I suspect this topic has been discussed to death, but I need to put in
my two cents worth.

Over the last couple of years, I've played approximately 2000 different
rolls.  When I first started, I got into the habit of making an audio
recording of every roll, as it seemed there was a very high chance of
only getting one 'play' -- too many of the rolls self-destructed on
rewind.

I did much experimenting after a previous similar discussion.  The
_one_ thing I found to make the biggest difference is that when playing
a 'new' roll I _always_  pull out the left flange, wrap a piece of tape
around it the part that goes into the tube, and reinsert the flange
leaving some space between the flange and the paper.

(On some rolls, I put one or two O-rings on the hub which keeps the
flange away from the paper.  This depends somewhat on the construction
of the roll, but it works very well on Ampico rolls).  Since I made
this a *habit*, I have rarely had a roll self-destruct -- usually ones
that already had some tears on the edges.

As for 'wandering paper' (I know I'll get arguments on this, but I'm
just stating my experience):  Another "habit" I have is that after
rewinding the roll, I hold the roll vertically and drop it a few times
on the right flange, forcing the paper to the right edge.  I then
carefully tighten the roll and secure it with a rubber band or Velcro
strip.  I have found that quite often, the next time I play the roll,
there is much less wandering, particularly if this process was done
when there is relatively high humidity.  I keep the relative humidity
in my house at 40 to 50 percent

(Although I welcome comments, please do not (unlike in the past) send
me any nasty letters telling me how stupid I am.  These procedures are
based on my experience, and these things work well for me.)

John W Miller
Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA
http://www.pianorollstuff.com/