Dear all,  For some years I've also been trying to locate a supply of
tabs and D-rings in the UK.  All the best old rolls are often damaged
severely in this area and, frankly, are left on the shelf and can be
bought for virtually nothing.  In the end my regular source is
http://www.lionpic.co.uk/ in Birmingham, who are an excellent company
to deal with.  They also distribute Filmoplast as well.  They also
helpfully have a trade counter.

The D-rings which I find work perfectly are in fact triangle picture
hangers, part number 1284A.  Discard the square mounting plate to
reveal a perfectly formed precision triangular shaped "ring".  These
work perfectly on my Brinsmead and other pianos, are brass plated and
cost just over £0.02 each.

  http://www.lionpic.co.uk/product-search.aspx?search=1284A 

To attach these to the roll I use a two-inch-long piece of self-adhesive
linen hanging tape (archival self-adhesive cloth tape) which is 1.25
inches wide.  Cut a nice curve with a template on the blunt end and
trim it to shape once you've stuck it to the roll.  This material comes
on a 35-foot roll from the same supplier and per piano roll costs a
similar amount to the ring.  Part number is 1583.

To reinforce the linen tab, then a piece of magic tape over the end of
tab keeps the roll clean and tidy.  This is the only place that "magic
tape" should ever be used on a repaired roll, but if you're a purist
and are worried about it, leave it off and try it first without.  This
repair is in fact almost identical to some Klavier rolls, which also
used a red coloured tape in a similar fashion.  Some of my best and
most used rolls have now been repaired using this method and have
lasted for two or three years and still perform perfectly.

If the leader is damaged this is replaced by a 15-inch-long piece of
kraft paper which can be bought locally on a large roll from a good
stationers.  You have to make sure that the repair piece is cut exactly
square and to exact width; I carefully glue it back together with a
Pritt Stick which is ideal for the job.  The new leader is slightly
longer because this allows my Brinsmead to sort out the roll tracking
before the music hits the tracker bar.  Many newly made rolls now have
this very long intro as well, so there must be logic in that idea
somewhere.

Don't forget that if you make a mess of it you'll only loose about 5 mm
of original roll, if you have to redo it, so no real harm done.

Hope this helps.

Peter Clarke