Hi there, Dean.

I thought you would like to know the progress and status of the effort to
create an exact replica roll of Ampico Roll No. 2921, "I've Got to Sing a
Torch Song," for you.  I was able to locate and borrow a copy of the roll,
which arrived on Wednesday.  I reconstructed the master roll and sent it off
by modem for perforating.

The next step is to get the perforator set up for this unusual roll.  During
this period (around October, 1933), new Ampico popular rolls were perforated
on converted Duo-Art machinery.  These rolls are unusual in several respects.
 First, the hole diameter is about 1.75 mm, as compared with the 2.00 mm
diameter holes in "classical" Ampico rolls made with Ampico machinery.
 Second, the punch advance is 384 punch steps per foot, as compared with 356
punch steps per foot.  Third, the webbing pattern is of the Duo-Art variety,
complete with special webbing for the melody so that the eye can follow the
melody line in the paper roll as it is played.

To make an exact replica roll, we have to match all of these parameters.  The
punch diameter of the perforator we will use is about 1.70 mm, very close to
the size used in the original roll, and does not present a problem.  We will
use special gears to achieve the punch advance; preliminary calculations
indicate the actual advance will be 384.10 punch steps per foot, or within
0.03 percent of the target advance; this is extremely close (in fact,
original rolls from the period show much more variation than this from one
batch to the next).  The webbing has been recreated by simply reading all of
the original webbing from the original roll, so the match will be perfect,
including the special webbing for the melody line.

I will keep you informed about the progress of your effort.  With best
regards, I remain

Sincerely Yours,

Wayne Stahnke