Glass Bowl Gums Up the Works
James Briggs of Whittier needs to replace the glass bowl for a Samson Products gum ball machine ; the manufacturer seems to have moved. Can you get the ball rolling on this sticky subject, or will your inability to come up with a source not only bowl Briggs over but also give him something to chew on?
Because she has rheumatoid arthritis, Marilyn Stein of Los Angeles would like to get an old-type aluminum citrus squeezer with a lever-like handle , which requires little force to press the fruit. Can you get Stein out of this tight squeeze, or will she be unable to handle the situation because the juices have stopped flowing in her kitchen?
For her husband, Frances Allan needs a hot-lather machine that can be refilled from the bottom ; the one she has now, a Schick, doesn’t work anymore. Can we put the heat on you for a source, or will Allan’s husband, who is already in a lather about this, end up really foaming at the mouth?
Jennings Parrott of Sherman Oaks is looking for a way to transfer software information that’s on a 5.25” floppy disk over to a blank 3.5” diskette ; his machine accepts only the smaller size. Can you help move Parrott into the advanced computer age, or will he have to consider the experiment a flop because he’s comparing apples to oranges?
Reader-to-Reader Help Line: Ann at (213) 291-7239 needs some old-fashioned blue-dot Sylvania flash bulbs (also made by GE, she believes), for her Polaroid camera. Please see to it that Ann gets back into the picture. . . . Norm at (818) 705-4277 would like to find a video unit (preferably a Sony) that records and plays the Beta format ; these are no longer being made. Please make sure that Norm really sees what he’s been missing. . . . For her new queen-size bed, Patricia at (213) 237-3970 (days) needs sheets, pillowcases and other linen in the Evening Lilacs pattern by Bill Blass for Martex ; the pattern has been discontinued. Please guarantee that Patricia, who has already made her bed, will finally be able to lie in it.
Note: The Reader-to-Reader Help Line is only for one-time items or for products no longer available in stores. And you must give us written permission to publish your telephone number, so that others may contact you directly.
Georgeanne Brunner, who was looking for a Broxodent toothbrush, can stop gnashing her teeth. (And so can Betty Freedman of Los Angeles, who was looking for the same item.) Betts Waite of Ventura says she recently bought a Broxodent set at Osco for about $60. Richard Hughes of Los Angeles says they are available at the Rexall Drug Store on La Cienega and Beverly boulevards. Hedy Gourarie of Studio City bought her Broxodents from the Fedco store in Van Nuys. And if all of these give people the brushoff, Marjorie Hammond of La Crescenta, Lee Bailey of Bonita and Don Yinger of Escondido suggest contacting E.R. Squibb & Sons, Somerset Labs, 700 W. Michigan Blvd., Michigan City, Ind. 46360. Moreover, Ruth Phillips of Los Angeles writes that if you are a member of American Assn. of Retired Persons, you can mail-order a Broxodent set for $28.56 from the Nevada Retired Persons Pharmacy, 5947 Boulder Highway, P.O. Box 98522, Las Vegas, Nev. 89193; the model number is T0181, and it comes with four brushes and a wall unit to hold them.
Mae Sailor of North Hollywood, who needed a top burner for an old Tappan Fabulous 400 electric stove, need not burn up much energy to get help. Not far from her, at 7839 Noble Ave. in North Hollywood, is Blue Flame, and the owner, Karin Watt, says they carry (or can get) parts for many old-time major household appliances, including Tappan top burners; they also service these appliances. The phone number is (818) 782-2214.
Hain cannot answer mail personally but will, space permitting, respond in this column to readers who need--or have--helpful information. Write (do not telephone) to You Can Help!, You section, the Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053.
