Abstract: A hair styling curler including a handle supporting an electrically heated barrel and having a manually pivotal curling clamp is provided with a safety device for preventing burns. The safety device includes a plurality of spaced non-heat conductive ribs carried on the surface of the clamp remote from the barrel which are cooperate with corresponding plurality of radially extending non-heat conductive ribs carried on the outer surface of the barrel to define a plurality of spaced annuli completely circumscribing the barrel and which prevent contact of the heated barrel by the user yet allow hair contact with the heated barrel between adjacent annuli for imparting a curl thereto. The spaced ribs on the barrel are interconnected by tracks to form a unitary assembly which is mounted on the barrel by insertion of the tracks into complementary trackways formed on the outer surface of the barrel and accessible by a removable end cap on the barrel end distal from the handle.

Abstract: A fluid mixer for mixing a carrier liquid such as water with a thickening agent such as a liquid polymer employs a mixing apparatus in the form of an elbow pipe interconnecting the carrier liquid inlet with a discharge pipe. The polymer thickener is introduced into the fluid stream of the carrier liquid at a point on the outer radius of the elbow where the high velocity stream of carrier liquid impinges upon the side of the elbow pipe to cause the thickener to be impinged upon by the carrier stream at the point of its highest velocity to impart maximum hydraulic shear to the thickener liquid, insuring optimum mixing of the two liquids in the discharge pipe.

Abstract: A fluid-blending system supplies a constant preestablished ratio of two or more fluids through a common output conduit over a wide range of variations of the flow rate established through the output conduit by a pump controlling such flow rate. This constant ratio also is maintained in spite of variations in the different head pressures of the fluids supplied to the blender. Separate fluid supply chambers are used for each of the fluids to be blended and are connected in common to the output conduit. The inlet orifices for each of the fluid supply chambers are normally closed by diaphragm-controlled valves mounted in the chambers. The amount of valve opening is controlled by pressure-sensing diaphragms in response to a partial vacuum created by the demand for fluid in the output conduit.