Ingmar Krause asks about the Rolmonica, which is the sort of
instrument that all collections should posses, if only for novelty
value rather than musicality!

The red marbled case is typical of the Rolmonica made in early 1928
in Baltimore and made out of Bakelite, an early type of plastic.  The
words 'Genuine Bakelite' are moulded into the back of the front piece.
The flange around the rear face of the front piece is fitted with a
white rubber seal, which even if perished, as mine is, will still seal
effectively and should not be replaced.

The main body contains the roll and take-up spool, and the harmonica
which is fitted behind the tracker bar and is held in place by a small
pin at each side.  The two pieces of card mentioned by Ingmar are not
part of an original instrument, if he means that they are in the main
wind cavity.  If they are behind the tracker bar then they may be
intended as some sort of seal onto the front of the harmonica, but even
so should not be visible through the note holes, and therefore not
susceptible to spit.  The harmonica should make a tight seal against
the back of the tracker bar with a single gasket.

The rolls have a width of 83 mm and are _very_ thin, as Ingmar has
discovered to his cost.  The roll is mounted onto a metal-ended spool
with cheeks of 24 mm diameter and an outside width of 85 mm.  The ends
are female with a cross slot on the right hand drive end.  The roll
runs off the bottom of both roll and take-up spool.  A spring in the
left hand end of the take-up spool ensures a small degree of back
tension whilst re-rolling.

I suggest Ingmar checks the fit of the harmonica behind the tracker bar
and that all the reeds are present.  This should ensure a leak free
instrument.  I've seen rolls for sale on eBay, but beware damaged rolls,
as this easily occurs if the instrument is not in perfect condition.
I think Ed Schmidt was cutting the 16-note rolls so it may be worth
a try in case he can supply the 12-note size as well.

Even well known tunes can be difficult to play well enough that they
can be recognised by the listener, but it is still a fun toy to play
to your guests!

Kind regards from Great Britain,
Nicholas Simons