WEBVTT
Kind: captions
Language: en

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By the time this video is over, you’re gonna
to be mad at your toaster.

00:00:04.360 --> 00:00:07.380
This is a Sunbeam Radiant Control toaster.

00:00:07.390 --> 00:00:09.460
It’s pretty old.

00:00:09.460 --> 00:00:12.110
One might say, quite old.

00:00:12.110 --> 00:00:16.390
This particular toaster was most likely made
in the early 1960’s, but its design goes

00:00:16.390 --> 00:00:19.260
back at least to 1948.

00:00:19.260 --> 00:00:22.100
But don’t let its age fool you, in most respects,

00:00:22.100 --> 00:00:26.120
this chrome contraption is light years ahead of your toaster.

00:00:26.120 --> 00:00:31.020
Unless you have one of these in your kitchen,
you’ve never known true toasting luxury.

00:00:31.020 --> 00:00:32.280
Let me show you what I mean.

00:00:32.290 --> 00:00:37.170
To use this modern, fancy pants toaster, you
must first place your bread into the slots,

00:00:37.170 --> 00:00:39.890
then firmly press down on this lever.

00:00:39.890 --> 00:00:41.430
Then you must wait.

00:00:41.430 --> 00:00:45.840
Once the timer reaches zero, your toast is
thrust upward with passionate fury,

00:00:45.840 --> 00:00:47.720
and you may now enjoy your toast.

00:00:47.720 --> 00:00:52.820
Now, to use this practically antique toaster,
you begin by inserting your bread slices into

00:00:52.839 --> 00:00:55.200
the slots and then…

00:00:55.200 --> 00:00:57.120
eu whaaaa?

00:00:57.120 --> 00:00:59.300
Did that... the bread.

00:01:00.160 --> 00:01:02.100
It just went down on its own.

00:01:02.980 --> 00:01:05.020
What madness is this?

00:01:06.460 --> 00:01:08.160
Oh, but this is an old fashioned toaster.

00:01:08.160 --> 00:01:10.300
It doesn’t have that digital display to
warn me

00:01:10.300 --> 00:01:12.220
[audible click]
 that the toast is gonna pop up.

00:01:13.220 --> 00:01:14.480
Wait, did it just shut off?

00:01:15.980 --> 00:01:17.240
*stares intensely as bread rises*

00:01:17.820 --> 00:01:20.740
(in a slow whisper)
What is happening?

00:01:20.740 --> 00:01:25.060
Now, if you’re like me, you’re not just
flabbergasted by this toaster’s effortless,

00:01:25.060 --> 00:01:30.880
silent, and fluid operation; you’re also
mad at how clunky and obnoxious this much,

00:01:30.880 --> 00:01:32.630
much newer toaster is.

00:01:32.630 --> 00:01:35.120
Let’s go for another round of toast.

00:01:35.120 --> 00:01:39.300
Literally the only thing you have to do with
this toaster, assuming you’ve set the darkness

00:01:39.300 --> 00:01:42.640
where you want it, is place the bread in the
slots.

00:01:42.640 --> 00:01:45.540
It does the rest, and in style.

00:01:45.540 --> 00:01:47.980
This is how all toasters should work!

00:01:47.980 --> 00:01:51.800
Before we get too deep into this toaster,
you might want to check out a video I quite

00:01:51.800 --> 00:01:55.300
recently made about the electromagnet in your
toaster.

00:01:55.300 --> 00:01:59.370
There is a beautiful elegance to the way modern
toasters operate, and it was in making that

00:01:59.370 --> 00:02:03.180
video that I was reminded of these 20th century
marvels.

00:02:03.180 --> 00:02:06.680
You’ll of course find a link to that video
in the description, or you can click the card

00:02:06.690 --> 00:02:07.690
up above.

00:02:07.690 --> 00:02:09.270
Let’s start with aesthetics.

00:02:09.270 --> 00:02:13.719
If you don’t find this toaster to be downright
beautiful, then frankly you don’t deserve

00:02:13.719 --> 00:02:15.790
its operational perfection.

00:02:15.790 --> 00:02:20.450
The polished chrome is such a beautiful finish,
and it’s been crafted into a timeless shape.

00:02:20.450 --> 00:02:25.120
The right hand toast slot is marked “One
Slice”, as this slot contains both the actuator

00:02:25.120 --> 00:02:28.709
lever to start the toast cycle, as well as
the thermostat.

00:02:28.709 --> 00:02:32.740
Bakelight handles on either side enable you
to move the toaster when it’s hot, and the

00:02:32.740 --> 00:02:36.129
darkness control is hidden under the right
hand handle.

00:02:36.129 --> 00:02:40.010
On the bottom you’ll find the crumb tray,
as well as the various patents Sunbeam was

00:02:40.010 --> 00:02:42.409
most proud to be the holder of.

00:02:42.409 --> 00:02:45.299
Other than that, it’s just a pretty toaster.

00:02:45.299 --> 00:02:49.430
Really the only radically different thing
about this is its lack of a lever.

00:02:49.430 --> 00:02:51.760
But of course, that’s what’s so neat.

00:02:51.760 --> 00:02:54.200
So let’s take a closer look at the toasting
action.

00:02:54.200 --> 00:02:58.150
Looking down into the slots reveals the fact
that the right-hand side contains a lever

00:02:58.150 --> 00:02:59.989
that the bread falls on.

00:02:59.989 --> 00:03:03.109
This actuates the switch which starts the
toast cycle.

00:03:03.109 --> 00:03:07.310
Once its started, the bread immediately descends
into the toaster, and the heating elements

00:03:07.310 --> 00:03:08.980
begin to glow.

00:03:08.980 --> 00:03:12.599
Notice how the heating elements are different
in the center vs. the sides.

00:03:12.599 --> 00:03:16.219
Both heating element styles are necessary
for this toaster to function as intended,

00:03:16.219 --> 00:03:18.200
but we’ll get back to that.

00:03:18.200 --> 00:03:22.790
Once the toast cycle is complete, you hear
a click, the heating elements switch off,

00:03:22.790 --> 00:03:24.919
and the bread is slowly lifted back up.

00:03:24.919 --> 00:03:27.489
This toaster is clever in more ways than one.

00:03:27.489 --> 00:03:29.760
Not only is it Automatic Beyond Belief!

00:03:29.760 --> 00:03:33.380
it’s also using a very crafty thermostat design.

00:03:33.380 --> 00:03:39.020
Modern toasters operate based on a timer,
either using a logic chip or a more rudimentary circuit.

00:03:39.020 --> 00:03:43.480
Older toasters, like this, use a bimetallic
thermostat to end the toast cycle.

00:03:43.489 --> 00:03:48.209
But the way Sunbeam has used it here makes
for a very consistent toasting experience.

00:03:48.209 --> 00:03:52.329
If I activate the toaster by pushing the lever
down with a high-tech insulated poking device,

00:03:52.329 --> 00:03:56.079
you’ll see the bread lifters fall, and the
heating elements glow.

00:03:56.079 --> 00:03:59.129
But the toaster barely runs before shutting
off.

00:03:59.129 --> 00:04:00.129
Why is that?

00:04:00.129 --> 00:04:04.200
Well, the reason the heating elements are
so different on the sides versus the middle,

00:04:04.200 --> 00:04:08.139
is to allow the thermostat to “see” the
bread.

00:04:08.139 --> 00:04:12.109
The bimetallic strip lives right between these
two heating coils, and it’s shielded from

00:04:12.109 --> 00:04:14.360
their heat output by these little wings.

00:04:14.360 --> 00:04:19.300
When it’s toasting, the bimetallic strip
isn’t warmed significantly by the heating elements;

00:04:19.300 --> 00:04:24.139
instead it’s warmed mainly by
the heat radiating from the bread itself.

00:04:24.139 --> 00:04:28.340
This means that, effectively, it measures
the surface temperature of the bread in order

00:04:28.340 --> 00:04:29.970
to determine how done it is.

00:04:29.970 --> 00:04:32.060
That’s where the toaster gets its name.

00:04:32.060 --> 00:04:33.480
Radiant control.

00:04:33.520 --> 00:04:38.360
By pointing the thermostat at the bread, it’s
able to consistently trip at the same relative

00:04:38.370 --> 00:04:42.669
darkness, pretty much regardless of how hot
the toaster itself is.

00:04:42.669 --> 00:04:45.770
Here, I’ll let the patent speak for itself:

00:04:45.770 --> 00:04:49.120
The principle of operation of the control
mechanism is based upon the fact that the

00:04:49.120 --> 00:04:53.760
surface of a bread slice emits a definite
amount of radiant heat per unit area of surface

00:04:53.760 --> 00:04:57.569
when brought to a preselected temperature
and on the fact that within the limits of

00:04:57.569 --> 00:05:02.210
permissible error a preselected temperature
at the bread surface will always correspond

00:05:02.210 --> 00:05:04.800
to a certain brownness thereof.

00:05:04.800 --> 00:05:09.099
For example, it appears that with bread of
normal composition practically no visible

00:05:09.099 --> 00:05:13.090
chemical change occurs in the surface of a
slice subjected to temperatures below about

00:05:13.090 --> 00:05:19.449
350 °F. However, as the temperature approaches
500 degrees, chemical changes occur at an

00:05:19.449 --> 00:05:21.099
increasing rate.

00:05:21.099 --> 00:05:25.580
Time and the rate of heat input are also factors
in the degree of chemical change produced,

00:05:25.580 --> 00:05:29.500
but the temperature factor has been found
to be so critical under the conditions prevailing

00:05:29.500 --> 00:05:34.740
in an ordinary bread toaster as to make the
other two factors of negligible importance.

00:05:34.740 --> 00:05:39.259
Thus when the bread surface, during the toasting
operation, reaches a predetermined color,

00:05:39.259 --> 00:05:43.830
the heat emission therefrom will always be
substantially the same, and this radiation

00:05:43.830 --> 00:05:47.930
or emission may be used for the purpose of
actuating a control mechanism.

00:05:47.930 --> 00:05:52.580
The reason why the toaster barely ran when
I started a toast cycle with the pen was that

00:05:52.580 --> 00:05:58.540
without bread in it, radiation from the center
elements can travel straight into the thermostat’s “eye”.

00:05:58.540 --> 00:06:02.740
It is shielded at the start of a toast cycle
by this little plate which falls as the bread

00:06:02.740 --> 00:06:06.979
does, but once it’s exposed to the heat
coming from the middle elements, it will quickly

00:06:06.979 --> 00:06:08.940
trip and stop the toast cycle.

00:06:08.940 --> 00:06:12.590
OK, so we know why the side elements are made
from two coils.

00:06:12.590 --> 00:06:15.419
So the thermostat’s “eye” can sit between
them.

00:06:15.419 --> 00:06:18.360
But why, then, isn’t the center element
the same?

00:06:18.360 --> 00:06:20.590
Why is it made of this thin wire?

00:06:20.590 --> 00:06:25.479
Well, that wire, believe it or not, is what
lowers the bread into the toaster.

00:06:25.479 --> 00:06:30.280
The entire mechanism is based around the thermal
expansion properties of the nichrome wire

00:06:30.280 --> 00:06:31.690
heating element.

00:06:31.690 --> 00:06:34.240
To better understand this, we need to take
this apart.

00:06:34.240 --> 00:06:39.620
And, through the magic of buying two of them,
I have an already-taken-apart one right here!

00:06:40.909 --> 00:06:44.740
With the rather ugly innards exposed, one
of the first things you’ll notice is this

00:06:44.750 --> 00:06:47.460
wild series of levers and linkages.

00:06:47.460 --> 00:06:51.770
These two arms form a third class lever, and
connect to the bread lifters through a linkage

00:06:51.770 --> 00:06:53.470
on the right hand side.

00:06:53.470 --> 00:06:56.340
The fulcrum of the lever is at the extreme
left.

00:06:56.340 --> 00:07:00.330
When the toaster is engaged, the arms swing
downward and thus bring the bread into the

00:07:00.330 --> 00:07:01.680
toasting position.

00:07:01.680 --> 00:07:05.460
It’s a little hard to see what makes them
fall, but watch closely.

00:07:09.900 --> 00:07:14.400
The force in our third class lever is applied
right here, and due to the nature of third

00:07:14.400 --> 00:07:19.259
class levers, the amount of motion imparted
by the force is greatly multiplied, however

00:07:19.259 --> 00:07:22.030
the strength of the force is greatly reduced.

00:07:22.030 --> 00:07:26.419
This doesn’t much matter, though, as we’re
just lifting a couple slices of bread.

00:07:26.419 --> 00:07:30.449
The force on our third class lever is itself
derived from the action of this first class

00:07:30.449 --> 00:07:35.530
lever, with the fulcrum here in the center,
and the input force coming from right here.

00:07:35.530 --> 00:07:37.560
Now here’s where things gets pretty clever.

00:07:37.560 --> 00:07:40.560
Mind blowingly clever, if I do say so myself.

00:07:40.569 --> 00:07:44.930
The input side of that lever is connected
to this crossbar, which is connected via a

00:07:44.930 --> 00:07:48.100
set screw to the central core of the toaster.

00:07:48.100 --> 00:07:52.940
It’s a little hard to see, and I’d rather
not remove it for fear of breaking the toaster,

00:07:52.940 --> 00:07:55.520
so here’s the image from the patent application.

00:07:55.520 --> 00:07:57.909
The part we want to focus on is here.

00:07:57.909 --> 00:08:02.340
The nichrome wire is wrapped many times around
two vertical structures, which are attached

00:08:02.340 --> 00:08:06.280
to each other via these flexible linkages
at the top and bottom.

00:08:06.280 --> 00:08:11.479
The nichrome wire is wrapped quite tightly,
so this entire thing is under tension.

00:08:11.479 --> 00:08:15.800
The squeezing force causes the two sides to
be pulled closer together, which flexes the

00:08:15.800 --> 00:08:21.729
top and bottom pieces, and slightly increases
the central core’s overall vertical length.

00:08:21.729 --> 00:08:24.469
This is how the toaster sits in its resting
state.

00:08:24.469 --> 00:08:28.449
When a piece of bread is inserted, the force
of the bread falling on the trip lever flexes

00:08:28.449 --> 00:08:33.039
the bimetallic strip via this linkage, and
engages the switch contacts.

00:08:33.039 --> 00:08:37.669
With power flowing through the heating wire,
it rapidly heats up, which causes it to expand

00:08:37.669 --> 00:08:39.490
ever so slightly.

00:08:39.490 --> 00:08:44.660
Being a wire, the effect is that it becomes
slightly longer, which in turn relaxes the

00:08:44.660 --> 00:08:50.139
squeezing force on the center core, and causes
it to get just a little bit shorter.

00:08:50.139 --> 00:08:54.190
That shortening of the central core structure
pulls up on the cross bar at the bottom of

00:08:54.190 --> 00:09:00.020
the toaster, which causes this lever to actuate,
which in turn lowers this piece ever so slightly,

00:09:00.020 --> 00:09:03.829
and thanks to the multiplication of movement
in our third class lever, causes the bread

00:09:03.829 --> 00:09:06.269
carriage to drop a dramatic amount.

00:09:06.269 --> 00:09:09.940
Once the thermostat trips and shuts power
off to the toaster, the nichrome wire will

00:09:09.940 --> 00:09:10.970
begin to cool.

00:09:10.970 --> 00:09:13.280
As it does, it gets slightly shorter,

00:09:13.280 --> 00:09:15.480
which squeezes the sides of the core together,

00:09:15.480 --> 00:09:16.760
which pushes on the bottom,

00:09:16.760 --> 00:09:18.620
which pulls this side
of the lever down,

00:09:18.620 --> 00:09:20.300
which pushes up on the 
third class lever,

00:09:20.300 --> 00:09:22.640
which pushes up on the
bread carriage itself,

00:09:22.640 --> 00:09:24.459
causing it to return to the top.

00:09:24.459 --> 00:09:26.589
Isn’t that just so neat?

00:09:26.589 --> 00:09:30.740
The design of this toaster used the physical
properties of the heating element itself to

00:09:30.740 --> 00:09:33.020
provide the motive force that makes the toaster

00:09:33.020 --> 00:09:35.300
Automatic Beyond Belief!

00:09:35.580 --> 00:09:41.100
Even though the wire relaxes just a teeny,
tiny bit, the resulting movement is harnessed,

00:09:41.110 --> 00:09:46.399
amplified, and directed so effectively, that
it revolutionized the way toasters work.

00:09:46.399 --> 00:09:51.160
And its almost accidental perfectness just
makes the whole thing more awesome!

00:09:51.160 --> 00:09:56.010
Because the nichrome wire has such a small
thermal mass, it almost immediately relaxes

00:09:56.010 --> 00:10:00.490
when the bread is inserted, quickly dropping
the bread into the toasting position.

00:10:00.490 --> 00:10:05.290
And when the power is switched off, it doesn’t
take long for it to cool and squeeze in again,

00:10:05.290 --> 00:10:07.649
pushing the toast back up.

00:10:07.649 --> 00:10:09.050
It just works.

00:10:09.050 --> 00:10:13.320
A component that needs to be in the toaster
anyway turned out to be the perfect motor

00:10:13.320 --> 00:10:15.410
for automated bread lifting.

00:10:15.410 --> 00:10:19.360
While this toaster sure is a pleasure to use
compared to any toaster you can buy in stores

00:10:19.360 --> 00:10:22.660
today, it does have some design weaknesses.

00:10:22.660 --> 00:10:25.120
Not many, though, and we can fix the worst
of them.

00:10:25.120 --> 00:10:29.029
Let’s talk about its circuitry, and you’ll
see what needs to be addressed.

00:10:29.029 --> 00:10:32.000
Obviously the circuitry in here is very simple.

00:10:32.000 --> 00:10:35.949
In fact it’s almost unfair to call it circuitry.

00:10:35.949 --> 00:10:40.030
This leaf switch right here is the only component
controlling the toaster.

00:10:40.030 --> 00:10:44.980
When the bread sensing lever is pushed down
by, oh I don’t know, bread, this little

00:10:44.980 --> 00:10:49.410
helper pushes on the bimetallic strip inside
the toaster, and once it flexes, it allows

00:10:49.410 --> 00:10:52.250
these contacts to touch, completing the circuit.

00:10:52.250 --> 00:10:57.410
The switch latches in place, and what releases
it is of course the action of the bimetallic strip.

00:10:57.410 --> 00:11:01.350
As it heats up, it deforms to an increasingly
greater extent.

00:11:01.350 --> 00:11:05.779
Once it’s deformed enough, it snaps back
into its original position and the two contacts

00:11:05.779 --> 00:11:08.000
are pushed apart with a click.

00:11:08.000 --> 00:11:11.710
The toaster is then shut off, and the bread
is returned to the top.

00:11:11.710 --> 00:11:16.350
The darkness control simply moves a little
peg that presses on the bimetallic strip.

00:11:16.350 --> 00:11:20.190
This increases or decreases the amount of
deformation in the strip that is required

00:11:20.190 --> 00:11:24.519
before it snaps back and breaks the circuit,
which in turn changes the temperature at which

00:11:24.519 --> 00:11:26.029
the contacts will open.

00:11:26.029 --> 00:11:31.060
Cleverly, the switch actuator can’t engage
the switch again until the toast is removed,

00:11:31.060 --> 00:11:33.250
thanks to this little swinging cup thing.

00:11:33.250 --> 00:11:37.610
Now if you know much at all about toasters
and circuit design, you might guess the literally

00:11:37.610 --> 00:11:40.380
fatal flaw of this toaster.

00:11:40.380 --> 00:11:45.519
Unless equipped with a polarized plug, there’s
a fifty-fifty chance that all of the heating

00:11:45.519 --> 00:11:50.589
elements and indeed the metal bus bars connecting
them inside the toaster are live at mains

00:11:50.589 --> 00:11:53.380
voltage even when the toaster is off.

00:11:53.380 --> 00:11:55.680
And, surprise surprise,

00:11:55.680 --> 00:11:58.180
this cord ain’t polarized!

00:11:58.180 --> 00:12:02.240
Now you know why you were taught to never
stick a knife down a toaster.

00:12:02.240 --> 00:12:06.980
Frankly this cord is terrifying on its own
given its age and puny plug so it should be

00:12:06.980 --> 00:12:09.380
replaced anyway, but if you’re going to
take that step,

00:12:09.380 --> 00:12:11.930
you might as well add a ground lead, too.

00:12:11.930 --> 00:12:16.600
This toaster is made entirely of metal, and
given that there are wires going all around

00:12:16.600 --> 00:12:20.779
its insides, it’s probably wise to add a
safety ground.

00:12:20.779 --> 00:12:23.160
In fact, here’s a rather terrifying sight.

00:12:23.160 --> 00:12:26.759
A wire right next to the metal body, with
paper insulation.

00:12:26.759 --> 00:12:30.670
I’m sure that was among the only ways to
make such a heat resistant insulation at the

00:12:30.670 --> 00:12:34.860
time, but if you needed more reason to give
this a ground... there you are.

00:12:34.860 --> 00:12:38.680
I’ll link to a video on my second channel
where I replace the cord and walk you through

00:12:38.680 --> 00:12:43.290
the process, but for now, make sure the hot
wire goes to the switch, and the neutral wire

00:12:43.290 --> 00:12:46.120
goes to lead snaking its way into body.

00:12:46.120 --> 00:12:49.120
Again, I’ll cover this in more detail over
there.

00:12:49.120 --> 00:12:53.570
The design weaknesses which we can’t easily
fix are in my opinion rather minor, depending

00:12:53.570 --> 00:12:55.860
of course on your tastes and priorities.

00:12:55.860 --> 00:12:59.240
Firstly, the toaster of course lacks a bagel
mode.

00:12:59.240 --> 00:13:03.180
But that doesn’t really matter, because
there is no way you’re gonna get a bagel

00:13:03.180 --> 00:13:04.680
in here anyway.

00:13:04.680 --> 00:13:09.060
Unlike modern toasters which have moveable
bread guides, the bread guide in our Sunbeam

00:13:09.060 --> 00:13:11.360
is a simple arrangement of thin wires.

00:13:11.360 --> 00:13:16.230
They don’t move, and they’re kind of close
together, so even moderately thick slices

00:13:16.230 --> 00:13:18.949
of bread maybe aren’t going to fit.

00:13:18.949 --> 00:13:20.840
I can happily report, though, that

00:13:20.840 --> 00:13:22.260
frozen waffles,

00:13:22.260 --> 00:13:23.240
Pop Tarts,

00:13:23.240 --> 00:13:24.720
and Toaster Strudels

00:13:24.720 --> 00:13:26.430
all work just fine.

00:13:26.430 --> 00:13:30.310
Secondly, the toaster doesn’t seem to do
a great job toasting both sides of the bread

00:13:30.310 --> 00:13:32.980
with quite the same veracity.

00:13:32.980 --> 00:13:36.420
It has always come out darker on one side
than the other.

00:13:36.420 --> 00:13:39.880
I don’t really mind this, and it’s not
like it’s horrendously uneven, but I figured

00:13:39.890 --> 00:13:41.649
I’d point it out anyway.

00:13:41.649 --> 00:13:46.290
What it loses in consistency on the individual
slice, however, is largely gained back by

00:13:46.290 --> 00:13:49.360
its surprisingly effective radiant control
thermostat.

00:13:49.360 --> 00:13:54.639
And lastly, though I alluded to this before,
this toaster lacks any sort of thermal barrier

00:13:54.639 --> 00:13:58.170
between its inner core and its outer surfaces.

00:13:58.170 --> 00:14:00.070
This thing gets hot.

00:14:00.070 --> 00:14:01.339
Quite hot.

00:14:01.339 --> 00:14:05.740
These handles are definitely required to move
it if it’s been used recently.

00:14:05.740 --> 00:14:09.279
You might not want to use one of these if
you have small children in the house, and

00:14:09.279 --> 00:14:10.279
whatever you do.

00:14:10.279 --> 00:14:12.990
Don’t leave the bread loaf next to the toaster.

00:14:12.990 --> 00:14:16.759
You don’t want to melt the plastic bag onto
your beautiful chrome finish.

00:14:16.759 --> 00:14:20.769
One of the more remarkable things about this
toaster design is how reliable and robust

00:14:20.769 --> 00:14:22.009
it was.

00:14:22.009 --> 00:14:27.139
Even though this toaster is 50 years old,
at least, it is still functioning perfectly.

00:14:27.139 --> 00:14:31.600
The beautiful simplicity in its automated
design means that short of the nichrome wire

00:14:31.600 --> 00:14:35.860
breaking in two, there’s not a whole lot
that can go wrong.

00:14:35.860 --> 00:14:40.380
Almost all of these toasters can be fixed
with one small adjustment.

00:14:40.840 --> 00:14:42.920
In fact, 
[From right: Oh god, he has a *third* one]

00:14:42.920 --> 00:14:44.920
this toaster supposedly doesn’t work,

00:14:44.920 --> 00:14:47.690
but we’ll attempt to repair it on the second
channel video.

00:14:47.690 --> 00:14:49.480
A link is down below.

00:14:49.480 --> 00:14:54.139
And now, let’s talk about how silly it is
that no one makes a toaster like this anymore.

00:14:54.139 --> 00:14:56.470
Hello, toaster manufacturers of the world.

00:14:56.470 --> 00:14:58.470
How’s it going?

00:14:58.470 --> 00:15:00.589
Have you seen one of these toasters?

00:15:00.589 --> 00:15:02.820
Like, ever?

00:15:02.820 --> 00:15:08.889
Because if you have, well I’m just sorta
curious why you’ve never tried to copy this design.

00:15:08.889 --> 00:15:12.620
No doubt you can make electromagnet toasters
much more cheaply than you could make one

00:15:12.620 --> 00:15:17.610
of these, but I mean… this is mostly just
stamped sheet metal.

00:15:17.610 --> 00:15:22.360
Maybe the cost of these levers and bearings
is far greater than I think it is, but I bet

00:15:22.360 --> 00:15:26.690
you could get people paying at least $60 for
one of these, new.

00:15:26.690 --> 00:15:31.580
And you could add so many of the features
that people want, these days, so easily!

00:15:31.580 --> 00:15:32.720
Bagel mode?

00:15:32.720 --> 00:15:34.300
Just run the center core.

00:15:34.300 --> 00:15:35.380
Wider bread?

00:15:35.380 --> 00:15:38.130
Adapt one of those squeezy things into this
toaster.

00:15:38.130 --> 00:15:39.839
I’m sure it could be done.

00:15:39.839 --> 00:15:43.560
You could make the design safer and up to
modern standards, in fact you could improve

00:15:43.560 --> 00:15:48.520
on the design in so many ways that it sort
of baffles me that you haven’t.

00:15:48.520 --> 00:15:52.880
I suppose we’ve all just gotten used to
pressing a lever and waiting for the toast to pop.

00:15:53.400 --> 00:15:53.900
*terrified scream*

00:15:54.220 --> 00:15:57.420
But I mean, I’m getting
used to this now because…

00:15:57.420 --> 00:15:59.660
this is just so much better.

00:15:59.660 --> 00:16:02.699
This really is how all toasters should work.

00:16:02.699 --> 00:16:08.199
Sunbeam continued to make these toasters in
some form all the way until 1997.

00:16:08.199 --> 00:16:13.100
Why they were discontinued, I’ll never know,
but I imagine they were just much more expensive

00:16:13.100 --> 00:16:17.569
than the competition and people didn’t really
appreciate the design.

00:16:17.569 --> 00:16:21.950
But I’d like to go back in time and make
people appreciate it a little more, because

00:16:21.950 --> 00:16:26.000
in my opinion it’s a damn shame this design
has been lost to time.

00:16:26.000 --> 00:16:30.449
I sincerely do believe that this is how all
toasters should work.

00:16:30.449 --> 00:16:32.780
Before I go I’d like to give a shoutout
to Craig Rairdin

00:16:32.780 --> 00:16:36.259
who maintains the site
 automaticbeyondbelief.org.

00:16:36.259 --> 00:16:41.460
His fan-site, if you will, about these toasters is a neat
little tribute, and it helped me get this

00:16:41.460 --> 00:16:44.480
exact toaster working more reliably.

00:16:44.480 --> 00:16:48.740
In the second channel video I discussed, I’ll
walk you through those steps, as well as replacing

00:16:48.740 --> 00:16:50.870
the power cord on one of these toasters.

00:16:50.870 --> 00:16:54.590
It’s not super involved but there are some
special steps to consider.

00:16:54.590 --> 00:16:58.980
As always, thank you to everyone who supports
this channel on Patreon, especially the fine

00:16:58.980 --> 00:17:01.310
folks you see scrolling up your screen.

00:17:01.310 --> 00:17:04.640
Thanks to the support of people like you,
Technology Connections has been able to grow

00:17:04.640 --> 00:17:08.660
in amazing ways, and I am extremely grateful
for your support.

00:17:08.660 --> 00:17:12.130
If you’d like to join these people in supporting
the channel with a pledge of your own and

00:17:12.130 --> 00:17:15.910
get perks like early video access, behind
the scenes footage, and the latest info on

00:17:15.910 --> 00:17:19.309
upcoming projects, please check out my Patreon
page.

00:17:19.309 --> 00:17:21.980
Thank you for your consideration, and I’ll
see you next time!

00:17:22.840 --> 00:17:26.020
♫ jazz that’s Smooth Beyond Belief! ♫

00:17:28.500 --> 00:17:30.340
Bakelight handles ena….

00:17:30.340 --> 00:17:31.560
Hmph.

00:17:31.570 --> 00:17:34.110
How many times we gonna record this line?

00:17:34.110 --> 00:17:38.220
Bakelight handles on either side enabley you’ll
to mooove bleh bleugh blibbity eugh!

00:17:38.220 --> 00:17:40.680
Bakelight handles on either side enableuy
to…

00:17:40.680 --> 00:17:41.180
Ah!

00:17:41.180 --> 00:17:41.720
God!

00:17:41.720 --> 00:17:42.620
This line!

00:17:42.620 --> 00:17:43.540
OK, two things.

00:17:44.280 --> 00:17:45.580
I have to get two things.

00:17:45.720 --> 00:17:47.620
Keep recording, we’ll come back.

00:17:47.620 --> 00:17:51.600
...and this actuates the switch which start the… *sigh*

00:17:51.600 --> 00:17:52.920
Already…

00:17:52.920 --> 00:17:55.420
(clearing throat in an incredibly silly way making sounds like a car starting because Alec is silly)

00:17:55.430 --> 00:17:59.049
...which squeezes the sides of the core together,
which pulses-- pulses?

00:17:59.049 --> 00:17:59.540
Pushes.

00:17:59.540 --> 00:18:00.500
Dammit.

00:18:00.500 --> 00:18:02.540
It needs to be in the toaster anyway.

00:18:02.540 --> 00:18:04.440
Ahhhhh!!!!

00:18:04.440 --> 00:18:06.080
No, I skipped some words!

00:18:07.240 --> 00:18:09.320
*stares insanely intensely at the toaster*

00:18:09.320 --> 00:18:10.680
Whaaaaaaat?