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JHankwitz
I'm still using two Oster Fondue pots from 1970 which are basically electric fry ...
Streetrodder
I have a Sunbeam combo cooker/deep fryer and an Oster blender that my parents ...
The West Bend No. 1 electric-frying-pan thermostat
Paul Rako
10/21/2010 1:00 PM EDT
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About 15 years ago, I bought a Grants electric frying
pan on eBay for $10. Recently, the knob of
the pan’s West Bend thermostat stopped turning.
Knowing that putting pliers to it would only break
the knob or strip the knurling, I opted instead to
disassemble the unit. The threaded shaft that the knob operated
had dried out and seized. Lubricating the threads with
Tri-Flow fixed the thermostat. The thermostat also has a neon
light that had stopped operating due to age. When I shined a
bright light on the failed neon lamp, it started working again
because the light preionizes some of the noble gases inside the
lamp. The lamp stopped working when I reassembled the unit
because it was mostly shielded from ambient light.
1. A neon light with a series
dropping resistor is wired
across the two output
terminals so that the lamp
glows when the thermostat
closes and power travels to
the pan’s heating element.
2. A loop of wire over one of the three screw bosses serves as a wire-strain relief. The bottom cover has bumps that clamp the wire when it is assembled.
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4. The steel tube that
inserts into the frying pan
has a bimetallic element
that operates the contact
points as it bends with
applied temperature.5. A bare braided wire allows heat from the barrel contact to dissipate before it reaches the thermostat assembly.
6. Rotating the temperature knob pushes the lower contact leaf closer to or farther from the bimetallic spring. When the lower leaf is far from the bimetallic spring, it must heat up more to bend far enough to open the contact points.
7. Applying a few spritzes of DeoxIT liquid
on the contacts cleans, protects, and
lubricates them when they engage the
pins on the frying pan. I found a business
card, from an honored competitor,
with a good abrasive texture and cut it
into strips that I ran between the contact
surfaces after I applied the DeoxIT.
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dick_freebird
10/21/2010 3:08 PM EDT
We finally had to throw out our "heirloom" West Bend
electric frypan because this controller finally
went bad.
Not for what you describe, but the thing is an
exemplary corrosion cell. One (do not) immersion
and days later every steel part was a rust chunk
and every copper-to-brass spot weld in the electrical
path had come loose. No saving it. Bummer.
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anonymous user
10/21/2010 5:42 PM EDT
I love Deoxit, but it is difficult to get in Australia :(
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anonymous user
10/22/2010 12:08 AM EDT
Interesting... this must be one of the first products on ebay....because it started in 1995 :)
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WKetel
11/19/2011 5:36 PM EST
Things that are quite old are often sold on EBAy, so purchasing it there does not indicate age. I have had to repair similar thermostatic assemblies on quite a few occasions, the faults were either dirty connections or failed power cords. They are tedious to solder, it really needs a higher temperature alloy. Originally all the connections are welded. But it is usually possible to get these sorts of appliances to last decades, if you never soak them. Keep the control dry, wash and dry the rest, and never soak them. Sometimes the aluminum may be slightly porous.
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Streetrodder
11/23/2011 2:11 PM EST
I have a Sunbeam combo cooker/deep fryer and an Oster blender that my parents received as wedding presents. BTW, I'm 55 years old. The old bimetal thermostat still works on the cooker. I still use it sometimes, the oster still works as well, but I don't use it much - it's single speed (on-off).
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JHankwitz
11/21/2012 3:07 PM EST
I'm still using two Oster Fondue pots from 1970 which are basically electric fry pans with fitted pots on them. They still work great, just as my 12-speed Osterizer purchased at the same time and used every day since.
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