SOURCES OF INFORMATION FOR REPAIRING
TOOLS, PARTS, INSTRUCTION MANUALS, ETC.
Note: We don’t take responsibility for the contents of these sites but offer them up as resources for your research. Many are excellent!
(updated June 2024)
iFixit.com — Outstanding
iFixit — a MOST outstanding source for parts, tool and diagnostics. And encouragement!
https://www.ifixit.com/
The iFixit YouTube channel offers a wide range of repair how-to’s: Channel
The Restart Project — Outstanding
The Restart Project Technical Resources Page — “In this page, we list some of the websites that we in the Restart community have found most useful in helping us towards a repair."
In short: Go directly here: https://wiki.restarters.net/Resources
Restart Wiki, "a place where those of us in the Restarters community with experience and skills in mending appliances and gadgets can share them with those who are starting out, or whose own knowledge lies in different areas. [Restart Wiki] isn't going to show you how to fix a particular make and model of device, which we leave to the various fix-it sites and many disassembly videos. Here, we concentrate on basic and widely applicable principles." https://wiki.restarters.net/
YouTube — Outstanding
You Tube — a veritable plethora of excellent videos walking step by step through the nitty gritty of repairing all kinds of things — https://www.youtube.com/
Great tutorials
Patagonia / iFixit Collaboration: Care and Repair Program — iFixit presents guides for repairing a wide range of Patagonia products: outerwear, bottoms, tops, luggage and fasteners; product care guides; in-the-field fix guides; learn to sew. https://www.ifixit.com/Patagonia
Patagonia Quick Watch Tutorials — “One of the most responsible things you can do as a consumer is to keep your stuff in play as long as possible–and our care and repair tutorials can help you do that.” https://www.patagonia.com/repairs/
Repair What You Wear — Mending Tutorials: “Repair What You Wear is a unique, free to access website that teaches and inspires anyone to easily mend their own clothes. At a time when people are increasingly aware of the importance of reducing waste as well as saving money, Repair What You Wear gives people easy to use techniques and skills to mend their own clothes.” https://repairwhatyouwear.com
Mend! A Refashioning Manual and Manifesto — Offering a compelling and insightful multidimensional treatment of what mending is, Mend! finds a home both on this page and on Scholarship and Research. Mend! is “is a manual with a message.” Much of the book is how-to — from teaching the basic stitches, to what tools and materials a basic sewing basket (a/k/a toolkit!) should contain, to working with the many types of fibers, there is everything a novice needs to begin, and yet more to advance a competent sewer. But that practical is presented in a framework exploring the larger context — the social, economic, political, personal dimensions of mending. “How we tend our textiles is as intimate and important as what we feed ourselves … They’re just clothes, but if enough people adopted more creative ways of sourcing, tending , and mending them, we’d fix much that’s wrong with the world.” https://visiblemending.com/
Visible Mending — In addition to Mend! (above), there are many, many terrific how-to sites on how to mend and how to do visible mending. Best is to do your own search, but a couple that leap up are: Visible Mending 101: How to Extend the Life of Your Wardrobe, and A Beginner’s Guide to Mending Your Clothing.
Girls Garage: How to Use Any Tool, Tackle Any Project, and Build the World You Want — "Girls Garage is the only book you'll ever need for a lifetime of building and repair. Packed with over 175 illustrated tool guides, 11 how-to projects, 21 essential skills, and 15 inspiring stories from real-world builder girls and women, Girls Garage will inspire you to fill up your toolbox and get building!" This book isn’t just for girls; it’s for anyone who wants to learn how to make and repair stuff, and to develop the confidence they can do it. https://girlsgarage.org/book/
Various Sites
We don’t take responsibility for the contents of these sites but offer them up as resources for your research.
All About Electronic Circuits for Kids: https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Info/All-About-Electronic-Circuits-for-Kids (Thank you Eliza!)
Appliance Parts: https://www.applianceparts.com/
The Bower Repair Works Online Workshops: https://bower.org.au/workshops-repairs/repairworks-online/
The Crucible Bike Maintenance: https://www.thecrucible.org/guides/bike-maintenance/
The Crucible Bike Repair: https://www.thecrucible.org/guides/bike-maintenance/repair-a-bike/
dHow: https://www.ehow.com/
Do It Yourself: https://www.doityourself.com/
e Replacement Parts: https://www.ereplacementparts.com/
Electricity Glossary of Terms for Homeowners: https://www.austinrealestate.com/electricity-glossary-of-terms.php
Family Handiman: https://www.familyhandyman.com/
Fine Homebuilding: http://www.finehomebuilding.com/
Fix-It Club: https://fixitclub.com/fix-it-guides/
fixya: http://www.fixya.com/
Glue: This to That: https://thistothat.com/index.shtml
”Because people have a need to glue things to other things"
How Stuff Works: http://www.howstuffworks.com/
How Stuff Works Appliances: https://home.howstuffworks.com/how-to-repair-small-appliances.htm
Instructables: https://www.instructables.com/
Madison Trust Company; “A Guide to Soldering Metal, Gold, and Circuits”: https://www.madisontrust.com/client-resources/articles/guide-to-soldering-metal-gold-and-circuits/ (Thank you Trevor!)
Manuel Library — model information, images, owners manuals, service manuals and product catalogues for HiFi equipment. https://www.hifiengine.com/manual-library.shtml
Makezine: http://makezine.com/
Repair Clinic: https://www.repairclinic.com/
Repair Parts Plus: https://www.repairpartsplus.com/
Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ: Repairfaq.org
Sears PartsDirect: https://www.searspartsdirect.com/
Share Reuse Repair — Metro Vancouver’s Think Thrice Campaign: Basic mending videos
https://www.sharereuserepair.org/repair-at-home-resources.html
Small Household Appliances and Power Tools: http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/appfaq.htm
wikiHow: https://www.wikihow.com/Main-Page