The Steinway & Sons New York Factory

A Worker's Tools

A workman's toolsA piano technician's toolkit will include several unique, very odd-looking tools. Devices might include a basic regulation tool set, a Jaras 4-in-1, hammer heads with butt borers, a pair of key spring clamps, head and tail pieces with screw clamps, a set of hammer head removing pliers, hammer shank bending pliers, key easing pliers, straight head, curved head, and / or adjustable head voicing tools, a master regulation tool set, tuning pin punches and pin setter (a pin setting tool allows the technician to set and secure loose pins by setting them deeper into the pin block), a spring clip inserter for bridle straps, a tip wrench, rubber mutes, felt wedge mutes, gang mutes, felt for temperament muting.

Other essential tools for the piano technician include a tuning pin socket, used for installing and removing tuning pins, a small t-stringing tuning lever (technicians working on grand pianos find this tool invaluable because it can be used without nicking or harming the cabinet), a tuning pin extractor for removing pins that have broken off flush with the block, and of course, a professional set of "blued steel" tuning forks.