or tapering, the hair was combed into up to about 22 sections or locks, a process known a sectioning or squaring off. Each lock of hair was then wound onto the curler (which was basically a rod standing perpendicular to the head), starting at the bottom using the hair nearest the scalp and proceeding spirally up the curler for the length of the lock. For this reason, the process was colloquially referred to as root winding. Considerable ingenuity was exercised in designing the curler to minimize the time, effort and difficulties entailed in winding. In early models, the heaters had a tendency to flop downward on to the head, but with improved designs, they tended to point outwards (see illustration). A second type of curler was invented later, allegedly in 1924 by a Czech hairdresser called Josef Mayer. In this method, the hair was fed through a small clamp which, after winding, would hold the two ends of a roller. The ends of the hair were held on the roller which was wound around a point until it reached the clamp into which it was inserted. For obvious reasons, this was called point-winding. Mayer attempted to claim a patent on this method of winding, which was challenged in a Federal lawsuit by the National Hairdressers' and Cosmetologists' Association. Calvete designed a new type of heater for this called a croquignole heater which fitted over the winding, rather like a bulldog clip. The trend was to replace some of the tubular heaters on the sides of the head with croquignole ones, to allow greater scope of styling. Development of the units Apart from portable models which became available later, some system of support was necessary for the curlers. At first these were fixed to the ceiling, but these were soon replaced by a machine that was universally adopted. A vertical metal pipe held a circular unit, called a "chandelier" from which the heaters were suspended. The bottom of the pipe was mounted on a base with wheels which enabled the device to be moved easily between clients or to one side of the salon. By providing a structure from which to distribute the electricity to the heaters, as well as to keep all of them in the correct position and orientation, the chandelier helped minimize the weight of the entire system while also keeping things tidy. Because of expense, the early