WEST-CUT knives out of Boulder, CO-- Old knife?

I

Iverson

Joined
Feb 14, 2002
Messages
255
Howdy fellow Forumites. I have an old knife I am trying to find out any info on. It is a fixed blade knife, 4.25" blade with a brown
(plastic-looking) handle. I got this knife from my grandfather, and have no clue of it's origins. The handle is seemless, and has little tiny fleck in it. on base of blade it reads : WEST-CUT Boulder Colo. Does anyone have any idea of the origins of this knife or what it may be worth? (by the way, it has obviously been sharpened A LOT) I just want some idea of it's history.

thanks,

Dave
 
Ha Dave,

That sounds like a Western Cutlery product. Does it have a number on the blade tang?

n2s
 
Hi Iverson,

West-Cut, was a cheaper line offered by Western Cutlery(now owned by Camillus:)).
They were made circa 1958. Value in the described condition would be low, check Ebay as there are always a few offered for sale.

HTH:D:).
 
N2S, nope, no #on the tang, Thanks to you and "bowie" for your responses, it gives me a little more to go on. I am just interested in it's history. I'm sure it doesn't have any $$$ value, but it has a lot of value to me, as my granpa gave it to me before he died. I am going to try to fix it up as a user for myself, because the blade seems to be pretty good steel, and the handle is very sturdy. the only part of this knife that has deteriorated isthe leather sheath. I can make another one. Thanks again...

-Dave
 
Hi Iverson,

Repost this in Mr. Levine's forum. He has a really great knowledge of Western:). The steel used was probably CV steel, which is a great, but seldom used steel. Clean her up, and enjoy:). It's nice to see someone enjoy older knives, and the family history makes it all the more special.

:D:).
 
thanks, Bob. Where would I find mr Levine's forum? I am looking forward to doing a little "touch-up" on this knife. Thanks for your reply.

-Dave
 
Iverson said:
Howdy fellow Forumites. I have an old knife I am trying to find out any info on. It is a fixed blade knife, 4.25" blade with a brown
(plastic-looking) handle. I got this knife from my grandfather, and have no clue of it's origins. The handle is seemless, and has little tiny fleck in it. on base of blade it reads : WEST-CUT Boulder Colo. Does anyone have any idea of the origins of this knife or what it may be worth? (by the way, it has obviously been sharpened A LOT) I just want some idea of it's history.

thanks,

Dave
Click to expand...
" I have one that I earned selling greeting cards in about 1956 or 1957. I don't recall if I got any money for selling the cards, but (as I recall) if you sold a certain number you could win prizes. I think the biggest prize was either the knife or a microscope. I went door-to-door and sold enough to get the knife. I still have it today! Perhaps your grandfather did the same?
 
Oldcowdog said:
" I have one that I earned selling greeting cards in about 1956 or 1957. I don't recall if I got any money for selling the cards, but (as I recall) if you sold a certain number you could win prizes. I think the biggest prize was either the knife or a microscope. I went door-to-door and sold enough to get the knife. I still have it today! Perhaps your grandfather did the same?
Click to expand...

Smiled when I read you got your knife for selling cards door to door. I got mine circa 1960-61 by saving S&H Green Stamps. It required one full booklet of stamps. Still have it. On one side of the blade it reads WEST-CUT Boulder, Colo Made in USA. On the other side K-5.

Blade is tarnished. Sheath is in great shape.
 
Oldcowdog said:
" I have one that I earned selling greeting cards in about 1956 or 1957. I don't recall if I got any money for selling the cards, but (as I recall) if you sold a certain number you could win prizes. I think the biggest prize was either the knife or a microscope. I went door-to-door and sold enough to get the knife. I still have it today! Perhaps your grandfather did the same?
Click to expand...
Same here always made sure my Mom got stamps when she went to the local Mayfair market. I also traded my stamps for a Western Cut K5
 
SoCal60 said:
Same here always made sure my Mom got stamps when she went to the local Mayfair market. I also traded my stamps for a Western Cut K5
Click to expand...
Welcome to the forum. Not sure how you found this 21 year old thread, but none of the participants except one has been seen in over a year.
 
As others have mentioned, "West Cut" was the discount brand of Western Cutlery. As far as i know, the line was dropped long before Western was bought by Coleman in the mid 1980's, who later sold to Camillus. Blade steel is 1095, with an excellent heat treat. If memory serves, the factory bevel is between 9 and 12 ~ 12.5 degrees per side/ 18 to 25 degrees inclusive, depending on who put the final edge on.
To lower costs, they were not as finely finished as the Western branded knives, and may have used less costly handle materials.

Can you post pictures of her? You'll have to use a hosting site at your membership level.

Maybe our resident Western expert/authority zzyzzogeton zzyzzogeton will chime in 😁
 
From what I have determined (IMO) is that the WEST-CUT line, marked

WEST-CUT over BOULDER, COLO.

with no model numbers was a pre-WW2 (1931-1941) line.

WEST-CUT was not really a "discount" line, just "another" line. The early WEST-CUTs are made using the same materials and same equipment and same personnel as the WESTERN and WESTERN STATES. The lines were probably directed at different target sellers, e.g., cutlery stores vs dry goods stores vs hardware stores vs........

This is based on a acquiring a bunch of Westerns over the years and comparing them to each other and to the illustrations in the catalogs. Western was really very good with their artistic accuracy, re: spacer patterns, blade shapes, etc.

The K-series of knives came out in 1958 (K1, K2, K3, K5, 645) and "could" be considered a discount line, although they were also well made and had pile side ricasso model numbers, as did all other Western knives, 1955-1967. The K-series were the first post-1931 fixed blades that Western made NOT using the bifurcated tang construction. The equivalencies were ---
K1 ==> L57
K2 ==> L48A
K3 ==> L48B
K5 ==> L66
645 ==> X45 "BIG ELK" (1941) resurrection with plastic replacing the X45's bone stag. 1931/1936/1941 also had the X245 and 246R in celluloid "pearl composition plastic". No clue as to why 645 and not K45 was used as the model number,but it indicates that Western, as of 1958, was already starting to use "6" to refer to "fake bone stag" plastic as a handle material prior to their shift to Delrin in 1961 for "bone stag" replacement. The 45 pattern was similar to the 1950s Utica Sportsman and 1930s/1950s Imperial Hunter.

While never defined as such, during the 1930s and 1940s, Western used "X" and "x" in model numbers for plastics, bakelite and to indicate "something else", as witnessed by the 1941 introduction of the xW66, handled in cocobola wood.
 
zzyzzogeton said:
From what I have determined (IMO) is that the WEST-CUT line, marked

WEST-CUT over BOULDER, COLO.

with no model numbers was a pre-WW2 (1931-1941) line.

WEST-CUT was not really a "discount" line, just "another" line. The early WEST-CUTs are made using the same materials and same equipment and same personnel as the WESTERN and WESTERN STATES. The lines were probably directed at different target sellers, e.g., cutlery stores vs dry goods stores vs hardware stores vs........

This is based on a acquiring a bunch of Westerns over the years and comparing them to each other and to the illustrations in the catalogs. Western was really very good with their artistic accuracy, re: spacer patterns, blade shapes, etc.

The K-series of knives came out in 1958 (K1, K2, K3, K5, 645) and "could" be considered a discount line, although they were also well made and had pile side ricasso model numbers, as did all other Western knives, 1955-1967. The K-series were the first post-1931 fixed blades that Western made NOT using the bifurcated tang construction. The equivalencies were ---
K1 ==> L57
K2 ==> L48A
K3 ==> L48B
K5 ==> L66
645 ==> X45 "BIG ELK" (1941) resurrection with plastic replacing the X45's bone stag. 1931/1936/1941 also had the X245 and 246R in celluloid "pearl composition plastic". No clue as to why 645 and not K45 was used as the model number,but it indicates that Western, as of 1958, was already starting to use "6" to refer to "fake bone stag" plastic as a handle material prior to their shift to Delrin in 1961 for "bone stag" replacement. The 45 pattern was similar to the 1950s Utica Sportsman and 1930s/1950s Imperial Hunter.

While never defined as such, during the 1930s and 1940s, Western used "X" and "x" in model numbers for plastics, bakelite and to indicate "something else", as witnessed by the 1941 introduction of the xW66, handled in cocobola wood.
Click to expand...
Zzyyzzogeton... thank you for this post. It was so informative. My dad has a west-cut knife, just as you described of the pre WWII knives. It was his father's knife. His father was born in 1912, so the 30s would be about the right time. We had a great time using your knowledge to go back and figure it out. My dad had never asked his father about the knife and he died when my dad was 18. My dad still uses it as his deer knife to this day.
Thank you again
Mark
 
I acquired my 4.5 inch west-cut about 1957 or 8. It has leather stacked handle with no model number. Blade holds an edge fantastically. Everyone I my group of fisherman wants to use it to clean fish. Also, anytime they need a sharp knife.
 
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