AHH!....the semi-skinner, my first custom knife. I have one exactly like that that Rudy built for me in 1976 and I asked him to sign and date it for me because I didn't think he would be building that much longer. It's a bit wavy in the grind lines, but he was an old man at that time and only worked for just a very few more years. He "signed" it with his typical signature with an vibrating electro-pencil. Looks more like he used a Sawzall, but it certainly won't wear off!

I LOVE Ruanas, especially the old ones. My brother inlaw had one that he bought when he was a kid and it was well used, but he got cancer and died just a couple of years ago. I asked his son, who is not a hunter, if I could buy it from him, but he told me that his Dad told him to GIVE it to me. I'm going to whet her up a little and use it on a few deer this November in his honor.

 

Thats a beauty. I certainly see alot of them here in Missoula. I'd be too afraid to lose a knife like that. I'll stick with my $30 Gerber.

 

I live in Missoula too and have a couple Ruana knives that I've had for years. The darn things are getting so valuable I don't use them much anymore. I have a model 10B sometimes called the smokejumper and I have another one about the same size that is a clip point both have blades about 3 inches long and are 80's vintage knives. I have a rancher friend that owns a pre WW2 Ruana that is heavily used but still extremely valuable.

MM

 

I'll have to take some pics.My oldest Ruana was bought by my Grandfather. Its semi-retired now. I bought one like it about 20 yrs ago. I still take Grandpas knife along in my pack. If mine gets a little dull while dressing something out,I pull Grandpas out and finish up with it. I'm not sure if I remember right....but I thought it was Studebaker springs that he used. ??

 

I'm not sure if I remember right....but I thought it was Studebaker springs that he used. ??

Now that you mention it,,, that sounds right.
Not that I'm getting forgetfull or any thing. ???

MontanaMan,,,, This one pretty much stays home in the safe too.

I do however,, shoot a few meat Deer here on the property each year. I'll get it out, along with this old Estwing that belonged to an old fellow who was like a father to me and use em. Then they get sharpened, and go right back in safe keeping.

I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost either one of them, so I don't take the chance.

Charlie

 

I'll have to take some pics.My oldest Ruana was bought by my Grandfather. Its semi-retired now. I bought one like it about 20 yrs ago. I still take Grandpas knife along in my pack. If mine gets a little dull while dressing something out,I pull Grandpas out and finish up with it. I'm not sure if I remember right....but I thought it was Studebaker springs that he used. ??

I think you're right. It seems like I too, remember that he used Studebaker springs, but just think how much better the knives would have been HAD he used Ford springs ;D

 

Charlie I know what you mean, there are some that I would never take the chance of losing. Rudy used Studebaker car springs to make his early knives, also used planer blades from the Bonner mill. Later he started using commercial tool steel. I'll try to post a pic or mine later tonight or tomorrow.

MM

 

I'll try to post a pic or mine later tonight or tomorrow.

MM

Yea,,, thanks.
I'd love to see em.

Here's another one I really cherrish, although it ain't much of a skinner.

It was made for me by the Sheriff in Douglas Wyoming.
He made it out of an old saw blade used to cut rails for train tracks, and a piece of antler from my first Deer. Thinking back,,,, I'm not sure that wasn't an entire antler. LOL

Wolfy,,,, Right you are. Ford springs would have been an upgrade. 8)

 

I've got a knife that was made from a rail saw blade too, made by an old machinist from the Butte Shops on the Milwaukee railroad by the name of Phil Timm. Phil made great knives and even would make a hand sewn leather sheath for them lined with oak. I've had mine for almost 40 years. The knife shown in the OP is really nice, I had one just like it that I traded a really big elk antler shed for. I later gave that knife to an old hunting partner that I sure wish was still around.

MM

 

Here is my Grandpas Ruana next to my newer version.

You can tell the older one has been sharpened for decades. It used to have the same blade design as the newer one. I think it got chipped being hammered through an elk bone? Then got ground down a bit to take the chip out.

 

Cline your grandpa's knife is pre WW2 or just about the beginning of WW2. The handle scales on his or not beveled, yours are, the pins on his are drilled off center of the tang suggesting a need to preserve the drill bits because they were extremely hard to obtain at that time. His knife is worth a bunch, I'd probably retire it to the safe, but I don't blame you a bit if you don't....smile. I know someone with a Ruana very much like your grandpa's, it's worth somewhere between 1 and 2 thousand bucks.

MM

 

Are you kidding me? 1 or 2k? Wow! I had no idea the older ones were worth that much.

 

Cline, yes. If you would like to get a letter on it, take it to Ruana Knives in Bonner and have Vic type you up a letter with all the facts, it's like lettering an old Winchester or Colt and will cement the value real well. He'll know everything about that knife that there is to know just by looking at it.

BTW some of the older ones are worth MUCH more than that...grin. It seems the chipping is fairly common in Rudy's older knives from what I've seen and near as I can tell only has a small effect on the value.

MM

 

Thanks for the info. I think I'll stop by and visit them next time I'm in Missoula.

 

I knew they were worth quite a bit, but the one that I got that was my brother inlaw's who passed away a couple of years ago is not quite in to the thousand dollar range yet. I checked on Ebay and found one just like it, but it is in rougher condition that had been bid up to $455 and had a couple of days left in the bidding. It has the little Bowie knife stamp below the Ruana stamp indicating it was made somewhere around 1962, I think.

 

Charlie I've been meaning to tell you, I had the same model of knife you show in your picture. I gave it to my hunting partner years ago, I got it by trading a huge shed that I picked up one spring. I went out to Ruana and talked to Vic Hangas, we ended up making a swap for that model of knife. Yours looks like it might be an M stamp knife, is there a tiny capitol M stamped right above the brand stamp on the hilt? If there is it stands for medium temper and was only used between certain dates by Rudy.

MM

 

MM
About 20 plus yrs ago, my hunting pardner and I found a backpack next to a trailhead during bow season. It had a Ruana hatchet and hunting knife combo inside. We found the guys hunting license inside and called him up. Boy was he a happy dude. Gave us a reward and bought us drinks at the local tavern. ;D

 

A Ruana combo? You did make his day buddy, I bet those would bring a pretty penny now.

MM

 

Yes indeed. I checked out the website and my jaw dropped when I saw the current prices.....They used to sell Ruanas at the $10,000 Dollar Bar. But now they just have the cheaper stuff,mostly made in China.

 

I don't think I ever looked at the stuff they sold there Cline, that's interesting. I spent my share of time in that establishment but I wasn't shopping...grin.

MM

 

My oldest Ruana, no stamps on them yet... 1944 from my dad. Not fancy in those days... Marlin

 

Beautiful Ruana’s guys, it’s nice to see some very nice old ones!

This is my early Ruana, it has no markings and square cut slabs. The sheath is also unmarked and has the early square buckle and two prong rivets.
It was my Grandfathers hunting knife for many years. When I turned 12 and started hunting Mule Deer he gave it to me and told me he bought from a man that made it in his garage. That was 41 years ago when he told me that story, it was only till about four years ago that I discovered it was a Rudy Ruana knife. I have carried this knife on many hunts.

My newer Ruana
When I was buying this knife I did not notice the inserts were not elk horn but are micarta. I was told that Rudy ran out of elk horn in 1982-83 and substituted micarta in it's place. Making the knife fairly easy to date to that period.

 

Those are both probably very collectable knives. They might bring you a pretty penny if you ever decide to sell them. I sent this link to some of my buddies on my e-mail list. One of them was a dealer for Ruana at one time....said he still has 50 or 60 of them! WOW!
Bonner knives have worldwide reputation | KPAX.com | Missoula, Montana[gallery]/0/

 

I was told they were made from the springs of a Studebaker. I'm in the market for a Ruana knife made by Rudy. My son fulfills his service with the Marine Corps this year and will be spending a fair amount of time in the back country. He ought to have the best of tools. If you have any leads, I'd appreciate it!

 

I'll keep an eye out for one...there was one for sale on Craigslist a few weeks ago. But it was sold in a couple of days.

 

I have this model. It was given to me in 1976. I use to use it but it's retired now$$$$