Cleaning mica panels in a toaster

[Blueyonder]

I've searched the 'net, and can't believe I can't find the answer to this one. I'm sure this group can come up trumps.

I have a Dualit toaster, that is no longer toasting evenly. The elements are covered with transparent panels, as clear as glass, but look like they could be mica (the edges are slightly flaky). The mica panels are covered in white, crusty spots (probably cheese and butter splashes).

So - what can I use to clean these deposits? The panels are very clear, and I don't want to use anything that will abrade the surfaces. A dry toothbrush alone does not get the deposits off, and I am a bit wary of using water or soap.

Any suggestions?

-- JJ

[Mary Fisher]

I'd like to know that too!

Also, what gauge of wire to use to replace the elements.

Mary

[Andrew Gabriel]

It's nickel-chromium wire, and the guage of wire will depend on the model. Often it's in a ribbon profile. I have repaired them sometimes by crimping broken ends together, but you have to be very careful a loose end isn't going to be able to touch something it shouldn't. A bootlace ferrule is the right thing to crimp with, but a folded over steel washer lasted about 20 years before it needed replacing in a 50 year old Russell Hobs toaster. Nearly all breakages of toaster wires I've come across have been due to poking cutlery into the toaster, never to the wire burning out. I've seen a small number of cases where the failure was due to a bad connection at one end of the wire too.

[Jason]

It is definately mica. It covers the elements in approx 8cm square pieces, rivetted on, each piece slightly overlapping.

I wouldn't like to guess at the element wires themselves though. As well as the guage, there is the material to take account of - it won't be plain copper for sure.

-- JJ

[meow2222]

The only effective way to clean the mica is to wet wash them. Its not usually needed though. Mica should be treated as semi fragile. For the sake of anyone thinking of self darwinating, yes you need to give it a full week to dry out properly afterwards.

Element wire is easier to rejoin than replace, but the join is always at risk of oxidising and refrying.

NT

[Andy Dingley]

There's some complex reason for the use of ribbon that I can't remember. Anyone ?

Agreed. It need to be long and give good contact over a decent area. If it's only small then you get a hot spot and the joint fails again in no time.

[The Medway Handyman]

Buy a new toaster.

[Sewer Rat]

I had to replace an element in one of these when a currant from a teacake carbonised and shorted the thing out.

sell replacement elements, they're quite fast at delivering them too. The new mica elements can also replace the older style ones.

HTH

[Andrew Gabriel]

Reasons that spring to mind would be to provide some direction to the radiated heat and it allows you to adjust the surface area to cross-sectional area so you can adjust the operating temperature without relying solely on the length and cross- sectional area to get the right resistance.

I usually unthread a bit of the element to get an overlap at the repair site, scrape the oxide off, and then crimp. You have to make sure the ferrule can't vibrate or sag when the element expands such that it might touch anything. It's best to fit it as near as possible to a point where the element wire is supported. If the fault was caused by cutlery being inserted (in some cases, I have found half a canteen of cutlery still inside the toaster), I generally won't repair it until it's covered by RCD protection.

[Bob Eager]

It's a Dualit - that's 135 quid if it's the 4 gang version. New elements from Dualit are cheaper though...

[Jason]

Do you buy a new car when your ashtray is full?

-- JJ

[Jason]

Very mild soap and water seemed to work okay. I used a small bit of cloth wrapped around a stick to get right inside, and it removed a lot of dirt (very slow though). The mica looks as good as new now, but I'm going to let it dry for a few days before plugging it in.

-- JJ

[RSK]

Is there someone who can replace the mica in a vintage toaster if it's flaking/cracked, etc.? Is it even worth having it replaced? Is it still okay to use as is?

[Brian Gaff (Sofa]

I don't know how old the thread is, but myself, I'd not particularly want to chance eating slivers of Mica on my toast. If its otherwise in good condition and is elderly, then maybe a company looking for props for a tv or film set might be interested in it or even a museum.

Brian

[Max Demian]

Why would you want to encase the elements in mica? I mean, no-one's going to be daft enough to try to extract stuck toast with a metal knife without making sure the power's off.

[charles]

Really?

[Tim+]

Other than the look of it, is the flaking causing any issues? Seems to me changing it would be fiddly. You can buy sheets of mica on eBay if you want to have a go.

You could always by another vintage toaster there too. ;-)

Tim

[Andrew]

I use a teabag squeezer to extract stuck crumpets from the toaster (after it has tried to eject them and failed, but cut the power).

[Nick Cat]

sure

how would we know what its value is?

we haven't even seen it.

[Stephen Licence]

Dualit elements are easily obtainable from catering equipment suppliers, and not particularly expensive. Originally, the elements had no mica (or whatever it is) protection, but when the elements broke, they usually ended up touching the frame and causing a blown fuse or other protective device operation. This is OK in the home, but in a restaurant can be a disaster, as probably four or five other pieces of equipment are on the same circuit. Unfortunately, the mica reduces the heat output of the element, so if the mica element is mixed with naked elements, a slice of bread between dissimilar elements will be rare to very rare on the mica side when the naked side is done.