Photo Etching: No. 36 (Workshop Practice)

This book was listed as 'used but clean'. I couldn't have guessed it had ever even been opened; a nice surprise. (It has, now.) The book itself is all I could hope for, clear, well illustrated and informative about processes and methods. Slightly surprised to find that it is about very high quality ship modelling as i am a car man myself, but nevertheless a fascinating and enlightening glimpse into another expert world. Worth every penny. Thank you, Sutherland Books, for your efficiency and modesty.

Good book realy informative.

It wasn't ideal for my needs (in coverage terms), but I had guessed that might be the case before I ordered it. In other respects it was fine.

A very detailed book but heavily related to marine modelling.

thx

The authors clearly have experience with photo etching, and the included drawings and pictures are quite helpful. The photos show etched sheets as well as completed models, and illustrate what can go right when you know what you're doing (and wrong when you don't). The reproductions are clear and crisp, although I would've liked -- at least once or twice -- to see a single design make its way through each of the different stages of the process. As it is, the authors break continuity by showing a different design on each page.Unfortunately, the writing is stilted and frequently phrased in the passive voice. For instance, here's a typical passage: "It is obvious that such strips are best produced in black by a pen of the Rotring type rather than two parallel cutting lines." The whole book reads like this. Perhaps the addition of an editor -- or even just a few commas -- might've been helpful.Secondly, and more detrimentally, the methods used by the authors are seriously outdated. Most of the book covers the design stage, and the authors only seem to draw their designs with a pencil or pen on paper. There's a brief mention of computers at the beginning (and a short chapter on CAD), but most of the book assumes the reader has a pencil and t-square in hand. Apparently, much of the material was written in 1988, but even then, I wouldn't have considered doing this kind of work without a computer. I'm certainly not looking for a formal tutorial on CAD, but I suspect a discussion of .010" line width on a laser printer would've been infinitely more useful than the type of pen to use.Chapter 8 covers home etching (as opposed to industrial etching), but again, the methods are hopelessly outdated. The authors use ceramic dishes (you know, for food...) to do their etching rather than an etching tank with a heater and agitator (commonly available for $40-$50 these days). I can imagine my grandfather doing things this way, but not anyone reading a book published in 2005. Every time I turn the page, I half expect to see a photo of the authors using a slide rule.Finally, there's no discussion of materials (e.g., brass, steel, nickel silver), and very little coverage of two-sided etching. In all, this book is not nearly as useful as it could've been, and no match for the wide variety of etching tutorials freely available on the web.

Clear and full explanation of the processes. Good value. Prompt delivery.