s not made by hand.’’
Mark Furman and Mimi Younkins, owners of R. Murphy Knives.
MICHELE MCDONALD FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE
Mark Furman and Mimi Younkins, owners of R. Murphy Knives.
“Dazzling’’ would definitely not be the word for Murphy’s technology, unless you’re a fan of steampunk. The machinery doesn’t literally date from the Victorian era, but much of it looks as though it could. The only computer anywhere to be seen in the plant is in the shipping department.
There’s a press, where strips of stainless steel or carbon steel are cut into various shapes for different knives. There’s a “fixture,’’ where blades are ground and given edges suitable for their purpose. Most dramatically, there’s a vat of molten salt, heated to 1,600 degrees, where on a recent balmy day Rodolfo Figueroa, a 26-year R. Murphy veteran, is dunking racks of embryonic carbon steel blades, letting them heat till they turn cherry red, then moving them to the quench tank, where they cool to 400 degrees. “The state of iron changes at that temperature,’’ explains Furman. “It makes it harder.’’
Even with several fans going and windows open, it’s hot work. But there’s an upside: “In winter,’’ says Figueroa, who has never sustained a burn on the job, “everyone comes here to get warm.’’
Wood handles wait to be affixed to steel blades.
MICHELE MCDONALD FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE
Wood handles wait to be affixed to steel blades.
The knives pass through several more stages before they go out the door. Handles, wood or plastic, are attached; the wooden pieces, called scales, are cut at the wood shop across the driveway. The blade is etched, usually with the words “R. Murphy, Ayer, Mass. Made in U.S.A.’’ The shop also does custom work and recently etched a bride and groom’s names onto an oyster knife as a wedding favor. Oyster knives are $14 to $15; chef’s knives are in the $45 to $50 range.
When Furman and Younkins bought the plant in 2009, it seemed an inauspicious time to jump into any new business, even one as venerable as knife manufacturing. To jump-start things, the pair introduced some new products, among them a line of chef’s knives with carbon steel blades and handles of Honduran rosewood, which Furman hopes will attract customers who might otherwise choose better-known cutlery such as Henckels or Wusthof. The carbon steel blade, Furman says, sharpens better and holds an edge longer than stainless, though it may discolor over time. From a functional standpoint, he would put Murphy knives up against any high-end knife on the market.
Asking Furman to name a favorite knife is like asking a parent to name a favorite child, but he admits he’s got a special fondness for the Duxbury oyster knife he created. “I went out and bought two dozen oysters to give it a try. It did a wonderful job.’’
R. Murphy Knives available at KitchenWares by Blackstones, 215 Newbury St., 857-366-4237; Duck Soup, 365 Boston Post Road, Sudbury, 978-443-3825; The Concord Shop, 13 Walden St., Concord, 978-371-2286; or go to www.rmurphyknives.com.
Jane Dornbusch can be reached at jdornbusch@verizon.net.