Springing Into Action in Quest for Curlers

Jane Howard of Burbank would like to find hair curlers that are made with a tight spring, with strong mesh wrapped around the outside. She is not satisfied with what is currently available, because the springs are wide apart and do not hold the hair. Can you spring into action in this hair-raising situation, or will Howard be tempted to do things that will really curl your hair?

Responding to a request from a friend in Missouri, R. William Greer of Pasadena would like to locate some Black Lace candy. The friend claims that she used to receive this candy from California, but Greer is unable to locate anyone who has ever heard of the product. Can you help get Greer into the black, or will his friend never be shown how sweet it is?

Florence Wasserman of San Marcos would like to locate a publisher of children’s books in which a child’s name is inserted in place of the hero’s name. She saw such a book a few years ago at the Del Mar Fair, but she neglected to get details. Can you help get the word to Wasserman, or will she be convinced that somebody’s throwing the book at her?

Reader-to-Reader Help Line: Janet at (818) 768-5817 needs clothing for her collection of Mary Hoyer dolls, which were sold by mail order many years ago. Be a doll and help Janet, so that her dolls no longer will have to grin and bare it. . . . Leslie at (213) 596-3757 is looking for a good turn, namely 2 1/2-inch-diameter plates (the standard size is 2 3/4 inches) for a Pacific 200 hand meat grinder. Please help Leslie in her hard grind, so that she won’t be tempted to say: “Go stuff it.” . . . Phyllis at (818) 446-4192 would like to get the largest of a set of four glass bowls that Pyrex made many years ago; they came in yellow, green, red and blue. Please help, so that Phyllis stops being blue and is instead bowled over. . . . Ellen at (714) 679-2472 is “shoere” someone out there has a few shoe trees for open-toe, open-heel shoes; the last time she was able to find any was about 30 years ago. Please make sure the shoe is on the other foot, if only to keep Ellen on her toes for a while longer.

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.

We hope we won’t get any dirty looks from E. Chanin of Los Angeles, who was trying to locate some washing soda (sal soda), but it seems that most chains carry the product, although it is now also called Laundry Booster. J. K. of Los Angeles and Mary Bruning of Running Springs saw washing soda in Boys markets. It’s also found in some Hughes markets (according to Sally Keaton of Rancho Mirage and Kathleen Walcek of Mission Hills), in Von’s (from Sophia Gray of Los Angeles) and in Ralphs (from Rose Zeman of Santa Ana and Anne Poulson of Los Angeles). And Rose Weiss of Los Angeles says she saw some large boxes of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda at Gemco.

For Edward Hart of Lakewood, who was looking for a white cap similar to one golfer Ben Hogan used to wear, we may have a way out of the rough. Amy Arrowood of San Gabriel suggests that Hart try a cool, white poplin painter’s cap. She bought one at Sinclair’s for $2.89.

For Lois Allen of Glendale, who was looking for a toilet seat with bird tracks on top and an owl on the reverse side, we have a source, but it may be for the birds. Ray Fleming of San Diego writes that almost 10 years ago he bought such a seat through a Sears, Roebuck catalogue. But Allen’s search is not necessarily down the drain, because we also heard from three readers, each of whom has one of the owl seats and is wise enough to offer it to Allen or anyone else who is interested. Send a stamped, self-addressed envelope for details.

We finally have some help for the various readers who recently have asked about a container that keeps cookies and pretzels dry and fresh. Mel Schaeffer of Diamond Bar reports that Williams-Sonoma, P. O. Box 7456, San Francisco, Calif. 94120, sells a Krispy Kan ($8), which has a sealed glass knob containing nontoxic blue crystals that absorb moisture.

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.