Wind Instrument Repair Tools

Woodwind repair tools can be instrument-specific or multi-purpose.

Knowing how to repair your own wind instrument can save you hundreds of dollars over the instrument's life. Having the right tools at your disposal is the key to making accurate and lasting repairs. From saxophones to piccolos, dozens of tools specifically designed for use with wind instruments are available on the market for you to make your own woodwind repairs.

Pliers

Each kind of pliers has a different purpose in instrument repair. Hemera Technologies/AbleStock.com/Getty Images

Pliers are part of every toolbox, but you need pliers designed for wind instrument repair. These pliers have specially shaped noses for specific jobs and come in various sizes to reach in tight spaces. Pliers are often used to adjust key hinges and posts.

Files

Keeping tone holes level prevents leaks and improve sound. Comstock/Comstock/Getty Images

Files are most often used to adjust tone holes. Getting a perfectly flat tone hole helps create perfect pitch. Diamond files are known to be the most accurate for this job. The diamond-encrusted discs are interchangeable on the file attachment, so different levels of grit can be used.

Pin Vises

Pin vises are versatile tools that can be used for many applications, including drilling, tapping, threading and leveling pads. Pin vises are used to hold other instruments, such as pad pricks and needle springs. Different shapes and handles of pin vises are specialized for different uses.

Dent Removal Kits

Old instruments gain new life with polish and dent removal. Jupiterimages/liquidlibrary/Getty Images

Dent removal kits generally include a strong magnet, a set of steel balls in various sizes, a piece of mylar to protect the instrument's finish and spray wax to use as a lubricant. Using dent removal kits involves placing the steel ball inside the instrument and the magnet on the outside of the instrument, causing the instrument's metal to spring out under the force of the magnet and taking proper shape with help from the steel ball.

Punches

Punches add insignia and identifiers to an instrument. NA/AbleStock.com/Getty Images

Punches serve to mark and install items into instruments. A rivet punch is used with a hammer to install resonator pads in instrument keys. Figure and letter punches are used to add inscriptions, symbols, or other markings onto an instrument's body.

Screwdrivers

Small screwdrivers make fine adjustments. Jupiterimages/Polka Dot/Getty Images

No good woodwind repair kit is complete without specialized screwdrivers. Woodwind screwdrivers are specially designed for each instrument and generally have long handles and thin shafts to repair tough-to-reach spots.

Leak Detectors

Leak detectors are one of the handiest tools in a woodwind repairer's arsenal. A leak detector is a specially shaped light placed inside the instrument. If light shows through a key hole while the key is closed, the repairer knows that key hole has a leak.

References

• Music Medic: Repair Tools
• Wind Plus Ltd: Tools - Woodwind Instruments

Resources

• Children's Music Workshop: How to Repair a Clarinet
• JL Smith Wind Specialists: Woodwind Tools
• Broken Wind: Woodwind Instrument Repair and Restoration