Utica Kutmaster 4 Blade Engineers Knife

BRAND:   Kutmaster

MAKER:   Utica

PATTERN:   4 Blade Engineers’ Knife

LENGTH (Closed):   3-5/8”

BOLSTERS:   Nickel silver

SHIELD:        None                                                                                      

HANDLES:   Jigged bone

BLADES:   Spear master blade, half-moon type can opener, screwdriver caplifter, leather punch

LINERS:   Brass

CLEVIS:   Has clevis for lanyard

TANG STAMPS:  KUTMASTER/UTICA, N.Y./MADE IN U.S.A.

CONDITION:   Very Good + +

DAMAGE:   Slight shop wear, some staining on the blades and tight stabilized pin crack at the rocker pin on the mark side.

BLADE WEAR: Blades appear to be unused & full. The spear blade may have been used does not appear to have been sharpened.

SNAP:   Very Good

MADE IN:   U.S.A.

ADDITIONAL INFO: There is a picture of like this one in Mike Silvey’s book; Pocket Knives of the United States Military on page 58. The knife in Mike’s book has the spear blade etch M.D. USN. This knife does not have the etch, and I don’t see any evidence of it having been buffed off either. In 1937 Utica Cutlery started using the Kutmaster name as their trademark and putting it on knives. I believe this knife was made prior to World War II when they stopped using brass and nickel silver in knives. Obviously, it was made after 1937 because of the Kutmaster name. It does have bone handles and the handle pins are peened as you can tell from the pictures. I believe wartime rationing was introduced in 1942, perhaps 1943, which precluded the use of brass and nickel silver in knives because steel could be substituted, and was in most cases. Of interest to me was the half-moon can opener which was introduced in the 1930s, and the single-piece safety can opener was introduced in 1945. So this makes me believe the knife was made after the beginning of 1937 and about 1942 and most only made before 1945.

There is one tight little pin crack below the mark side rocker pin. I cleaned it with alcohol then stabilized it with Zap-A-Gap. According to the NKCA the crack when it to Very Good on the NKCA ratings are. Were it not for the crack I would call this knife Near Mint. Even the jigging of the bone is not worn down, I don’t think it’s been used or carried. May have set in somebody’s drawer for years, but it does not appear to have been used with any frequency. You can add this beauty to your collection!

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Item # 46506