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Vintage Things That Have Disappeared In Your Lifetime?

Marc Chevalier

Gone Home
Messages
18,192
Location
Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California
.
One vintage thing that has disappeared in my lifetime, thank goodness: spray-on accoustic 'popcorn' ceilings (which look more like cottage cheese). Read and hurl: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popcorn_ceiling


"Cheaper than painting, it could be quickly and easily sprayed on in new construction and was also useful in masking ceiling defects in older homes, such as stains, uneven ceilings or poor workmanship.... Unfortunately, its bright white 'cottage cheese' texture often contained asbestos.... Popcorn ceilings become unattractive when they get dirty, are easily damaged, and are hard to clean, repaint, or repair."
 
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LizzieMaine

Bartender
Messages
33,715
Location
Where The Tourists Meet The Sea
Kalsomine paint isn't much better. It was a cheap glue-based whitewash used on ceilings in the early 20th century, and the problem is nothing will stick to it -- if you paint over it, the new paint will just flake right off no matter what you do. The only way to deal with it is scrub the Kalsomine off -- every bit of it -- right down to the bare plaster. Or you can just leave it alone in the first place and not even think about painting over it.
 

Earl Needham

Familiar Face
Messages
92
Location
Clovis, NM
Interesting thread.

What's disappeared during my lifetime?

Vacuum tubes. 807's, 811A's, 572B's, 3-1000Z's, 3-500Z's, etc. OK, some of these are still available from Russian companies, but mostly the good Eimac tubes are no longer available.

At least Vibroplex bugs are still available.
 
Messages
13,460
Location
Orange County, CA
.
One vintage thing that has disappeared in my lifetime, thank goodness: spray-on accoustic 'popcorn' ceilings (which look more like cottage cheese). Read and hurl: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popcorn_ceiling


"Cheaper than painting, it could be quickly and easily sprayed on in new construction and was also useful in masking ceiling defects in older homes, such as stains, uneven ceilings or poor workmanship.... Unfortunately, its bright white 'cottage cheese' texture often contained asbestos.... Popcorn ceilings become unattractive when they get dirty, are easily damaged, and are hard to clean, repaint, or repair."

A friend of mine did that kind of work years ago. He often worked the oddest hours. It was not unusual for him to go to work at 2:00 AM because they often did businesses such as restaurants and bars and the only time they could do the spraying was after hours. Unfortunately my house (built in 1971) has that kind of ceiling.
 
I'm just teasing as well, most of my friends have white or just slightly off-white walls. But I live in a house that was built in 1846 and painting the walls white in that house would be sacrilege. My studio in the barn on the other hand has got white walls ;)

1846? That is quite a while ago. If that was here it would have either wallpaper or wood paneling, mouldings etc. The bad part is that some idiot will have likely painted over the solid wood paneling and mouldings.:eusa_doh:
 
I need a picture of this.

It is hard to see but I will try.
Bar.jpg
 

TidiousTed

Practically Family
Messages
532
Location
Oslo, Norway
1846? That is quite a while ago. If that was here it would have either wallpaper or wood paneling, mouldings etc. The bad part is that some idiot will have likely painted over the solid wood paneling and mouldings.:eusa_doh:

The house is timber with vertical paneling on both sides, Outside it has always been ocre yellow with white windowframes and corner casing and deep olive green doors. Inside the walls only had four layers of paint, the three at the bottom linseed oil painting. The only thing that was not original when I bought it was the kitchen, but I know enough about how it might have looked to bring it back to near original.
 
Messages
11,579
Location
Covina, Califonia 91722
For once in my life, I'd like to run into a sign that says "Hot Beer". ;)

Actually these selling points "Ice Cold Beer" or "The Coldest Beer in Town" are very American. The switch from Ales to Lagers made for a switch in the temperature range of fermentation and the similar change in serving temperature. Cold kills the flavor of beer. Lagers are meant to be served at about 50-55 degrees F and Ales a bit higher. The trend to dry and light beer is a trend that started after Prohibition where the accountants and the sales guys pushed for less ingriedients and less flavor less bittering to open the market up to people that ordinarily don't like beer. So a dry and or light beer at 32 degrees in a frosted mug has only a small amount of flavor more than club soda.
 

rue

Messages
13,319
Location
California native living in Arizona.

scottyrocks

I'll Lock Up
Messages
9,178
Location
Isle of Langerhan, NY
I like color on my walls but not Ringling Bros bright. I like rich earthy tones.

It's not that British, or European beer is 'warm.' It's just not ice cold. Some British pubs I've been in, at least in the Manchester area, store their beer in kegs that are sometimes kept at ground level, or even below ground level. This keeps the beer cool, but not cold, and it certainly isn't warm as if it was heated. Those Boddington Bitters were amongst the best beers I've ever had, served up in their natural environment.
 
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