Excellent Cheap Magnets

[pony]

Being a computer technician and a weekend wrench I don't have much to contribute to this board. One tip I have is a source for very strong yet small magnets. Inside every hard drive there are often a pair of magnets, occasionally only one. They can be found on any 5 1/4 inch hard drive dating back to the days of a PC 386 - Apple hard drive too. The data capacity of the hard drive doesn't really matter but with all these old computer piling up they always have at least one hard drive. Just undo the screws and pop them open to reveal the inside of a hard drive Once you get these out you can do with them as you wish. They are small in size and shape

I have one on the bottom of my oil pan and gear boxes. They are easily screwed to a surface and I use them to keep my gate closed and hang my tools from a plywood sheet. Tools being vice grips, pliers, bolt cutters and even a 5lb sledge hammer hanging from the wall with just one of these you see above. I chuckle when I see the price of some magnets in the store that pale in comparison

The platters in the hard drive are metal and make excellent mirrors, mobiles or beer coasters and they also have a very good bearing in them.

Waste not want not

 

[eschoendorff]

Cool! I learned something new today.... now I just have to start hording old hard drives.... I bet Wilbilt has a few laying around

 

[Cashed]

Sweet, thanks. I have one from the late 90's I'm going to take apart today.

 

[martell06]

how did you attach them to your oil pan and gearboxes? i'm guessing screws might cause problems in those applications.

 

[eschoendorff]

how did you attach them to your oil pan and gearboxes? i'm guessing screws might cause problems in those applications.

Just stick them onto the outside of teh pan?

 

[Buck_nekid]

These little neo magnets are about the strongest per size I have ever encountered. One little safety tip: Don't put them on both sides of your finger and 'slide' them off. A nasty blood blister will result when they crash together pinching a piece of skin. Ask me how I know.

 

[PAToyota]

Yep, got a little stack of them myself that I use for various things!

 

[kbs2244]

Another source for a little bigger magnets is thrown away microwave ovens.
They are in the "gun" that looks like something from a 60's SiFi movie.
They can be a pain to get to, but I have always found 2 rings.
About 3" OD x 1" ID

 

[pony]

Just stick them onto the outside of the pan?

Yup, they are strong enough to collect filings on the other side of the pan. Just removed it before you drain the oil and the filings should pour out, at least that's the plan.

Blood blisters... been there, done that too. Usually for the discoverers, impresses upon them the significance of their find. They are brittle so don't try to separate them from their metal base or they'll crack.

• I also used 6 to attach my tarp to my truck in the back yard. Been like that all winter.
• Stick to a long screw drive to collect that socket that fell behind my work bench,
• Stick to the bottom of a stainless steel bowl for tossing nuts and bolts in when working on my car.
• Fridge magnet that doesn't fall off when you quickly close the freezer door before the ice cream carton fall out.
• Attached numerous sheet metal screws to them when i had to do roof work on my shed and my pail of screws slid off onto the grass.
• Use to pick up sheet metal screws that fall on the grass
• Use to keep closed or open the swing gate that keeps the dog in the yard and off the deck.
• My buddy claims 2 of them helped heal his tenis elbow

Collect I stack; once you have them you'll ruminate and find all sorts of neat uses for them

 

[pony]

Another source for a little bigger magnets is thrown away microwave ovens.
They are in the "gun" that looks like something from a 60's SiFi movie.
They can be a pain to get to, but I have always found 2 rings.
About 3" OD x 1" ID

Yes Microwave magnets are great also, not as stong as hard drive magnets but stronger than most magnets I find and well worth the effort. Being larger they have their own uses. Also hard drive magnets are only magnetic on the one side where as microwave magnets are magnetic all over. Also if you break them, they are brittle too, their pieces are still usefull

 

[MAD]

For those that don't care to harvest their own:

http://www.goldmine-elec-products.com/products.asp?dept=1100

 

[Senorpablo]

Similarly strong magnets can also be found in the replaceable heads of Sonicare toothbrushes on the end of the brush arm at the base.