Chisel
A
new chisel for use in mineral collecting
The old chisel that had was just that, an old chisel. Bare
steel, hexagonal shape, and no branding. The end not
mushroomed, as it did not have extra width at the
tip. The end however did have it share of
wear. My father gave it to me before a was even a
teen. I returned from a rock collecting trip several
years ago and forgot to remove my hammer and chisel from
the plastic bucket. This might not have been a
problem, but the weather had turned to rain that day and I
left everything in the closed bucket for months. The
geologist pick had a large amount of rust on it, but I
felt it was worth recovery. The amount of rust on
the chisel called for its retirement.
I decided it was time to get a new chisel to replace the
old one. I reached out to a mineral collectors
looked on line a bit as I was not aware if there were any
advances in better material or styles in chisels for use
in rock collecting.
Most of the recommendations that I got where to get a well
known name brand. The most mentioned were Estwing,
Mayhew, and Irwin. I was told that cheaper imports
were prone to wear quickly.
The size of the chisel can vary with the user's
need. My thought is for breaking rock in the field
it is best to avoid a chisel with too wide of a blade. A
smaller width can help concentrate the force of the
impact.
Some chisels have options that sound interesting such as
carbide tips. I don't field collect all that often
so things like don't appeal to me. The price
difference is too excessive for my taste. If I was
out more often, though, I'd likely consider it.
A few friends offered me their used items that they said
were in good shape. I imagine they would sell to me
at a very good price, or perhaps even give it to me. I did
not inquire further since having the old chisel for so
many years, I opted to go for a change with a new
one. Then again, sometimes a chisel is just a
chisel.
I found an Irwin chisel at a Lowe's store. The size
is 7/8 on an inch (22mm). At the time of this posting,
I've yet to go out with it, but you can be sure on my
return that I will not leave it in a bucket.
