I've had good luck with parallel jaw pliers, as used in the jewelry industry. You can straighten a bent wire up to 3-4" in length, depending on the depth of the jaws.This works best when the mast is off of the vessel. Otherwise you have to have access to the damaged area and that's not always easy to obtain. The pliers work well for mast tops, where you have unimpeded access.

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What is the name of the type of pliers used for the straighting of 1250 masts. And where would I purchase one?