fisherman's knife

KNIFE WITHDRAWN FROM PRIVATE COLLECTION
* Type: Previously purchased, presumably from the late 1970s/early 1980s.
* Condition: In very good condition
* Commercially available: Rudy Ruana passed away in 1986, Ruana knives are still in production and orderable on their site with waiting lists, but in different configurations from this one.
* Sharpening: Factory original, improvable, with some cosmetic abrasion.
* Marks on blade: Small horizontal marks due to insertion and removal from scabbard.
* Marks on handle: A few small marks on the aluminum handle.
* Packaging: -
* Scabbard: Leather, handcrafted, original, with a few small marks given by age.
* Manuals, Certificates and Warranties: - -
* Checked and Certified by our in-house laboratory



Intended use: hunting / light hiking

Type of production: handcrafted
Country of production: USA
Blade: made of undeclared high carbon steel (presumably 1095 or 5160), hammer-forged, ground, individually oil-hardened and heat-treated using a zone tempering method that makes the back and tang of the blade softer than the cutting edge
Blade finish: satin-finished
Handle: cast aluminum directly on tang with beveled and riveted elk horn inserts. The tang runs inside the full length of the handle, and the cast aluminum produces a strong handle that is impossible to break.
Blade length: 125mm.
Blade thickness: 4.5mm.
Total length: 235mm.
Weight: 190g.
Sheath: handcrafted, leather, for vertical carrying on the belt
Packaging: -
Notes: Specimen presumably late 1970s/early 1980s in excellent condition - previously purchased knife from a private collection

Company History.
In 1938, Rudy Ruana began making knives in a small store in Montana. Members of his family continue to this day to handcraft Ruana knives in the same store. In 1964 Ruana's son-in-law, Vic Hangas, left a job with a telephone company and put his artistic talents to good use, joining Ruana in the business. Hangas' son Mark began working in the business in 1976. In 1983, Ruana retired at the age of 80 and sold the business to the Hangas family. In 1984 Mike Hangas joined his brother and father and the company was incorporated. Rudy Ruana died in April 1986. He was honored with posthumous induction into the American Bladesmith Society's Hall of Fame in 1997 and Blade magazine's Cutlery Hall of Fame in 2002.

Ruana knives are still handmade in the small Montana store where Rudy Ruana began forging blades more than 80 years ago. In an era of outsourcing and diminishing Made in America products, Ruana knives are still handmade in the United States, with a focus on quality rather than quantity. Although some things have changed over the years, still using the same methods and much of the same equipment used by Rudy Ruana.