I used to work for Sumlock Comptometers, (adding machines). These tools were known benders. I don't know what we'd have to call them nowadays. I've got a drawer full of them in the garage and they still come in useful occasionally when something needs an expert tweak. As ebme2 says, they are used for adjusting bars and levers in mechanical apparatus. Some of the adjustments were very critical to ensure everything happened at the correct time. Much more satisfying than changing a transistor, capacitor or resistor or a complete panel as with later machines we manufactured.
My friend has a full set of those from when he did his apprenticeship on GPO in 1966 on Strowger exchanges. He will never use them again obviously, but loath to chuck them out. Used for adjusting the contacts & springs on the old uniselectors & final selectors, very time consuming. All long gone now.
brings back memories of my GPO Relay Adjustment course.
Get all the relay spring contacts tensioned, adjusted for break, make before break, change over etc......show the instructor, who would then get his thumb under them and bend them up and tell us to re-do them !!