Interesting special purpose tool...🤔

[Dingo40]

Interesting: I've not seen one of these previously

Accordion Repair Tool - Keyboard Axle / Spindle Rod Removal Tool

This specialty tool was made in Castelfidardo, Italy for accordion repair. It is used to remove the keyboard axle (spindle rod) by hand using a specialty chuck. Maximum diameter of axle is 3mm.

www.libertybellows.com

 

[KiwiSqueezer]

It's a small (drill) chuck on a handle. Nothing fancy or exotic. Ridiculous price! That annoys me.

A keyless drill chuck will grip tighter than a chuck that needs a key, but may tend to release if turned anti-clockwise. If the chuck is removed from the machine, it's easy to grab onto the chuck body and twist and heave. A tried and tested technique... Most cordless drills these days have such a chuck fitted. Some have a lock, or other mechanism, preventing the loosening issue, since most portable drills can be run in either direction.

However, most drill chucks don't have a hole 'out of the back', so could only be applied to the end of the keyboard axle, which may be awkward if trying to push a reluctant axle home. I'd suggest you look for a 'pin vice' or 'pin chuck', at about $9. They come in various bore sizes, and should have a hole all the way through, allowing the chuck to be used anywhere along the axle. With strong fingers (or pliers, if no-one of a sensitive disposition is looking), a strong grip can be achieved. Standard engineering stuff...

Whilst grumbling about tool prices, many would say the very best files are branded 'Vallorbe' or 'Grobet'. These can be obtained in many sizes, shapes and 'cuts' from engineers' merchants, often for less than junk-quality stuff from high-street shops or accordion parts sellers, which are usually too coarse for fine work. Once you've experienced the difference between the good stuff and high-street junk, you'll never go back...

 

[Ventura]

sometimes called a Pin Vise.. i have been using these
forever as they are handy as temporary handles on
things like a drill-bit or shaped dremel-ytype diamond bit
that you might want to use for tuning

they can be found in all-metal versions too, in electronics
hobby shops usually between 5 and 10 dollars

for pulling axles, the problem would be that by hand twist
the "grab" power is limited, and i would not consider one of
these when you can just grab an old-type drill from the junkpile
and use a key to tighten the chuck to death-grip pressure

a tip for newbies.. you can take an old junk drill apart
then lock it in a vise or something and grab the chuck then
smack it with a big hammer to bust it loose,, lots of us
old timers have kept one as a handy gripper around the shop
like chuck up a small 1/4" shaft and spin a socket on a nut
by hand in close quarters or for twisting a small drill bit carefully
by hand like if you had to fix a cracked all wood key and needed to
make the axle hole in it again and using a power tool would be tricky

a drill chuck grabs on 3 sides as opposed to a Vise-Grip handtool
or Vise that grabs on 2 sides

 

[Henry D]

Amazon.com : pin vise

Many similar to chose from.

You can get a good grip- probably better than pliers.

The real key to axle pulling is stabilizing the accordion body on a bench, and then having enough space to pull the axle straight out without bending it. Easy to say, easy to conceive of, unfortunately it's also really easy to bend the axle when the dratted thing is less than smooth pulling.

And a bent axle is a PITA.

As it happens I still use smooth faced needle nosed pliers gripping the rod hard by the pivot even though I have a pin vise. Works for me.

 

[kimric]

I typically start a stuck axle with a mini vice grip (not heavy enough to bend the axle if you loose your grip) and once it is out far enough I chuck my mini cordless drill on the rod and start spinning it, it comes out easy if you keep it spinning.

 

[Aaron]

Pin vise. Used by jewelers for centuries. Any sort of drill bit, reamer, micro file and whatnot can be used. This particular one looks a bit large. The typical industrial ones are made of metal, as somebody else mentioned, and are just a bit larger than an ink pen.