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Other Vintage Household Electrical or Electromechanical Items For discussions about other vintage (over 25 years old) electrical and electromechanical household items. See the sticky thread for details. |
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20th Apr 2022, 10:12 am | #1 |
Octode
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Southwell, Nottinghamshire, UK.
Posts: 1,779
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Swan electric toaster
My pop up toaster recently failed so I acquired this Swan brand toaster. It had the mains cable cut so I replaced it and cleaned it up and it works brilliantly. Obviously it’s not a pop up but it’s very quick taking no more than a minute or so each side. Far quicker than the one it’s replacing. Only down side is it is quite small so takes only small slices but as we tend to have smaller loaves it’s not an issue. Electrical safety questionable but I’m happy to use it.
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20th Apr 2022, 2:14 pm | #2 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Leominster, Herefordshire, UK.
Posts: 16,526
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Re: Swan electric toaster
Does it flip the toast just by lowering the flap?
Sounds like a good excuse to build/acquire a run back timer switch to go inline! Or a smoke detector !
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20th Apr 2022, 2:58 pm | #3 |
Heptode
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: High Wycombe, Bucks. UK.
Posts: 811
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Re: Swan electric toaster
I have a very similar Swan toaster which I bought as a curiosity many years ago for £1 at a car boot sale. It has a painted instead of a polished metal finish, but otherwise looks the same as yours. I think it dates from the 1950s.
Mine did not work when bought. The mains wire had perished, I replaced it, then discovered a break in the element wire. As it's not possible to solder, I repaired the break by twisting the wires together. Amazingly it worked! I do have a few other vintage toasters including a similar Hotpoint with glass doors (1930s-40s) , A Morphy-Richards TU1D pop-up from the 1960s and a Russell Hobbs 5503 pop-sideways model from the 1970s, complete with bright red poppy design. That one has been in the family since new. It used to throw the toast across the room sometimes - great fun! |
20th Apr 2022, 6:12 pm | #4 | |
Heptode
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: Southport, Merseyside, UK.
Posts: 646
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Re: Swan electric toaster
Quote:
My parents had a "Keith" toaster during the immediate post war period. It had a drop down door on each side. After side one of each slice was done the toast could be flipped by lowering the flaps. I do not remember any timing device though.
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20th Apr 2022, 7:34 pm | #5 |
Octode
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Southwell, Nottinghamshire, UK.
Posts: 1,779
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Re: Swan electric toaster
Yes it flips the bread by opening the flap. It’s so quick a timer is not worth bothering with.
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21st Apr 2022, 5:20 pm | #6 | |
Heptode
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK.
Posts: 823
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Re: Swan electric toaster
Quote:
David. |
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21st Apr 2022, 10:16 pm | #7 | |
Octode
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Ilkeston, Derbyshire, UK.
Posts: 1,397
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Re: Swan electric toaster
Quote:
Did you struggle with replacing the mains cable? It needs to be quite thin as there's not much room to play with and the earth wire arrangement is very fiddly and pretty poor. I'm sure it could be improved. Steve |
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22nd Apr 2022, 1:49 pm | #8 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Lincolnshire, UK.
Posts: 4,985
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Re: Swan electric toaster
Great toaster - I've got a similar one, but even older.
Been in the family for as long as I can remember and I was having toast from it from probably before I could even walk. No one was electrocuted and no one died, but they certainly wouldn't comply with today's standards - we just knew what was dangerous and what not to touch! |
22nd Apr 2022, 5:18 pm | #9 |
Octode
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Southwell, Nottinghamshire, UK.
Posts: 1,779
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Re: Swan electric toaster
I initially changed the cable for some fairly heavy gauge but it was too thick to go through the rubber sleeve/strain relief fitting so left that off but it was rather iffy and I wasn’t happy so got some .5, 3 core. I think this toaster must be about 500W and wondered if the .5 would be suitable. I refitted the rubber strain relief and fastened the cable with some contact adhesive spread on the cable and pulled though the final inch or so, even though it was a tight fit. It was a bit fiddly but all seems well. I’ve noticed that some of these older toasters have a flat vented plate on the top, presumably to boil a kettle on. I certainly would not entertain that.
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22nd Apr 2022, 5:22 pm | #10 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Lincolnshire, UK.
Posts: 4,985
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Re: Swan electric toaster
Mine does - that's to stack your already toasted toast on to keep it warm until you're ready to serve it to the table.
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22nd Apr 2022, 8:05 pm | #11 |
Pentode
Join Date: Mar 2022
Location: Retford, Nottinghamshire, UK.
Posts: 192
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Re: Swan electric toaster
Weren't they for warming your croissants on?
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Paul |
23rd Apr 2022, 7:43 am | #12 |
Nonode
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: North Somerset, UK.
Posts: 2,129
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Re: Swan electric toaster
That was my understanding. I certainly DID warm croissants thus, or French bread. A butter dish could also be slightly warmed in order to soften hard butter.
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23rd Apr 2022, 8:10 am | #13 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Warnham, West Sussex. 10 miles south of DORKING.
Posts: 9,145
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Re: Swan electric toaster
OK to play with but a dangerous item today in the hands of guys that are not familiar with vintage electrics. J.
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24th Apr 2022, 6:55 pm | #14 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Staffordshire Moorlands, UK.
Posts: 5,263
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Re: Swan electric toaster
Pretty certain they were for keeping the toast warm while you made more.
I've seen a few 1930's electric fires with boiling attachments but surely a toaster wouldn't get hot enough. Personally I prefer cold toast.
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Kevin |
24th Apr 2022, 11:52 pm | #15 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Brentwood, Essex, UK.
Posts: 5,316
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Re: Swan electric toaster
Less than 500W was considered sufficient to boil a small kettle. The pictures are from the 1911 GEC catalogue, which only features the one toaster (500W). The multipurpose hotplate for kettle and saucapan, used a 4lb flat iron, which elsewhere in the cataloge was rated at only 300W max at 250V.
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25th Apr 2022, 1:01 am | #16 | |
Octode
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Bristol, UK.
Posts: 1,641
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Re: Swan electric toaster
Quote:
Mike |
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25th Apr 2022, 12:44 pm | #17 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Staffordshire Moorlands, UK.
Posts: 5,263
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Re: Swan electric toaster
nothing's new, you can still buy a modern toaster with a warming rack above the slots.
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Kevin |
25th Apr 2022, 9:58 pm | #18 |
Hexode
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Cheshire, UK.
Posts: 363
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Re: Swan electric toaster
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25th Apr 2022, 10:54 pm | #19 |
Hexode
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Ramsgate, Kent, UK.
Posts: 296
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Re: Swan electric toaster
I well remember these when I worked on board Trinity House Pilot cutters off Harwich Essex. I thought the simple but effective flipping mechanism was dead clever, very rarely failed, occasionally a deformed slice would shoot right off when you flipped it. If I ever see one I’ll get it just for old time sake.
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Andrew Illegitimi non carborundum |
1st May 2022, 6:37 pm | #20 |
Heptode
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: Blackburn, Lancashire, UK.
Posts: 729
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Re: Swan electric toaster
I've got a Swan Egg Boiler (see pic) but no idea where you can buy swan eggs these days!
Just a joke, hopefully to raise a smile or two! Sorry! I'll get me coat...
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Best Regards, Peter. Last edited by Lancs Lad; 1st May 2022 at 6:46 pm. |