5 comments about Good Gifts from the Home: Soaps, Shampoos & Other Suds: Make Beautiful Gifts to Give (or Keep) (Good Gifts from the Home).

1. This book is great for kids, or for those who enjoy "remilling" soaps. It wasn't what I was expecting, but still a good book. It is good for those that don't want to measure out lye, but I would recommend you look elsewhere if you are looking to make soap from scratch.



2. From the eyes of a beginner this book is great because most of the recipes don't cost a bundle or contain harmful chemicals like lye. (I dont think I want to experiment with lye just yet). This book also has ideas that are inexpensive and easy to follow. "Die-hard" soap makers that believe in only absolutly made-from-scratch recipes will most definatly not apprieciate this book. Many of the recipes start from store bought soap and shampoo which in my opinion does not reduce the quality of the end results. The things in this book are great for presents. I've actually have been asked by one of my friends if I would sell some of the things I make at her store!



3. Kelly Reno's book is great for beginners. It has simpler recipes where one doesn't have to buy all types of exotic ingredients. I especially liked the section on melt and pour soap recipes using glycerin soap. This is a great project for kids and for those who are a little hesitant to work with lye!



4. You can really be creative by using Kelly's base recipes and customizing them to your exact tastes for color and fragrance. We made all our Christmas gifts to rave reviews and the all natural ingredients are safe for the kids to use.



5. I was excited when I read this book I quickly started looking for the ingredients to make my first soap. It was easy to make and very nice.

   I am, although, having a hard time locating shampoo concentrate for the shampoo recipes.

3 comments about How to Restore Classic Toy Cars, Trucks, Tractors, and Airplanes (How to Restore).

1. This is mainly for American Toys (which is fine), but, I was hoping for some Japanese toys also. But, still a good resource. Thanks.



2. If this book is supposed to be a how-to book as its title states, it falls very short. I couldn't find anything of use for me, since I want to restore much more delicate models, than those shown. Even the things the author talks about do not really explain how to do anything.
   
   I should have paid attention to the first reviewer.



3. This book basically says "sandblast the rust and then buy the missing parts". At best, it is a book about renovation not restoration. "The hubcaps 'appeared to be chrome' so we re-chromed them" is not a restoration statement but that of a hack. There is nothing on research (color matching, decals, creating missing parts, and so forth) and his examples are an endless repetition of the same theme of sandblasting . . . blah blah blah. He can't even tell you how to restore a serious dent or bend in the metal. The author does not seem to be a restoration expert but a writer about restoration. There is padding in the form of photographs of collectors. Tin plate models are really not covered in any depth yet these are the most difficult to restore. The list of suppliers of parts is pathetic. Don't waste your money. It is not even worth a 1 star rating.

No comments about Organic Chemistry of Museum Objects, Second Edition (Conservation and Museology).

No comments about Lacquer: Technology and Conservation (Conservation and Museology Series).

No comments about Restoring Teddy Bears and Stuffed Animals.

2 comments about Restoration of Motion Picture Film (Butterworth-Heinemann Series in Conservation and Museology).

1. This book covers in detail the film restoration process. It starts out with information about film, its history and development and how we perceive light and motion. It then goes into the technical processes and into the ethical concerns that arise in doing a restoration project. One of the few books to cover the subject. This book is pricy, but thorough. At times it gets rather technical but overall I learned a lot about film as a medium and the considerations that any film-maker (especially the ones producing only digitally) should consider. It is written in a short section bullet-point format. This localizes the concepts and discussions in concise areas which helps the reader - when the going gets too technical you can skip easily to the next bullet. The books has a section on techniques and case studies too, as well as a comprehensive glossary. Overall I found this to be a meticulous work on the subject. I'm giving it a generous 5/5 stars, mainly because it is one of the only books on the subject, and it does it very well.



2. This book covers in detail the film restoration process. It starts out with information about film, its history and how we perceive light and motion. It then goes into the technical processes and into the ethical concerns that arise in doing a restoration project. One of the few books to cover the subject. This book is pricy, but thorough. At times it gets rather technical but overall I learned a lot about film as a medium and the considerations that any film-maker (especially the ones producing only digitally) should consider, in terms of how to preservation. It is written in a short section bullet-point format. This localizes the concepts and discussions in concise areas which helps the reader - when the going gets too technical you can skip easily to the next bullet. The books has a section on techniques and case studies too, as well as a comprehensive glossary. Overall I found this to be a meticulous work on the subject. I'm giving it a generous 5/5 stars, mainly because it is one of the only books on the subject, and it does it very well.

2 comments about Caring for Your Family Treasures: Heritage Preservation.

1. This is a most useful, new (year 2000) 164 page, fully illustrated guide to preserving your family treasures. All of the information in this lovely guidebook was approved by a panel of experts. Topics range from protecting photos, film and videos, movies, paintings, clothing, furniture, glassware and musical instruments, to dolls, toys, natural items and military things, and more. The chapters are very concise, yet complete. Instructions are complete, and simple to follow. It even covers security and insurance of items. The time to begin preserving the items is now, and this book really shows you how. Add it to your library.



2. This book is a treasure and a saviour. I was able to preserve my family heritage using advise and techniques I learned from this book. It describes how to salvage and protect everything from paper items to military mementos. I cannot recommend it enough for anyone who is interested in keeping their family's keepsakes in good shape. Kudos to those who put this book together. It was as if they were talking to me!

No comments about Contemporary Theory of Conservation.

3 comments about Care and Repair of Classic Cameras for Photographers and Collectors.

1. Perhaps not as all-encompassing as it could be, Joe Lipincott's book still provides a lot of valuable information and belongs in the reference library of any camera collector.



2. Despite the book's all encompassing, comprehensive title, the information contained within is a series of very specialized essays on a number of small topics. Look at the table of contents and/or index to see if the topic you are interested in is covered. If it is not; look elsewhere.
   For the topics covered, the text and illustrations are very good.
   Good for what it covers.



3. Joe Lippincott is a working photojournalist who took up repairing his own mechanical cameras out of necessity and has produced a very nice book on this subject.

   Lippincott covers all the bases of mechanical camera repair that he feels the beginning and intermediate technician or hobbyist is safely capable of, and directs readers to "know when to say when" and send the unit in to professional facilities with fixturing and experience in the particulars involved. He covers repair, tools needed, modifications, and use of these cameras, with detailed assembly descriptions in many cases.

   Previously, the Ed Romney book, "Trade Secrets: Basic Training in Camera Repair", a volume published by Romney via toner process and GBC-bound, was the standard reference for beginners outside the "secret society" of professionals. Romney passed away in 1992, and his books suffered from time as hard use would cause them to disintegrate or the paper would age poorly-they were in essence photocopies.

   Also, many readers objected to Romnney's political and religious views which Romney occasionally digressed upon in his books and extensively on Usenet. Lippincott is strictly focused, makes no statements anyone anywhere could object to, and this book is very professionally offset print and bound.

   Lippincott's book is much more tightly focused than Romney's, which makes it less suitable as a casual primer or background read for the photographer just wanting an overview, but more useful to someone with good mechanical aptitude who wants to start in on a camera with minimal fuss.

   Romney's professional background in electronics-he wrote extensively on Amateur Radio and repair of vintage equipment-puts him ahead of Lippincott, who repeatedly refers to the unit of capacitance as the "ferrung" and shows little inclination for working on electronic cameras,in that department.

   Is Lippincott better than Romney? In some ways, clearly so, and in others I would prefer Romney's book combined with the specific service manual for the camera involved. (Many of which Romney reprinted as well.) The fact is, I like both of them and hopefully someone will eventually publish Romney's work in a proper book, preferably durably shop-manual bound on acid free paper. In the meantime, I recommend this book without reservation for people intent on repairing _mechanical_ cameras.

No comments about Copper and Bronze in Art: Corrosion, Colorants, Conservation.