Scratch-Building a Toaster.

When Thomas Thwaites scratch-builds a toaster, he doesn't mess around. In this case from scratch means mining the ore from which to get the iron from which to make the grill, the copper for the plug pins, nickel for the heater core and mica to wind the heater around. And yes, even sucking up some dino-oil from which to make the sleek plastic shell that dresses the crude innards of your average domestic toaster. Oh, you didn't know that plastic comes from dinosaurs?


This is just the intended goal. The blueprint on which the scratch-built toaster will be modeled upon.





Bag O' Ore. You just read what the ore is for.


An early (FAIL) attempt to smelt the iron ore with a pipe and hair dryers to force-feed the 02.


More advanced (really?) attempt at smelting using a trash can and a leaf blower. Reminds me of Oscar the Grouch on a very bad day.


Successful attempt at smelting the iron ore with a microwave oven.


The above being exhibited at an art show in London for works in progress.

Video 1: Obtaining the iron ore

Step 1.  Acquiring Iron Ore from Thomas Thwaites on Vimeo.

Video 2: Smelting with leaf blower


Step 2:Smelting Iron Ore in a Leafblower Furnace from Thomas Thwaites on Vimeo.

Video 3: Smelting in microwave

Step 2, Attempt 2: Smelting Iron Ore in a Microwave from Thomas Thwaites on Vimeo.

So after checking out all the crap it takes to get the stuff from which to manufacture an electric toaster, the question must be asked, "How badly do you desire your toast?"
As Thomas philosophically puts it:
So are toasters ridiculous? It depends on the scale at which you look. Looking close up, a desire (for toast) and the fulfilment of that desire is totally reasonable. Perhaps the majority of human activity can be reduced to a desire to make life more comfortable for ourselves, and has thus far led to being able to buy a toaster for £3.99 [among other achievements]. But looking at toasters in relation to global industry, at a moment in time when the effects of our industry are no longer trivial compared to the insignificant when our, they seem unreasonable. I think our position is ambiguous - the scale of industry involved in making a toaster [etc.] is ridiculous but at the same time the chain of discoveries and small technological developments that occurred along the way make it entirely reasonable.