Utica Kutmaster

Psyop

Psyop

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Joined
Oct 17, 2011
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Picked up this cool old knife at a sale. I dont know much about traditional folders but thought i would share it with you all. Other than a SAK this is my first older knife with bottle opener. Any tips on how to clean it up its pretty stiff. Also was wondering how old it might be. Thanks

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I have no way of helping out with how old it is

but you could try dawn dishsoap in the joints to clean out whatever gunk is in it the joints. Just a drop and then open and close the blade/tools while running it under hot water until all the gunk comes out.

then if your still not happy, try soaking it overnight in mineral oil and then repeating the process the next day. That should clean the joints out pretty well and make it easier to open/close the blade and tools
 
I have hosed a dirty/dried out joint with WD40 many a time to work the action, until it is clean. Don't need to worry about any moisture in the joint then. But I don't know if WD will have any issues with the scales. I have only done it on bone.

Mineral oil would probably be better if you are in doubt about the effects of wd40 on the handle material (don't see why it would hurt it).

Plus, mineral oil is definitely better on a knife that will see any fruit/food work! I always make a point of keeping oils off the blade on my slipjoints because they cut so much fruit.


In order to get an age, or any other information, you will have to show a better picture, including tang stamps etc.
 
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Well try as I might I cant get it to get a clear pic of the tang stamp. Or a clear pic in general lol.
main blade says
KUTMASTER
UTICA.N.Y.
MADE IN USA
Liners are brass three brass rivets on scales middle one is larger than the end ones.
I think the scales are plastic but not sure.
Will try to get a different camera working.
 
I like seeing these old Kutmasters, the Utica Cutlery is/was just a few miles away from my house, and I have quite a few of them that were my grandfathers, and one I bought right out of their front room store back around 1989 myself. They aren't worth much, but just represent another american company that has gone away. The building is still there, and the lights are still on, but I don't know exactly what they do there now as their stuff is made overseas like most everything else now. Nice find!
 
Well I like it and it has a nice patina......and like some of my other old folders it dose not have a blade broken off lol.
 
Great find and looks to be in good shape although picture a little out of focus....try a macro setting on your camera. Is that a blade next to the punch. Strange shape..I wonder what its called and used for?
 
Gevonovich said:
Great find and looks to be in good shape although picture a little out of focus....try a macro setting on your camera. Is that a blade next to the punch. Strange shape..I wonder what its called and used for?
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It's an older can opener design. Not particularly effective, but better than a rock.
 
Hello guys, I just noticed this thread, and thought I would let you know that Utica has a great line of new American made slip-joints, and fixed blades. I own a good many of them. Bone handles, high carbon steel blades, traditional patterns. They also have some wood handle, stainless blade offerings. Oilburner, you should make them give you a tour. I have collected Kutmaster and Utica for years, and was thrilled to see the new ones. You can see them at www.kutmaster.com. I hope that it's OK to post the website. I'm a big lurker, and usually don't post, but I thought you would like to know. Thanks.
 
tmkcustom said:
Hello guys, I just noticed this thread, and thought I would let you know that Utica has a great line of new American made slip-joints, and fixed blades. I own a good many of them. Bone handles, high carbon steel blades, traditional patterns. They also have some wood handle, stainless blade offerings. Oilburner, you should make them give you a tour. I have collected Kutmaster and Utica for years, and was thrilled to see the new ones. You can see them at www.kutmaster.com. I hope that it's OK to post the website. I'm a big lurker, and usually don't post, but I thought you would like to know. Thanks.
Click to expand...

First of all, welcome to the forum! From one former lurker to another, glad you decided to join in.

Please post some of your own pictures of the good many you own if you can, and give us some comparisons to the USA brands that get discussed here daily like Case, Queen, GEC (assuming you own some of those as well).

I don't like what I see in some of the "pictures" of the knives on the website, I think they are more computer generated renderings than actual examples in allot of cases. They wouldn't be alone in this, Case often does it too, but I am not familiar enough with Utica to trust them.

This isn't the first thread/post about the new Utica knives, but I don't remember seeing any "in hand" pictures of them from anyone. I can only find two people who posted any kind of a review, and one picture of a Barlow. There are just too many people here who will buy anything not to have heard more about these, kind of surprising since they have been available at least a year and a half.

I think I speak for many when I say I would like to support any company making traditional slipjoints in the USA, but I don't like buying a pig in a poke. Money is too hard to come by to throw it away.
 
So after looking over their website, I decided to e-mail them and ask them a few questions, like what is made at the factory here by me, and if it was possible to get a tour... Guess we'll see what I get back, and I'll pass it on!
 
Yeah, mineral oil soak should loosen up the gunk, and those handles aren't plastic, they're "perfected stag" or celluloid. Commonly known as MOTS or mother of toilet seat, and don't get them anywhere near a flame, MOTS burns like napalm
 
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