Her Regular Talcum Took a Powder

G. Petrie of Redondo Beach needs a source for pure, unperfumed talc. The drugstore where she used to buy it doesn’t carry it anymore, and she knew of no other source. The last bottle she bought was manufactured by J. T. Baker. Now Petrie is at loose ends with her talc. Can you help, or will Petrie have to realize that all that talc is not so cheap after all? Jean Cole of Paso Robles wants to find some scalloped wood frames in a fruitwood finish to fit 7 1/2-inch Hummel plates. She writes that the store where she bought the frames has gone out of business. The marking on the frames’ back reads “Holly-Arts Woodcraft H 150X,” but she has not been able to find another retail outlet, especially in her area. Can you help, or “wood” Cole be inclined to believe she’s being framed? Pat McCloskey of Santa Barbara is in need of a bound buttonhole guide; the last one she had, which was made (she thinks) by Dritz, was destroyed in a fire, and she has been looking for a replacement ever since. Can you help, or will McCloskey, as a matter of course, never again be able to make a hole in one? Barbara Simmergren of Long Beach has been looking, without success, for some purse organizers. The one she has now, which is falling apart, measures 6 by 4 inches, is made of taffeta and has many side compartments around a large center compartment. Can you help, or might Simmergren as well give up on ever being an organization woman? Reader-to-Reader Help Line: Madelyn at (213) 398-1410 is in need of two items that have long since been discontinued: the small mixing bowl for a Sunbeam Mixmaster bought in 1950, and the hemming attachment for an old Featherweight Singer sewing machine. Please help, so that things will once again run smoothly in Madelyn’s household. . . . Another reader with a tough grind in the kitchen is Blanche G. at (213) 472-7064, who is looking for a lightweight Universal aluminum hand grinder Model 1572; it opens for cleaning. Please help, so that Blanche and her Universal can come clean again with their handiwork. Note: The Reader-to-Reader Help Line is only for one-time items and for products that are no longer available in stores. And you must give us written permission to publish your telephone number, so that other readers may contact you directly. It looks as if Mrs. Harlie B. Allen of Mission Viejo, who was looking for an English-made cleaning compound called Chemico, won’t have to cross the ocean after all; we have a number of local sources. According to Mrs. Douglas Brown of Cherry Valley and Jeri Kierce of North Hollywood, one American distributor is Hendrick’s Associates, P.O. Box 30246, Santa Barbara 93105, (805) 967-0668. Helen Sherwin had a Los Angeles address for Hendrick’s, but it was no longer valid. Another distributor seems to be Emm & Bee Supplies. M. Sklar of Culver City has that firm at 11711 Coley River Circle, Suite 8, Fountain Valley 92708; Dorothy White of Newhall lists them at495 Ellis St., San Francisco 94102. Sue Dehne of Templeton and Frances Wolf of Alhambra bought Chemico in the Housewares Department of Bullock’s ($6.30 plus tax for 13 ounces). Both readers spoke very highly of the product, which seems to be available also at Southland fairs. Bonnie Sarrow of Hollywood buys a can every summer at the Pomona Fair, and Lorna Pecoraro of Costa Mesa bought some at the Orange County Fair (but was not happy with the results). A local reader bought some Chemico at a Long drug store in Honolulu. We also heard from two readers who bought Chemico at home shows and would be willing to let Allen (or anyone else) have the product. Please send a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Another source for Meyercord decals. A Moran of Agoura writes that a newly opened store, North Ranch Craft & Floral, 3949 Thousand Oaks Blvd., Westlake Village, (818) 889-1324, carries the decals under the name of Images. Marjorie Holland of Los Angeles, who was looking for Oil of Cedar, can stop burning the midnight oil. Elizabeth Horberg of Los Angeles says the product is available (at about $10 a bottle) at Eddie Bauer’s in the Beverly Center (and possibly other Eddie Bauer outlets). If not, it can be ordered by mail (7317V, $10.95) from Eddie Bauer, Fifth & Union, Seattle, Wash. 98130; this information came from Cary McQuoid of Culver City, Theresa Philbin of Huntington Beach and Anne Olmstead of La Crescenta. Other sources for Oil of Cedar: Vern Rodgers of Valinda says that a quart can be obtained for $19.45 from Constantine & Sons, 2050 Eastchester Road, Bronx, N.Y. 10461, (800) 223-8087. Dixie Granat of Altadena suggests Cedal-al Products, Dept. C., Route 1, Box 6, Clallam Bay, Wash. 98326 (six ounces for $7.95). Dody Lyness of Distinctive Crafts, 7336 Berry Hill Drive, Palos Verdes Peninsula 90274, (213) 377-7040, says she mail-orders 45 fragrances of perfume oils; telephone or write for price list. And Jean Emcott of South Laguna says that her Savon druggist ordered some cedarwood oil, made by Humco Laboratory, Texarkana, Tex. 75501; she paid only $1.35 for four ounces. Herb Hain cannot answer mail personally but will, space permitting, respond in this column to readers who have--or need--helpful information. Write (do not telephone) to You Can Help!, You section, The Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053.