General Toasters, DIY Manufacturing Tools, and Pliers for Removing the Side Lever Button on Toasters.

ID: 199929

Description:

When repairing a toaster, one of the first problems we encounter is how to disassemble the side lever button without breaking it, since in most machines, it is inserted into the metal lever and the latter has one or two arrowhead-shaped protrusions that prevent the button from coming off easily.
It is very common to try to extract the button and crack or split the plastic due to this "tab or arrowhead"; in some toasters, we can try to use a thin screwdriver to pry the plastic, but this is not always possible.
In this document, I show you the methods I use to repair them at Repair Café Palma; these work both for toasters and for extracting buttons from radios and similar devices, before using pliers (purchased from AliExpress).
I devised some homemade U-shaped extraction levers that have proven very useful if we cannot or do not want to buy tools.

An example of what I was telling you in step 1: a toaster with an arrowhead-shaped protrusion on the activation lever; for this one in particular, inserting the U was extremely complicated.

A very useful tool for removing plastic clips in vehicles, which is perfectly adapted for the task we want to perform, allows us to remove the buttons often easily and without damaging them or with the minimum possible damage.
For sale on aliexpress

A sample of how we would use the tool, (Note: This toaster in the photo is working, so I am not removing the button to avoid damaging it, I am just showing how the pliers would be positioned.)

DIY extractors; these are feasible to make if you have scrap sheet metal and the means to craft them, such as a workbench, drill, drill bits, files, and tin snips.
I made two extractors from the remains of a U-bracket from a fairly old spotlight, and the yellow one was made from an elongated rectangular rod. Those of you who have contacts in metal workshops (sheet metal), scrapyards, or with installers will have an easier time obtaining material.
If you have to buy the material to make them, my advice is to just buy the pliers directly. Making DIY extractors is conditional on having the material, tools, and the desire to do it yourself. Personally, I am very proud of the ones I made since they were my first ones and have my personal touch.

View of the homemade extractors made from the U-shape of an office hallway light fixture, with the L-shape cut off, the tip drilled, and filed down to create the U-shape; the two tips of the U were sharpened to penetrate easily.
To the handle, so it doesn't cut, I have added a few turns of electrical tape or rubber tape to give it volume and make it more comfortable, covering the whole thing with wide heat-shrink tubing.
I have placed a piece of adhesive felt at the fulcrum point so as not to scratch the toaster when extracting the volume button.

Example of how to use the homemade extractor; in photo 3, we see the arrowhead-shaped protrusion we mentioned in step 2, which makes removing the lever difficult.

Another example of a puller—in this case, a thinner one, as I mentioned in a previous step—can also be used for device buttons; I specifically made this one to remove buttons from a cassette player.

Just as an anecdote, the U-shaped puller can be used for other devices and equipment; here, for example, for the knobs on a kitchen cooktop.

And finally, if we do not have other means, we can always use a classic flathead screwdriver, although if we use 2, it is even better.
I am dedicating another document, still in preparation, to the step-by-step construction of homemade tools.
END of the Guide.

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