Uzbek pchak (pattern-welded damascus, roe deer horn handle)

The pchak (from the Uzbek word pichoq – knife) is a traditional knife of the Uzbeks and Uyghurs, widespread with minor differences in details 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 spine level. These are utility knives meant for kitchen work, although among the Uyghurs, the pchak was an attribute of manhood, meaning 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 lavish decorations, though such specimens were rare. Bulat and Damascus steel were generally reserved for sabers, while mass-produced pchaks were made of carbon steels with low hardness.The pchak offered here features a blade made of Uzbek Damascus steel, hardened lower than Russian Damascus steels – in the range of 56-58 HRC. The composition of the billet can only be specified approximately – it consists of R260 steel (or its local analogue) and some high-carbon tool steel. It might seem strange that I do not specify a concrete steel grade here, but this is a standard situation for knife manufacturing from Central Asia. Local bladesmiths, i.e., blacksmiths specializing in knife blades, do not say: "this and that steel grade". Instead, they say: "a rail plus a handsaw".The blade features a traditional kayke-type pchak profile, where the tip of the knife is swept upward above the spine line. The handle is made of roe deer horn – a mammal of the deer family widely found in Central Asia. The bolster is made of brass. The sheath, featuring a shape traditional for knives from this region, is made of thin leather decorated with an embossed ornament.

Overall length: 272 mm

Blade length: 155 mm

Blade width (max): 31 mm

Blade thickness (max): 3 mm