The construction of an x-ray source for high-energy XPS studies, based on Cu Ka 1 radiation (hn = 8047.8 eV), is described. This source has been fitted to a Scienta ESCA300 electron spectrometer and initial results for pure iron, chromium and stainless steel are presented. The Fe 1 s and Cr 1 s core levels (at ∼7112 and 5989 eV binding energy, respectively) are readily observed at good resolution along with their KLL Auger series. It is concluded that the new source shows much promise for investigation of the electronic structure of ferrous and other alloys of scientific and technological importance.