[CAUT] Pliers hammer extractor

[Fred Sturm]

    A while back Tom Seay posted about that old Hale tool, later sold by
APSCO, for removing both grand and upright hammers using a pliers action. It
turned out that it was supposedly available from Schaff. I am sorry to say I
ordered one (so I could have one at the university in addition to my
personal one), and was very disappointed. Not the same tool. Rather, another
example of Schadler badly 'copying' a good tool and making a useless one (to
be fair, he copied some tools cheaply that only required some filing and
whatnot to make them as good as one costing much more).
    The original tool is self-adjusting. The shank has gear teeth, which
mesh with teeth in the moving handle. Open the moving handle all the way,
and you can slide the shank to a new position, contacting different teeth on
the shank, hence allowing a wide range of sizing with minimum time and fuss.
    The tool I got has no gear teeth. It is completely unadjustable, and
doesn't fit a standard studio shank (it might fit a console length) without
a shim. It is badly machined (wobbles and chatters). The grand attachment is
badly sized and aligned, and attaches via a friction fit screw rather than
actually screwing to the main body.
    Bottom line: don't buy this tool. A complete waste of money.
    OTOH, I sure would love to find a source for the original tool. One of
my very favorites.
Regards,
Fred Sturm
University of New Mexico