obtaining spares for 1950s electrical goods

[christhetoast1]

Does anyone know where I can obtain replacement heating elements for a 1950's Morphy Richards TA/1B toaster? The element seems to consist of a flat metal tape wound around a flat asbestos former. Morphy Richards have no knowledge of anyone dealing in spares of this age. The toaster was a wedding present so has sentimental value.

 

[timtheenchanter]

probably nowhere, it is quite an age.

http://www.ecrater.co.uk/p/8535750/morphy-richards-automatic-toaster-1949 is one for sale, £50 though, you could use it for spares.

The only other thing I can think of is find a cheap toaster of similar dimensions and retrofit the new elements into the old unit.

the worrying work here is asbestos... you would need to be VERY careful not to damage the former removing it.

 

[jj4091]

Also see your post in appliances

 

[ban-all-sheds]

http://www.ecrater.co.uk/p/8535750/morphy-richards-automatic-toaster-1949 is one for sale, £50 though, you could use it for spares.

He could, but if he wanted it to work he'd also need to get a transformer, what with it being a Canadian toaster.....


PS - re the asbestos - are we sure? I thought toasters used mica....

 

[JohnW2]

He could, but if he wanted it to work he'd also need to get a transformer, what with it being a Canadian toaster.....

Maybe, but it's all a bit confusing. Although the seller of that one (identical model to OP's) is in Canada, the toaster itself is 'Made in England' (but I can't see any voltage markings in the pics) - and I also can but assume that the OP's one in Nottingham is a 240/250V one.

PS - re the asbestos - are we sure? I thought toasters used mica....

I think all the ones I've seen have used mica - but the one we're talking about was born about the same time as me, so I can't really speak for things quite that old! Asbestos was certainly being used quite widely back then.

Kind Regards, John.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Although the seller of that one (identical model to OP's) is in Canada, the toaster itself is 'Made in England'

For the export market?

What with there being substantial ties between Canada and the UK, particularly 50 years ago?

What odds would you like to offer on the one in Canada being a UK voltage model?

(but I can't see any voltage markings in the pics) - and I also can but assume that the OP's one in Nottingham is a 240/250V one.

I've just had a thought though - if I were designing a toaster for sale in 110/120V markets as well as 240V ones, I think I'd design a 2-part element which could be connected in series for 240V and parallel for 110/120. Or a single type of element, as there's one for each side of the bread, with the pair connected in series or parallel.

It might be worth checking, but I fear that UK industry did not have a good track record in those days for intelligent design.

 

[JohnW2]

For the export market? What odds would you like to offer on the one in Canada being a UK voltage model?

As I said, it's a bit confusing. Would they really have made a product with identical model number for both markets/voltages? If not, you either have to lay odds on someone in Canada selling a UK voltage one, OR on a person in Nottingham having had a Canadian voltage one !

I've just had a thought though - if I were designing a toaster for sale in 110/120V markets as well as 240V ones, I think I'd design a 2-part element which could be connected in series for 240V and parallel for 110/120. Or a single type of element, as there's one for each side of the bread, with the pair connected in series or parallel.

That certainly would be the obvious way to do it - and I presume your implication is that it should then be fairly easy to 'convert'one to t'other.

Kind Regards, John.

 

[OwainDIYer]

Although the seller of that one (identical model to OP's) is in Canada, the toaster itself is 'Made in England'

For the export market?

What with there being substantial ties between Canada and the UK, particularly 50 years ago?

What odds would you like to offer on the one in Canada being a UK voltage model?

Maybe it just takes longer to cook the toast in Canada?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

As I said, it's a bit confusing. Would they really have made a product with identical model number for both markets/voltages?

Pre-internet days, at the level of calling something a Morphy Richards TA/1B for sure they would - nobody could have gone into a store in either Londons (for example) and had to worry about which version they were getting.

If not, you either have to lay odds on someone in Canada selling a UK voltage one, OR on a person in Nottingham having had a Canadian voltage one !

Indeed, which was what I asked you to do, in case you are the answer to my pension problem....

That certainly would be the obvious way to do it - and I presume your implication is that it should then be fairly easy to 'convert'one to t'other.

Indeed - if that was what they did it would have made sense to have had a simple internal jumper arrangement to make the right connections.

But it's all conjecture based on today's intelligent view on globalisation vs a 1950s UK manufacturing view of globalisation which then would have been informed by people who had probably served their engineering apprenticeships under people of the Victorian era.

 

[JohnW2]

Pre-internet days, at the level of calling something a Morphy Richards TA/1B for sure they would - nobody could have gone into a store in either Londons (for example) and had to worry about which version they were getting. ......But it's all conjecture based on today's intelligent view on globalisation vs a 1950s UK manufacturing view of globalisation which then would have been informed by people who had probably served their engineering apprenticeships under people of the Victorian era.

There is another complicating factor. Googling Morphy Richards indicates that Canada was the site of one of their first international subsideries, seemingly set up in the mid to late 40s. If that pre-dated the birth of the toaster in question, it would presumably seriously decrease the probability of a 'Made in England' product then being purchased in Canada and configured for 120V?

Kind Regards, John.

 

[bernardgreen]

The element is almost certainly nickel chrome resistive tape as the heater element wound on a sheet mica former.

If you can find the same tape you could rewind the element although crimping the end connections migh present a problem if the connection to the end of the tape is fixed and not a flying lead.

Measure the resistance of a length of the tape to calculate the resistance per metre to specify the tape you need to buy. If the new tape is a few percent lower resistance than the old this will be OK as the old tape is probably thinner and therefore now a higher resistance than when it was manufactured.

My source of nichrome tape closed down a few years ago so I do not have a source for it. I have bought a cheap supermarket toaster to obtain tape for a replacement heater in a mini kiln and that might work for your toaster.

 

[bernardgreen]

This company manufactures but may not be set up for small quantity sales

http://www.omega-wire.com/products.htm

This company does offer small quantity sales.

http://www.alloywire.com/resistance-wire.html