[Oliver35]

I come across these from time to time, and I'm always tempted- although I've got far too much old stuff as it is. I've always liked the straightforward, robust, endlessly-fixable design of these old appliances. The 'foil like' element chimney- could it be made from Mica? Used to be a popular insulator in toasters. My attitude to 'things that look like asbestos' is 'Is it damaged or crumbly?' and 'Is it likely to become so in use?' If no to both of these, I leave it where it is. I have an old electric paint stripper with a horrifying fibre asbestos flex on it- it's sealed up in plastic bags in the shed until I decide what to do with it.