Magnetic Pickup Tool on Steroids

[jimreed2160]

I bought this magnetic pickup tool for my shop to help pick up screws and stuff. When I drop things, I hate crawling around on the floor looking under tables just to pick things up. The good news is that the Asian mfg company was able to keep their manufacturing costs below their $.03 ceiling. The bad news is that this pickup only worked on other strong magnets.

When I was an IT director, one of my teammates gave me a pile of magnets he scrounged from destroyed server disk drives. These things are the boss and will pinch the snot out of your fingers if they get too close.

So I drilled out the rivet and inserted one of my disc drive magnets.

It is pretty freaking strong now and easily picks up this C clamp.

Here is a detailed shot of the business end.

NOW I have a real pickup tool.

 

[jabberwoki]

Nice and I love that table, what's the story on it?

 

[jimreed2160]

Nice and I love that table, what's the story on it?

Thanks for the kind words. My dad bought this Ulmia Euro style woodworkers bench back in the 1980s for his woodshop. But he was a powertool guy and never really used it. I was visiting sometime in the mid 1990s and found it covered with yard tools. It must have been one of his rare soft moments because he allowed me to talk him out of it. Heck, he even helped me load the 200lb + top in my pickup.

Check out the "Woodworking 101" thread for more details.

 

[Roberts210]

Where can I get a few used disc-drive magnets?

 

[larry_g]

Those magnets can be dangerous, they are that strong. They are also fragile and if allowed to pull in a heavier part they can shatter, so be careful. I wrap mine in a rag to help keep the shattering to a minimum.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[LXCam]

Interesting, I might have to give one a shot.

 

[pstemari]

I made this a while back, more to pick up metal chips than parts, but it works well for either. Uses a 1" x 1" cylindrical neodymium magnet inside. You pull the knob to dump the swarf.





Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

 

[Derek420]

I got the 10lb Blue point from my snap on truck it was $18 and some change andiI'm not happy with it at all, I put it to the test with 10lb bar bell weight and couldn't lift it off the ground it ***** second I tried my big Williams C-clamp it's 11-12" or so and it couldn't even lift it so 10lbs my *** I'm taking it back to my snap on guy and getting the snap on version or money towards something else really $18+ for a plain telescopic pick up tool you can get at harbor freight or, anywhere for $5 or less and they all look the same, mine is the second strongest and expensive and don't recommend it as it has a sleeve to stop it from sticking to stuff when reaching in engine hah it doesn't work it still sticks to some degree so it's a POS... I too am going to make my own with an old cd player antenna and the grip from my craftsman pick same as all other pick ups and I got a strong magnet with a metal casing all I'll make a sleeve out of plastic and bam I'll have a better one. Should have did it in first place. Or bought a HF one .

 

[mbshop]

I find old antennas and solder strong magnets to them. The antennas fold and are strong. To the op, I would cut off the excess bracket material. Though the ones I have I just knocked them off the bracket completely. Just need to warm up the bracket to get the glue soft.

 

[FMC1959]

Where can I get a few used disc-drive magnets?

Look for old PC's that are being junked, you, friends or family; just about everyone has an old PC lying around that needs to be tossed.

The magnets in the HD are neodymium or also referred to "rare earth" magnets. If you can't find an old PC HD, do some Google searches for neodymium magnets they are sold in many places.

 

[cvairwerks]

I bought a stack of 4 of these: http://www.magnet4sale.com/n45-1-1-2x3-8-neodymium-rare-earth-disc-magnet/ for sheet metal work. Big mistake, as I can't get them apart, even though they are separated by teflon sheeting. I've got to order some cylinder ones instead.

 

[CGT80]

I bought a stack of 4 of these: http://www.magnet4sale.com/n45-1-1-2x3-8-neodymium-rare-earth-disc-magnet/ for sheet metal work. Big mistake, as I can't get them apart, even though they are separated by teflon sheeting. I've got to order some cylinder ones instead.

Did you try to slide them apart. They are only 65 pound magnets. I have 1" dia by 1/4" thick magnets which are rated at 25lbs each. They are just about impossible to pull apart, but easy enough to slide. They were shipped with plastic washers between them. They will smash your fingers.


pstemari
Do you have a photo of the bottom or inside of your pickup tool? I saw those for sale on the internet, but was thinking about making my own, since I have a small lathe and many other fab tools. It would be good for cleaning up around the milling machine.

 

[Git]

I just use my $15 Roto Mag. You pull the plunger on the end which retracts the magnet and everything it picked up falls off

MagSwitch makes some pretty cool magnets (the one in the middle pic is rated for 165 lbs)
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias=tools&field-keywords=magswitch

 

[TonyCH]

Here is a magnet I have for a pickup tool too, not for automotive use though. It's for fishing out stuff from lakes. I have other less strong ones too (like 85kgs) but I don't like to put them on my table at the same time, like previously said - they can be dangerous. So, no group photos. Don't take them out of their boxes unless going fishing either. So no nudes either. BTW. 130kg is 287lbs.

They work great until I find a heavy object like a car or something and then the best way to get it back is to dive down and try to slide it off and try not to put fingers etc. into danger.

 

[gungatim]

Where can I get a few used disc-drive magnets?

scrappers pull them out of computer hard drives and sell them on ebay. or just get a junk hard drive and pull them out yourself. if you buy, just make sure they don't try to air ship them in quantity (DAMHIKT).

incidentally, I just saw that HF now sells the neodymium magnets when I was in there yesterday for my free batteries if anyone is looking for a source...

 

[cvairwerks]

Did you try to slide them apart. They are only 65 pound magnets. I have 1" dia by 1/4" thick magnets which are rated at 25lbs each. They are just about impossible to pull apart, but easy enough to slide. They were shipped with plastic washers between them. They will smash your fingers.

Good laugh....yeah, I tried. It takes putting the stack in the vice, and using a 2x4 up against my gut and pulling on the opposite side of the bench to get them to split. I tried splitting them without the board and only succeeded in dragging the bench around a little before I quit. I keep the stack here on the desk and can side the entire stack off with about a 5 pound pull, but forget it trying to split it up.

After the first of the year, I'll order some smaller cylinder ones for the welding table.

 

[Richard Cranium]

Find a old Micro wave and remove the two magnetics out of the megatron.
They are aprox. 2 inch in diam. Very strong.

 

[Sine Swept]

Some older Honda's use neo magnets in the stock speakers. I always plunder them for the magnets.

 

[cre73]

Yep, about once a month I get to see blood blisters form those magnets. I have them laying around the shop and when someone new comes around and starts playing with them, I like to hear the squeal and cuss. I know what just happened.

 

[beamrider]

The older the hard drive (to a point), the larger/better the magnet. Drives made in the last 5 years or so have much smaller and weaker magnets in them.

Not a bad idea either, to dip the business end in something like Plasti-Dip, just for shock absorbing purposes.