Do you have one of those appliances that are extremely ugly, but you can't get rid of them because they are still functional?

That was my toaster. When the handle broke off I decided to do something to repair and upgrade my poor old toaster.

Step 1: Materials

Here is the old toaster in all its former glory. As you can see, the handle has broken off.

Materials:

Old toaster
Cleaning supplies
Painter's tape
Spray-paint
Sharpies
Sugru

Step 2: Clean

I cleaned the toaster using simple green cleaner.

I even opened up the bottom of the toaster to scrape out the crumbs caught in the bottom.

Step 3: Paint

I taped off all of the openings to the toaster. I didn't want to get spaypaint close to any of the parts of the toaster that get hot - so I left a wide berth around the toast holes and vent area.

I then used black spraypaint over the rest of the toaster. I could have done a bit better of a job with the spraypaint as I left a some drips, but that's ok.

Once the paint was dry I stenciled the word "toast" on the side of the toaster using a silver sharpie.

Step 4: Sugru Upgrades

I made a new handle using blue Sugru. I used Sugru around the parts of the toaster that get hot because it bonds to metal, turns into rubber when its dry, and is heat tolerant. Finally, I used a bit of Sugru to strengthen the cord ending.

I also coloured the temperature control dial with the silver sharpie to match.

I love the look of my new toaster - it is a major upgrade from how it used to be and a nice way to preserve an old functional appliance.