Toaster - a conversation starter

Toaster is a great conversation starter about materials usage, resource management and sustainability.
We wrote a short article to start the dialogue. (https://www.plastiblocks.com/single-post/2018/08/10/Toaster---a-conversation-starter)

It is so sad that majority of people who have skills don't bother repairing slightly broken, old appliances.
And people who don't have skills - have no one to help because repair shops are almost extinct.

I hope you can participate in the discussion we started on our blog by commenting there or here and maybe share any repair projects of house hold stuff to encourage others to do so as well.

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Even modern appliances are rarely repaired, like the ThinkPad I'm currently using; had it apart for nearly a year before I found the short on the
motherboard- most folks just replace the whole board or chuck the machine and get a new one
 
I will generally try to repair something prior to chucking it. My very first project on my Tormach CNC was making a new latch for the electric tea kettle.

I carry this practice to extremes sometimes. The retainer for the rewind spring on my Lufkin tape rule broke so I I reverse engineered the broken part and machined a new one. A bearing on the pulley side of the motor in my B & B belt sander and it didn't appear to be replaceable so I ordered a new sander. Shorty after ordering, I got wondering if maybe the pulley was screwed on with a LH thread. Sure enough, it was. I rummaged through my collection of salvaged bearings and found an exact replacement; sander repaired.

Even of a product isn't repairable, it gets reduced to a pile of parts. Hence the salvaged bearing collection. Larger appliances like printers will provide useful pieces of stock for future projects. When heating appliances fail, it is often a $.50 thermal fuse.

An interesting story regarding thermal fuses; a coffee maker quit and on dissecting it , the thermal fusehad blown. The interesting thing was that there were two thermal fuses wired in series. Very puzzling. As I thought about it though, product acquiring a CE mark require a failure mode analysis. Multiple factors involve the determination of the severity of failure mode including detectability, probability of failure, and risk to person and/or property. Usually, those factors are multiplied together to get a final score which determines if preventative action is required. In the case a failure of the type woouldn't be detectable. Also the risk of serious damage to person or property is n the event of a failure to open is high. Lowering the score by decreasing the probability of a failure remains a desirable option.

There is a finite probability that a thermal fuse would fail to open when it should. If that probability were say 1 in 10,000, the probability of both fuses failing to open would be the product of the two or 1 in 100,000,000. Clever people, those Chinese
 
F
The problem is societies quest for new. Why would you repair an OLD toaster when you can buy a NEW one, even if the OLD one was repairable. Industry has just picked up on it and made products that would become obsolete knowing they can keep the product line flowing selling replacements.
The $10 toaster verses the $20 toaster is an interesting subject. Will the more expensive one last longer or are you simply paying for a name brand or designer finish thats built the same as the cheap one. I often ponder that when replacing.

Greg
 
I have experienced a few appliances failing. I generally look to discover and remedy the problem. A few times, I have fixed it. If the problem happens to be on an electronic board, I typically replace unless it is under warranty. I feel that one board is the tip of the iceberg and any money invested is a waste.

In relation to the expense of appliances and other devices (cars, computers, houses) more money spent only gets you more bells and whistles. The quality is not any better and the product isn't any longer lasting.

Our $80 over the range micro wave outlasted our previous $350 one by a few years now. That is only one instance.

When my wife and I go shopping for new appliances, price rules. We don't use the extra features that drive up the cost. Sad, but it makes the most economical sense.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
The problem is societies quest for new. Why would you repair an OLD toaster when you can buy a NEW one, even if the OLD one was repairable. Industry has just picked up on it and made products that would become obsolete knowing they can keep the product line flowing selling replacements.
The $10 toaster verses the $20 toaster is an interesting subject. Will the more expensive one last longer or are you simply paying for a name brand or designer finish thats built the same as the cheap one. I often ponder that when replacing.

Greg
Sadly, this leads to more landfills. While recycling is a positive step, reusing is environmentally far superior.
 
I had an old toaster that I kept repairing, finally broke to the point that I could not get it fixed. purchased another, it is not worth fixing. Always try to fix stuff even when wife says I should not.
 
F
Sadly, this leads to more landfills. While recycling is a positive step, reusing is environmentally far superior.
Our "waste disposal site" has a separate section's for metal, electronics, and brush/trees. Still allowed to pick through the metal here, its amazing what gets tossed. There was a chainsaw case there a while back, inside was a Poulan saw, don't think it burn't a tank of fuel, the bar was pristine. Brought it home filled it up and it started right up and ran like a top. It yields scrap metal, electric motors, etc, I refer to it as the Calabogie Walmart, and they have a great return policy.

Greg
 
I have suffered from this "fix-it illness" for many years. Just today I machined two stepped collars to repair temperature control dials on an oven. I have found the quality of some of the newer appliances (and other items as well) just are not worth the effort to repair. I usually look at it as an opportunity to play with my machines. I generally subscribe to the philosophy that " why would I buy it when for a little more money and a lot more time, I can just make it myself"

Ted
 
Another case in point: We just bought a 2003 Mazda protege hatchback. 3900$. Beautiful shape. Some would say "4 thousand dollars for a 15 year old car?"
I say yes, and I'll bet it will still be running in 5 years.
M
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