Can you use a wrench to tune a piano

The next test is how long it stays in tune, you may end up having to adjust some of the notes over the coming days and weeks. That's it! Remember you can always call a Piano technician to tune it for you if you aren't happy with the result, just don't mention you gave it a try as they may charge you extra! How to buy a Piano on eBay. Before you put in a bid or click 'buy now', make sure you're not making a bad decision.

This guide will show you what to look for, and what to look out for. However, there is no substitute for having a Piano Technician look at the Piano before you buy, and I would always recommend doing this before making a purchase.

If for any reason that isn't possible, hopefully these pointers will help make your purchase less stressful and risky. Four questions to ask before going to see the Piano. When was the Piano last tuned? If it is fairly recently tuned, you can always ask for the Piano tuner's contact details and speak to them about the Piano. Any good tuner will have notes on the instruments they look after, so will hopefully be able to give you an idea of the overall condition of the Piano.

How does it look? Make sure you have a photo of the Piano with the top door removed. This is what is known as a straight strung, over damper Piano, and the vast majority of these for sale on eBay and Gumtree are barely useful as firewood.

I'm always happy to give an opinion on a Piano, but this is the first photo I'll ask for. How old is the Piano? Ask for the serial number. On older Pianos this will allow you to find out the age of the instrument, and on a newer instrument it can alert you to any which are not legally allowed to be sold.

It could have been purchased on finance and the seller is attempting to sell the Piano on before they have fully paid for it, or it could be a rental instrument they don't even own. How often has the Piano been played? If it has been played heavily for years, the action will probably need to be regulated, and the hammers may need to be refaced.

If it hasn't been touched in years, you can guarantee that parts will have seized up and stopped working. Four things to look for when you see the Piano. Where is it? Pianos like a stable, dry environment. If it's by a radiator, window, fireplace, or anything that will cause the temperature and humidity to regularly fluctuate, it's likely to have problems with tuning and regulation, and perhaps damage to the soundboard and bridges.

Does it work? It may seem obvious, but check that all the notes play and repeat properly. Any that don't can probably be repaired, but if there are a lot that don't work it might not be economical to repair. Those are the cheap levers on Amazon, and the reviews are terrible.

NewOctave Global brand are "good" levers for the non-professional market. The most affordable true professional tuning levers are Schaff brand levers. Some sellers will label a budget hammer as "student" when it's just cheap. That's why price needs to be used as an indicator. For a discussion of mid-grade hammers compared to professional models, here's a good thread at PianoWorld.

We also discuss this subject more in our blog post, Piano Tuning Lever Quality The higher the price, the better the lever--buy the best lever you can afford. They may also come with more mutes than I have in my tutorial; however, the extra mutes e. Mutes are all the same; there's no significant quality differences at this level. So, if the kit is a good deal despite the tuning fork, get the kit--but don't pay for a tuning fork.

What size tuning lever tip should I buy? What's the difference between the tip sizes? If in doubt, buy a 2. The 2 tip is by far the industry standard. Sizes run from 0 on up to 9, though anything other than a 1, 2 or 3 is truly a specialized case. Actually, in tuning lever tips, size does not matter as much as you might think. It's true that there are different pin sizes; however, because most pins are square and tapered, and tuning tips are likewise tapered, tips may fit more than one pin size.

The difference is the "feel" of the way the tip holds to the pin. A larger tip e. On the other hand, a smaller tip e. Regardless, the 2 size is by far the most common, so start with that.

Three possibilities come to mind: 1 You are not taking the time to fully seat the lever tip on the pin. Solution: take your time. Solution: if you can't tune it, the pin may need to be replaced. See Reblitz for advice or hire a piano technician or tuner. Damaging a pin is a risk for inexperienced tuners. Only use quality tuning levers, never cheap levers, socket wrenches or other makeshift tools.

Make sure you are fully seating the tip on the pin, and only turning the lever perfectly parallel to the sound board, with no wiggling or pressure in other directions.

Solution: Don't buy cheap levers. Cheap tuning levers often have tips manufactured to substandard tolerances. Some cheap levers are too loose, some are too tight, some happen to get lucky and fit properly.

Others are made of low quality metal that deforms with use. To avoid uncertainties, buy a good lever. Good tips will last for decades even for professionals. You need to tighten the tip. There's actually a special tool called a tip wrench that is designed for this. It's available from the same places you find the better levers, and it is not expensive.

If your hammer's head unscrews, but the tips do not, then you don't need a tip wrench. The three primary risks are: 1 Break a string, 2 Loosen a pin, 3 Damage or bend a pin. Breaking a string is pretty common, and happens professionals, too.

Strings are under high tension and made for durability, but sometimes corrosion or long-term metal fatigue or flaws in the string are unavoidable. The way to prevent string breakage is to limit how far you turn the pin. This is where good lever technique is important. For new tuners, the biggest error is being on the wrong string. You crank away wondering why there's no change in the sound when suddenly "ping!

Similarly, being on the correct string and using careful technique can prevent loosening the pin. The pin is twisted into the wood of the soundboard. The pin hole can wear if overworked or if the pin is wiggled sideways.

Bending or damaging a pin is prevented by using a good tool, properly seating the head on the pin, and applying strictly perpendicular to the sound board. For repair options, continue reading this FAQ. I may be asking for trouble, but if it was in tune we wouldn't be having this conversation.

Plasmatic Well-known member. Joined Sep 27, Messages Definitely get the right tool for that -- you are just asking to round it off using a 12pt. Besides, why would you pass up an opportunity to get a shiny new specialized tool? If you still insist on going it on your own, maybe try to find an 8 point socket of the appropriate dimensions? Also, make sure you have a well-calibrated strobe tuner, and read up on temperament and stretch tuning or you will end up with a very funny-sounding piano.

Allegheny Co. It's called blacksmithing!!! Then you can polish and heat treat till it's perfect. Bruce Lancaster Well-known member. Joined Apr 3, Messages 1, Hold on here The drive end is an actual square, of couse, so easier on the pins. If ambitious, a dremel might add some taper or improve corner fit. Dammit, Frank, you're spoiling all the fun! Bruce Lancaster said:. Click to expand Cool, Frank that would be nice. I'll just have to find another way to justify buying tools then