Uzbek knife pchak and manufacturing technology. Uzbek knife: what it should be. Design features of the pchak
Let's start with something simple. These photographs depict a knife that anyone who is at least somehow interested in knives or has been to Central Asia will call “PCHAK”, or, in Uzbek, “PICHOK”. The appearance of the pchak is unique and easily recognizable.
This is the most common pchak with a “kaike” blade. Such a blade involves raising the tip above the butt line by 3-8 mm. More advanced and inquisitive people will say that this is the “Andijan Pchak”.
Someone else will add: “Charchon.”
The pchak blade itself is traditionally forged from carbon steel (in ancient times, broken weapons or iron ingots from India were used, from the 19th-20th centuries car springs, bearing races and other available materials were used; nowadays, factory-made steel rods of the ShH type are most often used -15, U12, 65G or cheap reinforcement from St3).
In Uzbekistan they still say: “A carbon fiber tip is for work, a stainless steel tip is for decoration!”
If the blade is made of high-carbon tool (U12) or bearing (ShKh15) steels (which makes it possible to obtain a higher quality product), then St3 shanks are usually welded to it, which is noticeable in the form of a triangle near the handle of the pchak.
By the way, many Japanese and Russian masters do the same, for example, G.K. Prokopenkov. This is due to the fact that U12 and ShKh15 have low impact strength and strength, and if the blade and shank are forged from a single piece of steel, there is a high probability of the blade breaking in the neck area, for example, when dropped.
The length of the blade is usually 16-22 cm, the thickness always decreases wedge-shaped from the handle to the tip, and at the handle it can be 4-5 mm. In cross-section, the pchak blade also tapers wedge-shaped from the butt to the blade. The slopes are usually straight, rarely convex or concave lens-shaped. The blade width can be up to 50 mm. All this together gives a good knife geometry and ensures effective cutting of any food product.
As already mentioned, carbon steel is used on pchak, from what is at hand, hardening (as a rule, zone - only at the cutting edge) is usually carried out to 50-52 Rockwell units, less often to 54-56, and then only in Lately. On the one hand, a hardness of 50-54 units does not provide long-term retention of the sharpness of the cutting edge, but it allows you to edit such a knife on anything (usually the bottom of a ceramic bowl is used, but there are also special traditionally shaped stones for straightening chaps and scissors), which, Of course, this is a big plus. But in this case, the knife quickly wears down and turns almost into an awl, so you have to buy a new one. Although the cost of pchaks (not souvenirs) has always been small.
Recently, blades made of ShKh-15 steel have become increasingly common, which can be hardened to 60 Rockwell units, which is what we see on some blades.
Such hard blades are made specifically for the Russian and Ukrainian markets in order to compete with Japanese kitchen knives. From my point of view, such hardness is not very justified, because pchaks have a very fine blade and working with such knives requires certain skills and special equipment, otherwise the blade will chip and break (similar to Japanese kitchen knives).
On the other hand, there is no particular point in upgrading the ShKh-15 to 50-52 units (the norm for a pchak) - it’s just a translation of good quality material.
The surface of carbon steel blades is usually oxidized (blended) by immersing it in a solution of naukat clay (traditionally), ferrous sulfate or ferric chloride, due to which the blade acquires a dark gray color with a blue or yellow tint, and is decorated with a dol (“komalak”, moreover if there is only one dol, then it will definitely be on the tamga side), embossed with a stamp (“tamga”) or engraved. The knocked-out recesses are filled with brass. On carbon blades, a hardening zone is often noticeable.
The names of the parts of the pchak are presented below:
“GULBAND”, or bolster, is cast from low-melting tin or tin-lead alloys, soldered from sheet brass or cupronickel and filled with tin or its alloy. I note that using lead in cooking is not good, and it is advisable not to use knives with lead (or at least varnish them). You can distinguish lead by trying it with a soldering iron (lead melts worse), it oxidizes strongly, acquiring a dark gray tint, and gets dirty (like newsprint). I personally think that the use of lead and alloys is a cost of the easy availability of old car batteries and babbitts from bearings.
The gulband is decorated with engraving (traditionally with the Uzbek floral ornament “islimi”), often with filling in the recesses with enamel paint (black, red, green), as well as inserts made of mother-of-pearl (“sadaf”), turquoise or rhinestones.
“BRINCH” is a strip of sheet brass or cupronickel, up to one millimeter thick, soldered around the perimeter of the shank during surface mounting of the handle (“dosta erma”). Handles are riveted onto the brinch and decorated with engraving and decorative oxidation. I note that usually the brinch protrudes beyond the shank by 1-2 mm, and there is an air gap between the pads and the shank.
The meaning of this action is not very clear, except perhaps to save the material of the linings when expensive material is used (for example, ivory). Perhaps this design makes it possible to dampen stress in the handle, because the same installation is traditionally used in the handles of Central Asian sabers (filling the air cavities with mastic).
"CHAKMOK" or pommel.
A specially made and decorated pommel is used on expensive pchaks for overhead mounting (“erma dosta”), in the form of metal pritins, or mounted mounting of handles (“sukma dosta”) made of hollow horn, in this case it is made by soldering from cupronickel or brass.
Decorated with engraving, sadaf, rhinestones.
On inexpensive chakmoks, chakmok is designated by changing the cross-section of the handle (from round to rectangular) and/or the presence of a beak-like protrusion.
"DOSTA" - black, handle.
For production they use local wood (apricot, plane tree), textolite, plexiglass, bones, antlers, soldered from sheet metal (nickel silver, brass)
Wood, textolite and bone are usually not decorated, colored “eyes” and wire are inserted into plexiglass, the horn is decorated with decorative carnations, sadaf inserts or rhinestones, engraving is applied to metal handles, usually in the form of a plant, floral (“chilmikh guli”) ornament with adding rhinestones.
Handle handle with surface mounting (“erma dosta”) usually has the same thickness in both gulband and chakmok, less often it thickens towards chakmok. Often the thickness of such a handle exceeds its width - this is convenient for traditional cutting of vegetables when preparing Uzbek dishes: pilaf, chuchuk or shakarob salads
"TAMGA" - brand
As a rule, every craftsman (“usto”) who produces any product (especially knives) applies a workshop mark (tamga).
For Uzbek craftsmen, a crescent moon (as a symbol of faith) is common in the center of the tamga, stars are often used (it is said that their number used to indicate the number of children-heirs or students who became masters) and a symbol of cotton.
On modern stamps, anything can appear - even an image of a car.
It should be noted that at present it is impossible to completely rely on tamga to identify the master. I have seen tamga, which is used by at least four different masters (although maybe one does it, but different people sell it on their own behalf).
As with any household knife, the pchak comes with a sheath. As a rule, they are not distinguished by high-quality materials and workmanship. Today, it is usually leatherette with cardboard inserts, sometimes decorated with appliqué and imitation beads.
More expensive pchaks may have a leather sheath, decorated with embossing or braided leather cord.
Metal scabbards (nickel silver, brass) with engraving or combined ones (leather, wood, metal) are rarely found.
To conclude the review of the Andijan pchak, I will quote from O. Zubov’s article “The Sign of the Master” (Around the World magazine No. 11, 1979):
“...Wide, ringing with a black-violet tint, inlaid with red, green, blue and white stones - specks, three stars and a moon shine on the blade - the ancient mark of the Abdullayevs.
This knife is an indispensable assistant during a meal with friends, an integral part of Uzbek cuisine. “You can cut bread, you can peel potatoes, or you can hang it on the carpet and watch - you can do everything!” - said the master. And, after being silent for a while, he smiled: “But the best thing is to cut a melon!”
Looking at the Uzbek pchaks, you willy-nilly wonder what led to the appearance of this particular blade shape.
The fact is that this form is suitable exclusively for cooking, while the neighboring peoples had a typical knife, which could somehow be used for defense and used for other (non-cooking) needs, that is, they were in use all over the world more versatile knives. The Uzbeks also had such knives, but... only until the 14th century. The exact reason for the emergence of this form is not known, but if we remember that the 14th century is the century of the empire of Timur (Tamerlane), an empire with centralized power and strict laws, then we can assume that Timur’s officials, or he himself, were somewhat concerned about the subjugation of the conquered peoples , and, in order to prevent the people from acquiring edged weapons, they took all the gunsmiths to the Shah’s forges, to the capital of the empire, Samarkand, and for the civilian population they forced the craftsmen to make knives with the tip raised up.
It is almost impossible to inflict puncture wounds with such a knife and, therefore, the danger of an uprising and other “terrorist attacks” is reduced.
Let us remember that during the time of another empire, already close to us in time, pchaks were also not classified as edged weapons precisely because of the shape of the blade, and for their production they were not sent to places not so distant. Although there may be other versions. In any case, the result was a very convenient knife for cooking, which quickly gained popularity in Central Asia. If it had not been convenient, it would not have received such distribution!
In addition to pchaks with a “kaike” blade, there are pchaks with a “tugri” blade, that is, with a straight spine.
Let's compare two types of blades: in the photo below you can clearly see the difference between the “tugri” blade (above) and the “kaike” blade (below)
The “tugri” blade has a constant or decreasing width towards the tip. Convenient for slicing meat, usually included in a butcher's kit (“kassob-pichok”).
In addition to the already mentioned “Andijan” pchak, you can find the names “Old Bukhara” and “Old Kokand”.
In the “Old Bukhara” blade, the blade tapers evenly towards the tip, the rise is less pronounced, but the entire blade is often arched, the blade is more specialized for working with meat - skinning, deboning.
It is interesting that to this day narrow Bukhara rivets are often called “Afghan”, although there is a difference between rivets from Bukhara and Afghanistan - on “Bukhara” rivets are in one row, and on “Afghan” - in a half-envelope.
Also traditionally, Bukhara pchaks have a sheath with a ball or leaf at the end.
“Old Kokandsky” - the blade of this pchak is small in width and is most likely used as an auxiliary blade for deboning or peeling vegetables.
You can also find the names “tolbargi” (willow leaf) and “Kazakhcha”. These are functional, highly specialized knives designed to perform a specific job.
"Tolbargi" - a butcher knife for cutting animal carcasses,
“Kazakhcha” - for cutting fish.
Pchak "Kazakhcha" were distributed mostly among the inhabitants (fishermen) of the Aral Sea coast, mainly Kazakhs.
The line of the “Kazakhcha” butt, approximately one third to the tip, forms a smooth notch, again rising to the tip, located on the butt-handle line. The notch is sharpened on one or both sides. With a blade of this shape, turning the knife over, it is easy to clean and gut the fish.
The handles of “tolbargi” and “Kazakhcha” are usually made of wood and, as a rule, are not decorated (only the presence of a colored ornament on the gulband is allowed).
Here are photos of knives by master Mamurjon Makhmudov from Kokand:
"Tolbargi"
Well, and more photos of knives from Tashkent
Photo from the Museum of Applied Arts of Uzbekistan, the selection is called “Tashkent 1985”
“Uyghur pchaks” deserve special mention.
These are knives from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China. Sometimes the name Yangisar knives is found - the name is attached to the center of production - the city of Yangisar. They also have the “Old Bukharan type-Afghan” and the “Old Kokand” type, but if you look at the photographs, you can see the differences. What is striking is the higher quality (and beautiful) manufacture of the handles and the absence of a cast tin gulband (bolster), the shanks of the blades are almost always open, and brinch is not used. But the blades are often roughly processed, or not sharpened at all, because... The production of Uyghur knives with sharpened blades longer than 200 mm is prohibited by Chinese laws!
Starobukharsky. Uyghur masters
Afghan. Uyghur masters.
Old Kokandsky. Uyghur masters.
If Uzbek pchaks are more specialized for cooking, then Tajik KORDS are more versatile knives.
Cords come in three typical sizes. The most common (most working) has a length of 14-17 cm, the large knife “Gov Kushi” (“cow cutter”) is used for slaughtering livestock and has a length of 18-25 cm, and the smallest knives (less than 14 cm) are for women.
The blades of traditional cords are powerful, up to 4 mm thick at the guard (note that if the thickness of a knife blade is more than 2.4 mm, then it can already be considered as a bladed weapon and is prohibited for free circulation), lens-shaped slopes from the butt or the middle of the blade width, less often straight (in Uzbek pchak, as a rule, it’s the other way around). The cutting edge is displayed on each knife depending on its purpose. The butt of a cord blade, usually machined from a finished strip of metal, is straight and parallel, and not wedge-shaped, like that of a pchak. The blade is usually machined with fullers, one or two on each side, or two on the right and one on the left.
Installation depends on the location of manufacture. In the south-eastern mountainous regions, preference is given to mounted mounting, and in the western and northern regions, which are closer to Uzbekistan, to overhead mounting. Moreover, the overhead installation of the cord is somewhat different from that of the pchak: a soldered brinch is not used, and the entire shank is filled around the perimeter with a tin alloy, so the handle on the pchak is lighter, and on the cord it is stronger! In general, the cord device is only cast, made of tin and its alloys (or silver), the ornament is only engraved and more geometric, radially symmetrical, in contrast to the complex plant-based Uzbek “islimi”. The ornament is individual for each master and can replace a mark (cords are not traditionally branded, at least on the blade; on the guard there is a specific ornament or mark)
The overhead handles of cords are always wider than those of pchaks, widen towards the pommel and have a characteristic recess for the little finger.
The handle of the cord is horn, bone, wood, plastic. When mounted or mounted, the shank of the cord blade is always full along the entire length of the handle (with the exception of small knives for women in the kitchen).
Photo from the Museum of Applied Arts of Uzbekistan, the selection is called “Khorezm, Khiva.1958”
I would like to dwell once again on the terminology - pchak, pichok, bychak, cord, card.
The fact is that some time ago a knife from somewhere in the 17th-18th century fell into my hands
Length 310mm, blade length 185mm, spine width 30mm, spine thickness (3.5-2.5-1.5)mm. The purpose of the groove on the butt is unclear to me, except perhaps to increase the thickness of the butt, which increases slightly when the groove is embossed. The yellow metal in the ornament is gold. Hardness about 52 units. I was struck by the structure of the blade (as the famous cutler Gennady Prokopenkov put it, “simply aerobatics!”): - a wedge from the butt with a concave lens, and turning into a teardrop shape a few millimeters (from 3 to 5) from the cutting edge. Of course, this is all tenths of a millimeter, but everything is visible and palpable. After some persuasion, G.K. Prokopenkov agreed to make me a modern copy, preserving as much as possible the entire structure of the blade.
The result is a knife like this:
It turned out that when working in the kitchen, it surpasses almost all the knives I have - both in terms of cut quality and ease of use. Well, it’s easy to edit with anything (be it musta, even ceramics). Although if you chop vegetables for a long time, that is, on the fly, a good chef will apparently be more convenient. But for home...
In addition, its design allows you to cut/plane the stick and protect yourself from any evil.
That is, we got an excellent all-rounder.
Naturally, the question arose about the type of knife. There were two options - card or pchak. The cord was not considered based on obvious signs. Based on materials from the Internet and, in particular, the RusKnife conference, the Bukhara knife turned out to be the closest.
Knife from Bukhara. Museum of Artillery, Engineers and Signal Corps. Exhibition “Weapons of the East 16-19 centuries”
I note that the “museum” exhibit is simply named – “Knife from Bukhara”
Further searches led to the following photographs:
Pchak is old. Bukhara
Pchak. Bukhara.
Bukhara card
Bukhara card
Pchak Bukhara with turquoise
Pchak Afghanistan
Persian card
Note that in the last photo the knife (Persian card) has an armor-piercing thickening on the tip.
Thus, it is apparently not possible to determine exactly the type of my knife.
From the point of view of collectors and connoisseurs of edged weapons, a card is a knife created primarily for military purposes: in appearance it is more similar to a stiletto and its tip, as a rule, is strengthened.
So I think that I have a pchak. Tugri-pchak is most likely made in Bukhara.
However, I am most impressed by the position of Marat Suleymanov, who claims that card, cord and pchak are not brands at all, but simply the names of one product - a knife - in different languages (“pechak” - in Tatar, “pichok” - in Tatar). Uzbek, "pshakh" - in Azerbaijani, "kord" - in Tajik, "kard" - in Persian. Kard and kord are similar in sound, since Tajiks and Persians (Iranians) belong to the same language group, Uzbeks, Tatars, Azerbaijanis - to another, Turkic)
There is also a “bychak” - a Karachai knife (see the article “Bychak - the knife of every Karachai” on this site), but the Karachais and their closest relatives - the Balkars, as is known, are also Turkic-speaking peoples.
There are also Turkmen Saryk knives (photo from Rusknife)
Thus, without touching on military topics, it is apparently most correct to say:
National Uzbek knife (pichok, or pchak)
National Tajik knife (cord)
National Uyghur knife (pchak)
National Karachay knife (bychak)
Here are some more photos from the “Turkestan Album” 1871-1872
Samarkand, Pichak-bazaar (By the way, in the original it is written “Pisyak-bazaar”)
In previous years, Uzbek pchaks came to the European part of the USSR in the form of single specimens; most often they were brought from expeditions in Central Asia. As a rule, their quality was not at a high level.
Since the late 90s of the last century, the Soyuzspetsosnashenie company began regular deliveries of Uzbek pchaks to Russia, and it became possible to purchase them at the company’s office or in retail. Currently, they can be purchased in many knife stores and oriental culinary stores, including online stores (in particular, in “Dukan Vostoka”, “Handmade Pchak Knives”, etc.).
At first, suppliers bought pchaks in bulk at bazaars in Uzbekistan, so it was impossible to find out either the name of the craftsman or the place of manufacture from the sellers. As the market became saturated, trade began to “civilize”, and now you can purchase a pchak made by a specific craftsman (especially from those sellers who purchase products directly from the craftsmen), and choose the type, style and materials of the blade and handle.
During the Soviet Union, the most popular were pchaks from the city of Chust, where there was the only knife factory in Uzbekistan.
Photo from the Museum of Applied Arts of Uzbekistan, the selection is called “Chust 1987”
At the present time, the bulk of Uzbek pchaks are produced in the city of Shakhrikhon, Andijan region of Uzbekistan, where there is an entire urban district (“mahalla”) of knifemakers (“pichokchi”), in which entire family dynasties of blacksmiths and mechanics-collectors of pchaks work.
Photo from the Museum of Applied Arts of Uzbekistan, the selection is called “Shakhrikhon 1999”
Thus, the famous master Komiljon Yusupov, who devoted more than 50 years of his life to his craft, and was elected elder of the mahalla pichokchi of Shakhrikhon, passed on his art to his sons and now the brothers can make, if they wish, very good products.
Usto Bakhrom Yusupov
Usto Bakhrom Yusupov
Individual craftsmen (“usto”) and Pichakchi families also live and work in other regions of Uzbekistan, but their products are much less common. For example, the Abdullaev family, living and working in Bukhara, also makes pchak, but their true specialty is hand-forged scissors for various purposes, famous throughout Uzbekistan.
Tajik knives (“cords”), related to the Uzbek pchak, are mainly produced in the city of Istaravshan (formerly Ura-Tube).
Also, stands with pchak and cords are always present at various knife exhibitions: “Blade”, “Arsenal”, “Hunting and Fishing” and others...
Usto Abduvahob and his knives:
Director of the “Dukan of the East” store Bakhriddin Nasyrov with Uzbek “usto” masters: usto Ulugbek, usto Abdurashid, usto Abduvahob.
Usto Ulugbek
Usto Abdurashid
Usto Abdurashid
Both pchaks and cords are made by hand, and it is safe to say that each such knife carries a piece of the master’s soul.
Already from an external examination one can judge the level of quality of the knife:
— good structure and processing of the blade, a pronounced hardening line and a thin cutting edge allow you to count on a good and long-lasting cut;
- a well-soldered or cast from pure tin (light and shiny) gulband allows you to use pchak or cord in the kitchen without the risk of lead poisoning;
— a clear and long ringing after clicking the blade, the absence of a shat at the mounted handle indicates high-quality assembly;
— the absence of gaps between the device and the handle, or cracks in the handle handle, prevents the proliferation of microorganisms in them;
If possible, the pchak and cord, like any other tool for work, should be selected “by touch” so that it becomes a “natural extension of the hand.”
The only (today) pchaks that you can’t find fault with are the pchaks of Mamirzhon Saidakhunov
The blade is 140x4mm at the butt, tapering evenly to the nose. Reduced to zero, the double-sided lens is light, sharpened perfectly. Powder steel DI-90, heat-treated in the oven, hardened to 61 somewhere. Handle 110mm, walrus ivory. Gulband is a tin-based hard alloy. He brutally cuts food, whittles dry wood, and cheerfully butchers chicken. Sheath: leather 3mm, impregnated against water
True, there is a small nuance - the master lives and works in Ukraine and the price for this knife is quite high (compared to other pchaks)
Today in Russia there are knives from more than 30 craftsmen from Shakhrikhon, Samarkand, Tashkent and so on...
In addition, such knives could not help but interest Russian manufacturers.
This is how they make pchaks at the request of their customers:
Gennady Prokopenkov
We can see this knife almost every weekend on the NTV channel in the hands of Stalik Khankishiev. Fiber composite based on 40X13, hardening to 52-54
Dmitry Pogorelov
Steel CPM 3V, HRC - about 60. Length 280 mm, blade length 150 mm, width 33 mm, thickness (3.5-2.5-1.5) mm, weight 135g. Cocobolo handle Zero reduction, excellent cutting
Mezhov's workshop
Knife by S. Kutergin and M. Nesterov
Steel X12MF, silver, rosewood, rosewood, bone. Knife length 280mm, blade 160mm, width 40mm, thickness 4mm, HRC 57-59
But even from the photograph it is clear that the mixing is by no means “Pchakian”
Zlatoust gunsmiths
Steel 95Х18, HRC 58, length 292 mm, blade 160 mm, width 35 mm, thickness (2.2-2.0-1.8) mm, weight 120 g. The reduction is about 0.3 mm. The handle is walnut. Despite the small thickness and good cutting, the cut of this knife leaves much to be desired.
Gunsmith
Damascus, gilding. Length 260 mm, blade 160 mm, width 35 mm, thickness (4.0-3.5-2.0) mm, weight 140g. HRC approximately 56. Convergence approximately 0.2-0.3 mm.
Despite the various decorations, the cut is significantly better than the previous A&R.
A little testing showed predictable results - first Prokopenkov with Pogorelov, then Oruzheynik and then A&R by a wide margin.
It is interesting that an ordinary pchak (see photo) showed itself to be slightly worse than the pchak of our eminent masters (in terms of cut quality), but better than the Gunsmith, but not by much.
In the middle of the last century, knives similar to pchak were made by the German company Herder, but I was unable to find out its specialization
Of course, a pchak, even a good one, is difficult to compare in terms of manufacturability and hygiene with a European chef, and in modern food production it will be less convenient, but in a home kitchen and especially somewhere in nature, this knife can give you a lot of pleasure!
For a more complete picture of the work of a pchak, I recommend reading Roman Dmitriev’s review “Pchak in real life” on this site.
Marat Suleymanov, Roman Dmitriev and the RusKnife forum provided great assistance in writing the article.
Special thanks for providing photographs to Bakhriddin Nasyrov (“Dukan of the East”) and Alexander Mordvin (“Pchak-handmade knives”)
Taken from CookingKnife.ru
Of great interest to collectors is the Uzbek knife, which is distinguished by its versatility in use, has a richly decorated handle and good workmanship. Such a chic blade will be an excellent gift for anyone who appreciates edged weapons. Today, many varieties of pchak are known - from knives for use in the kitchen, to richly decorated models for collectors.
Description of the knife
The Uzbek knife, or pchak as it is also called, is a traditional weapon of the Central Asian peoples, with a wide blade of an unusual shape and one-sided sharpening. Such blades are made of high-strength carbon steel; the handle can be made of wood, metal, horn or bones of exotic animals. The pchak is worn in a straight, wide leather sheath and is popular in the countries of Central Asia, where there are numerous variations of this weapon, differing in the proportion of the blade and the ornament.
The features of the blade include the following:
- Unusual blade shape.
- One-sided sharpening.
- Wooden and bone handle.
- Richly decorated handle.
The length of the Uzbek pchak is usually 12−27 cm. The thickness of the handle is 6−7 mm. The cross-section of the blade usually narrows from the butt to the blade. The original geometry of the blade allows you to cut food with ease, while the blade is perfectly balanced. It has optimal weight characteristics, fits comfortably in the hand, and thanks to the extended handle, it is suitable for people with large and medium-sized palms.
History of creation
Uzbek pchak is a modified Asian knife, which was known back in the 4th century BC. Subsequently, several varieties of such weapons became widespread, the most popular of which was the pchak. This blade is extremely effective, versatile in use and at the same time has an attractive appearance. With equal success, this weapon can be used both in everyday life in the kitchen and considered as a combat weapon.
According to one version, such a weapon with an original blade shape appeared during the conquest of Uzbekistan and all of Central Asia by the Russian Empire. The new authorities, fearing unrest and riots among the local population, prohibited them from various types of bladed weapons. The unusual shape of the blade made it possible to use the knife exclusively for cooking or at home, but such a blade was not suitable for use for combat purposes; it was allowed only in Asia and the Caucasus.
Today, the most popular are decorative models that have rich carvings on the blade and original handles made of bone or the horns of exotic animals. Previously, Uzbek knives that were handmade by craftsmen were considered the highest quality and most expensive. Such weapons are manufactured by the largest weapons workshops, which follow a centuries-old tradition, observing all the proportions and features of the classic pchak.
Advantages and disadvantages
Collectors value Uzbek knives for their incredible beauty and energy. The best examples can cost several thousand dollars, are made by famous craftsmen and are true works of art.
The advantages of these knives include the following:
- Versatility of use.
- Stylish appearance.
- Durability and strength.
The disadvantage of such blades is the difficulty of sharpening, as well as the need for proper care of the weapon. Thus, pchak does not tolerate water well, so the surface of the blade should be wiped dry, which prevents the formation of rust. It is also necessary to take into account the high cost of such knives, which can reach 50,000 rubles or more.
Design Features
A special feature of this knife is the handle and the method of attaching decorative trims to the blade. It is on making the handle that craftsmen spend the most effort and time. A real Uzbek knife is made exclusively with a handle made of wood or bone. Models made from the horns of rare animals are also prized. Various inlays of expensive materials, precious metals and jewelry stones can be used as decoration. The cost of such a knife will directly depend on the complexity of the handle and the materials used for decoration.
The classic drawing of a pchak knife includes the following elements:
Today, several varieties of Uzbek knives are known, which have wide and medium-sized blades. Universal working varieties are made with a blade length of 8-9 cm, are distinguished by the quality of sharpening, and thanks to their original shape they are characterized by excellent cutting ability. Massive varieties will be an excellent option for chopping vegetables. They are balanced, fit well in the hand, and their use is not particularly difficult.
Collectible and working options
It is customary to divide the Uzbek knife pchak depending on its purpose. Beautifully decorated models, which are made of stainless steel, are intended primarily for decoration and are especially sought after by collectors. If you choose a knife for work and use on the farm, then preference is given to weapons made of heavy-duty carbon steel. In the latter case, hardening can be performed by zone hardening, exclusively at the cutting edge of the blade.
For standard working models, the strength index is usually 50-54 units, therefore, even despite the use of high-carbon steels and the presence of hardening at the blade, it is often not possible to maintain the sharpness of the cutting edge for a long time. To sharpen pchak, special stones and scissors are used to straighten the shape, which makes it easier to use such weapons. To increase the strength of carbon steel, it can be oxidized, for which it is immersed in a solution of iron sulfate or Naukat clay.
Collectible models have a handle richly decorated with engraving, which is coated with transparent enamel paint on top. Also appreciated are options in which the handles are decorated with birch and mother-of-pearl inserts. The best craftsmen who work on such weapons by hand leave a so-called tamgo on the blade. This is the signature-engraving of the master who made a specific model. Experienced collectors who are well versed in such weapons will be able to identify the area where a particular knife was made and the craftsman who worked on such a weapon based on one engraved signature.
It is necessary to choose a blade taking into account what the pchak knife is intended for and how it will be used. If you need a weapon for working in the kitchen, then it is preferable to use classic Uzbek pchaks, the blade shape of which is ideal for cutting meat, fruits and vegetables. But collectors choose Old Akkadian varieties and handmade Uyghur pchak knives, which have an original appearance and rich inlay on the blade and handle. They are highly prized by gun enthusiasts.
When purchasing such a knife, it is best to refrain from ordering from various online stores. Otherwise, you can buy a low-quality weapon, which not only does not meet all the classical requirements for an Uzbek pchak, but will quickly fail and require sharpening after just a few months of use.
It is best to buy knives in specialized stores where you can be completely confident in the quality of the offer. Collectors purchase them at special auctions and thematic forums. Such blades have all the necessary documents and certificates to confirm their originality and origin.
Cost of the best models
The cost of an Uzbek knife will depend on the specific model, the material from which it is made, as well as the manufacturer’s brand. The simplest clinics can have a price of 500-1000 rubles. Knives from Uzbekistan, made according to all canons, will already cost 2-3 thousand rubles.
Models made by famous gunsmiths who worked on such blades for many days are estimated at 20-30 thousand rubles or more. Collectors also value weapons that are 100 years old or more. The knives are made exclusively by hand and have an attractive appearance, which allows them to become a diamond in the collection of every bladed weapon lover.
When purchasing knives, you should remember that some models have blade lengths exceeding 90 mm. Such blades already belong to the category of edged weapons with all the ensuing restrictions. Their use will be somewhat difficult, so they are in demand only among collectors or buyers who have the appropriate permits to carry bladed weapons.
Uzbek national pchaks are universal weapons, which is valued by collectors and used in everyday life in cooking. It is important to choose the right knife, which is made in compliance with all the requirements for classic models and is made of durable carbon steel, which greatly simplifies its subsequent use. It is necessary to take into account all recommendations for selection, including refraining from buying Uzbek pchak in stores that do not guarantee the high quality of weapons.
PCHAK and KORD
Uzbek, Uyghur, Tajik
With all the abundance of information, there is apparently no exact answer to the question of what is considered the “correct” pchak or cord. It is not even clear how pchak differs from cord and whether it differs at all... (after all, both of them, translated from the national language, simply mean “KNIFE”). But there is also an Iranian card...
Let's start with something simple. These photographs depict a knife that anyone who is at least somehow interested in knives or has been to Central Asia will call “PCHAK”, or, in Uzbek, “PICHOK”. The appearance of the pchak is unique and easily recognizable.
This is the most common pchak with a “kaike” blade. Such a blade involves raising the tip above the butt line by 3-8 mm. More advanced and inquisitive people will say that this is the “Andijan Pchak”. Someone else will add: “Charchon.”
The pchak blade itself is traditionally forged from carbon steel (in ancient times, broken weapons or iron ingots from India were used, from the 19th-20th centuries car springs, bearing races and other available materials were used; nowadays, factory-made steel rods of the ShH type are most often used -15, U12, 65G or cheap reinforcement from St3). In Uzbekistan they still say: “A carbon fiber tip is for work, a stainless steel tip is for decoration!”
If the blade is made of high-carbon tool (U12) or bearing (ShKh15) steels (which makes it possible to obtain a higher quality product), then St3 shanks are usually welded to it, which is noticeable in the form of a triangle near the handle of the pchak.
By the way, many Japanese and Russian masters do the same, for example, G.K. Prokopenkov. This is due to the fact that U12 and ShKh15 have low impact strength and strength, and if the blade and shank are forged from a single piece of steel, there is a high probability of the blade breaking in the neck area, for example, when dropped.
The length of the blade is usually 16-22 cm, the thickness always decreases wedge-shaped from the handle to the tip, and at the handle it can be 4-5 mm. In cross-section, the pchak blade also tapers wedge-shaped from the butt to the blade. The slopes are usually straight, rarely convex or concave lens-shaped. The blade width can be up to 50 mm. All this together gives a good knife geometry and ensures effective cutting of any food product.
As already mentioned, carbon steel is used on pchak, from what is at hand, hardening (as a rule, zone - only at the cutting edge) is usually carried out to 50-52 Rockwell units, less often to 54-56, and then only in Lately. On the one hand, a hardness of 50-54 units does not provide long-term retention of the sharpness of the cutting edge, but it allows you to edit such a knife on anything (usually the bottom of a ceramic bowl is used, but there are also special traditionally shaped stones for straightening chaps and scissors), which, Of course, this is a big plus. But in this case, the knife quickly wears down and turns almost into an awl, so you have to buy a new one. Although the cost of pchaks (not souvenirs) has always been small.
Recently, blades made of ShKh-15 steel have become increasingly common, which can be hardened to 60 Rockwell units, which is what we see on some blades. Such hard blades are made specifically for the Russian and Ukrainian markets in order to compete with Japanese kitchen knives. From my point of view, such hardness is not very justified, because pchaks have a very fine blade and working with such knives requires certain skills and special equipment, otherwise the blade will chip and break (similar to Japanese kitchen knives). On the other hand, heat the ShKh-15 to 50- 52 units (the norm for pchak) does not make much sense - just a translation of good material.
The surface of carbon steel blades is usually oxidized (blended) by immersing it in a solution of naukat clay (traditionally), ferrous sulfate or ferric chloride, due to which the blade acquires a dark gray color with a blue or yellow tint, and is decorated with a dol (“komalak”, moreover if there is only one dol, then it will definitely be on the tamga side), embossed with a stamp (“tamga”) or engraved. The knocked-out recesses are filled with brass. On carbon blades, a hardening zone is often noticeable.
The names of the parts of the pchak are presented below:
“GULBAND”, or bolster, is cast from low-melting tin or tin-lead alloys, soldered from sheet brass or cupronickel and filled with tin or its alloy. I note that using lead in cooking is not good, and it is advisable not to use knives with lead (or at least varnish them). You can distinguish lead by trying it with a soldering iron (lead melts worse), it oxidizes strongly, acquiring a dark gray tint, and gets dirty (like newsprint). It seems to me personally that the use of lead and alloys is a cost of the easy availability of old car batteries and babbitts from bearings.
The gulband is decorated with engraving (traditionally with the Uzbek floral ornament “islimi”), often with filling in the recesses with enamel paint (black, red, green), as well as inserts made of mother-of-pearl (“sadaf”), turquoise or rhinestones.
“BRINCH” is a strip of sheet brass or cupronickel, up to one millimeter thick, soldered around the perimeter of the shank during surface mounting of the handle (“dosta erma”). Handles are riveted onto the brinch and decorated with engraving and decorative oxidation. I note that usually the brinch protrudes beyond the shank by 1-2 mm, and there is an air gap between the pads and the shank.
The meaning of this action is not very clear, except perhaps to save the material of the linings when expensive material is used (for example, ivory). Perhaps this design makes it possible to dampen stress in the handle, because the same installation is traditionally used in the handles of Central Asian sabers (filling the air cavities with mastic).
"CHAKMOK" or pommel.
A specially made and decorated pommel is used on expensive pchaks for overhead mounting (“erma dosta”), in the form of metal pritins, or mounted mounting of handles (“sukma dosta”) made of hollow horn, in this case it is made by soldering from cupronickel or brass.
Decorated with engraving, sadaf, rhinestones.
On inexpensive chakmoks, chakmok is designated by changing the cross-section of the handle (from round to rectangular) and/or the presence of a beak-like protrusion.
“DOSTA” - black, handle.
For production they use local wood (apricot, plane tree), textolite, plexiglass, bones, antlers, soldered from sheet metal (nickel silver, brass)
Wood, textolite and bone are usually not decorated, colored “eyes” and wire are inserted into plexiglass, the horn is decorated with decorative carnations, sadaf inserts or rhinestones, engraving is applied to metal handles, usually in the form of a plant, floral (“chilmikh guli”) ornament with adding rhinestones.
Handle handle with surface mounting (“erma dosta”) usually has the same thickness in both gulband and chakmok, less often it thickens towards chakmok. Often the thickness of such a handle exceeds its width - this is convenient for traditional cutting of vegetables when preparing Uzbek dishes: pilaf, “chuchuk” or “shakarob” salads
"TAMGA" - brand
As a rule, every craftsman (“usto”) who produces any product (especially knives) applies a workshop mark (tamga).
For Uzbek craftsmen, a crescent moon (as a symbol of faith) is common in the center of the tamga, stars are often used (it is said that their number used to indicate the number of children-heirs or students who became masters) and a symbol of cotton.
On modern stamps, anything can appear - even an image of a car.
It should be noted that at present it is impossible to completely rely on tamga to identify the master. I have seen tamga used by at least four different masters(although maybe one does it, but different people sell on their own behalf).
As with any household knife, the pchak comes with a sheath. As a rule, they are not distinguished by high-quality materials and workmanship. Today, it is usually leatherette with cardboard inserts, sometimes decorated with appliqué and imitation beads.
More expensive pchaks may have a leather sheath, decorated with embossing or braided leather cord.
Metal scabbards (nickel silver, brass) with engraving or combined ones (leather, wood, metal) are rarely found.
To conclude the review of the Andijan pchak, I will quote from O. Zubov’s article “The Sign of the Master” (Around the World magazine No. 11, 1979):
“...Wide, ringing with a black-violet tint, inlaid with red, green, blue and white speckled stones, three stars and a moon shine on the blade - the ancient mark of the Abdullayevs.
This knife is an indispensable assistant at a meal with friends, an integral part of Uzbek cuisine.“You can cut bread, you can peel potatoes, or you can hang it on the carpet and watch - you can do anything!” - said the master. And, after being silent for a while, he smiled: “But the best thing is to cut a melon!”
Looking at the Uzbek pchaks, you willy-nilly wonder what led to the appearance of this particular blade shape. The fact is that this form is suitable exclusively for cooking, while the neighboring peoples had a typical knife, which could somehow be used for defense and used for other (non-cooking) needs, that is, they were in use all over the world more versatile knives. The Uzbeks also had such knives, but... only until the 14th century. The exact reason for the emergence of this form is not known, but if we remember that the 14th century is the century of the empire of Timur (Tamerlane), an empire with centralized power and strict laws, then we can assume that Timur’s officials, or he himself, were somewhat concerned about the subjugation of the conquered peoples , and, in order to prevent the people from acquiring edged weapons, they took all the gunsmiths to the Shah’s forges, to the capital of the empire, Samarkand, and for the civilian population they forced the craftsmen to make knives with the tip raised up. It is almost impossible to inflict puncture wounds with such a knife and, therefore, the danger of an uprising and other “terrorist attacks” is reduced. Let us remember that during the time of another empire, already close to us in time, pchaks were also not classified as edged weapons precisely because of the shape of the blade, and for their production they were not sent to places not so distant. Although there may be other versions. In any case, the result was a very convenient knife for cooking, which quickly gained popularity in Central Asia. If it weren't convenient, it wouldn't be so popular!
In addition to pchaks with a “kaike” blade, there are pchaks with a “tugri” blade, that is, with a straight spine.
Let's compare two types of blades: in the photo below you can clearly see the difference between the “tugri” blade (above) and the “kaike” blade (below)
The “tugri” blade has a constant or decreasing width towards the tip. Convenient for slicing meat, usually included in a butcher's kit (“kassob-pichok”).
In addition to the already mentioned “Andijan” pchak, you can find the names “Old Bukhara” and “Old Kokand”.
In the “Old Bukhara” blade, the blade evenly tapers towards the tip, the rise is less pronounced, but the entire blade is often arched, the blade is more specialized for working with meat - skinning, deboning.
It is interesting that to this day narrow Bukhara rivets are often called “Afghan”, although there is a difference between rivets from Bukhara and Afghanistan - on “Bukhara” rivets are in one row, and on “Afghan” - in a half-envelope.
Also traditionally, Bukhara pchaks have a sheath with a ball or leaf at the end.
“Old Kokandsky” - the blade of this pchak is small in width and is most likely used as an auxiliary blade when deboning or peeling vegetables.
You can also find the names “tolbargi” (willow leaf) and “Kazakhcha”. These are functional, highly specialized knives designed to perform a specific job.
"Tolbargi" - a butcher knife for cutting animal carcasses,
“Kazakhcha” - for cutting fish.
Pchak "Kazakhcha" were distributed mostly among the inhabitants (fishermen) of the Aral Sea coast, mainly Kazakhs.
The line of the “Kazakhcha” butt, approximately one third to the tip, forms a smooth notch, again rising to the tip, located on the butt-handle line. The notch is sharpened on one or both sides. With a blade of this shape, turning the knife over, it is easy to clean and gut the fish.
The handles of “tolbargi” and “Kazakhcha” are usually made of wood and, as a rule, are not decorated (only the presence of a colored ornament on the gulband is allowed).
Here are photos of knives by master Mamurjon Makhmudov from Kokand:
"Tolbargi"
Well, and more photos of knives from Tashkent
Photo from the Museum of Applied Arts of Uzbekistan, the selection is called “Tashkent 1985”
“Uyghur pchaks” deserve special mention. These are knives from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China. Sometimes the name Yangisar knives is found - the name is attached to the center of production - the city of Yangisar. They also have the “Old Bukharan type-Afghan” and the “Old Kokand” type, but if you look at the photographs, you can see the differences. What is striking is the higher quality (and beautiful) manufacture of the handles and the absence of a cast tin gulband (bolster), the shanks of the blades are almost always open, and brinch is not used. But the blades are often roughly processed, or not sharpened at all, because... The production of Uyghur knives with sharpened blades longer than 200 mm is prohibited by Chinese laws!
Starobukharsky. Uyghur masters
Afghan. Uyghur masters.
Old Kokandsky. Uyghur masters.
If Uzbek pchaks are more specialized for cooking, then Tajik KORDS are more versatile knives.
Cords come in three typical sizes. The most common(most working) has a length of 14-17 cm, a large knife “Gov Kushi” (“cow cutter”) is used for slaughtering livestock and has a length of 18-25 cm, and the smallest knives (less than 14 cm) are for women.
The blades of traditional cords are powerful, up to 4 mm thick at the guard (note that if the thickness of a knife blade is more than 2.4 mm, then it can already be considered as a bladed weapon and is prohibited for free circulation), lens-shaped slopes from the butt or the middle of the blade width, less often straight (in Uzbek pchak, as a rule, it’s the other way around). The cutting edge is displayed on each knife depending on its purpose. The butt of the cord blade, usually machined from a finished strip of metal, is straight and parallel, and not wedge-shaped, like that of a pchak. The blade is usually ground fuller one or two on each side, or two on the right and one on the left.
Installation depends on the location of manufacture. In the southeastern mountainous regions, preference is given to mounted mounting, and in the western and northern regions, which are closer to Uzbekistan, to overhead mounting. Moreover, the overhead installation of the cord is somewhat different from that of the pchak: a soldered brinch is not used, and the entire shank is filled around the perimeter with a tin alloy, so the handle on the pchak is lighter, but on the cord it is stronger! In general, the cord device is only cast, made of tin and its alloys (or silver), the ornament is only engraved and more geometric, radially symmetrical, in contrast to the complex plant-based Uzbek “islimi”. The ornament is individual for each master and can replace a mark (cords are not traditionally branded, at least on the blade; on the guard - a specific ornament or mark)
The overhead handles of cords are always wider than those of pchaks, widen towards the pommel and have a characteristic recess for the little finger.
The handle of the cord is horn, bone, wood, plastic. When mounted or mounted, the shank of the cord blade is always full along the entire length of the handle (with the exception of small knives for women in the kitchen).
Photo from the Museum of Applied Arts of Uzbekistan, the selection is called “Khorezm, Khiva.1958”
I would like to dwell once again on the terminology - pchak, pichok, bychak, cord, card.
The fact is that some time ago a knife from somewhere in the 17th-18th century fell into my hands
Length 310mm, blade length 185mm, spine width 30mm, spine thickness (3.5-2.5-1.5)mm. The purpose of the groove on the butt is unclear to me, except perhaps to increase the thickness of the butt, which increases slightly when the groove is embossed. The yellow metal in the ornament is gold. Hardness about 52 units. I was amazed by the structure of the blade (as the famous cutler Gennady Prokopenkov put it, “simply aerobatics!”):- a wedge from the butt with a concave lens, and turning into a drop-shaped form a few millimeters (from 3 to 5) from the cutting edge. Of course, this is all tenths of a millimeter, but everything is visible and palpable. After some persuasion, G.K. Prokopenkov agreed to make me a modern copy, preserving as much as possible the entire structure of the blade.
The result is a knife like this:
It turned out that when working in the kitchen, it surpasses almost all the knives I have - both in terms of cut quality and ease of use. Well, it’s easy to edit with anything (be it musta, even ceramics). Although if you chop vegetables for a long time, that is, on the fly, a good chef will apparently be more convenient. But for home...
In addition, its design allows you to cut/plane the stick and protect yourself from any evil.
That is, we got an excellent all-rounder.
Naturally, the question arose about the type of knife. There were two options - card or pchak. The cord was not considered based on obvious signs. Based on materials from the Internet and, in particular, the RusKnife conference, the Bukhara knife turned out to be the closest.
Knife from Bukhara. Museum of Artillery, Engineers and Signal Corps. Exhibition “Weapons of the East 16-19 centuries”
I note that the “museum” exhibit is simply named -"Knife from Bukhara"
Further searches led to the following photographs:
Pchak is old. Bukhara
Pchak. Bukhara.
Bukhara card
Bukhara card
Pchak Bukhara with turquoise
Pchak Afghanistan
Persian card
Note that in the last photo the knife (Persian card) has an armor-piercing thickening on the tip.
Thus, it is apparently not possible to determine exactly the type of my knife.
From the point of view of collectors and connoisseurs of edged weapons, a card is a knife created primarily for military purposes: in appearance it is more similar to a stiletto and its tip, as a rule, is strengthened.
So I think I have a problem. Tugri-pchak is most likely made in Bukhara.
However, I am most impressed by the position of Marat Suleymanov, who claims that card, cord and pchak are not brands at all, but simply the names of one product - a knife - in different languages (“pechak” - in Tatar, “pichok” - in Tatar). Uzbek, "pshakh" - in Azerbaijani, "kord" - in Tajik, "kard" - in Persian. Kard and kord are similar in sound, since Tajiks and Persians (Iranians) belong to the same language group, Uzbeks, Tatars, Azerbaijanis - to another, Turkic)
There is also a “bychak” - a Karachay knife (see the article “Bychak - the knife of every Karachay” on this site), but the Karachais and their closest relatives - the Balkars, as is known, are also Turkic-speaking peoples.
There are also Turkmen Saryk knives (photo from Rusknife)
Thus, without touching on military topics, it is apparently most correct to say:
National Uzbek knife (pichok, or pchak)
National Tajik knife (cord)
National Uyghur knife (pchak)
National Karachay knife (bychak)
Here are some more photos from the “Turkestan Album” 1871-1872
Samarkand, Pichak-bazaar(By the way, the original says “Pisyak-bazaar”)
In previous years, Uzbek pchaks came to the European part of the USSR in the form of single specimens; most often they were brought from expeditions in Central Asia. As a rule, their quality was not at a high level.
Since the late 90s of the last century, the Soyuzspetsosnashenie company began regular deliveries of Uzbek pchaks to Russia, and it became possible to purchase them at the company’s office or in retail. Currently, they can be purchased in many knife stores and oriental culinary stores, including online stores (in particular, in “Dukan Vostoka”, “Handmade Pchak Knives”, etc.).
At first, suppliers bought pchaks in bulk at bazaars in Uzbekistan, so it was impossible to find out either the name of the craftsman or the place of manufacture from the sellers. As the market became saturated, trade began to “civilize”, and now you can purchase a pchak made by a specific craftsman (especially from those sellers who purchase products directly from the craftsmen), and choose the type, style and materials of the blade and handle.
During the Soviet Union, the most popular were pchaks from the city of Chust, where there was the only knife factory in Uzbekistan.
Photo from the Museum of Applied Arts of Uzbekistan, the selection is called “Chust 1987”
At the present time, the bulk of Uzbek pchaks are produced in the city of Shakhrikhon, Andijan region of Uzbekistan, where there is an entire urban district (“mahalla”) of knifemakers (“pichokchi”), in which entire family dynasties of blacksmiths and mechanics-collectors of pchaks work.
Photo from the Museum of Applied Arts of Uzbekistan, the selection is called “Shakhrikhon 1999”
Thus, the famous master Komiljon Yusupov, who devoted more than 50 years of his life to his craft, and was elected elder of the mahalla pichokchi of Shakhrikhon, passed on his art to his sons and now the brothers can make, if they wish, very good products.
Usto Bakhrom Yusupov
Usto Bakhrom Yusupov
Individual craftsmen (“usto”) and Pichakchi families also live and work in other regions of Uzbekistan, but their products are much less common. For example, the Abdullaev family, living and working in Bukhara, also makes pchak, but their true specialty is hand-forged scissors for various purposes, famous throughout Uzbekistan.
Tajik knives (“cords”), related to the Uzbek pchak, are mainly produced in the city of Istaravshan (formerly Ura-Tube).
Also stands with pchak and cords are always present at various knife exhibitions: “Blade”, “Arsenal”, “Hunting and Fishing” and others...
Usto Abduvahob and his knives:
Director of the “Dukan of the East” store Bakhriddin Nasyrov with Uzbek “usto” masters: usto Ulugbek, usto Abdurashid, usto Abduvahob.
Usto Ulugbek
Usto Abdurashid
Usto Abdurashid
Both pchaks and cords are made by hand, and it is safe to say that each such knife carries a piece of the master’s soul.
Already from an external examination one can judge the level of quality of the knife:
Good structure and processing of the blade, a pronounced hardening line and a thin cutting edge allow you to count on a good and long-lasting cut;
A well-soldered or cast from pure tin (light and shiny) gulband allows you to use pchak or cord in the kitchen without the risk of lead poisoning;
A clear and long ringing after clicking the blade, the absence of a shat at the mounted handle indicates a high-quality assembly;
The absence of gaps between the device and the handle, or cracks in the handle handle, prevents the proliferation of microorganisms in them;
If possible, the pchak and cord, like any other tool for work, should be selected “by touch” so that it becomes a “natural extension of the hand.”
The only (today) pchaks that you can’t find fault with are the pchaks of Mamirzhon Saidakhunov
The blade is 140x4mm at the butt, tapering evenly to the nose. Reduced to zero, the double-sided lens is light, sharpened perfectly. Powder steel DI-90, heat-treated in the oven, hardened to 61 somewhere. Handle 110mm, walrus ivory. Gulband is a tin-based hard alloy. He brutally cuts food, whittles dry wood, and cheerfully butchers chicken. Sheath: leather 3mm, impregnated against water
True, there is a small nuance - the master lives and works in Ukraine and the price for this knife is quite high (compared to other pchaks)
Today in Russia there are knives from more than 30 craftsmen from Shakhrikhon, Samarkand, Tashkent and so on...
In addition, such knives could not help but interest Russian manufacturers.
This is how they make pchaks at the request of their customers:
Gennady Prokopenkov
We can see this knife almost every weekend on the NTV channel in the hands of Stalik Khankishiev. Fiber composite based on 40X13, hardening to 52-54
Dmitry Pogorelov
Steel CPM 3V, HRC - about 60. Length 280 mm, blade length 150 mm, width 33 mm, thickness (3.5-2.5-1.5) mm, weight 135g. Cocobolo handle Zero reduction, excellent cutting
Mezhov's workshop
Knife by S. Kutergin and M. Nesterov
Steel X12MF, silver, rosewood, rosewood, bone. Knife length 280mm, blade 160mm, width 40mm, thickness 4mm, HRC 57-59
But even from the photograph it is clear that the mixing is by no means “Pchakian”
Zlatoust gunsmiths
Steel 95X18, HRC 58, length 292 mm, blade 160 mm, width 35 mm, thickness (2.2-2.0-1.8) mm, weight 120 g. The reduction is about 0.3 mm. The handle is walnut. Despite the small thickness and good cutting, the cut of this knife leaves much to be desired.
Gunsmith
Damascus, gilding. Length 260 mm, blade 160 mm, width 35 mm, thickness (4.0-3.5-2.0) mm, weight 140g. HRC approximately 56. Convergence approximately 0.2-0.3 mm.
Despite the various decorations, the cut is significantly better than the previous A&R.
A little testing showed predictable results - first Prokopenkov with Pogorelov, then Oruzheynik and then A&R by a wide margin.
It is interesting that an ordinary pchak (see photo) showed itself to be slightly worse than the pchak of our eminent masters (in terms of cut quality), but better than the Gunsmith, but not by much.
In the middle of the last century, knives similar to pchak were made by the German company Herder, but I was unable to find out its specialization
Of course, a pchak, even a good one, is difficult to compare in terms of manufacturability and hygiene with a European chef, and in modern food production it will be less convenient, but in a home kitchen and especially somewhere in nature, this knife can give you a lot of pleasure!
For a more complete picture of the work of a pchak, I recommend reading Roman Dmitriev’s review “Pchak in real life” on this site.
Marat Suleymanov, Roman Dmitriev and the RusKnife forum provided great assistance in writing the article.
Special thanks for providing photographs to Bakhriddin Nasyrov ("Dukan of the East") and Alexander Mordvin ("Pchak - handmade knives")
P.S. Roman Dmitriev's review of "Pchaks in real life" will appear soon
Uzbek knife pchak (history of origin, working hypothesis).
Once upon a time in 1991, as a student at the Department of Archeology at Moscow State University, I went on an archaeological expedition organized by the Museum of Oriental Peoples to Samarkand. One of the first impressions that struck me then in the village near Samarkand was the constant presence on the street of old men (babais) in cotton robes (chapans), belted with a belt, on which one could often see a knife hanging in a sheath. As the “senior comrades” explained to me then, old people are allowed to walk the streets with a knife, because the knife is considered an element of the national costume. Plucking up courage, I asked one old man to show me his knife. Not without pride, he took it out of its sheath and demonstrated it (in the village they knew that I was from an archaeological expedition and treated me with respect). I had never seen such a specimen before. It was very unusual - a handle thin at the base of the blade, widening towards the pommel (as if ending with a “head”), made of horn, and a straight, wide blade with a smooth rise towards the back, forming a fairly sharp tip. The knife was polished so that I could see my reflection in it, and on its blade, closer to the handle, there was an ornament made in “Arabic script”. The old man called it “pichok” (knife) and said that I could buy the same one at the bazaar on the outskirts of the city.
On the next day off, I went to the market and, after a long bargain with the seller, became the owner of the largest specimen that he had on the counter that day. Returning from the expedition, for many years I became the owner of a knife that was the envy of all my friends.
Illustration 1. Pchak from Samarkand, 1991.
Today, of course, everything is different. Buying pchak in Moscow is not a problem. But when buying pchak, many people do not know what they are getting.
The history and origins of pchak are vague and confusing.
Today, the pchak is called the traditional national knife of the peoples living in Central Asia - the Uzbeks and Uyghurs.
The specimens of the 19th-20th centuries closest to modern times (ethnographic material that became known to modern science after the entry of Central Asia into the Russian Empire in the second half of the 19th century, obtained as a result of various expeditions), which today are presented in museums, show us a completely different type a knife - with a narrow blade and a long and smooth rise to the tip. This blade shape is explained simply. These pchak blades are sharpened to the limit, and the change in shape occurred as a result of long-term practical use.
Archaeological data also does not give us a clear answer to the question of the origin of the pchak: in Sogdiana (the territory covering modern Uzbekistan) in the 5th-8th centuries, two types of knives were common: 1. With a straight blade; 2.With a curved blade. The maximum width of the blades of the discovered specimens is 1.8 cm, the handle is lamellar with a narrowing from the blade to the tip (from 3 mm to 1 mm). All knives were of different sizes, with a total length of up to 14.5 cm, with a handle length of up to 3.5 cm. Both types were widespread and found in large quantities in Penjikent, Kayragach, and Shakhristan. (Yakubov Yu. "Early medieval settlements of mountainous Sogd. Dushanbe, 1988, p. 235).
It is worth noting the extremely poor preservation of the finds (the climate and layers of Central Asia are merciless to iron), which makes typology extremely difficult.
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Illustration 2. Images of found knives that date back to the 5th-8th centuries (numbers 4-6).
There is also archaeological evidence of knives found in the burials of nomads in Central Asia, dating back to the last quarter of the 14th century. These "standard utility knife designs" knives represent a remarkably durable, consistent series. They have the following characteristic features. The back of the blades forms a weakly defined arc, gradually descending towards the nose. The cutting edge is arched, but steeper than the back. The central axis of the blade and handle is shifted towards the back. The length of the blades ranges from 6 to 14 cm. The thickness is 1.5 mm, the width of the blade at the base is 1-1.5 cm (depending on the length). The handle is subtriangular in shape, 2-4 cm long. The width of the handle at the base is about half the width of the blade. The ratio of blade length to handle length is slightly more than 3:1.
The handle is always separated from the blade by strictly perpendicular ledges, which are design features. A narrow iron frame, 1.5-2 mm wide and thick, was welded onto the base of the blade, which was a kind of lock that locked the knife in the sheath. This is a very fragile part, often not preserved. Its presence is evidenced by the strict perpendicularity of the ledges and the traces imprinted by it, which can be seen on unrestored metal.
The knives also had wooden sheaths, which is recorded by traces of wood on the blades.
This type of knife was widespread among nomads already at the end of the first millennium AD.
Illustration 3. Illustration of nomadic knives in the last quarter of the 1st millennium, type 3 according to Minasyan.
All the types of knives mentioned have nothing in common with the current form of pchak. When and under what circumstances the “lifting” of the handle handle to the line of the back of the blade occurred so that the handle handle is located in the upper third of the blade, and what this was connected with is not yet possible to answer.
That is, ancient examples of knives show us a completely different design type. The emergence of the modern type of pchak can be explained by the fact that it was introduced from outside or existed in the region, but such knives are still unknown and not described.
On the Internet, there is an opinion about the appearance of knives of a similar shape in Central Asia in the 14th-15th centuries. Their appearance is partly associated with the conquest of Asia by Tamerlane and the “indirect ban for local men to carry weapons/daggers.” The authorities could not deprive Uzbeks of the right to bear arms, and the most common type of weapon, due to their availability, was knives or daggers. This is a centuries-old tradition, sacredly revered in the East. And then they turned to the pichakchik artisans (knife artisans), who were “convinced” to change the design of the knife for the population, turning it into a household item. To compensate for the loss of the fighting qualities of the knife, Uzbek craftsmen turned to the external form. This is how a new form of handle arose, very reminiscent of the handle of a saber or card.
Changing the form simultaneously solved another problem - in the knife fights that happened (in Uzbek “pichakbozlik”), the opponents tried not to kill, but only to wound, otherwise for the murder the relatives of the victim had to pay a large “khun” - a blood ransom. The new shape of the knife reduced the likelihood of death in such knife fights.
But this point of view does not have fully substantiated sources; the transitional/early forms of Pchak are unknown.
One can consider a hypothesis about the independent development of pchak, which was originally an exclusively household (kitchen, cook, table) item and appeared in Central Asia under external influence, but so far its early finds are unknown.
It is worth saying right away that the typological form of the pchak (one line of the back and handle) is found in different cultures, in different eras and relates, first of all, to knives for household (kitchen) purposes. For example, bronze knives of the Karasuk type.
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Illustration 4. Karasuk knives. (D.A. Avdusin, “Fundamentals of Archeology”)
Another example is the knives of the first millennium of Eastern Europe, which are characterized by a smooth transition line between the back and the handle with a slight “top” in the central part. The cutting is in the shape of a narrow triangle, 4-5 cm long, usually separated from the cutting edge by a smooth ledge. The cutting edge of entire copies of such knives is straight and only curves sharply upward towards the end.
Illustration 5. Knives with “the back of the blade turning into a handle without ledges,” type 1 according to Minasyan.
Direct transitions of the line of the back of the blade (butt) into the handle are also found on Russian “table/kitchen” knives of the 15th-16th centuries from Zaryadye (Moscow).
Illustration 6. Knives from Zaryadye, dating back to the 16th-17th centuries.
A typologically similar form of knife is found even on the other side of the globe - gaucho knives in Argentina.
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Illustration 7. Gaucho knife from Argentina.
Finally, if we turn to modern times, we immediately remember Japanese kitchen/chef knives that also have a similar configuration to the pchak with thin handles and a direct transition of the back of the blade (butt) into the handle.
It is impossible not to say that Central Asia is a huge territory through which in ancient times the “Great Silk Road” ran from China and trade relations were carried out with India and the Mediterranean countries. This land is full of historical events. Today we learn about them from the writings of ancient Greek and Roman authors, medieval manuscripts of Arab scribes, and discovered archaeological sites.
At the dawn of human history, until the 4th century AD, empires were created and collapsed in Central Asia: the Persian, Alexander the Great and Seleucids. The Greco-Bactrian, Krishan and Parthian kingdoms existed and disappeared. Later, part of these lands was part of the Sassanid state, the Arab Caliphate. In the XI-XIII centuries. no less powerful states arose on these lands: the Ghaznavids, Karakhnids, Ghurids and Khorezmshahs.
After the conquest of this territory by the Mongols, the Chagatai Khanate was formed, and then the huge power of Timur and his descendants.
The lands of Central Asia became the homeland of many Turkic nomadic tribes engaged in cattle breeding. But this is also the place where the most ancient agricultural cultures appeared.
Located at the intersection of trade and migration routes, there has always been cultural influence from the outside: the influence of nomads from the Eastern Degree, the influence of Iranian (Persian) culture from Asia Minor (Persia), Hellenistic influence, the influence of the cultures of India and China.
Undoubtedly, the appearance of pchak among the Uzbeks was influenced by similar forms/types of knives of Indo-Iranian and Turkic origin - Iranian kard, Turkish bichag, Indo-Iranian peshkabz, chura, karud and khyber, Indian kirpan. All these knives most often date back no earlier than the 16th, or even the 17th-18th centuries, only the peshkabz is sometimes attributed to the 15th century.
At the end of the “historical review”, we can make an assumption about the emergence of pchaks after the 15th century under the influence of the Indo-Iranian tradition with a “strict functional purpose” - a kitchen/chef’s knife. Owners of pchaks are well aware of how great they are for slicing meat and vegetables.
But for Uzbeks, this is not just a good kitchen knife, but also a wonderful gift for a man, which has sacred meaning. Cold steel is an indispensable attribute of national clothing among many peoples of the East. Even those who, due to their social status, do not have the right to own long-bladed weapons (farmers and artisans), carry a sheathed knife on their belt.
In contrast to the superstition that exists in our country that knives should not be given as a gift (this supposedly brings bad luck), in Central Asia such a gift is still considered prestigious and desirable. According to the ideas of the peoples of Central Asia, sharp and pointed objects acquire the power of protective amulets that ward off misfortune and illness. And the pchak is also credited with a similar amulet power. A knife placed under the pillow, in the baby's head, is considered a means of protecting his health. If an adult is sick, a knife can be placed on his head instead of a compress, thereby protecting him from the action of evil forces.
A pchak given by a son to his father demonstrates great attention and love, and for the father such a gift is considered a great honor.
A knife is also given to a “real horseman,” every potential warrior - a young man who has reached the age of 18.
Most often, knives (household knives, not weapons), as elements of national clothing, are found among nomadic pastoralists and hunters - North American Indians, the Argentine gaucho people, Yakuts, Buryats, and Laplanders.
And in the case of Pchak, the direct influence of the Turkic-speaking nomadic peoples who came to the territory of settled farmers - the Uzbeks - in the Middle Ages can be traced.
In this part of the review, some aspects of the origin and purpose of pchak were considered. In the second part we’ll talk about the design and common types of modern pchak knives.
Talking about Uzbekistan, I cannot help but talk about the Uzbek national knife - pchak. Pchak or Pechak (Uzbek Pichoq - “knife”) is the national knife of the Central Asian peoples - Uzbeks and Uyghurs. Traditionally, it has a straight, wide carbon steel blade of wedge-shaped cross-section with one-sided sharpening, sometimes with a narrow fuller along the butt. A thin, round handle is attached at the level of the butt, slightly widens towards the head, and sometimes ends in a beak-shaped pommel. It can be made of horn, bone or wood, or inlaid with colored stone. The pchak is worn in a wide, straight leather sheath. Distributed throughout Central Asia with slight differences in ornamentation and proportions.
In Uzbekistan, they are made mainly in the eastern and central parts of the country - in Khiva there were no such knives anymore, only imported ones. In Bukhara, in the very center of the city, there are several workshops where pchaks are made, but the prices here are somehow prohibitive, apparently calculated for tourists who come for the day.
Tools in the workshop 
The main blank for a knife is a car valve, but it is also made from some cheap stainless steel, but it is carbon steel knives that are most valued. There is better steel, there is Damascus, but the prices for such knives are appropriate. 
After forging, the knives receive a handle made of fiberglass, plexiglass, metal, horn, bone, and then are roughly sharpened on a sharpening wheel 
After polishing, designs or inscriptions are often applied to them. 
I still don’t understand why the knife is covered with a thin layer of hot paraffin (?) 
Let him cool down 
Apparently, so that later a sketch is drawn with a special brush, which in the future will be a drawing or an inscription 
The final sharpening is done on such a sharpening stone 
Sometimes, at the request of the client, a dedicatory inscription is applied 
Workshop 
Well, the knives themselves 
I bought myself this one at the market in Tashkent - an excellent knife to use on the farm! Sharpened by a fork 