speaking of toasters

[jazzfish]

The first toaster I actually owned came from my parents. I suspect my mother picked it up at an estate sale. I used it for a month or so before noticing its tendency to spark when I pulled the lever down. This, as they say, was not a good sign.

Fortunately the next-door-neighbors were having a yard sale, and I picked up their old automatic toaster for $5. Yeah, automatic. No levers or nothin', you drop the toast* in and it just starts toasting. Pops up (slowly) when it's done. Gorgeous 1950s stainless steel casing Very space-age.

(. . . hm. A quick glance at the bottom of the toaster and then Google Image tells me that it's a Sunbeam T-20B and holy cow, someone thinks they can get $40 for it.)

Anyway, a week or two ago it set off the smoke alarm while cooking up a midnight snack. I shook the crispy bits out of the bottom and thought no more about it. Then the same thing happened yesterday. See previous experience of Signs, Not Good. Upon close examination one of the guide wires seems to have come loose from the bottom. Plus, well, fifty-year-old electrical device, probably used daily for much of that time.

Target carries toasters. They wanted $25-30 for most of them. These toasters have separate setting for 'defrost' and 'warm,' at a minimum; several had a half-dozen buttons plus the normal toast-me lever. Absolutely none were automatic. Bah. All I want is to put the toast* in, and have it come out warm and browned. I don't want to have to think about buttons or settings in the mornings. It's all I can do to think about levers. (One toaster had two levers. One made things toast. The other pushed them up out of the toaster so you could grab them. This is a textbook example of 'overkill.' A pity, as except for the ugly levers sticking out the sides it was rather attractive.)

The toaster I wound up with was the lowest of the low-end. Two slots, one knob, one lever. It's not automatic, and it's white plastic instead of stainless steel. But it's got a Pop-Tart setting on the dial. Bah. It'll do for now.

Anyone know a toaster repairman?

Comments

[fuzzface00.livejournal.com]

I believe that was the model used for the first SNMP-managed Toaster.

[uilos.livejournal.com]

If you bring me the toaster I am more than willing to take it apart and see what I can do with it. I've taken my toaster oven apart and know exactly why it sucks, I'm just not able to get the part that I would need to make it less sucky and it would likely cost just as much to get a new one.

[jonny-law.livejournal.com]

I would have thought the textbook example of overkill is putting toast into the toaster.

[vond.livejournal.com]

I suspect that this repair needs the use of a soldering iron, beyond just taking the thing apart. The good news is that it should be an easy repair for someone who's comfortable with DIY electronics, or in this case, electrics.

[jlfranklin.livejournal.com]

Are you talking about this one? (http://www.embeddedarm.com/news/netbsd_toaster.htm)

[shadowsong.livejournal.com]

hehe, that's the toaster we got for work. :) i was gunning for a toaster oven, but i suspect the price difference was a bit too large.

[dasphios.livejournal.com]

Likewise. One generally uses bread, or at least explains their asterisks.

[jonny-law.livejournal.com]

I don't know if it's Firefox, or the Popup Alt Attribute or Alt-text for Links extensions, but placing the mouse over the asterisk generates a text box containing "Or, in [Tucker's] case, Pop-Tarts" for me.

[jazzfish]

Where on earth did you find one?

And yeah, cheap toaster ovens tended towards the pricier end of the toaster range. (I don't really like toaster-oven toast, so I didn't look too closely.)

[jazzfish]

Oh. Thank you muchly. I'm not sure how easily it will disassemble, but it can't be too bad.

[jazzfish]

. . . dude. That rules.

[fuzzface00.livejournal.com]

Nope.

This one (http://www.livinginternet.com/i/ia_myths_toast.htm) developed by John Romkey and Simon Hackett.

[shadowsong.livejournal.com]

i meant the toaster you got (with the one lever, one dial with poptart setting) was the one we have. sorry to get your hopes up. :)

i don't like toaster oven toast, but i do like toaster oven cookies and grilled sandwiches.