In article ,
DaveC writes:
My toaster resurrection project :-)

Need to (re)connect the nichrome wire to the insulated, stranded supply wire.
The existing (now overheated and useless, due to heat via bad connection)
connection is a rivet (stainless?) with the nichrome wrapped around the head,
and a brass (looking) crimp on the backside that accepts the supply wire.

Barring an original replacement item, what replacements would you recommend?
Most crimp ring terminals aren't brass. Should I use brass? A rivet would be
difficult to install here. Would a threaded fastener (nut & bolt) be
sufficient? Stainless?

I needed to repair a 1955 toaster element after someone stuck a
fork in to remove a piece of stuck toast. First time, I used a
small steel washer folded in half and effectively used as a crimp.
That repair lasted about 25 years before the nichrome wire burned
through at the edge of the washer (probably the contact got bad
and it locally overheated). I've recently repaired it again with a
tiny crimp cut off the end of a crimp connection washer, which I
suspect was brass. I scratched the nichrome wire clean where it
went into the crimp, but I don't know if that really makes any
long lasting difference.

If you're playing this game, think carefully what the consequences
of the join breaking are, and the nichrome wire contacting the case
metalwork. In a British earthed toaster, this is not much of a safety
issue, but I wouldn't dare do such a repair on a US toaster which is
likely not earthed anyway, and even if it is, the outlet might not be.

--
Andrew Gabriel