Traditional Hungarian handcrafted blades

This is not a lecture on different types, although there are several variations, possibly as many as of the multi-blade slipjoints in the US. Rather I just wanted to show you guys two blades I picked up as gift for friends. Both are handmade in a small town near Budapest, the craftsman (Istvan Nagy) has been making knives as a hobby for 40 years (his prime business is medical instruments - scalpels and such). Blade steel is some sort of a Krupp stainless - I didn't talk to the man himself so I couldn't ask about details.

The first one is called a "Fejes görbe" which literally means "the curved one with a head", which it is - it's got a delicate, narrow and curved handle for less beefy hands but the 'head' portion around the pivot allows the use of a heftier, wider blade.





The second one is, well, frankly I have no idea. You see there are so many similar types that are called different (possibly from region to region), and what the shop assistant lady told me it was it apparanently ain't. My safe-ish bet would be it's a "Rác" (which is the old Hungarian term for Serbs), a stouter version of the locally famous 'Szalonnázó' eating knife, similar to your fruit samplers. But it may be something totally different (EDIT: for example an 'Arató', ie. 'Harvester' - so named because if you gotta work in the fields all day and you don't want to weigh yourself down with a work knife and an eating knife this could take both roles & stay light)



It looks pretty conventional if not for the rounded bolsters at both ends (mind you most local traditional knives would have a bolster on the non-pivot end too)

I am not an expert on these knives (yet?) but I'll be happy to hunt down (or at least try) any info for the curious. And now some more pics:

 

Do you mean the one on the first picture? Let me go and see (I took the pix against a photo album about Hungary. It's a beautiful book and it's in English too)... aaargh, cannot seem to find the book. It surfaced the day before yesterday while I was tidying up, and it's already vanished again. When I find I'll let you know (but your guess seems pretty close to me). The pretty building is in Kecskemét, just an hour's drive from Szeged

@Mumbojumboo, @BullRome: thanks guys. It may sound strange but I have just recently discovered the beauty of these pocket knives. Always thought they were so 'old fashioned' - well I guess this is a telltale sign that I am getting ooooold

oops forgot dimensions - handle length on the Rác / Arató is about 4 inches, the Fejes is perhaps 4.5 due to the oversize bolster (the head)

 

oh, THAT small town? silly me... No, in Érd
Not a very picturesque place to visit
funny thing is these are not sold in one of those tricolore-clad folklore shops... they have a modest retail location in downtown Budapest (central, but not touristy), and that's about it. Plus the workshop store. You know the famous Szeged knifemaker Tarjanyi? He makes those fish-shaped knives, a cool novelty item (dating back about 150 years but still)

 

That one has a really small diameter handle, strange to hold, but I suppose they wanted to give people with small hands the option of carrying a large blade.

 

Agreed, and also very people-friendly, nobody is scared of a slipjoint with stag handles
I originally thought about picking up one of these but they were out - I can see why it's a hot item

Those were first made as a remembrance piece after the Tisza river flooded and the people of Szeged put up a heroic effort in trying to contain the river. That's what they look like - not my kind but certainly unique