+Panda Fan Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 (edited) Were is the cheapest place on the Internet to buy some Earth Magnets? Leaveing a forwarding link would be nice. Also, I will take suggestions of adhesives for these mags onto plastic? Edited January 23, 2006 by Panda Fan Quote Link to comment
+sbell111 Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 Mudinyeri sells some in his store. Quote Link to comment
+Chiro75 Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 You could also call local computer repair places and ask if they have any trashed hard drives they would let you have. HD's have strong rare earth magnets in them, or so I've heard. Quote Link to comment
+mrking Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 You can buy them at Lee Valley Quote Link to comment
+Thrak Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 You could also call local computer repair places and ask if they have any trashed hard drives they would let you have. HD's have strong rare earth magnets in them, or so I've heard. I had a half dozen or so old hard drives. I tore them apart and the magnets in them are unbelievably strong. I love them! I've wondered about hitting up computer repair places for dead drives but haven't done so yet since I have the magnets from the drives I tore apart. There are two magnets per drive. Quote Link to comment
+Panda Fan Posted January 24, 2006 Author Share Posted January 24, 2006 Thanks everyone for your help. I realy like the old hardrive ideas. Quote Link to comment
+Harry Dolphin Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 Yes, the earth is a giant magnet, but I doubt that it is for sale. And it would be very difficult to hide as a cache. Rare earth magnets, on the other hand, are so named because of the mixture of neodymium, iron and boron used to make these very powerful magnets. Neodymium is one of the elements in the Lanthanum Rare Earth Series. Thus the name is given, for these magnets, Rare Earth Magnets. Quote Link to comment
+TeamGuisinger Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 I used Gorilla Glue to attach mine to a metal watertight box that's slightly smaller than an ammo can. It's waterproof, and strong as steel. The magnets hold the box and it's contents about 10' off the ground, and you still have to pull pretty hard to remove it. I used 2 3/8" magnets on each of 4 corners of the box, and it's still holding great after a few months outside. Quote Link to comment
+GClouse Posted February 8, 2006 Share Posted February 8, 2006 The drive rotors in old floppy disk drives work even better that the hard drive ones. Quote Link to comment
+Team Dubbin Posted February 9, 2006 Share Posted February 9, 2006 The magnets hold the box and it's contents about 10' off the ground How in the world do people reach when it is that high???? Quote Link to comment
+sobeboy58 Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 You can get some pretty cheep magnets here The only problem is that you have to have a $10 minimum order. They have some pretty cool trinkets that you could put in caches too. Quote Link to comment
+TeamGuisinger Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 The magnets hold the box and it's contents about 10' off the ground How in the world do people reach when it is that high???? The box is that high off the ground, there are many things to climb on to get there. Quote Link to comment
+AllenFamilyCachers Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 There are two magnets per drive. I tore one up this mornng and only found the one magnet... VERY STRONG. Took 2 people to get it off the drive it was so strong. Now that we know how to take them off, we could probably do it with 1 person, but they do adhere very well. The magnet I obtained was under the "needle pointer" and is kind of kidney bean in shape, but there is only 1 magnet. POint me to the other one please... I have like 30 dead HD's here at work that I have full access to destroy!. Quote Link to comment
+Cyclometh Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 If you take apart old floppy or hard disk drives, please exercise caution. Some of them contain sharp bits, and there are materials in them you don't want to ingest (not likely, but you know, it should be said). Also, don't simply toss the parts that aren't magnets- there's a lot of material in electronic equipment that shouldn't go into landfills. Your local solid waste disposal facility should be able to assist you with getting rid of all that stuff- generally inexpensively. And lastly, be extremely careful with some of the magnets you can get out of hard drives and floppy drives- most are very strong, but ones from older systems can be EXTREMELY strong- unbelievably so, enough in some cases to break bones or crush flesh if you get your hand/fingers/extremities pinched. It's a good idea, just be careful when tearing apart old equipment and dispose of it properly. Quote Link to comment
+wandererrob Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 I had a half dozen or so old hard drives. I tore them apart and the magnets in them are unbelievably strong. I love them! I've wondered about hitting up computer repair places for dead drives but haven't done so yet since I have the magnets from the drives I tore apart. There are two magnets per drive. I have a few ancient hard drives floating around... tell me more Quote Link to comment
+JohnTee Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 I have a few ancient hard drives floating around... tell me more Get the case apart. They are assembled with Torx Screws size 10 or smaller. A hammer and a chisel take them out nicely. You'll see the discs for data storage in the center and the control head/arm assembly running from one corner to under/between the discs. Also in that corner is a magnet or two above and below the base of the control assembly. Probably two more screws holding that in. You may have to removed the discs, so you can remove the control arm so you can remove the magnets. Some HDD's may use an electric motor/friction drive assembly instead of the magnet assembly. If you have the magnets, you'll know. Your tools will stick to them very well. I just picked up three (discards from computer stores) today and got a total of four magnets out. If you have the friction drive motor, you're out of luck for that HDD. I'm batting 4:5 Magnets:Motors. JohnTee Quote Link to comment
+AllenFamilyCachers Posted February 10, 2006 Share Posted February 10, 2006 most of mine had 1 magnet. however, on an upnote, I'm in and out of a HD with magnet in hand in about 3 minutes flat now!!! however, there are lots of broken parts when I'm done, but what fun is it doing it carefullt when it's trash anyways right! Quote Link to comment
+dykediva Posted February 11, 2006 Share Posted February 11, 2006 You can buy them at Lee Valley . . .this where I got mine recently and they are crazy strong! And dirt cheap! Quote Link to comment
+RazorRocket Posted February 13, 2006 Share Posted February 13, 2006 (edited) I have alot of the HDs from the IT labs at work. I have taken them apart and found many different shape magnets depending on the size and age of the HD. One problem is taking them off the metal plate. Most are attached with some sort of adhesive and when "whacking" them with a small blunt tool, the coating "peels" off. Does anyone know of an easier way to get them off the plate without breaking the plated covering????? Edited February 13, 2006 by RazorRocket Quote Link to comment
+clearpath Posted February 13, 2006 Share Posted February 13, 2006 Am I the only person that sees this topic and thinks 'Earth Maggots' ... Quote Link to comment
+joinsmith97 Posted February 13, 2006 Share Posted February 13, 2006 All sorts of magnets can be found here. Quote Link to comment
+AuntieWeasel Posted February 13, 2006 Share Posted February 13, 2006 Funny you should ask! I was going to start a thread. There are a ton of places online that sell them, and I've been meaning to buy some for ages. I finally broke down and bought the grab bag from K&J Magnetics. They arrived yesterday, and I couldn't be happier. I...ummm...don't have a picture on this machine, but it's a couple dozen teeny ones, and very powerful. All glommed together, I can't pull them apart by hand. (I keep forgetting and setting the stack down on an enamel table). Best $15 I've spent in ages, though I'm having so much fun playing with them, I don't think I can bear to use them for anything. Even if you buy elsewhere, check K&J's web site for a good informational resource. Quote Link to comment
+Iowa Tom Posted February 13, 2006 Share Posted February 13, 2006 I get mine at Hobby Lobby. They are cheap. I glue them on with Goop. To be sure they stay on, if I'm gluing them to wood anyway, I put a flat headed screw in first so that the magnet will attract the screw, thereby making sure it's more likely to stay put even if the glue comes loose. I often also smear the glue right over the top of the magnet. -it Quote Link to comment
+Chuy! Posted February 13, 2006 Share Posted February 13, 2006 I don't know where these fall among those mentioned above. I have placed one order and still several remaining. There suckers are strong! They also sent me an assorted bag of about 10 extra magnets of various sizes. The ones I bought are about .25 inch square and super stong. Quote Link to comment
+Isonzo Karst Posted February 13, 2006 Share Posted February 13, 2006 I've found that I can lightly score a kidney shaped hard drive magnet with a dremel tool cut off wheel ( working slowly to avoid heat build up) and then snap it in two. I like the screw head idea for attachment to wood, thanks. Quote Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.