Ulster Utility knife

[Meridian_Mike]

Well.... I got out to the shop last night and worked on this old Ulster Utility knife that needed a LOT of help. When I first got it, I looked at it.... I tilted my head and looked a little closer and then I thought to myself.... "I can fix that". What drew me to it was the fact that the blades looked full. Practically unsharpened.
BEFORE.....

Here is a closer shot at the tang stamp.

I doused it down with some oil (I use CLP) to let it start soaking a couple of days ago. Don't know if that really helps but I always seem to think it does.

The more rust I cleaned off the more I could see how badly the scales have shrunken. Heck, looks like a kid with britches that are too small for him.....

I am sort of torn as to whether or not I should replace the scales.
Y'all recon there is anything out there that looks like the original material?
It's "all original" (for what that's worth) as it is..... IF I replace the scales, I would like them to look like the originals...
(more of my OCD self shinin' out)

Mike

[Steve Warden]

Cleaned up nice, Mike.
Lookin' good!

[doglegg]

Cleaned up knice Mike. Original is fine but I enjoy a new vest every once in a while, maybe that old Ulster would too.

[philco]

Mike if you could find some nice black jigged bone I think it would look very similar and quite nice on that knife. It already looks much better now that you've cleaned off the rust.

[kootenay joe]

I have knives with the same handle material and it always shrinks, or all the knives i have with this material show shrinkage like yours or worse.
These are from 1950's i think, after bone and before Delrin.
I think you should leave it as it is now and look for a slightly newer one with Delrin and an older one with bone to make a display of 3. Same knife and showing sequence of handles. There are a lot of Ulster 4 blade Utility knives on ebay and can often be won for little money.
kj

[Meridian_Mike]

I think you should leave it as it is now and look for a slightly newer one with Delrin and an older one with bone to make a display of 3. Same knife and showing sequence of handles. There are a lot of Ulster 4 blade Utility knives on ebay and can often be won for little money.
kj

10-4.... I like looking for certain knives as a quest SO that is a good idea!


Mike

[kootenay joe]

I once had about 30 ? (or more) Ulster 4 blade Utility knives and about the same number of Camillus ones. Even though the same pattern and handles (bone) each knife seems to have it's own 'personality'. It was neat little collection and i enjoyed finding them as well as showing them and handling/playing with a few. I was able to buy most of them for $20-$25 so it is affordable to pick one up as you come across the good ones. I tried to avoid the 'beaters'.
kj

[glennbad]

Good save! Culpepper has some black jigged bone that looks nice on these utility patterns.