Useful Things You Can No Longer Easily Buy

[jfollows]

Two different chemicals, CH3Cl and CCl4. The latter, aka carbon tetrachloride, was indeed used in fire extinguishers.

If memory serves correctly, the reason for warning against smoking in the vicinity of CCl4 was because the smoker would be inhaling phosgene, but people presumably mainly thought the warning was because of its flammability, which it clearly isn't.

 

[Dai Corner]

Spare parts for many things.

 

[ABB125]

Not rawlplugs, but a resin/epoxy that's used to bond the fixing into the hole.

I never knew that was a thing...

 

[PeterC]

I'm going to say scouring powder - used to be Ajax, Jif or Cif. I haven't seen any for years, but it was brilliant on ceramic basins and toilets.

Try a hardware store rather than a supermarket.

 

[cactustwirly]

DVD is dead as a format. For legacy purposes (i.e. existing ones you have) plug the drive in and rip them all to your hard drive and watch from there.



USB C is far more robust than traditional jacks, as is Lightning. Failures of the old style jacks were common, and obviously there was no standardisation. A big advantage of all the USB designs is that the spring that retains the plug in the socket is on the plug rather than the socket, meaning that if a cable gets loose it typically just means a new cable, not a costly socket repair which was often needed with the old style low voltage jacks.

It is not, I have to replace the charging port once a year on my type C phone, older phones with the micro USB port didn't break...

 

[AY1975]

About 15 years ago a businesswoman went on Dragons Den who had invented a portable shower head holder called a Shuc (pronounced "shook").

The idea was that if you stayed in a hotel that didn't have wall-mounted shower head holders you could take a Shuc with you and stick it to the bathroom wall tiles on the wall above the bath and have both hands free when you took a shower instead of having to hold the shower head in one hand and your shampoo or shower gel in the other hand.

I don't think she got backing from any of the Dragons, but she sold Shucs online for a few years. If you do a search for Shuc shower holder you will find several references to it. It would appear that her company eventually ceased trading.

You might still be able to get one on eBay if you're lucky, though. You can get all kinds of useful stuff on auction sites like eBay (and on free giveaway sites like Freecycle and Freegle) that you rarely find anywhere else.

 

[Dai Corner]

About 15 years ago a businesswoman went on Dragons Den who had invented a portable shower head holder called a Shuc (pronounced "shook").

The idea was that if you stayed in a hotel that didn't have wall-mounted shower head holders you could take a Shuc with you and stick it to the bathroom wall tiles on the wall above the bath and have both hands free when you took a shower instead of having to hold the shower head in one hand and your shampoo or shower gel in the other hand.

I don't think she got backing from any of the Dragons, but she sold Shucs online for a few years. If you do a search for Shuc shower holder you will find several references to it. It would appear that her company eventually ceased trading.

You might still be able to get one on eBay if you're lucky, though. You can get all kinds of useful stuff on auction sites like eBay (and on free giveaway sites like Freecycle and Freegle) that you rarely find anywhere else.

The OP was asking for useful things. The Dragons presumably didn't think the Shuc was useful, nor the public. I don't either, never having stayed in a hotel where one would be required.

 

[johnnychips]

I was just about to say the same!

 

[AY1975]

The OP was asking for useful things. The Dragons presumably didn't think the Shuc was useful, nor the public. I don't either, never having stayed in a hotel where one would be required.

Maybe not, but I remember the woman who invented the Shuc saying at the time that in some countries that she had visited (I seem to recall that she mentioned Greece and Hungary) even the best hotels didn't have wall-mounted shower head holders.

 

[Dai Corner]

Maybe not, but I remember the woman who invented the Shuc saying at the time that in some countries that she had visited (I seem to recall that she mentioned Greece and Hungary) even the best hotels didn't have wall-mounted shower head holders.

She should have sold them in those countries then.

 

[Bletchleyite]

It is not, I have to replace the charging port once a year on my type C phone, older phones with the micro USB port didn't break...

What on earth are you doing with it? That is not normal.

 

[AY1975]

In the 1980s when I was a kid my parents had a Christmas card and gift record book. It was like an address book but with spaces for you to record whether you had sent a card and gift to, and received one from, each friend and relative each year.

On each left-hand page were the spaces for names and addresses, and on each right-hand page there were boxes that you could tick marked CR for card received, CS for card sent, GR for gift received and GS for gift sent, and at the tops of the columns you could fill in the years. It had spaces for about eight or nine years as I recall.

I think we started using it in about 1978 and it was full by about 1986 or 1987, but I seem to recall that after that my parents tried to find a shop where they could get a new one, to no avail.

 

[najaB]

It is not, I have to replace the charging port once a year on my type C phone, older phones with the micro USB port didn't break.

While individual implementations will vary, USB-C is objectively more robust than micro USB. Micro USB is designed and tested for a minimum of 5,000 insertion/removal cycles where USB-C is designed for 10,000.

Edit: Was thinking of mini USB, not micro. Micro and USB-C are both rated for 10,000 cycles.

I still stand by the statement that USB-C is more tolerant than mini USB - mini USB connectors are often damaged by attempting to insert them the wrong way around, something that isn't an issue with USB-C. I've also had issues with micro USB sockets getting fluff in them from my pocket causing a poor/unreliable physical connection, I've not had this yet with USB-C.

 

[Non Multi]

It is not, I have to replace the charging port once a year on my type C phone, older phones with the micro USB port didn't break...

If I had that recurring issue, I'd consider using a magnetic cable and USB-C adapter to charge the phone.

Spare parts for many things.

In my view it's never been easier to source hard to find spares, if they're available. For example, 2 years ago I was able to buy a replacement impeller and keyways online for my Al-Ko lawnmower when the old impeller disintegrated. Pre-internet, that would have required a lot of phonecalls just to find a specialist retailer that could obtain the correct parts.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

Five-speed cog sets for cycles might be a bit rare, 26" tyres, and cotterpins.

Out of interest, in what way do you think 5-speed cog sets are useful, that today's 6-speed/etc. ones aren't? Ditto 26'' tyres?

Hadn't heard of cotterpins before. Just googling to see what they are/were for.

 

[cactustwirly]

What on earth are you doing with it? That is not normal.

The inside accumulates dust which stops the cable from clicking in properly

 

[gmaguire]

The inside accumulates dust which stops the cable from clicking in properly

You can clean that out with a toothbrush.

Do you actually replace the connector itself, as in desolder it and solder on a new one? Which phone do you have?

 

[cactustwirly]

You can clean that out with a toothbrush.

Do you actually replace the connector itself, as in desolder it and solder on a new one? Which phone do you have?

It doesn't need soldering just clips in.
I have tried to clean it out, but it's never the same again.

It's actually quite a common problem

 

[najaB]

It doesn't need soldering just clips in.

Something doesn't sound right about that.

The inside accumulates dust which stops the cable from clicking in properly

Given that the micro USB connector is smaller than USB C, dust and fluff is more of a problem with micro than with C. I've had it happen several times with micro, but never with C.

 

[py_megapixel]

They are a barrier to waterproofing the device due to how they are designed.

In that case, the design is rubbish. My Samsung device has a headphone jack and a USB-C port and is waterproof.

That said, I don't really use the headphone jack.

 

[cactustwirly]

Something doesn't sound right about that.
Given that the micro USB connector is smaller than USB C, dust and fluff is more of a problem with micro than with C. I've had it happen several times with micro, but never with C.

You buy the connector as a spare part they are widely available. It's already attached to the wire so it just clips in...

It's impossible to solder it on, unless you have an industrial soldering machine, as it's too small to solder using a normal iron

 

[AM9]

That's like power limits on kettles, which admittedly does help with peak loadings (which is significant, there's a reason they have to watch for the end of EastEnders in the National Grid control room) it takes a fixed amount of power to heat an amount of water and losses are higher if it takes longer.

Power limits on kettles has nothing to do with peak lodings in the UK. Domestic appliances like kettles are manufactured for international sale and as such need to be compatible with the markets that they are targeted at. A 3kW load on a 240V supply equates to 12.5A which is OK for intermittent use on a 13A outlet*. At 220V, that same kettle will draw just under 11.5A. That's OK for some of the '220V' countries where power outlets are rated at 16A, however many aren't, 10A being the effective limit which means that the maximum power available is 2.2kW. That's why most kettles are rated at that. You can of course buy 3kW kettles (we've joust bought a Cuisinart 3kW one, but they tend to be more expensive because they are made for fewer countries' systems (and those tend to be less price sensitive ones).
In ancient times, kettles were made of in country use so the standard Swan or Rusell Hobbs models were fittred with 3kW elements.
The BS1363 13A outlet is rated for 13A but does not perform well on continuous loads at that current.

Rawlplastic: https://www.flickr.com/photos/22963204@N00/5650712996
Masonary hole plugging material for holding screws. Very effective. Made of asbestos, hence withdrawn from sale.

Yes I remember Philplug which was white asbestos fibres and was mixed with water before poking it into a hole.

 

[AY1975]

Spare parts for many things.

Such as replacement foils, cutting blocks and mains leads for certain discontinued models of electric shaver. You can still get them for some but not all legacy models.

In about 1988, when I was 13, my parents bought me my first electric shaver. It lasted nearly 30 years before finally giving up the ghost, and during that time I had to get several replacement foils and cutting blocks for it. I also had to get a new mains lead for it at least twice. Getting them wasn't usually too much of a problem even though I'm fairly sure that that particular model of shaver is no longer produced.

I also have a small battery shaver (also a now discontinued model) but finding replacement foils and cutting blocks for that one is more difficult. I managed to find a spare foil for that one on eBay, though.

I would guess that it depends how many of a particular model were produced in the first place and how many people the manufacturers think are likely still to have that model. Also some spare parts only fit one particular model and some fit several different models. Those that fit several models are obviously more likely still to be available, especially if that also includes some models that are still being produced.

 

[northwichcat]

Maybe not, but I remember the woman who invented the Shuc saying at the time that in some countries that she had visited (I seem to recall that she mentioned Greece and Hungary) even the best hotels didn't have wall-mounted shower head holders.

I've been to Greece and I would like to visit Budapest. Even if the issue hasn't been addressed, I still wouldn't buy one. I'm sure I can manage for the short period of time I would be there for.

It is not, I have to replace the charging port once a year on my type C phone, older phones with the micro USB port didn't break...

Older Samsung phones with the micro USB have been known to overheat and cut out. What type of USB port is there doesn't affect the reliability of other parts.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I generally have found Micro USB to be a lot less robust and subject to stuff getting stuck in the port than USB C. It's almost like USB C was an improved, later design!

 

[gg1]

I generally have found Micro USB to be a lot less robust and subject to stuff getting stuck in the port than USB C. It's almost like USB C was an improved, later design!

That's the main reason I tend to go for phones with wireless charging and either a port cover on the phone itself or a case which includes one, pretty much guarantees no gunk will end up in them.

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

Out of interest, in what way do you think 5-speed cog sets are useful, that today's 6-speed/etc. ones aren't? Ditto 26'' tyres?

Hadn't heard of cotterpins before. Just googling to see what they are/were for.

I had a five-speed block before I moved to fixed many years ago, in case I want to revert. Six, seven, eight, nine and more cogs in little more width are thinner and complicated, there are interesting compatibility challenges. The machine came with 26" wheels, normal back then.

Cotter pins were/are simple and effective, not just to fasten cranks.

 

[Bletchleyite]

That's the main reason I tend to go for phones with wireless charging and either a port cover on the phone itself or a case which includes one, pretty much guarantees no gunk will end up in them.

USB C port covers are £1.66 for 10 on eBay, if you're particularly mucky

 

[gg1]

USB C port covers are £1.66 for 10 on eBay, if you're particularly mucky

So there are, didn't realise you could buy them. Just as well they come in packs of 10, I'd be constantly losing them

I always choose a tough case for phones, as they tend to be quite chunky a port cover is an easy thing to add so a lot of them come with one included anyway.

 

[Dai Corner]

Mothering Sunday (as opposed to Mothers Day) cards.

Mine always refers to it as the former and I've found it more and more difficult to find the right card.