Pchak kajke (stabilized karelian birch handle brown)

Pchak (from the Uzbek word

Pichoq– knife)is a traditional knife of the Uzbeks and Uyghurs, widespread with slight differences in detail throughout Central Asia. Pchaks traditionally have a single-edged blade with a full flat grind set in a narrow handle with a round cross-section. A narrow tang extends from the blade at the level of the spine. These are utility knives, for kitchen work, although among the Uyghurs the pchak was a male attribute, so it must also have been used as a weapon. Pchaks were made from various materials; for the wealthy, these could be high-quality steels with richly decorated handles, but such specimens were rare. Bułat and damask steel were more often used for sabres, and mass-produced pchaks were made from low-hardness carbon steels. Today, Uzbek pchaks made of 90% industrial tool steel ШХ15 (Polish analogue LH15) are widely available in Russia. However, the growing fashion for exotic blades untypical for Europe (Yakut knives, Nepalese kukris, karambits) means that pchaks produced by hand in the European part of the former USSR, in regions where blacksmithing traditions have been preserved, are appearing on the market.

This pchak belongs to the typekajke. Its distinguishing feature is a point turned upwards. The blade is made of very high-quality forged damask steel, a bolster (called giulband) typical for pchaks made of nickel silver, and the handle is made of stabilized Karelian birch – one of the more expensive types of stabilized wood. Full flat grind. A manufacturer's monogram and the inscription:"ОКСКИЕ НОЖИ ДАМАССКАЯ СТАЛЬ",is engraved on the blade under the handle, but the whole is poorly visible against the damask pattern. Leather sheath.

Total length: 278 mm

Blade length: 147 mm

Blade width (max.): 33 mm

Blade thickness (max.): 4 mm

Manufacturer: Okskije nozhi company, Pavlovo, Russian Federation