How to disassemble and repair the Toastmaster 1B14 Toaster

This video walks you through the disassembly & repair of a Toastmaster Model 1B14 from 1952. I’ve included a close-up high-speed clip of the bimetallic strip to show you the working mechanism as the toaster heats up and then shuts itself off. I’ve also included a close-up slow-motion clip of the release mechanism in action. Warning - this is a boring video, but it will be very useful if you're trying to repair or restore your old Toastmaster toaster!
Recently, the Toastmaster Model 1B14 was shown in the Marvel Studios' Wandavision intra-episode commercial "ToastMate 2000, a Stark Industries Product" on Disney+ as the "old" toaster that burned toast: • ToastMate 2000 | Marve... The Toastmaster Model 1B14 is THE classic mid 20th century toaster. With some TLC, many of these toasters continue to work perfectly today.
Here is an age guide for Toastmaster Model 1B14 toasters based on the serial number stamped on the bottom plate:
Serial numbers (Manufactured dates)
100,001 to 995,105 (July 1947 to September 1948)
995,106 to 1,571,799 (September 1948 to April 1949)
1,571,800 to 1,800,724 (April 1949 to June 1949)
1,800,725 to 2,376,475 (June 1949 to January 1950)
2,376,476 to 3,780,999 (January 1950 to April 1951)
3,781,000 to 4,006,800 (April 1951 to July 1951)
4,006,801 to 4,320,599 (July 1951 to November 1951)
4,320,600+ (started using new elements) (November 1951+)
6,259,300+ (started using new springs) (Early 1956)
Stopped using serial numbers on all domestic toasters on July 24, 1956

[@DobeyChru]

Thank you for this video. Hail the silent warriors that will do this kind of work and share to the world. I love old things and appreciate the 50s aesthetic. I found this exact toaster at an antique shop and love toast and the Internet is an amazing place: vuala here is a video on it. Amazing. Thanks again.

[@johnmeyer77]

I couldn't figure out the lightness control until I saw your slow motion. Thank you! The toaster still won't pop up on its own, but now I know what to look for.

[@analogdesigner]

Thanks for this video. Mine is from 1950 and the dashpot needed a bit of silicone spray, now it works well again!

[@jamesklinckman2363]

Thanks so much for your video. Just a little note, I’ve gotten pretty fast putting all 16 bread spacer rods back in, lots of of exsperence.

[@OregonRailfan83]

Excellent presentation and explanation. Thank you!!

[@ThomasBegush]

Thank you for this!

[@LongologoProductions]

Glad it was helpful!

[@peterpitocchi9554]

These toasters are great. I am in possession of 5 of these, three working and two for parts. A nice desktop project to fix and troubleshoot. I prefer toastmaster as I believe they never used asbestos in the heating elements, only mica.

[@jimbuettner7972]

This is a great DIY video, with one exception. The little knob that regulates the darkness of the toast has a very small screw in the center of the knob that first needs to be removed before the knob can be removed. Learned the hard way. I too am attached to the toaster. I grew up with it and I am now 68 years old (2021). Still works perfectly. Needs new cord.

[@LongologoProductions]

@Jim Buettner: Thanks for the kind words! At about 1:27 in the video, I do remove the knob by turning counterclockwise without first removing the small screw that is recessed in the center of that knob. And at about 16:50 in the video, I mention reattaching that knob and also note that you can use that small recessed screw to adjust the dial position relative to the light/dark toast setting stops. I suppose you could just first remove that small recessed screw to get the knob out, but I found that on our toasters (two of them, oh, and another I needed for parts a few years ago) it worked best to back out the knob/screw combination by turning counterclockwise and only using the small recessed screw to make adjustments. That is, I found it much easier to avoid cross-threading that screw when I could hold onto the larger knob to get it started threading on reinsertion. Maybe not the correct way to do it, but it has worked so far. Next time I mess around with the parts toaster, I'll try completely removing that screw first to get the knob out--so I'll definitely keep that in mind. Finally, I replaced the power cord with a modern but antique-styled braided cloth 'insulated' cord and bakelite plug--you can these parts at an online antique electronic supply store. The new cord has the modern insulation around the wires but the braided cloth covering so it looks old-fashioned to match the toaster --no black rubber cord look!

[@dannyworthington4883]

At 9:11 you are by the one spring. The one I have loose is the one under that one.

[@LongologoProductions]

@Danny Worthington: That whole plate will have to come off then to access it. Then you’ll have to use some small pliers or tweezers to hook the spring back on.

[@pnwperson]

thank you!!! mine is still running great! been in the family since day 1

[@LongologoProductions]

@kdoo: Thanks for commenting!

[@kimbrown13]

This video was helpful to see the innerworkings of the toaster. Thanks! Do you have a video showing the replacement of a power cord? I have a Toastmaster model 186 that needs a new cord. I've gotten differing opinions on the type of cord it needs and I'm intimidated by all the screws on the bottom of the toaster.

[@LongologoProductions]

@Kim Brown: Thanks! Unfortunately, I don't have another video specifically on replacing the power cord. But you can get a replacement cord from an electric supply shop--either a "vintage" cord that has rubber insulation covered by cloth to look "old" style, or a regular modern rubber-insulated cord. In this video at 13:00, you can see the two screws/nuts where the cord attaches. As long as you are careful taking off the screws and lifting the chrome cover, the power cord should be a straightforward replacement. Good luck!

[@kathleengrainger9793]

I have my grandmother's 1B14 which I love but it has an element in the left slot that is not working. I loved your instructive repair video, but don't feel confident I can do this as I would hate to do anything to compromise this "treasure" from my Grandmother. It's the only toaster I have ever had, and I'm extremely sentimental and would love to see this toaster continue as long as I do and beyond! Would you consider repairing this for me? Thank you for your consideration.

[@LongologoProductions]

@Kathleen Grainger: Thank you for your comments! I don't do repairs for others, but I try to provide as much detail as possible each step of the way for the viewer to do the same. You might be able to find another 1B14 on Ebay and practice taking it apart and removing one of the heating element panels. Then, when you're comfortable with that, you could replace the heating element in your grandmother's 1B14 with the good element you removed from the "donor" toaster.

[@dannyworthington4883]

How do you fix a spring that has come off from the lock that holds down the toast? Ideas ?

[@LongologoProductions]

@Danny Worthington: Do you mean this large spring on the bottom (shown at 5:34 in the video and again at 8:43)? If that's broken, you will have to get a donor toaster for parts and use the spring from the parts donor. If that spring is not broken but has just come off of the notches into which it hooks, I would use a pair of needle nose pliers to carefully stretch the spring just enough to hook into one of those notches. Be very careful to make sure you have a good grip on that spring with the needle nose pliers--the spring is strong and you don't want it flying up into your face if you lose your grip! You'll see in the video that I have the spring on the "lowest" of the three notches, meaning that there is the least force to eject the toast/waffles. Depending on how stiff your spring is, you may need to use one of the other two notches. For this toaster in the video, if I used the middle notch the toast/waffles would fly up about two feet when ejected. If I used the farthest notch, the toast/waffles might hit the ceiling! In contrast, you'll see on another toaster at 10:40 in the video that I have the spring on the farthest notch, which for that particular toaster is necessary to eject the toast/waffles because that spring just isn't as strong. Or do you mean that tiny little spring near the bottom, shown at around 8:49 to 9:28 in the video?

[@cindyrae2605]

Where can I find a shorter cloth cord? I'm only finding 6-8 foot cords! Thanks.

[@LongologoProductions]

Even with a longer cloth-covered cord, you should be able to clip it to a shorter length and then strip the insulation off at the end that you connect to the toaster. I suspect that only longer cords are available because it is more efficient to sell them to customers that way.

[@richardwolfe4050]

Under the cover on the control side, there is a vertically mounted brass piston. Is it there to make the toast rise smoothly? And is that little nut on top of the piston there to adjust the airflow, and thereby control how smoothly the toast rises?

[@LongologoProductions]

@Richard Wolfe: I’m not sure but it may be there for a dampening effect. The forcefulness of the release mechanism and how fast the toast rises/ejects is primarily controlled by that large adjustable spring underneath the crumb tray. For example you can see the spring at 2:15. If the toast comes flying out of the toaster you can simply hook that spring on a closer notch. Hope that helps.

[@walk13miles]

Do you make repairs? I need to replace the cord but having a really hard time getting the legs off. I’m afraid my lack of experience is going to cause something to break.

[@LongologoProductions]

@@walk13miles : I only repair the toasters I own. Removing the legs should be straightforward. Closely follow the steps in this video. Just take your time and work slowly. You can do it.

[@walk13miles]

@@LongologoProductions - you are right! I just had to slow down. Now I just need to buy the new cord!

[@leahstrothman1485]

Thank you for this video. I took a peek inside my toaster and it appears that the heating strips are all attached, but my toaster still will not heat up. Any ideas what would cause that?

[@LongologoProductions]

@Leah Strothman: Since it seems that all four of your heating element plates are not working, that points to a possible problem not with the heating element plates themselves but with the power supply to those heating element plates. So, start at the plug and work your way in towards the toaster. The first thing I would check is the condition of the plug end itself. You might have a bad connection inside the plug. From there, check the condition of the main wire heading to the toaster. If it looks suspect in any way, you should replace the main wire and the plug to be safe. You can get replacement wires/plugs that preserve the antique look (cloth covering over rubber insulation) like the one shown in this video. Next, you should check where the main wire connects to the toaster at the nuts/bolts. See 13:22 in the video. You'll need to remove the chrome cover/housing to see and access this. (Make sure the toaster is unplugged!) From these nuts/bolts, you'll be able to see the metal plates/brackets that branch out and supply electrical current to each of the heating element plates. If everything looks good up to that point, then inspect each of the heating element plates for broken heating elements. See 5:58 in the video, showing the back side of one of the heating elements, and I point to where the heating wires wrap around the element--each plate has one continuous heating element even though it looks like many strips of wires when you look into the toaster from the top. It's possible there's a break on one of these corners or on the back side that you won't see from just looking into the toaster when it's assembled. If nothing looks bad up to this point, then I would check the main switch on the side of the toaster opposite the main wire, to make sure the electrical contacts touch when the switch is pushed down. Good luck and let me know if you find the source of the problem.

[@joekremer]

Can I ask where you found the cloth insulated power cord? The toaster get quite hot, worried that a generic power cord may melt insulation, but I’m not sure where to find a replacement.

[@LongologoProductions]

@Joe Kremer: I bought replacement power cords and plugs at Antique Electronic Supply (online) years ago. There may be others out there. A modern cord likely won’t melt though-note that it goes through the Bakelite handle portion. Good luck.

[@andreah6175]

Do you have any vids of the Automatic version of this toaster? Mine prematurely lowers before I put toast in and intermittently raises/lowers a bit after. Thanks!

[@LongologoProductions]

@Andrea H: Sorry I don’t.

[@TheManusimpson31]

Hello Sir, You seem very knowledgeable, so I figured I’d ask you: my toaster is not popping the bread out. Meaning when the toasting is over, I hear the “CLUNK”, the lever is free to move but the bread won’t come up. I have to manually help the lever to have the bread come out. I checked the main spring (big one) and put max tension on it - nothing chances. I even tried pulling it further with pliers, to see if additional tension would solve the issue. It does not. The spring seems OK, and K have no idea where to look. Any idea? You’d be a lifesaver

[@LongologoProductions]

@TheManusimpson31: Take a look starting at 08:43 in the video, and you'll see the toaster adjustment knob. Sometimes if the toast doesn't pop up at all, or doesn't pop up at the right time, you can adjust the screw I'm pointing to at 08:58. Around this part of the video is where I explain what to do to get the toast to pop up. This might fix your issue. Good luck!

[@777RocketS]

Need to know what end is positive and what end is negative repairing the power cord

[@LongologoProductions]

@YourFavoriteHammie: it’s not a polarized plug and it does not matter.

[@quitodbq]

Thanks for your great video. We obtained the 3-slot version but it doesn’t heat up when you push the lever down. Would this likely be a straight forward fix? Thanks again. PS It says model 1C5.

[@LongologoProductions]

@G S: Thanks for commenting. Difficult to say whether it would be a straightforward fix. If it doesn't heat up when you push the lever down, that's telling you there is a break in the wiring/connections somewhere along the line and you'll have to take the toaster apart to trace the path of the current to find where the break is located. Good luck.

[@quitodbq]

@@LongologoProductions Great thanks!

[@andreasvogel7160]

Thank you for the wonderful and helpful video. I love this toaster. And I'm glad to see that I'm not alone. I have a problem with my identical model: when I test the housing with a voltmeter, there seems to be about 80 volts there. The current-carrying metal parts inside do not touch the housing at all. What is going on? Do the inner walls of the housing need insulation with a mica plate? Thank you for sharing your experiences. Best regards from Switzerland: Andreas

[@LongologoProductions]

@Andreas Vogel: Thanks for commenting! At 4:51, you can see 8 small white ceramic cylinders spaced on the top. And, at 6:34, you can see one of the plates that holds the heating elements. Along the bottom of each of the 4 plates should be a grey-brown cardboard spacer that holds it up off the bottom of the metal chassis of the toaster. You can see these again at 8:36 when I'm reinstalling the plate. These should keep the plates electrically insulated from the rest of the chassis along the bottom. The white ceramic cylinders perform the same function at the top. The brown bakelite outer pieces also electrically insulate the toaster. So you definitely should not be getting an electric shock if you touch the chrome outer shell when the toaster is properly assembled. However, I am not sure whether there is any small amount of voltage leakage across the chassis. Does the 80 volts you are measuring impede the toaster operation, i.e., is there a short or bad connection somewhere? You should be able to easily trace the exact path of the electrical current from where the wires attach to the toaster, following the metal bars/bands, across the heating elements, etc. Make sure nothing is bent out of shape or pressed against something it shouldn't be pressed against. Are you measuring 80 volts across the outer chrome shell?

[@andreasvogel7160]

@@LongologoProductions Thank you very much for the detailed answer. Great! I'll take the wonderfully functioning toaster apart again this weekend. I'm sure all 8 of the ceramic cylinders are there. But I'll have to check the grey-brown cardboard spacers under the heating plates. Absurdly, I don't even know if the housing has been live for a long time - I only measured it for interest's sake after I had repaired the mechanism for the ejector the other day. Maybe it has always been like this and I have only touched the unit by the bakelite handles for decades ... We have 220 volts AC here in Switzerland - depending on which way I plug it in, I either have 80 volts on the housing, or 9 volts. But if I then switch on the toaster, the 80 volts drop to 27 volts, whereas in the other plug direction they rise from 9 volts to 60 volts. Above 50 volts should be unpleasant ... I will check everything in the open unit and report back here. Best regards. Andreas

[@LongologoProductions]

@Andreas Vogel: Hmmm.... So if the voltage across the chrome outer shell only started happening (that you know of) AFTER you repaired the mechanism for the ejector, I would strongly suspect that something is out of place as you put everything back together. It would seem highly unlikely that you never touched the chrome cover before this. I would take the chrome cover off and (unplugged) check from where the wires are screwed to the chassis and trace the current path manually across the entire toaster. Make sure that none of the current-carrying metal brackets are bent out of shape or touching something where they shouldn't be (they should only be touching the chassis or plates at their end points where they are screwed onto the chassis or plates). Also make sure that all spacers and insulators are where they should be. The fact that you are measuring voltage across the chrome cover is very concerning. Be extremely careful! Good luck.

[@andreasvogel7160]

@@LongologoProductions Hi. I think I'm gonna have to pass: Opened the toaster again and measured (without power!) all connections inside with the multimeter. Perfect! Everything as it should be - connection as desired, no connection on the inside construction. Reassembled. Measured again (without power!): Perfect. No connection at all of the current-carrying parts/cables with the housing. Everything as it should be. Then plugged in and measured: 80 volts on the housing. Maddening. As if the flowing current was "radiating". I'm going to look for a repair café and hope to find an electrician there who can still relate to such a device. Keep you and everyone here informed. Thanks for your support!

[@LongologoProductions]

@Andreas Vogel: Strange indeed. I just tested my two toasters with a multimeter. When the toasters are plugged in and engaged, I’m measuring only a fraction of a volt across each of the chrome covers. So definitely report back what you find out.

[@ryancamp7044]

My broken element is in the middle

[@LongologoProductions]

@Ryan Camp: Ugh - not good. Some thoughts: 1. Bridge the break with a small crimped piece of aluminum foil attached to both sides of the break. (Likely not secure.) 2. Bridge the break with a metal thumbtack pressed through the mica and bend the thumbtack pin a bit on the other side to hold the thumbtack in the mica. (Maybe a little more secure but still questionable.) 3. Bridge the break with a very small metal plate and sew the plate into the mica with a few loops of very thin wire being careful not to contact heating element on other side of the plate. (More challenging but likely more secure.) 4. Find a donor toaster and swap out the whole plate that has the broken element. (Depends on availability of another donor toaster.) Hope one of these options work for you!