OldTools Archive

Recent Bios FAQ

275836 Don Schwartz <dks@t...> 2022‑07‑02 Are these piano tuner's hammers?
Further to this, the felt heads of piano hammers, despite being very 
densely packed felt, develop grooves where they strike the strings (like 
guitarists' finger tips) and that's the reason for pricking the felts, 
to loosen up those bits of the felt which have been compressed by 
playing. Apparently they need to be smoothed after that. Hence the 
smoothing irons. I wonder if the irons are heated before use?

Don

-------- Forwarded Message --------
Subject: 	Re: [oldtools] Are these piano tuner's hammers?
Date: 	Fri, 1 Jul 2022 17:36:11 -0600
From: 	Don Schwartz via groups.io 
Reply-To: 	dks@t...
To: 	oldtools@g..., John Ruth 




I suspect that would be used by the piano technician to smooth the felts 
on the piano hammers. AND I believe you've found the answer to John's 
question. They're smoothing irons, used to smooth the felts, which are 
sometimes 'pricked' by the tuner using a 'toning needle' to soften the 
tone. Thanks again to Salaman!

Don

On 2022-07-01 5:03 p.m., Phil Schempf wrote:
> We were all led astray by our typical connotation of a hammer. There are
> other types of hammers in a piano, as shown here -
>
> https://www.bonanza.com/listings/Piano-Hammer-Head-Smoothing-Iron-Piano-
Voicing-Tool/1271947255?goog_pla=1&gpid=177431040541&keyword=&goog_pla=1&pos=&ad
_type=pla&gclid=Cj0KCQjwtvqVBhCVARIsAFUxcRvZPVtKiJ_oeuOQt4KDhEoNr89fjWvxjPRa9-He
6WXa8OZ4fUM3eskaAqp_EALw_wcB
>
>
> Yikes! This one should work, too.
>
> Phil
>
> http://tinyurl.com/mr3k43hm
>
> On Fri, Jul 1, 2022 at 2:56 PM  wrote:
>
>> 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
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Links:
>> ------
>> [1] https://groups.io/g/oldtools/unsub
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
>

-- 

God's away on business - Tom Waits

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

Recent Bios FAQ