PIANO TUNING AND REPAIR TOOLS

Tuning.  Adjustable tuning hammer with set of heads, plus old gooseneck type which fits almost anything.  Papps wedge and rubber wedges, strip mute, C 523.3 fork.

General tools.  Standard long nose pliers, fine pliers, wire cutters, small scissors, long and short tweezers, magnetic screw “picker upper”, spring hooks, including specially made flat right angled hook to push butt felts or bridle tapes into place, dental probes, stanley knife, smaller modelling knife and spare blades, small saw, pencil.  Small torch, small flat paint brush for dusting, cloth.  25cm long wooden gauge which measures blow, checking and set off. Combination handle, with adjusters for backchecks, dampers, 2x set off, front rail pins, spoons.  Separate backcheck adjuster.  Key bushing tightener, asst. sandpaper, 2x sandpaper paddles, set of small files, large file, capstan wrenches, small steel ruler, vernier callipers, tuning pin punch, small hammer. Small, medium and large flat head and phillips screwdrivers, screwdriver with screw holding clamp, other assorted screwdrivers, small adjustable crescent spanner.  String hook, specially made string levering tool and slotted screwdriver, spring clamps, vice grips, block of wax, white and contact glue.
   
Hammer repair kit in bag, containing voicing tool and spare needles, hammer shank removing tool, borer, cutter and reducer, shanks.  

Recentering kit contained in tool roll including, micrometer, centre pin pliers, punch, pin vice reamers, centre pin holder, razor blades and strips of pre torn bushing cloth.  

Bits and pieces. Plastic camera film canisters containing, bridle tapes, butt felts, butt and damper spring cord, T pins, asst. screws, butt, jack and damper springs, paper and felt punchings, travel tape, chalk.  Plastic bag containing assorted felt, bushing and box cloth, butt and check leather, a few asst. key tops and fronts. 

Separate small hard plastic case containing hinge pins, lid keys, action rail bracket screws, autoharp tuning key, jarras sharp leveller and key dip block, key bushing clamps.

And most importantly - invoice book, cards and pens. 

All the above fits nicely into a standard aluminium attaché case took kit.

Another kit and a couple of boxes stay in my car which include items such as, G clamps, extra large screwdriver and crescent spanner, T hammer, oblong pin tuning hammer, Korg tuner, upright and grand regulating checklists, string stretcher, down bearing gauge,  electric drill, hammer shank bending pliers, straight edge, set of grand regulating tools and pin block jack. WD40 and graphite for pedals etc. Protek and pin tightener.  Extra felt, punchings and springs, dampers, flanges, many assorted key covers and sharps, tuning pins, pedal springs, trapwork fittings, hexecore strings, full range of piano wire.    

A spare set of essential tuning tools are kept at home in the event of my regular kit being stolen.

The disadvantage of having too many tools in your kit are obvious - many never get used and only add to the weight.  Only experience will determine what tools should be ideally carried. But it is better to have far too many tools than a few to little.  It can be tempting to leave a repair undone because, the tool or the materials required are down in the car or worse - back at the workshop!

Brian Holden