I just completely disassembled & cleaned one I just obtained (quite a chore!)-the 'handles' are part of the black one-piece Bakelite bottom tray- they don't remove separately. The heat control knob pulls straight off, a friction fit, although as old as these toasters are, it may be a bit stuck, so be gentle & patient with it. If you pry it off, be sure to pad the Bakelite with something sturdy, as you don't want to break or chip it- it can be fragile sometimes. You have to remove the 4 large slot-head screws & the 2 smaller slot-head screws from the bottom, removing the 'crumb tray', then you can remove the outer chrome casing(s) by removing the hex-head screws. So far this is all easy, now you can see all the workings, etc. and up to this point you can't 'get into trouble' by what you've removed- it's all easy to put back.
Hopefully you can find a simple problem why it's stuck- but unless you know what you're doing here you can inadvertantly put your toaster out of adjustment- be very careful not to 'tweak' the flat metal strip at the front as this is the contact.
Hope this helps!
p.s.- And please unplug the toaster first, of course! You can actually watch everything work once the case is off, but DO NOT touch any components except the bread you may be putting in, to avoid getting shocked. Also, if you test it without the crumb tray, be advised that it generates enough heat downward to possibly char whatever it's sitting on!
Jeffzephyr, July 2011
