1961 How-To-Do-It Encyclopedia (Part 1)

I finally got my hands on a complete set of the Mechanix Illustrated How-To-Do-It Encyclopedia. There are 16 Volumes and was published in 1961 by Golden Press and Fawcett Publications. These are a great reference for today's do it yourself types that are looking to replicate the Mid Century style. A bunch of the info and pictures are just plain comical. Mainly because it isn't how it is done anymore. If you get a hold of these books, I wouldn't advise following the electrical and HVAC info too closely. You would probably burn your house down. :)

I think there are some really neat stuff in these and I thought I would share the good stuff. A few of the topics are kinda bland and I'm not showing you all the pages of course. Some topics don't have much to look at while others take up half the book. Many of the projects have a good discription and diagrams to build off of.

If you would like to see more of a certain topic don't be afraid to let me know. I will try to accommodate everyone. I can scan whole pages if it a topic everyone wants to see. Again, a few of the them I will just glaze over because of not much to look at. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do...

VOLUME 1

AIR CONDITIONING:

Nothing too great in this section but I dig the look of this HVAC control unit. Too bad they don't look this good anymore.
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ALARMS:
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APPLIANCE REPAIR:

I just like these pictures. The woman with the window fan looks like she could be on a game show.

Who knew a toaster could bring so much joy?

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AQUAIRUMS:

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ARCHERY:

I would actually like to do this. Not too shabby on the reference material in this section. I'm sure there are better modern tutorials out there but I like to know how they did it at one time.
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ASTRONOMY:

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ATTICS:

I love the look of this room. The furniture is the coolest. I noticed that there are two wire boomerang ashtrays on the coffee table. I have one like that...

http://atomicaddiction.blogspot.com/2008/01/ashes-to-ashes.html

Ya gotta like home-built beds and cabinets. His space bedding is neat. I like the globe with legs on it too.
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That's all for now folks. There is a lot more to look at so come on back, ya hear!