Uzbek Pchak 10 (damascus, stabilized wood, sadaf)

The Pchak (from the Uzbek word Pichoq – knife) is a traditional knife of the Uzbeks and Uyghurs, widespread with minor variations throughout Central Asia. Pchaks traditionally have a single-edged blade with a full flat grind set in a narrow, round-cross-section handle. A narrow tang extends from the blade at the spine level. 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 of high-quality steel with rich decorations, but such examples were rare. Bulat and damascus steel were more likely used for sabers, while mass-produced pchaks were made from low-hardness carbon steels. Today, 90% of the Uzbek pchaks available in Russia are made from the widely available industrial tool steel ШХ15 (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 type with a straight blade known as "kord" – 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 made of stabilized wood. The bolster and guard are typically Uzbek with traditional mother-of-pearl (sadaf) decoration. The sheath, with a traditional form for knives from this region, is made of artificial leather with a plastic insert and decorative embossing.

Overall length: 248 mm

Blade length: 132 mm

Blade width (max.): 31 mm

Blade thickness (max.): 3.1 mm