Help with Afghan knife ID

theMarmotGuy · 1st May 2015, 09:52 AM

Robert, your photo enhancements were welcomed, but most especially, thanks to all of your members who responded.

It makes sense that this is a modern "knock-off" for the tourist market, but I remain amazed that a) there IS such a market, and b) that an old-leaf-spring or automotive piece could be hammered and worked so beautifully.

Have I interpreted your comments correctly? That it was all "cold-hammered, chiseled and filed" with NO heat applied? Really? Wow. The time involved in hand-producing this just boggles the mind.

Last question: Would such steel take or hold an edge? Should I adopt it as a useful blackberry-whacking tool? It IS hefty. Or is it best left on the shelf?

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 1st May 2015, 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theMarmotGuy

Robert, your photo enhancements were welcomed, but most especially, thanks to all of your members who responded.

It makes sense that this is a modern "knock-off" for the tourist market, but I remain amazed that a) there IS such a market, and b) that an old-leaf-spring or automotive piece could be hammered and worked so beautifully.

Have I interpreted your comments correctly? That it was all "cold-hammered, chiseled and filed" with NO heat applied? Really? Wow. The time involved in hand-producing this just boggles the mind.

Last question: Would such steel take or hold an edge? Should I adopt it as a useful blackberry-whacking tool? It IS hefty. Or is it best left on the shelf?

Salaams theMarmotGuy, The souk in central Kabul (Chicken Street) is fairly stuffed with such items. They occasionally get a container of work through to the other regional souks such as Sharjah or in lesser volumes either by road and ship or air...as I say in lesser volumes. It is almost totally knocked up in some workshop though there are workshops in Afghanistan that can produce excellent work ...mostly stuff like this is just churned out and not collectible though most people get taken in occasionally~ which is part of the game. With the various withdrawals of foreigners from the area there are much fewer Europeans in the market place and Chicken Street is having a difficult time ... The foreign tourism market collapsed years ago and foreigners are dwindling all the time thus dealers are trying to get their stuff abroad..

Leave it on the shelf...

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Kubur · 1st May 2015, 08:01 PM

No really they have a chicken street?
I hope that they have a KFC in this street! I would prefer a chick's street

AJ1356 · 2nd May 2015, 02:41 AM

In the older days there were different streets for different trades in Kabul, such street like Hatters, Butchers, Flower Sellers, Blacksmiths and so on, Chicken Sellers Street, that is litteral translation of the name from Farsi, was one of them. Names of places should never be translated to another language, but somehow in the past 14 years some names in Kabul got translated by people who did not know, and maybe to pander to the foreigners. Anyways, since that street is centrally located in Kabul, in the 60s or so it became the main antique bazaar in Kabul, however the old name stuck, and once it was translated to English, the Sellers part was droped and now you have Chicken St, but the locals still call it by the original name. I hope that answered your question.
And for the OP, I don't think it would hold an edge for long.

1st May 2015, 09:52 AM	#1
theMarmotGuy Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Posts: 2	Thank You! Robert, your photo enhancements were welcomed, but most especially, thanks to all of your members who responded. It makes sense that this is a modern "knock-off" for the tourist market, but I remain amazed that a) there IS such a market, and b) that an old-leaf-spring or automotive piece could be hammered and worked so beautifully. Have I interpreted your comments correctly? That it was all "cold-hammered, chiseled and filed" with NO heat applied? Really? Wow. The time involved in hand-producing this just boggles the mind. Last question: Would such steel take or hold an edge? Should I adopt it as a useful blackberry-whacking tool? It IS hefty. Or is it best left on the shelf?

1st May 2015, 08:01 PM	#3
Kubur Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 2,145	No really they have a chicken street? I hope that they have a KFC in this street! I would prefer a chick's street

2nd May 2015, 02:41 AM	#4
AJ1356 Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Nashville Posts: 317	In the older days there were different streets for different trades in Kabul, such street like Hatters, Butchers, Flower Sellers, Blacksmiths and so on, Chicken Sellers Street, that is litteral translation of the name from Farsi, was one of them. Names of places should never be translated to another language, but somehow in the past 14 years some names in Kabul got translated by people who did not know, and maybe to pander to the foreigners. Anyways, since that street is centrally located in Kabul, in the 60s or so it became the main antique bazaar in Kabul, however the old name stuck, and once it was translated to English, the Sellers part was droped and now you have Chicken St, but the locals still call it by the original name. I hope that answered your question. And for the OP, I don't think it would hold an edge for long.