OK - here's the DEFINITIVE DISASSEMBLY according to me!
(You really don't want to remove all the screws - you'll stand a good chance of breaking the power wire, which is fragile and held with a single solder joint which bears the load of the spring tension! Pull both sides and nothing will keep the heat wires in tension, I think you'd have a mess on your hands??)
Lay a towel down so you don't scratch the chrome plates - open both canvas flaps and turn the power-knob side away from you. TAKE A PICTURE or make a sketch of how the arms looks when it's all closed up.
CAREFULLY pop out one end of the chrome sheet that is facing up. A wide, thin putty knife works best for this. Work it between the aluminum channel and the seam and gently pop the sheet out where it tucks into the frame. The other side will pop out - it's held in by tension. Set it aside.
Now you'll see the assembly - two plastic end caps (one with power cord and knob), and two straight aluminum extrusions that hold the canvas ends and heating element wires. FROM HERE ON, be extra careful not to damage the wires. Be aware the wire from the knob is soldered to the heating wire - it's all held in place with that solder joint as the bearing point, so don't bust anything!
The metal arms are held in with speed nuts. Carefully pry the speed nuts off the arms, and pull the arms out - the springs will pop off.
The springs are held to the plastic sides with molded posts and speed nuts - leave these alone.
Remove the two screws on the plastic side facing you - they're tight since they're just drilled into the extrusion channel. A power screwdriver is your friend. DON'T BOTHER removing the other panel side with the power cord and knob. Leave that stuff be (or clean the contacts of the heat control if needed).
Lift a metal arm up and work it out of the canvas seam. Now you can slide the other side of the canvas out of the extrusion - there's a long metal rod tucked into it. It should slide out easily. Now do the same steps to the other canvas. Blow any dust out of the casing at this point, since we're doing things the proud-of way.
My metal arms had some surface rust and staining. I gave them a light sanding and a coat of Crystal Clear (acrylic spray paint). The stuff dries very fast, you can mess with it while you're rinsing the canvas.
Wash the canvas however you see fit - DON'T DRY IT! Don't let it dry! I actually used liquid shampoo, and then water with a splash of bleach (really, go easy on the bleach). Use a scrub brush for tough stains. I sort of treated rinsing mine like a fiber print and gave it an "archival wash" - lots of running water rinse, lots of water changes. Let it soak while you clean or paint the arms. if you spray the arms with Crystal Clear, hit 'em with a blow dryer when they're dry to harden and cure the clear so you can futz with it.
When you're ready to re-assemble, wring them out, then wrap each one in a towel, roll it up, and squeeze as much water out as you can. Don't put the arms back in yet.
Place the narrow canvas seam in its slot in the extrusion channel - get the first couple inches in, and then insert the rod and work it into the seam and on into the slot. Gently get the whole thing centered. The rod should disappear into the extrusion. One side of mine took some monkeying with, the stitching at the end of the canvas was rough and blocking the rod. Profanity can really help here. Do both sides, pay attention to how the seams face (though mine ended up upside-down, I don't see it making a difference.
Replace the plastic side and screw it back in - it may help to not fully tighten the screws just yet - my metal plate wasn't really "square" to the whole assembly.
Work an arm into a large seam - it's not hard. Then tuck the ends of the arms into the plastic end and attach the springs. Be careful here, since the ends of the springs are on those plastic posts. One of my springs seemed a turn or two short and was a bear to get on, and yeah, the post broke. I had to run a bolt through the case.
When both arms are attached, push the speed nuts back on. if they're loose, give one a squish with a screwdriver to deform it enough to hold.
Getting the metal plate back on is a little sporty. Tuck one side into the extrusion, and then position the other side. With your fingertips, "squeeze" the "shoulder" of the plate to try to get the thin metal lip to tuck into the extrusion. (Don't cut yourself, the metal's fairly sharp). One you get a bit of the lip into its channel, grab your putty knife and push the rest of the lip down - it'll snap into place.
Close the whole thing up, adjusting the canvas for centering. Tighten the 2 screws if needed. Turn the heat to medium (I assume drying the canvas too fast will promote shrinkage, but I don't know nothin' bout no laundry). (Or birthin' no babies). Make sure it's heating up, not smoking or bursting into flames with gouts of plastic smoke. if so, you might have jacked something up inside.
The bottom of the dryer is usually about half as hot as the top (something about physics and heat rising I guess) so turn the thing over from time to time. And - keep in mind the seams are not gonna get warm - they won't be dry when the main canvas parts are, so leave the thing closed for a day or so and make sure they're dry before opening. Shrinkage, man - no shrinkage!
