Uzbek pchak medium (LH15, maple burl handle, mother of pearl)

Pchak (from the Uzbek word Pichoq – knife) is a traditional knife of the Uzbeks and Uyghurs, widespread with slight variations in detail throughout Central Asia. Pchaks traditionally feature a single-edged blade with a full flat grind, set into a narrow handle with a round cross-section. A narrow tang extends from the blade at the spine level. These are utility knives meant for kitchen work, although among the Uyghurs, the pchak was a male attribute, so it must have also been used as a weapon. Pchaks were made from various materials; for the wealthy, they could feature high-quality steel with lavishly decorated elements, though such pieces were rare. Wootz and Damascus steel were mostly reserved for sabers, while mass-produced pchaks were made from carbon steels of lower hardness. Today, 90% of the Uzbek pchaks available in Russia are manufactured from widely accessible industrial tool steel ШХ15 (Polish analogue LH15) hardened within the range of 40-45 HRC. ШХ15 is used for manufacturing rings, rolling bearings, and other components operating in non-corrosive conditions that require high hardness and wear resistance. It is an excellent material for knife manufacturing, with the caveat that it is not corrosion-resistant – the knife must be wiped dry after use.

This particular pchak made of LH15 (ШХ15) steel belongs to the Kayke type, where the tip of the knife is raised above the spine line. Yerma-type handle, meaning it is not a solid block but consists of a metal liner and tang scales made of stabilized maple burl with mother of pearl inserts. This is the Uzbek equivalent of a hidden tang configuration, where instead of a thin rod, a wider tang goes inside the handle. The bolster (referred to as a gyulband in pchaks), featuring a form characteristic of these knives, is also decorated with mother of pearl (sadaf) circles. The sheath, featuring a form traditional to knives from this region, is made of thin leather decorated with an embossed ornament.

Overall length: 293 mm

Blade length: 173 mm

Blade width (max.): 38 mm

Blade thickness (max.): 4 mm

Steel (according to Russian nomenclature): ШХ15