Hi All,  Many of my customers like to slice their rolls together
so they don't have to change them quite so often.  If the player
mechanism is in its original state, that's really no problem.  They
may occasionally hear a stray note play as the splice goes over the
trackerbar, but for all intents and purposes, splicing the roll will
never present a problem.  However, once the unit is fully automated,
the slightest wrinkle or curl in the roll can trigger the auto-rewind
mechanism.  Here is what the customer said to me, and my response to
the inquiry:

   " Hi John.  I am having a problem splicing two rolls together.
   The rolls are some old rolls, but in pretty good shape.  I use magic
   mending tape and butt the two ends together after cutting them to a
   straight edge.  I tape across the butt ends, not up and down.  The
   problem is when the splice hits the tracker bar the unit kicks into
   rewind.  It does this with both pumping and the vacuum motor on.
   Any suggestions on how to solve this problem? "

The problem is usually caused by the fact that the paper at the end
of one roll has a natural curl that's different from the curl at the
beginning of the other roll.  Sometimes the curl can be 'relaxed' by
ironing the rolls at the point where the two pieces are going to be
joined.

You might also try cutting the paper on an angle instead of straight
across.  This reduces the possibility that the tape itself is taking
on a curl which allows air to get under the paper at the splice.
(See attached picture).

Musically,

John A. Tuttle
john@player-care.com