Powerful Magnet

[Jumptrap]

Fellers,

I need a magnet to pick up a bunch of nails after I burn a large pile of pallets and packing crates. I need something light enough that I can swing it on a broom handle but powerful enough to grab the nails and hold onto them. If I knew where to look for some type of permanent magnet I would use that. I also thought it might be possible to make one maybe with a piece of flat steel or rebar and wrapped with 12 gauge wire and powered by a battery...but I bet a car battery makes too much amperage.

So there it is...feed me your ideas.

[Scrounger]

Harbor Freight sells a powerful magnet that fits your specs and it's just a few bucks...

[David R]

Harbor freight has one that looks a little like a golf club. I love mine.

[Jumptrap]

I got to snooping on ebay.....there's a zillion different ones on there......the closest thing i found that interests me is a plate that supposedly picks up 30 pounds..it's $7 and shipping. I could either affix a string and drag it or fasten it to a broom handle.

[felix]

Jump, the next time you want to throw that personal computer disk pack away, the older models have a very, very strong magnet used to hold the platter in place. I have maybe 10 of them holding up junk on the frige. Holding up only one inch thick of paper is NOT too much for a mere quarter of one of these magnets. You have to push the magnet off of the door because you cannot grab it enough to pull it off. ... felix

[Lee]

Got a burned out microwave oven?? Tear the magnet off the tube. That's fairly strong.
Got a burned out speaker?? Tear the magnet off the back. Bigger the better, and it's also fairly strong.
Forget the 12ga. wire wrapped around anything. To work, you'd need 20-24 ga. wire, several hundred turns or so, the only advantage is that when you turn the power off, all/most of the nails would fall off too...................................lee ;-)

[OldBob]

I use a speaker magnet ( about 4" dia.) mounted on a sponge mop frame. The metal frame makes it easy to mount. Slip a heavy plastic zip lock freezer bag over the magnet and up the handle, when you got your nails picked up, slip the bag back down over them and pull it off, makes it a whole lot easier getting rid of the junk.

[Bret4207]

Lowes carrys just the ttol you describe for like $25.00. Might better hit a flea market and get some old speakers.

[wills]

http://www.mytscstore.com/detail.asp?pcID=2&paID=1019&sonID=591&productID=9741

[imashooter2]

Jump, the next time you want to throw that personal computer disk pack away, the older models have a very, very strong magnet used to hold the platter in place. I have maybe 10 of them holding up junk on the frige. Holding up only one inch thick of paper is NOT too much for a mere quarter of one of these magnets. You have to push the magnet off of the door because you cannot grab it enough to pull it off. ... felix

How old a computer are we talking here? IDE drives?

[StarMetal]

Doesn't matter if they aren't real old and it doesn't matter is they are IDE or SCSI, they both have magnets in them. Now the things have torque screws in them and some have screws you can't easily find a driver to take them out. Just put a cutoff wheel in your dremel and cut a slot in the screw and use a regular blade screwdriver. The magnets are very powerful like Felix said. A double disk drive will have two magnets, the older single disk have one.

Joe

[Jumptrap]

Fellers,

I don't have any old computers or speakers or microwaves laying around!

As a side note, while browsing the ebay vendors, many of them offer oil filter magnets and oil pan magnets. I recall an old Allis Chalmers tractor I owned years ago...it had a magnetic oil pan plug...and it ALWAYS had metal fines on it. Hmmm, food for thought! They offer one magnet that drops inside your oil fliter and then several disc types that attach to the bottom outside of the fliter. I don't see how they could hurt as whatever suspended metal that flows through the filter will be grabbed by the magnet..and when the filter is changed, the mag comes off and leaves the crud in the fliter. I think the magnet on the oil pan/transmission pan may be a good idea too. Whatever settles out of suspension gets held in the vicinity of the magnet. That stuff is in there anyway..might as well confine it to one place. I think I will buy a few. I am not up on magnet terminology, but the 'rare earth' types seem to be the rage.

[KCSO]

One more tip. When you use your magnet put a plastic bag on it and pull it up towards the handle. Then when you grab your nails just pull the bag down and off and all the nails are bagged. I use an old speaker magnet on a broomstick. I spent 1/2 a day rooting in the junkyard and fixing it up so I wouldn't have to spend that $5.99 with harbor freight.

[redneckdan]

I spent 1/2 a day rooting in the junkyard and fixing it up so I wouldn't have to spend that $5.99 with harbor freight.


the scarry part is this makes economic sense to us! :redneck:

[wills]

http://www.rare-earth-magnets.com/?g&gclid=CMSen_OyuoMCFS5wJAod-xVRnQ

[carpetman]

Jump----I skimmed over the link that Wills provided. Do you have neodymium magnet requirements? I haven't been tested for such myself as I dont have a current need for magnets. But if you are not sure maybe you could see your Doc and get hooked up to a gaussmeter and have your ferrofluids checked while you are at his office.

[Frank46]

Fellers,

I need a magnet to pick up a bunch of nails after I burn a large pile of pallets and packing crates. I need something light enough that I can swing it on a broom handle but powerful enough to grab the nails and hold onto them. If I knew where to look for some type of permanent magnet I would use that. I also thought it might be possible to make one maybe with a piece of flat steel or rebar and wrapped with 12 gauge wire and powered by a battery...but I bet a car battery makes too much amperage.

So there it is...feed me your ideas.
Either home depot or lowes sells what you are looking for. Big magnet mounted on a broom stick, specifically made for picking up nails and stuff Frank.-

[Bret4207]

You can go to most any feed store and ask for a "cow magnet". It'll be a cylindrical magnet about 2.5" long and 3/4" around, maybe a bit bigger or smaller depending on brand. That should work in the oil filter.

The "rare earth" magnets are also available through www.leevalley.com Go to the website and tell me they ain't got some darn cool stuff.

[Jumptrap]

Jim,

The magnets got here just fine......damned if they ain't stout! I finally put them in a 5 gallon plastic bucket..after digging the nails off one too many times....then dragged the bucket over the ash pile. Worked great! All i had to do was set the bucket down, lift the magnets and the nails stayed in the garabge can. I know I'll never get them all, but I sure got most of them. Many thanks to you again. Now tell me, what do these Tithonia Torch flowers look like? How tall do they grow? I'll sow them and then send you a pix. Mark

[Jumptrap]

I ran a search and found the info on these Tithonia Torch flowers....man they are going to be perfect with the zinnias, thanks a million!
http://www.reneesgarden.com/seeds/packpg/flowers/tithonia-p.htm

[PatMarlin]

Jump----But if you are not sure maybe you could see your Doc and get hooked up to a gaussmeter and have your ferrofluids checked while you are at his office.

I've got one of these.. a gaussmeter if anyone wants to buy one.. :coffee:

[trooperdan]

You can go to most any feed store and ask for a "cow magnet". It'll be a cylindrical magnet about 2.5" long and 3/4" around, maybe a bit bigger or smaller depending on brand. That should work in the oil filter.

The "rare earth" magnets are also available through www.leevalley.com Go to the website and tell me they ain't got some darn cool stuff.


Trp Bret, this sounds like you are setting us non-farm type up! I can just see what would happen if I went in the local Tractor Supply and asked for a "cow magnet" when I don't have the slightest idea what it is or that it even exists! :)

[KS1911]

Trp Bret, this sounds like you are setting us non-farm type up! I can just see what would happen if I went in the local Tractor Supply and asked for a "cow magnet" when I don't have the slightest idea what it is or that it even exists! :)

Try this for pics http://www.magnetsource.com/Solutions_Pages/cowmags.html

or this one has more style:
http://www.ultramagnets.com/Cow_p/2955-bp.htm

[PatMarlin]

Ha...

I've got one of those cow magnets and didn't even know what it was for.

How do you get a cow to swallow that thing?... :shock:

[OldBob]

Easy Pat, you wait until the artifical inseminator is there, then, while he is doing his job, when bossy rolls her eyes and opens her mouth to sigh, you toss the magnet down her throat........... I think.