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Recent Bios FAQ

275832 gtgrouch@r... 2022‑07‑01 Re: Are these piano tuner's hammers?
As I recall from watching a tuner, the key wrench was about as long as
my forearm, with a solid hand-filling hardwood handle. 

I remember the tuner using the keys themselves to strike a note. 

But it's been a long time, Gary Katsanis
Albion New York, USA

	-----------------------------------------From: "Don Schwartz" 
To: "John Ruth", "old tools list"
Cc: 
Sent: Friday July 1 2022 6:53:17PM
Subject: Re: [oldtools] Are these piano tuner's hammers?

 John

 I have no doubt Studley would have possessed at least one piano
hammer.
 Although in his exhaustive book on topic of the Studley chest and
 workbench, Don Williams doesn't seem to list one. I did find mention
of
 a 'piano-regulating' tool, but could not find a photo or description
of
 it....

 Pianos are strung much like guitars and similar instruments, having a
 tuning peg which holds tension on the strings. But piano strings
require
 considerable tension, and so a little thumb button such as you see on
 fiddles and guitars would never do. Instead, they are tightened using
a
 wrench sized to suit the pegs. In my limited experience, they are
 generally nice things, plated and brass, with turned hardwood, even
 rosewood handles. Salaman refers to it as a tuning hammer, also
spinet
 hammer and piano wrester. He describes it as

 "a small key-wrench with a square, star or oblong hole... used for
 turning the wrest pins on which the ends of the piano wires are
wound.
 The cross handle is sometimes used as a hammer for tapping home the
 wrest pins when necessary."

 Why they are called a hammer rather than a wrench is beyond me.
 Especially since the wooden felt-tipped piano components which strike
 the strings to sound them are also called piano hammers.... Autoharps
 are tuned with a similar, but smaller wrench. Harps as well.

 fwiw
 Don

 On 2022-07-01 1:05 p.m., John Ruth wrote:
 > On Thu, Jun 30, 2022 at 11:30 PM, Don Schwartz wrote:
 >
 >> They don't remotely resemble any piano tuning hammers I've ever
seen.
 >>
 > Don,
 >
 > Thanks for that.
 >
 > Another Porch dweller suggested looking at the Studley Tool Chest
to see if anything matches. Henry Studley was indeed a piano builder.
Whether a builder ever has need for a tuning hammer is not known to
me. In any case, watching a few YouTubes about the famous chest did
not reveal anything resembling the tools in question.
 >
 > So, still wondering about the identity of these mystery tools.
 >
 > John Ruth
 >
 >
 >
 >
 >

 --

 God's away on business - Tom Waits

 "...it's just a humpty dumpty world" - Ry Cooder

 



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Recent Bios FAQ