The older ones I've taken apart have a thin nichromium wire (or some other metal) that run across the neutral and line/load circuit. Regardless of whether there's a load or not the switch operates based on how much pressure you put on the bi-metalic junction. More pressure means longer heat cycle. Cool time does not change (relatively speaking). The cycle times can run anywhere from short seconds to longer minutes of on time.

Would you be able to tell brand, part number of that control with the nichrome heater inside ? Or the donor ?

 

The "E X P E R T S" are saying running a gas stove in the house is hazardous to our health. Funny, I grew up in a home with a floor gas heater. Did not have a flue. Heat and exhaust gasses entered right into the home. Today the experts would be screaming about carbon monoxide. In fact, in the mornings I used to stand on the register and feel the warm heat rising up. Every morning. Never mind chewing on lead paint chips - I stood directly in the exhaust stream. I may be small for my age but I'm still as sharp as a fuzzy tennis ball.

Max, it seems to me that those "Experts" are chained to every possible fear that there could be. LIFE is a Hazard, at least mine certainly is on many occasions. But it has already been explained to me in great detail, how much I still have to do, so I will be around for a while yet.
And we are on our third gas stove, which has a few features that the previous one did not have.
But what will they do in California when all gas is unavailable and the poorly done grid is not able to heat those homes and cook the food and charge up the EVs?? And the solar cells at best do not provide nearly enough power?? They will hear me laugh from the opposite corner .

 

The "E X P E R T S" are saying running a gas stove in the house is hazardous to our health. Funny, I grew up in a home with a floor gas heater. Did not have a flue. Heat and exhaust gasses entered right into the home. Today the experts would be screaming about carbon monoxide. In fact, in the mornings I used to stand on the register and feel the warm heat rising up. Every morning. Never mind chewing on lead paint chips - I stood directly in the exhaust stream. I may be small for my age but I'm still as sharp as a fuzzy tennis ball.

Yeah, when I grew up we had most of those daily hazards, but they seemed rather trivial compared with the daily threat of one of Adolf's men possibly dropping something on me on my way to school!

 

(Possibly a bit off-topic)
Presently we have other alleged hazards, the majority of which are normally avoided daily by those folks who presume that they are personally responsible for their own safety, and thus they avoid most of the hazards presented by nature as part of natural selection.
It is a puzzle as to how my ancestors survived so very many decades without so much protective rules from those so much wiser than the rest of us mere mortals. Could it possibly be due to a greater ability to focus our attention on our surroundings?? Or amI missing something?

 

Would you be able to tell brand, part number of that control with the nichrome heater inside ? Or the donor ?

Sorry, no, that was a long time ago. Probably closing in on half a century since I messed with those clunkers.

Presently we have other alleged hazards, the majority of which are normally avoided daily by those folks who presume that they are personally responsible for their own safety, and thus they avoid most of the hazards presented by nature as part of natural selection.

That "Alleged" issue is what I was referring to. Many of us have been shocked by 120VAC, some have been hit by 240VAC. MOST of us are here to tell the story. But because we're here doesn't mean it's not necessary to heed warnings. Many have died by accident due to the same exposures we've endured. Hard to count how many of us have died from shock hazards simply because they're not here to testify. Nevertheless, the alleged issues may be issues worth being concerned with. While some seem logical, some do stretch the hazardous warning a bit. Playing on the freeway CAN be hazardous to your life. I've played on railroad tracks. Not once was I killed by a train. Nor have I ever been injured. Still, alleged or not - playing on railroad tracks is not advisable.

Back on topic - those slow poke thermal controllers have been around for quite a long time. My FIRST experience with such a controller was the electric blanket. It quit working. So I took the controller apart and found the wire directly across power when switched on. I immediately cut it off, not knowing what it was there for. Keep in mind I was quite young. Something like 19 years old at the time. After that the blanket would get hot and stay hot. Fortunately didn't start a fire, but the point is that the wire was there to make the temperature controller switch between on and off. If the room got colder that wire would cool off quicker, thus keeping the blanket even warmer. The extra warmth negated the colder room temperature. But as far as remembering a name or a brand or a part number - gosh, I haven't messed with electric stoves in a VERY long time.