Pchak uzbek 3 (damascus, stabilized wood)

The Pchak (from the Uzbek word Pichoq – knife) is a traditional knife of the Uzbeks and Uyghurs, widespread with minor variations in details 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. The narrow tang extends from the blade level with the spine. These are utility knives, intended for kitchen work, although among the Uyghurs, the pchak was an attribute of a man, so it must have also been used as a weapon. Pchaks were made from various materials; for the wealthy, they could be crafted from high-quality steel with richly decorated handles, though such examples were rare. Wootz steel (bulat) and damascus steel were more likely used for sabers, while mass-produced pchaks were made from carbon steels of lower hardness. Today, 90% of the Uzbek pchaks available in Russia are made from the widely available industrial tool steel SHKH15 (Polish equivalent LH15), but knives with a traditional Uzbek or Uyghur form but with blades ordered from Russia are also popular.

This particular pchak belongs to the straight-bladed type known as a "kard" – the spine of the knife runs in a straight line from the handle to the tip, with a minimal drop. The blade is made of damascus steel ordered from Russia with a hardness of 58-60 HRC (Uzbek damascus is hardened to a lower level, in the 40-45 HRC range). The handle is assembled from pieces of stabilized Karelian birch and a decorative "gulband" (a bolster characteristic of pchaks), adorned with mother-of-pearl (sadaf). The sheath, with a form traditional for knives from this region, is made of artificial leather with a plastic insert and decorative embossing.

Overall length: 233 mm

Blade length: 116 mm

Blade width (max.): 27 mm

Blade thickness (max.): 2.4 mm