Firebox Search Now a Burning Issue

Ruth McIntyre of La Verne would like a fire box for her Kamado Hibachi pot , but she has not been able to locate one. Can you sustain McIntyre’s flickering hopes before she is all burned out, or will she never glow with gratitude because we didn’t put enough heat on our readers?

After a search of five years, J. F. Strauss of Fallbrook is still looking for a man’s washable non-wool cardigan with a shawl collar. White or off-white are preferred, but color is not important. Can you wring a happy ending out of this colorful epic, or will Strauss have to sweat it out a while longer?

Marta Smyth of Monterey Park is on the lookout for Sassoon (or similar) jeans for men in Size 30; these jeans are tight on the hips, and the legs are thin and straight. Can you help Smyth wiggle out of--or perhaps into--this tight spot, or can she expect to stay fit to be tied until the situation pants out?

Reader-to-Reader Help Line: Barbara at (213) 361-8140 needs the following pieces in the Franciscan Cimarron pattern: cereal bowls, luncheon plates, bread and butter plates, and cups and saucers; the line was made by Interpace, ITK, Japan. Please help so that Barbara knows what side her bread is buttered on. . . . Madeline at (213) 672-5406 has lately been unable to locate any Laubier brandy by Napoleon. Please do your (bona)part in making sure that Madeline gets back into the proper spirit. . . . Mildred at (213) 294-5781 needs a sealing ring for a 4-quart Presto Frymaster Model 400 pressure cooker. Please help take the pressure off Mildred and make sure she can once more cook on all four burners. . . . Leota at (805) 649-3631 no longer can get her hands on Anti-Terge cream , which she used to buy at beauty supply shops. Please help, so that Leota won’t have to start her own smear campaign.

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.

We have good advice for Mrs. T. E. Fendon of Upland, who wanted some liquid anti-skid backing for small carpets. Ricki de Kramer of South Pasadena suggests sewing the rubber rings from Mason jars to the underside of the carpets. And L. Leuch of City of Industry says that Rug Crafters stores, found in many malls, sells a useful latex product; it does the job but is smelly and has to be applied outdoors.

M. Jorge of Canyon Country, who needed vinyl decking that looks like teak for his boat, should have smooth sailing from here on out. Shields Cureton of Santa Barbara says he found something called “Wood Veneer” at a home center; it is actual wood on a glue or plain backing. If it is to be used on a deck, he was told to use a good-quality marine-grade varnish. Chad Farling of Coastal Boating Supply, 22126 S. Vermont Ave., Torrance, (213) 320-0101, says he can get rolls of vinyl decking in three shades of teak. Russ Czuleger of Redondo Marine Hardware, 1010 N. Catalina Ave., Redondo Beach, (213) 376-0512, says he stocks a white Nautilex decking that looks like planking and can special-order other styles. And Dugan Meluso, contributing editor of Boating magazine, writes that a company has marine vinyl in four teak styles 54 inches wide, in rolls 15 or 35 yards long; the price is about $12 per yard. Write to Diversitech General, Coated Fabrics Division, P.O. Box 875, Toledo, Ohio, (419) 729-3731.

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.