Where To Get Magnets

[cad-guy]

Where is everybody getting the really strong magnets to attach to their smaller geocaches? I thought I saw a link in this forum at one time, but I can't seem to find it. Thanks for any help.

 

MKH

[+The red-haired witch]

Large hardware stores are a good place to check. Stores around here keep the magnets in the handtools aisle (hammers, screwdrivers... non-power stuff).

 

To recognize the "good" magnets, look on the package for an indication of the weight they can lift. A five pound "pull" or more and you know that small cache won't fall out of its hiding place. A fifty pound pull might cause trouble to people trying to retrieve the cache though

 

I`m sure there are many online stores specialised in that kind of stuff, but I always try to encourage the real stores first... plus the cost of shipping is often high. If you must, try searching for "rare earth magnets" on the net.

[+Miragee]

If you use, or know anyone who uses, a Sonic Care toothbrush, you can salvage the magnets from the brush when you periodically replace it.

 

The magnets are really small, but very strong.

[+briansnat]

Lee Valley Tools sells those very powerful rare earth magnets. It's where I get mine. They come in sets of 5. Good luck getting them apart though. Edited November 17, 2005 by briansnat

[+Bill & Tammy]

Lee Valley Tools sells those very powerful rare earth magnets. It's where I get mine. They come in sets of 5. Good luck getting them apart though.

"The 3/4" magnet will lift a 22 lb block of steel and the 1" size, a 30 lb block. The odd one may have a minor chip in it since collisions can happen easily at these power levels."

 

I love it !

[+PhotoDuck]

I pull strong wide flat magnets from old IDE or SCSI (better) hard drives.

For smaller ones, I ebay for Neodymium magnets. They are fragile and can corrode, so make sure you get ones that are at least 1/8" thick, and coated. They are pretty cheap. Normally about $0.25-$0.35/each depending on the size.

[+briansnat]

Lee Valley Tools sells those very powerful rare earth magnets.  It's where I get mine. They come in sets of 5. Good luck getting them apart though. 

"The 3/4" magnet will lift a 22 lb block of steel and the 1" size, a 30 lb block. The odd one may have a minor chip in it since collisions can happen easily at these power levels."

 

I love it !

The good thing about these magnets is that they are strong enough that you can put them inside your container and not worry about gluing it to your container. A piece of duct tape to hold it in place is all you need .

[+BBWolf+3Pigs]

Cyberguys.com has the neodimium magnets in a varierty of sizes. I also got some at Michaels (smallish flat round ones).

[+Criminal]

The good thing about these magnets is that they are strong enough that you can put them inside your container and not worry about gluing it to your container. A piece of duct tape to hold it in place is all you need .

Well, unless some numbnuts trades it out of the cache.

 

Yes, it's happened.

[+mgoose]

Hobby Lobby Have cheap ones and then they have the good ones, very strong

[+Packanack]

Lowes

AC Moore Craft shops

Michaels Craft Shops

Radio Shack

Some times they can be removed from burned out power tools. Unplug the tool before trying to remove. Dremel Tools and Routers have powerful magnets. Same thing with motor rewind shops sometimes the dispose of same.

[+ToTheSummit]

Rare earth magnets are the only way to go. Plenty of power in a small magnet. I've bought magnets before from K&J Magnetics. Check their surplus page for some great buys on rare earth magnets.

 

But be careful with them, I have been seriously pinched by rare earth magnets that were deceptively small! I have some right now that are 1/2" diameter discs that are 1/4" thick. Its a real bitch to pull two of those things apart!

[+nfa]

Now you've done it!!!

 

I've gone and ordered more magnets from K&J

 

jamie

Edited November 18, 2005 by NFA

[+Jeonlyep]

Radio Shack

Radio shack has some strong small ones. Rare earth if my memory is working...

 

DAryl

[Team Firebird]

Edmund Scientifics Look at their magnet selection

[+mrstrix]

I'm a science teacher and I know that you can get a bag of 50 really strong surplus neodymium magnets for about 20 bucks through www.teachersource.com. They are ring magnets about the diameter of a dime.

[CoyoteRed]

Crass tooting one's own horn.

 

These come with a self-adhesive counterpart for attaching to non-ferrous objects.

[+redwoodcanoe]

ebay...100 at a time, various sizes

[+Binrat]

I can attest to the strength, but I will offer some advice.

 

- Slide them apart

- DO NOT pull them apart

- Use caution, they will come together quickly and cause a blood blister

 

When I create a cache with the 3/4" size I will use sandpaper to rough up the 4 inside corners of a Tupperware container, then I will rough up the shiny surface of the magnets. From there I will use a quality 2-Part Epoxy Glue and glue a magnet into each corner. I will also FIRMLY hold the magnet into the glue for at least 3-4 minutes, and allow the magnets to cure into the glue for at least 2 days before placing it.

 

So far NONE of the magnets have dislodged yet.

 

The biggest warning I can give is to let cachers know what magnets you are using and to be cautious as they will damage credit cards and possibly Palm Pilots etc.

 

Binrat

[+Right Wing Wacko]

Got an old dead hard drive? There are two of them inside there.

 

Be carefull when you take them apart... if the touch you may be difficult to get them apart again!

[Hugh Jazz]

I got a pack of five or six for $3 at my local ace hardware store. About the size of a dime, twice as thick, sticky as heck, yeah you could hurt yourself with these if not careful. I made the mistake of sticking them to my fridge. Now I can't get them off.

 

No, they aren't stuck there due to their extreme magnetism, my wife just prefers them for fridge-posting big stacks of photos of the nieces and nephews. No matter how frequently you go into the fridge, these will not dislodge and send the photos skittering to the floor, like other cheaper magnets will.

[+Moose Mob]

I have pulled a few out of old (dead) computer hard drives. They are pretty strong.

[+maggieszoo]

Dead microwaves are good for a pair of magnets that will hold anything--large ring magnets about 2" across, if memory serves correctly. I've also been pretty happy with the magnets that Hobby Lobby carries. They are small, but stout. Two of them stacked together will hold an M&M minis container against a metal surface that isn't flat.

[+dogbreathcanada]

Lee Valley Tools sells those very powerful rare earth magnets. It's where I get mine. They come in sets of 5. Good luck getting them apart though.

That's where I buy mine. Very powerful. Very difficult to even pry apart the 22lb magnets. Just keep them well away from your wallet and your GPSr.