The Art of Fixing Things

Product Description

You may not have realized it yet, but survival is now the new normal for many families. There was no nuclear war, super disease, or mutant virus, just years of junk products that has left many of us broke and dependent on others. This is the book you must read before you read any other ‘how-to’ guide to repairing cars, household appliances, garden machines, and farm equipment, or doing home improvements. It is a resource for smart people who have never had the opportunity to learn the basics of tool use, maintenance and repairs. It contains useful information not found in any other publication, and is the first new book in many years on this subject. Written by the third generation, in a family of self reliant do-it-yourself people, many of these 150 Tips and Tricks come to you from a time when we repaired our possessions, rather than throwing them away. For the complete beginner, and the more experienced home repairer, it contains 185 crisp black and white photo illustrations, direct, and simple explanations, and easy to follow directions, for doing repairs, and making things last longer. The information presented in this book will give you the courage, and information, to tackle simple and complex repairs. In this book, find out HOW TO: • Get your car to start. • Sharpen scissors, blender blades, pruning shears, lawn mower blades. • Start that lawnmower in the spring and snow blower in the winter. • Make new threads. • Get your fax machine, or copier to work better. • Hold a screwdriver, hammer or pliers. • Fix things with random parts. • Persuade your car’s engine to last longer. • Make fittings leak proof. • Tighten and loosen things, without damaging the machine. • Find the best appliances at the best prices. • Repair household lamps and appliances. • Buy the right nuts and bolts. And much more. IT IS EASY, YOU CAN DO IT !

Top Reviews

I personally like the way the book is written
by Mario Brown (4 out of 5 stars)
January 15, 2016

I personally like the way the book is written, and the information within. Lawrence sounds to be a shoot-from-the-hip good ol' boy, but the information is clear and concise with a dash of humor. Sure, there are going to be things in here that every handyman knows, I feel like the average millenial gen. consumer could benefit way more than someone who grew up fixing things. There is some China-bashing, but not in the sense that he ever questions the character of a person from China, just the truth that as a country on average the trend is to put out massive amounts of lower-quality products that will break under normal wear and tear with the expectation being that the consumer will just go ahead and buy another one. He doesn't call them names, he just doesn't pick up what they're laying down. I grew up around tools but never really took the time to learn about them and I've read a ton of things so far that I didn't know. If you're a pro then by all means save your money but like I say I think the average person my age (25-30) would fail a test written using this book as a reference. The fact that the pictures are in black and white doesn't bother me, hell most of the pictures are of metal objects, they're a shiny silver color, use your imagination, it's a twelve dollar book. You can scoff at tips such as "Household electrical current can kill you", but 30,000 people a year find out the hard way. Somebody needs to say it. So I'm enjoying expanding my knowledge with this book. Would I put it on my coffee table? No, but why would I have people over for coffee and then leave them long enough to have them read a book?
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Some good stuff, some okay, and some just plain bad
by Trager (3 out of 5 stars)
June 13, 2019

To preface, I'm an engineer with some training in fabrication and I've done a bit of electrical work on the side. I got this book because I'm always looking for tips and tricks, especially in aspects of toolwork that I don't do enough. A few years ago, I did a partial business renovation with a professional carpenter, and the knowledge i picked up working alongside him was invaluable in subsequent projects.

I had been hoping that this book would offer more learning like that experience. And yes, there are some good tips. There's also quite a bit of repetition. Then there are some points that I would actively contest - a knife steel is meant for honing, not sharpening, and you should know the difference. WD-40 should not be the lubricant of choice for things that you want to work for long periods of time, and it's not the right thing to use in every situation.

Lastly, while I understand some frustration with Chinese manufacturing, the regular and repeated screeds against Chinese products grew irritation. Not all American made gear is good, not all Chinese stuff is bad.
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Must have for new engineers, maintenance mechanics, and anyone else who has to fix things.
by Thomas Maloney (5 out of 5 stars)
November 30, 2015

This book is brilliant. This book truly is about the "art" of fixing things. While it probably doesn't offer the technical details most who gave it negative reviews were looking for, it does provide a wealth of hard won practical knowledge the author has gained over a lifetime of fixing things.

I've worked as a product design engineer, industrial engineer, manufacturing engineer, maintenance engineer, engineering manager, maintenance manager, plant manager, and general manager in companies of all sizes. I've hired a lot of engineers straight out of college and maintenance mechanics fresh from trade schools, and this is now one of the books that I give to them or recommend that they read. It covers a lot of the little things - and big things - that are usually only learned on the job and can save a lot of time and embarrassment for those who read this book. Will it teach you everything you need to know to fix something? No, it won't, and I don't know of one book that will. But it will regularly help you get the job done better and faster. And if you work in industry and have a problem with the author's down to earth, conversational style, you're going to have a hard time relating to a lot of good, knowledgable people on the shop floor.

If you're into the DIY or Maker movements, I highly recommend this book. You may never have access to someone with the author's level of practical knowledge of how to just get things done.
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It's a great book for anyone who is looking to learn how ...
by Samantha E. Meyer (5 out of 5 stars)
April 13, 2015

Purchased this for my boyfriend for his birthday. It's a great book for anyone who is looking to learn how to fix things! I grew up with a father he knew how to fix just about everything and when I started to date my boyfriend, I quickly learned his father never knew/taught him how to fix things. This book helped give him some of the basic guidelines to learning and having the confidence to make a quick fix with random items at home. It also helped develop his mechanical skills.
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I almost think a book like this needs to be massive in size and scope ...
by Amazon Customer (3 out of 5 stars)
May 30, 2017

It was OK. I expected some more tips that were directly applicable to my life. I keep hoping the need to fix something that is in the book would come up, but I have had it for 3 years and have yet to reference it. I almost think a book like this needs to be massive in size and scope and cost 5x as much so it is guaranteed to be used. I would prefer an almanac of fixing thing instead a small guide.
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There is no magic
by Gregory Lewis (5 out of 5 stars)
February 8, 2015

This is a great book, especially if you have no Dad, Granddad, or uncle around to ask. It's a non- exhaustive collection of very good things to know. It is also thought provoking. Some time ago, I learned that there is no magic, just the proper application of thought and a few (remarkably few) simple techniques, such as the ones in this book. Read the book, re-read it and prepare yourself to be amazed at what you can easily do.

Maybe that is magic!
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General Info
by Stina (3 out of 5 stars)
February 13, 2013

Purchased this book for my husband who is not handy at all...figured this might get him interested in fixing things. This book is geared more towards people who already know a little something and sometimes it's too general and other times, way too specific. Books like these are almost useless because everyone can find everything out through the internet. If you are looking for a filler gift, this book is priced right and it's a substantial size so it will not look like a cheap gift.
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Xenophobe's guide for people who don't know a wrench
by calzon chino (1 out of 5 stars)
November 16, 2017

I may not be the intended audience, but spends huge amounts of time on very trivial things. Also, the amount of times he drops in snide comments about Chinese products is off-putting. The latter part makes me regret contributing money to him.
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How to without the experts tools.
by David Hobkirk (4 out of 5 stars)
January 25, 2013

I thought this was going to be a different book than it was. Was disappointed early with it's simplicity, but by the end, felt that it had real merit in terms of imparting some basics about how to work around mechanical things, and how to do it without buying out Sears Tool Catalog along the way. This will make sense to those of us who have made things work with a string and an old screwdriver, some hammers and a lot of adjustable pliers that got us through that one job we had to do.
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very useful. You need to know some machanical stuff in ...
by Jaime Torres (5 out of 5 stars)
February 26, 2018

Very, very useful. You need to know some machanical stuff in order to fully enjoy this book!

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