Rudy Ruana is one of the names in the custom knife world that either brings a blank look to someone’s face, or a knowing smile. While not as well known to the wider public as some of his contemporaries, Ruana’s reputation within the greater custom knife community is legendary. Like his contemporary Walter “Bo” Randall, Rudy’s early entree into knife making pre-dated World War II and started a high-quality custom knife company that remains in business to this day.

Rudolph H “Rudy” Ruana (1903-1986) was born in Douglas, Minnesota. His parents were both immigrants from Finland and grew up as one of seven children in what was probably a crowded household. By 1910 Rudy’s family had relocated from Minnesota to North Dakota, where Rudy grew up. According to Census Records, by 1920 Rudy was working as a coal miner in Delabarre, North Dakota, but like many young men of the time chose to join the military to provide him new opportunities. On June 28, 1920, Rudy enlisted in the US Army and remained in the service for three years and was discharged on June 27, 1923. According to a number of articles about Rudy’s early life, he was apparently assigned to work as a farrier with a US cavalry regiment in the west during his service and it was apparently during that period that he learned the trade of blacksmithing and also started to experiment with making knives. While at least some of the family lore and information in his obituary is probably apocryphal, for example it lists him as a World War I veteran (unlikely since he would have only been 15 when the war ended), a story is recounted about his earliest knives being made for Native Americans who lived near his posting, that needed better quality skinning knives. By 1930, the Census shows the 27-year-old Rudy living in Hoerauf, North Dakota, where he was a lodger and working as a grain farmer. Over the next decade, Rudy would marry Helmi Hellman in 1932, relocate to Montanna in 1937, find work as a mechanic and welder in an automotive repair shop and was certainly gaining a local reputation as a custom knife maker. 

The harsh financial realities of the Great Depression may have been part of the impetuous for Rudy to pursue knife making as a part time avocation to make some extra money, what we would call a “side hustle” today. By 1938 he was working in Bonner, MT in the Missoula area, in an automotive garage and making knives on the side. It was that year that Ruana Knife Works was officially founded, although it would not be Rudy’s full-time avocation for some time. The 1940 Census showed him living in the Missoula, MT area and working as a “mechanic and blacksmith.” The Missoula City Directory for the same year simply listed Rudy as a “mechanic”. By this time, he owned his own home, and he and his wife had four children that ranged in age from 1 to 6. The 1845 Missoula City Directory still lists Rudy as a doing “auto repair” for his occupation, while the1948 Missoula City Directory is the first time that “Knife Maker” appears as his official job title. The 1950 Census showed that the family was prospering, now had five children, and Rudy was still working as a welder. According to family tradition, it was 1952 when Rudy became a full-time knife maker. 

During World War II Rudy’s reputation for making high quality knives meant that numerous servicemen sought him out to make them knives to take with them overseas and into combat zones. Rudy’s knives were high quality, full tang designs with cast aluminum hilts, guards, bolsters and pommel caps and often with elk antler grip scales that were beveled and fitted into the grip and then reinforced with pins. His earliest knives, circa 1938-1941, were made with Vanadium Spring Steel blades. During World War II he changed to Silica Manganese Spring Steel, which he used through 1962. His original handle inserts were square cut, but he introduced his signature beveled and tapered inserts circa 1944, a feature which is still found on his knives. As the requests for his knives increased, he built a business that grew from a part time avocation to a successful company that remains in business to this day. In 1962 Rudy changed to 1095 Hi-Carbon Spring Steel for his blades, the material that is still used by the company today. In 1964 his son in law Victor Hangas joined Rudy in the business and in 1976 Victor’s son Mark (Rudy’s grandson) entered the business as well. In 1983 Rudy retired from active participation in the business and his grandson Mike Hangas went to work for Ruana Knife Works, joining his father Victor and brother Mark. Rudy passed away 1986. He was given a number of knife making awards posthumously including induction into the American Bladesmith Society’s Hall of Fame in 1997 and Blade Magazine’s Cutlery Hall of Fame in 2002. In 2019 Victor Hangan passed away as well, leaving his sons Mark and Mike to run the business.

This knife offered here is a Vietnam Era Ruana #30A Brass Backed Bowie. The knife is a classic, massive Ruana Bowie, with a 10 ¼” single edged, clip point bowie blade that has a 4 ¼” false edge and is 1 ¾” wide at the widest point. The blade has a ½” choil and the knife has an overall length of 15 ¼”. The aluminum hilt is cast onto the tang with a nominally ½” thick, 3” wide guard that has a pair of rudimentary forward swept quillons at the ends. The guard is reinforced with a pin that passes through it vertically from end to end and through the tang. The hilt has four finger grooves and the traditional Ruana elk horn scales with beveled edges dovetailed into the hilt, with a pair of pins to provide lateral support. The blade has a textured brass spine insert that is 3 ½” long. The knife is marked in electric pencil on the reverse, below the brass spine:

RUANA. 30A. ‘M’

The “M” mark was in use on Rudy’s knives circa 1962 to 1983 and indicated “medium” temper. The letter “S” used from 1956-1958 meant that the blade was salt water tempered and the letter “T” which was used from 1942-1962 meant “Razor Temper”. While most of his standard production knives were produced with a maker’s stamp on the hilt, his custom work was often marked with the electro-pencil markings, as found on this knife. The knife is accompanied by its original heavy, multi-ply leather sheath. The sheath is unmarked, but unmistakably Ruana and includes a snap hilt retainer and a pouch on the face for a wet stone. The scabbard is sewn and reinforced with copper rivets. The knife was formerly in the collection of noted fighting knife researcher, historian and dealer John R Gibson and is still viewable in the “collection” section of his website. John notes that the knife is “Vietnam Era”. He further notes that the 30A was known as a “Deluxe Bowie” and the sheath was also a “deluxe” sheath.

The knife remains in EXCELLENT, unused condition. The blade retains nearly all of its original bright polish and its original factory edge and has not been sharpened. The blade shows some subtle wavy patterns, the result of the freehand hollow ground manufacturing process. While the blades were initially forged with a power hammer, they were subsequently finished by hand. The brass spine insert has a rich golden appearance and quite a bit of green verdigris on it. The aluminum hilt shows some minor tool and casting marks from production and some tiny scuffs and minor marks from handling. The scabbard is in VERY FINE condition and shows minimal wear, although there is some discoloration to the leather here and there and some light wear to the belt loop, particularly where the hilt has rubbed against it over the years on the front. The sharpening stone in the pouch on the front of the scabbard is original and unused.

Overall, this is a really wonderful example of a Vietnam Era Rudy Ruana #30A Brass Backed Bowie Knife. The knife is in exceptional condition and has the pedigree of having been in one of the top collections in the country. These earlier Ruana knives do not appear on the market on a regular basis and rarely in such fine condition. This will be a great addition to any serious contemporary Bowie Knife collection, to a Vietnam Era fighting knife collection or simply to add to an advanced collection of Ruana knives. I am sure you will be very pleased to add this fine knife to your collection to enjoy over the years.