Making A Toaster From Scratch
July 13, 2009 10:09 PM Subscribe
I'm trying to build a toaster, from scratch - beginning by mining the raw materials and ending with a product that Argos sells for only £3.99.
This post was deleted for the following reason: Double. -- pb
This faintly ridiculous quest to make a toaster from the 'ground up' serves as a vehicle through which questions about economics, helplessness and life as a consumer can be investigated.
Sure, if you are a consumer that consumes everything but information. Dude is a moron, and not even looking at the interesting pieces of technology that make up the supply chain.
The extraction and processing of these materials happens on a scale irreconcilable with that of a mass product
Sure, if you want to stay ignorant. Otherwise, you can learn about the systems involved and find that it isn't so hard to reconcile the scale at which masses of cheap consumer goods get made.
posted by b1tr0t at 10:17 PM on July 13, 2009
Sure, if you are a consumer that consumes everything but information. Dude is a moron, and not even looking at the interesting pieces of technology that make up the supply chain.
The extraction and processing of these materials happens on a scale irreconcilable with that of a mass product
Sure, if you want to stay ignorant. Otherwise, you can learn about the systems involved and find that it isn't so hard to reconcile the scale at which masses of cheap consumer goods get made.
posted by b1tr0t at 10:17 PM on July 13, 2009
I remember seeing a plan for a toaster oven in an old Popular Mechanics book. Amusingly (terrifyingly?) it used slabs of asbestos as insulation.
posted by fearthehat at 10:18 PM on July 13, 2009
posted by fearthehat at 10:18 PM on July 13, 2009
I thought we talked about this before, but I hadn't seen the videos. Ah yes.
posted by delmoi at 10:24 PM on July 13, 2009
posted by delmoi at 10:24 PM on July 13, 2009
This man would not make a very good archaeologist. He's using things like leafblowers and hairdryers to do his smelting. Doing it from scratch, in this case, means making your own tools as well, in my opinion.
There was a video I watched a while ago (probably linked here) that featured some university's project to recreate an iron smelting furnace based on evidence from sites dated from the beginning of the iron age. That was interesting. This is merely arbitrary and silly.
posted by kavasa at 10:24 PM on July 13, 2009 [2 favorites]
There was a video I watched a while ago (probably linked here) that featured some university's project to recreate an iron smelting furnace based on evidence from sites dated from the beginning of the iron age. That was interesting. This is merely arbitrary and silly.
posted by kavasa at 10:24 PM on July 13, 2009 [2 favorites]
I remember seeing a plan for a toaster oven in an old Popular Mechanics book. Amusingly (terrifyingly?) it used slabs of asbestos as insulation.
It's not like asbestos is radioactive. It's just a problem if you breath it in. As long as it stays in place it's fine, but for construction workers (and demolition crews) it's a bigger problem.
posted by delmoi at 10:25 PM on July 13, 2009
It's not like asbestos is radioactive. It's just a problem if you breath it in. As long as it stays in place it's fine, but for construction workers (and demolition crews) it's a bigger problem.
posted by delmoi at 10:25 PM on July 13, 2009
You know, I bet his hand-made smelter would also do a pretty good job of toasting bread.
posted by delmoi at 10:26 PM on July 13, 2009 [6 favorites]
posted by delmoi at 10:26 PM on July 13, 2009 [6 favorites]
Double
Rats. On the other hand, another reason to resent reason.com.
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 10:27 PM on July 13, 2009
Rats. On the other hand, another reason to resent reason.com.
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 10:27 PM on July 13, 2009
Dave Gingery and his bootstrapped machine tools blow this out of the water.
posted by contraption at 11:12 PM on July 13, 2009
posted by contraption at 11:12 PM on July 13, 2009
delmoi It's just a problem if you breath it in. As long as it stays in place it's fine,
Eating it probably wouldn't be good for you either, but you're right. The trick is getting it to stay in place.
posted by aeschenkarnos at 11:22 PM on July 13, 2009
Eating it probably wouldn't be good for you either, but you're right. The trick is getting it to stay in place.
posted by aeschenkarnos at 11:22 PM on July 13, 2009
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posted by felix betachat at 10:12 PM on July 13, 2009