There was recent talk of using the correct tape to repair damaged paper
rolls.

I have a number of classical Eighty-Eight Note and Ampico rolls that
are in the process of self-destruction. They are in such bad condition,
that I thought I would attempt to repair them. Checking back through
the MMD archives with keywords "repair" or "tape", I found little
instruction on "how to" or perhaps more important, what "not to".

I practiced on a damaged ho-hum roll using short pieces of 3M Magic
tape (on the top of the roll paper) with blank roll paper purchased
from QRS. I found it very difficult getting the edges straight. The
results gave a less than professional appearance and ciphers - and I
though I was being careful to account for roll curvature, tape
thickness, etc. I think some of the problem is the thick tape - so I
will be ordering a few rolls of archival tape from Larry Norman this
week. Another issue could be I didn't "inlay" the new paper within
the old, instead, making overlaps. I just don't know.

Since I obviously haven't grasped the fundamentals on my own and don't
wish to destroy any of my "good" rolls, I won't attempt this again
until I can by taught the correct way.

For the long term, if you live in the Eastern Massachusetts area, I'd
pay for instruction on how to correctly repair rolls. Maybe we could
get a few New England MMDers and AMICAns together some Weekend day for
an informal class on the subject? Video tape it too for others? This
is a valuable skill worthy of a workshop in the '99 Boston AMICA
convention. Also, maybe someone could put together a dissertation on
"Proper Paper-Roll Repairs" for the MMD Webpage.

For the short term, Is there anyone in the MMD group who would, for a
fee, repair a few beloved rolls if I were to send them?

Karl Ellison
Salem, Massachusetts

 [ Roll repair seems like a likely topic for an FAQ section on
 [ the MMD Webpage.    -- Jody