The Turn of a Screw--Armchair Style

Jane Gaede of Los Alamitos is trying to find some screw pins for fastening down armchair covers; these pins have a clear plastic head and the point is threaded like a screw. Can you pinpoint a source for Gaede before she is all twisted around, or will she always be only an armchair general?

This is not just a bit of hot air because Dee Pichet of Hawthorne is looking for a men’s blow dryer that looks like a hot curler (or curling rod) for women but is larger. It’s round, with a tube-like body about 11 inches long. This particular model is made by Remington, but Pichet will take any other make. Can you help get Pichet out of our hair, or will she just have to keep blowing hot and cold for a while longer?

Mrs. Frank Genovese of San Marcos would like to get her hands on some makeup tissues , which are facial tissues that absorb the oil on the face without removing the powder or base coat. Can you help Genovese kiss and make up, or will she just have to stand there with egg on her face?

Reader-to-Reader Help Line: Phyllis at (213) 663-2586 has her eye on a greeting card with an old Irish blessing that starts “May the roads rise with you . . . .” The card was sold years ago at Marian Heath gift shops, but now Phyllis can’t find it anyplace. Please help Phyllis in this uphill battle. . . . Elizabeth at (805) 528-7480 has her finger poised for a Chantilly teacup made by Fine Seyei China in Japan. She bought the cup years ago at Robinson’s. Please help because Elizabeth would rather have that cup than all the tea in China. . . . Ernest at (714) 593-4339 is all wound up over his search for two cassette tapes, for incoming and outgoing messages, for an Ansafone 540 answering machine; standard tapes will not work on this model. Please see to it that Ernest gets the message.

Note: The Reader-to-Reader Help Line is only for items no longer available in stores. And you must give us written permission to publish your phone number, so that readers may contact you directly.

For Max Brown, who was looking for mother-of-pearl chips, we have no pearls of wisdom yet. So far, the only response to his request has been a letter from Dr. J. Taylor of Temple City, who is also looking for these chips. Please help, so that these two readers will again be in the chips, and let the chips fall where they may.

Phyllis Gilman of Laguna Hills, who was looking for a hygrometer--a device that measures humidity--can take a deep breath and relax. John Blair of Grand Hardware, 6410 San Fernando Road, Glendale, writes that he stocks several styles. And Margaret Masters of Highland Park says that some years ago she found a German-made hygrometer for $21.95 at Orchids Ltd., 407 E. Carson St., Carson, (213) 549-7695. The instrument doesn’t sound any warnings, she says, but it is easy to read.

Our other sources are mail-order houses. A Sunland reader says Edmund Scientific Co., 7892 Edscorp Building, Barrington, N.J. 08007, sells hygrometers in various price ranges. Kate Fox of Pasadena says Shorty’s Tool Shop, Clermont Airport, Batavia, Ohio 45103-9747, sells a wet/dry bulb hygrometer for $16.50 plus tax and shipping. And according to C. McQuoid of Culver City, the Dickson Co., 930 S. Westwood Drive, Department U16, Addison, Ill. 60101, sells a temperature and humidity indicator that looks like a stopwatch for $78.85.

For the many readers who have been looking for a zipper pull, Geneva Cropper of Long Beach has a mail-order source. Miles Kimball, 41 West 8th Ave., Oshkosh, Wis. 54901, sells the item for $2.49.

For Nora and Alta Shotwell of Glendale, who were looking for something that keeps small rugs from sliding around, we have news that we simply can’t let slide. M. Maltz of North Hollywood says if you glue or staple wide rubber bands to the underside of small rugs, they won’t slide. A Bakersfield reader who had a similar problem at work suggests getting some grippers from an office supply company or catalogue; these grip the edge of the rug and adhere to the floor.

We also have some mail-order sources. Margaret Wright of Monrovia says New Hampton Unique Merchandise Mart, Building 10, Hanover, Pa. 17333, sells a Stay-Put Rug Pad in various sizes from $5.95. Bonnie Baldwin of Riverside tells us that Camping World, 866 S. West St., Anaheim, Calif. 92802, sells a Hold Down Kit (No. 2112) with Velcro pads for $2.98. And Harriett C. Wagner of Los Angeles reports that Taylor Gifts, 355 E. Conestoga Road, P.O. Box 206, Wayne, Pa. 19087, has a Non-Slip Rug Pad for $6.98 (24x40 inches) and $9.98 (32x58 inches).

Herb 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.