Over the years I have done 2 custom guitars for Ukejon and he has always been very supportive of my work. A while back he started blacksmithing as a hobby. I was posting about an all steel chisel I recently found and Ukejon sent me an e-mail saying he was going to make me a chisel. Wow! A custom chisel from someone who I have made several of custom guitars for.
Then the pictures started coming in:
It is made of two different types of steel. The bar is 1" 1018 low carbon steel which will be the more rust resistant handle and the tip is a harder 1084 high carbon steel that will take and hold an edge for cutting.
The handle if heated and shaped with a hammer and anvil:
Doesn't that just look alive there? This is so different from making a guitar. I suppose there may have been a day or two where I would have liked to heat a guitar up to a 1000 degrees and beat the crap out of it with a hammer! Seems like a very satisfying way to make something.
Then the tip is set in place and by using crazy high heat and careful hammering the tip is forge welded on:
Then the handle is acid etched which blackens and further protects the handle:
Ukejon shaped and sharpened the chisel to my specifications and shipped it.
I got it yesterday which is perfect timing because I was about to start voicing a guitar today. The chisel weight and balance is wonderful and the edge easily past my sharpness test:
I'll post up more pics of my first voicing with it latter on!
Thank You Ukejon!