My Sunbeam Toastermatic doesn't lower when I put a slice of bread in?

I have had my Sunbeam automatic toaster working perfectly for 47 years, but now I think the element has finally gone. Could anyone direct me to a spare working element please.
Thank you so much.

Dianne
August 2015

Have a look at www.automaticbeyondbelief.org/fixing.htm . The site is totally dedicated to this toaster, and the page referenced contains repair information, particularly that problem you had, where you have to chuck the bread in to get it to lower.

Mike Williams
September 2012

Since my last posting, my 80 year old mother has sourced 2 of the toaster-matic range. (She keeps tabs on markets and second had stores.) All of the toasters go but they all need a bit of tuning. (see my earlier post...) I am now working or Christmas gifts for assorted family...

I have just had two muffins and crumpets. Nothing makes them crunchy like the toastermatic!

ACID Electrical Services HOBART Tasmania
August 2008

How sad....
Without a doubt the best toaster ever made.
Having pulled a few apart and repaired over the years (only yesterday getting one going.) I can tell you a little about the operation.
Operation is both simple in design but wonderful in application. To get something to work so well without any fancy electronics...
Anyhow. The mains electricity is supplied to the elements by way of a double pole switch located behind the side cover. This switch is kept open by the slight spring action of a piece of bi metal. This is the business end of the shade control. The pretension on this can be adjusted using a flat bladed screwdriver. There is a hole located just below the handle furthest away from the power cord. Place toaster on table like normal. Squat down and look under the side handle. Now any adjustment that you do make should be very small indeed. To get an idea of just how small a movement is used over the whole shade setting, remove the bottom metal plate and hinged cover. You will see that as you move the shade control, there is a piece of metal that is moved between that adjustment screw and pretension. You can see that it is only about half a mm wider at one end than the other so large adjustments of this may result in burnt or raw toast.
Operation. When the toast pushes down on the trigger, It gives the bi-metal strip a poke This strip is rather wonderful as once poked it stays bent in the other direction. It allows the switch to close, heating starts, Another bi metal strip heats up and it releases its tension on the mechanism that holds the toast up. This mechanism also has an adjustment. Flat blade screw located under the flap in the very centre/bottom of the toaster. It is important that there is just enough tension here to keep the toast transport mechanism pressed fully up until both slices have touched their cradles. If you place a slice on the trigger bar and the transport mechanism starts to lower before the switch is triggered. It will miss the trigger and not turn on at all.
Once the toast has lowered, cooking begins. It matters not too much what you have placed in the toaster because the shade control reacts to colour rather than cooking time. It works like this. a piece of toast or crumpet needs greatly varying times to toast but once a colour level is obtained it radiates about the same amount of heat eg. an almost burnt slice of white bread and an almost burnt slice of crumpet have a very similar radiated temperature. The back of the bi-metal strip is doing its job and collecting the radiated heat from the now browning bread. eventually it gets hot enough to go "tink" and flick back to its starting position thus turning off the elements. The other bi-metal now cools, re tensioning the up spring action and now the toast rises.
So if the toast does not lower it means the elements do not come on for a couple of possible reasons. The element is broken, the switch has failed or is not activated, there is some other broken wire, perhaps the cord. Some cords used were rubber and are often perished by now.
As an after thought, I would like to get a few more functioning as gifts. Anyone have spares they don't want?

ACID Electrical Services HOBART Tasmania
July 2008

Jana

There could be a number of reasons why;
1. If one of the elements is broken.
2. The bi-metal strip is worn out.

You can check for '2' above by adjusting the radient shade control to the darkest and see if this gets the toaster to lower. You should try jiggling the toast a little. If this doesn't work then you will see an adjusting hole at one of the ends at the bottom. Turn this 3 times clockwise and then try again. If this does not work then its probably the element ... but you would need to find a service centre to check.

Make sure you unplug before making any of these adjsutmennts.

Alister
July 2007