Hi Everybody.  Because of Y2K fears, my university shut down everything
during the Christmas-New Year break (it's summer holiday time here in Oz
anyway), so I've only just read Joyce Brite's query about music roll
box repairs in MMD 991229.

I do a _lot_ of roll box mending; in fact it almost got me into deep
trouble last night.  With four grandchildren running riot in our house
I still couldn't stop myself from sneaking downstairs to the workshop
to do a spot of roll box gluing.  When I resurfaced a full-scale insur-
rection was in progress and my wife, Beryl, threatened to throw the
eggs she was holding into one of my pianolas because they were causing
me to neglect my domestic duties.  Fortunately, just before things
turned really nasty my daughter came home and saved the situation by
immediately going out for pizzas.  But it was a close-run thing.

What I think you need for mending roll boxes is (1) patience, (2) the
dreaded white glue, 3) thin card and paper, (preferably a reasonable
match in color to the inside of the box, (4) a straight-edge and a
sharp knife, (5) a cutting surface (a patchworker's cutting mat is
excellent), (6) some small paintbrushes like the ones that come in
kids' painting sets, (7) some varnished blocks of wood and varnished
bits of plywood or fibre-board, and (8) some G-clamps.

 [ G-clamps?  Oz must be transposed.  Here in the Colonies we're
 [ still muddling along in the key of C, with C-clamps.  But either
 [ type should nonetheless work fine when upside-down in Down Under!
 [ :-)   -- Robbie

I try to do all the repairs on the inside of the box and lid, so that
they aren't too obvious from the outside.  Often a lot of the patience
mentioned in requirement (1) is used up in removing old external tape
with water or alcohol or white spirit, depending on what is the
adhesive on the old tape.

To mend a box bottom with a battered end, cut two strips of paper that
are about 2 cm wide and almost, but not quite, as long as the box is
tall.  These are creased along their long axis.  Also cut a piece of
card that is about 6 cm long and that fits inside the bottom of the
box; a loose fit is better than a tight one.

Before gluing in the paper apply a small amount of glue (a few drops)
to the three inside edges of the box and spread the glue along these
edges with the paintbrush.  Then apply glue to the two strips of paper
on the convex side of the crease and spread it over their surfaces with
the paintbrush.

Transfer the two paper strips to the inside vertical edges of the box
and work them into the corners.  I use a blunt needle mounted into the
end of a bit of dowelling for this. (Hmmm. That should have been (9).)
This will be a bit messy for the first few times.  Oh yes, (10) a box
of paper tissues is very handy for keeping fingers relatively clean.
At least you have time to slide the paper round on the glue for quite a
few seconds before it starts to take hold.

Now take the piece of card that goes on the bottom of the box and score
halfway through it about 1 cm from one end.  Bend along the score until
you have an L-shaped piece with about 5 cm to go on the floor of the
box, and 1 cm to go up the end side.  Apply glue and slide the card
into place.

Then get your block of wood, which of course you have arranged to be
a slightly loose fit for the inside of the box, put it into the box
(do I need to say: at the repaired end?), sit the box on the bit of
plywood and clamp everything together for an hour or so.  Even though
the varnish on the bits of wood is supposed to stop them getting
attached to the wood, which would be a disaster, I wrap the block in
Clingwrap and never have any trouble.  So: (11) Clingwrap.  If glue
is likely to leak out of the clamped box bottom, use Clingwrap on the
plywood sheet too.

In mending box tops I use the same technique ("technic" in the U.S.A.?)
but use paper everywhere.  Warning: if the box top has splits right up
the corners this is possibly because the top was too tight when it was
made.  In this case don't push the ends and sides too enthusiastically
together when you are attempting a repair or you will have a really
well repaired top -- all ready to split again.

 [ In the US one would likely use a technique or method.  -- Robbie

Sometimes the end of a box top is completely missing.  In this case
you can cut a rectangle of suitably thick card and glue it back using
the above methods, although it may require several separate gluing
operations.  Finally, cover the new end with paper that matches the
original as nearly as possible.

If the box is totally wrecked, or is long gone, I make a new one out of
cardboard, using sheet metal patterns for cutting around and then cover
the box with appropriately colored paper.  Each box size requires four
patterns, two for the box and two for the covers, and I can now make
six different sizes of box.  It takes about an hour to make a box --
no wonder my wife thinks I'm crazy.

But it is rewarding to bring a really bedraggled-looking box back to
full function and know that it is now probably stronger than when it
was made.

John Phillips in Hobart, Tasmania.