Karkote underseal ... dealer option?

[Macabry]

Further to my restoration story I'm wondering if anyone has any information on "Karkote" underseal ... my '52 has been thoroughly coated underneath and under the hood and trunk using this product. The original sticker is present and located just below the hood latch... see the pic.

This appears to have been done when the car was new ... does anyone know if Karkote was a dealer specific brand/service ? I'm aware there's been some discussion surrounding underseal and originality before ... but I've never seen this brand mentioned

I can't find anything online about it?

[fishnjim]

Unfortunately the best part of that sticker is gone.   Name and address of the manufacturer.   Maybe a conservator can lift it and remove the "goo".
It's a Pittsburgh, PA name, so maybe some searching in those area libraries, businesses, etc..
Mastic is/was a company making sealants & adhesives.  Name is still around.  So I suspect they made it and shops applied it.    This is how technology works.   There was a need for corrosion control in the snow belt salt areas.  [I remember head light buckets and rocker panels were notorious rust through repair items in the '50s.   My cousin did them and used lead as filler.]   So a bunch of people try different things to solve the problem.   Most without the knowledge to understand the cause and address it.   Used oil was/is still used for this.   [There's a guy down the street from my sister that "oils" cars by appt.]  People washed cars with kerosene in the water to help also.   Eventually, someone hits it and it takes off.   So apparently, Ziebart won this market, not Karkote.   GM also developed their own undercoat sealants.  They still sell it.   3M also big in this.

[Macabry]

Thanks for your thorough reply 

It's very similar to Ziebart, the remaining portion of sticker seems to say "U-Mastic" ... perhaps bitu-mastic?

... who knows?

I'll continue searching 👍

[Macabry]

Ha .... found it !!!
It's "Insul-Mastic"

"Karkote was registered on Tuesday, February 3, 1959 and is currently owned by Porter Paint Co. under the registration number 673400 . This mark is dead with a status of Expired. The last case file activity for this mark occured 20 years ago on Friday, December 15, 2000, according to the United State Patent & Trademark Office"

[Macabry]

But ... the plot thickens ...

Even though it says it was registered in 1959, I found a 1948 New York newspaper showing an advert ...

[Macabry]

And this:
May 25, 1947
KARKOTE
The Insul-Mastic Corp. of American, manufacturers of Karkote, a Gilsonite underbody coating for automobiles widely used as a sound deadener, rust preventive and insulator, has established headquarters and warehouse facilities at 164 S. Central Ave.