I've previously mentioned my addiction to chrome toasters. As I've often said, I've never met a toaster I didn't like. Usually my
wife just rolls her eyes when I come home with yet another. But this past
week while estate saling, she revealed her true self -- an enabler. We were
at an estate sale off of Gravois Road, a very crowded one, I might
add. While squeezing around, I had become separated from her.
Suddenly, she appeared before me holding this.
It's a Sunbeam model T-9 which was
manufactured from 1939 to 1949. My wife liked the styling (she didn't have to
sell me on it) and okayed the $8 price tag which I thought was a little
high. She mentioned there was an identical model which one of the other
shoppers was carrying around, but I never did see it.
The front showcases a slightly more
stylized variation of the 1939 World's Fair Trylon and Perisphere seen on
Sunbeam toasters of this era which I just realized if you invert says
"T9". Hmmmmm. I wonder if that was intentional.
Anyway, it's claim to fame over previous toasters was its "Keeps Toast
Warm" feature.
This knob just prevents the toast
from popping up. The heating elements still turn off, but by having the
toast remain down, it will stay warm for a short period.
It also has
something I've never seen in a toaster -- an additional adjustment knob to
control the amount of toasting. In the event the Lighter/Darker knob
doesn't allow for enough adjustment, there's an additional adjustment nut on
the bottom of the toaster that can be revolved one direction or the other
depending on your need. The manual states this was to adjust for large
voltage variations. Mine actually required to be dialed down twice. The only other work it required was rewiring the existing cord which was fraying near the connection. I cut off the frayed section and rewired. It's now toasting like a champ.
The amazing thing is the features
tag is still tied to the cord and is in excellent condition. After over
60 years of toaster use, you'd think it would be stained, torn and tattered.
At the same sale, I just missed a
vintage chrome GE percolator. I broke the crystal on my Hoover several months ago and have been on the lookout for one since. The person
that grabbed it kept taking it out of the box, looking at it, putting it down,
picking it up, etc. I kept following him hoping he would put it down but
he never did. Priced at $2, it was a great deal. Better luck next
time.
Are you interested in selling your toaster? I would so love to give it to one of my daughters a gift. Thank you. Dan lehman_dj@yahoo.com or 602.421.3530
ReplyDeleteHi Dan. Thanks for the offer, but that's our everyday toaster right now. If it falls out of favor or gets replaced by my latest find, I'll let you know.
DeleteHow awesome! I have a T-9 as well. It was my grandparents. It is now my daily toaster. Still going strong.
ReplyDeleteHi Brian. Sadly, my T-9 gave out after being my daily for about a year. I'd definitely pick up another if I came across one.
DeleteI'll be honest, Melvin, I questioned whether this was spam or not. If it is, I congratulate you on staying on topic and disguising it so well. Focusing on USA-made models isn't a challenge for me since I focus on pre-1960 models.
ReplyDeleteI found a T-9 on top of a garbage can in my neighborhood. I really like the way it looks. I think it needs to be rewired because it sparked when I plugged it in.
ReplyDeleteIf it sparked at the plug, it's easy enough to replace the plug and/or the cord. It's a really nice toaster. Good luck!
DeleteIt's a famous Raymond Loewy design. Google or Pinterest him for a mid-century extravaganza.
ReplyDeleteThanks, David! Very interesting. I will definitely read up on him.
DeleteGot mine about 15 years ago at a sale.(4 bucks). Cleaned it , plugged it in and still using it. Keep my other toaster handy though. Cause unless you smash your bagel it ain't gonna fit!!
DeleteYes, that's the bad thing about the older toasters -- they don't accommodate bagels which forces you to keep two toasters on the countertop. But so cool to toast regular bread in. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteHello Tom, I have six of these t9 toasters that are in need of repair. Can you tell me where I can find parts particularly the heating elements?
ReplyDeleteThank you. Dan
Hi Dan,
DeleteDo you need to replace the entire heating element or just replace the nichrome wire? That's sold on Amazon. I've never done that kind of repair before, so I'm not able to advise on that. If you're on Facebook, there is a group of vintage toaster collectors with some very knowledgeable people there: Antique & Vintage Toaster Collectors. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1042720949533175
Hello, I've had this same gorgeous toaster for well over 30 years and wondered if anyone has ever taken theirs apart? It works but is missing one of the handles. I bought a replacement handle years, and years ago but have tried several times since to get the toaster apart to no avail. The last time was also years ago.
ReplyDeleteWell I've pulled it down once again and can get a lot of the weird sun shaped slot-less screws off however I cannot figure out how to get the bakelite base separated from the body. Any suggestions? Thanks.
Damie
Hi Damie. I don't believe I've disassembled this toaster ever. I do see a couple screws toward the front holding the base on, but I'm not sure if there are others. If you're on Facebook, there's a knowledgeable group of toaster collectors on there in this group: https://www.facebook.com/share/8GCkKaDNK7tLUqTK/
DeleteGlad to see this thread is still going strong! HELP I just bought mine at a thrift store - where it worked. It and it's cord look great. But at home it heated up for one go - I had no bread in it. As it didnt smoke, crackle or blow-up I then excitedly put in my first bread slices. Nada. My partner said light came on for a sec (I didnt see it) and nothing warmed up.
ReplyDeleteI dont tinker, have only a screwdriver as starting tools and know nothing about electricity BUT REALLY WANT IT TO WORK. Iwant to make my toast with it for the 30 years ÷/- I still got coming.
Anybody have any ideas? Instructions somewhere? A video? I'll try that facebook group mentioned last year... THANKS IN ADVANCE
AND Thanks for copying and posting it's book. Hugs.
Hi Madeline, welcome to toaster-holics anonymous. I can think of a couple things that may have happened (and really all that could have happened). A loss off power to your toaster is either a disconnect of one of the terminals of the cord (has happened to me before) or the wire inside had a break.
DeleteThese toasters are fairly easy to disassemble. You should just need to remove that front "tone" knob (I don't recall offhand if it just pulls off or if it has a set screw on the bottom that you need to loosen to remove). Then remove the screws from the bottom and pull the outer shell off. You should be able to see the 2 terminals where the cord screws into and assess the toaster element wires for any breaks.
Good luck!