Hello there,  I have noticed that many recent re-cut rolls seem to have
spools which are slightly too wide, preventing the left edge loose
flange from fully closing up on the paper roll.  My belief has always
been that the loose end was necessary to keep the paper roll hard
against the fixed right edge flange to minimise weaving during playing
and to keep it there as far as possible during rewind.

A small gap might seem desirable to reduce edge wear but this would
allow a certain amount of weaving --  OK on good rolls but over time it
might add to the problems.  Most older rolls seem to have a slightly
narrower spool which allows full contact between the flanges and the
paper.

Is this a quality control problem on the new rolls or is a gap now
considered desirable to reduce wear?  It is not causing me problems yet
because the rolls are running truly enough, although I did shorten one
spool where it was over 1 mm wider and the wrong flange was loose!    I
recall we had a discussion a while back on the problem of old badly
weaving rolls where a wider spool was seen as a possible aid to prevent
rewind damage but I see this now as an issue with new rolls and whether
this gap reduces or adds to weaving as the roll becomes worn.

Has anyone else noticed this and is it really a problem?  Maybe tapping
the rolls against the right flange before and after playing will keep
the paper running truly for life?  The life of our rolls is very
important considering the investment, with the limited availability of
re-cuts and many new rolls.  Those MMD members in the roll making
business must have looked at this already.

Cheers,
Darrell Clarke,
Adelaide, Australia