How to Assemble an Oster Blender

The Oster company originally made its name with hair clippers, but in the postwar years it acquired blender pioneer the Stevens Electric Company and revamped its flagship product into the "Osterizer." The basic design of blenders hasn't changed much since, and aside from a few minor details, assembling one remains straightforward.

Your Oster blender, regardless of model, always consists of the same handful of basic parts or sub-assemblies. At the top is the lid with a cap you can remove in order to add ingredients during blending. The cap sits on the blender jar, which may be made of glass or a durable, BPA-free plastic depending on the model. At the base of the jar sits an assembly consisting of the blades, a sealing ring and a skirt to hold the assembly together. Finally, there's the motorized base of the blender itself.

While the actual design and structure of each blender is very much the same, there are slight differences in how the varying models are assembled.

Before assembling any Oster blender, make sure first that it is unplugged and that the parts are clean, as advised by the Oster Blender user manual. You'll also need a stable, clean and uncluttered work surface to assemble the pieces.

1. Turn the blender jar upside down on your work surface.
2. Lay the rubber or silicon sealing ring on the lip of the blender jar's base.
3. Hold the blade assembly with the blades facing downward. Lower it into the open base of the blender, lining up the edges of the blade assembly with the edges of the blender jar.
4. Place the skirt over the jar's threads and gently tighten it. Turn the blender jar right side up and position it in the base. If your Oster blender has a locking lever, orient it so it fits the corresponding notch in the blender's base. Others use a system of tabs on the skirt and slots on the base, so it will only fit one way.
5. Fill the blender. Insert the cap into the jar's lid and twist to lock it in place. Plug in the blender and use as directed in your recipe.

As with a Classic blender, begin with your blender unplugged and the jar standing upside down on your work surface. The parts are all the same as a Classic model but are assembled in a different sequence.

1. Place the blender's skirt on your work surface with the threads facing up. Position the blade assembly inside the skirt with the blades facing upward as well.
2. Carefully slide the sealing ring over the blades, taking care not to catch and cut the ring. At the bottom of the threads, there's a continuous ridge running the circumference of the skirt. Press the seal down into the skirt so it snaps in beneath this ridge. You may wish to use a spoon or other implement for this step to reduce the risk of cutting your fingers on the blade. To check if the ring is installed properly, pick up the skirt and blade assembly and turn it upside down. If the ring moves or falls out, try again.
3. Hold the skirt and blade assembly upside down and lower the blades through the open bottom of the blender jar. Screw it onto the threads until it seals tightly.
4. Position the assembled jar on the base, aligning the tabs or locking lever with their appropriate notches.
5. Fill the blender. Assemble the lid by placing the cap in its hole and twisting to lock. Place the lid on the blender jar, plug in the blender and use as directed in your recipe.

Oster's Versa series blenders are designed to compete with costlier, professional-grade models from rivals such as Vitamix and BlendTec. They require minimal assembly because, like those competitors, the blade assembly, sealer ring and skirt are a permanent part of the blender jar. Assembling a Versa is as simple as placing the jar on the blender base, assembling the lid and plugging it in.

Your blender may leak if the sealer ring is incorrectly installed, if the jar or the jar's skirt are cracked or if the sealer ring itself is damaged or severed. Each time you assemble your blender, it's a good idea to check for cracks or damage. Sealer rings are the most vulnerable part of the blender, but they're inexpensive and don't take up much room in your kitchen. Keeping a spare on hand for emergencies is always a good idea.

If you're a visual learner, Oster offers instructional videos for assembling Classic series and Pro series blenders as well as some attachments.