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All right geniuses...

DucatiHoney

DucatiHoney

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...I have a problem. A very sticky problem...

I was shipped several VERY powerful magnets today for a project I'm working on. A few of us were goofing around in the office and we started seeing what they would stick to. Naturally, they stuck to one another first. Duh... We have this 5 lb. nut (the kind that goes onto a really big bolt you pervs) that we just use as an item of interest, and well, we got the magnets stuck to it now, too. We tried to bang it apart...the hammer is now stuck to them. :laughing As we try to find blocks of wood and plastic to pry all this stuff apart, more and more sh*t gets drawn in. Staples, paperclips....the darned thing finds the rebar in the concrete and will drag itself along the floor on its own! The magnets are so strong that they snap together extremely hard. I'm worried that I'm going to crush a finger. I don't know what to do! I want my nut back. :p (srsly...I want that nut. And I want the magnets apart.) Please help! Any ideas? :)
 
:rofl

You pretty much have to go in there with non magnetic tools (have fun with that) and pry them apart.

The problem got a lot worse when you put them together.

No short cuts available that do not involve difficult methods that involve destroying the magnets, I'm afraid.

At least you weren't like a buddy of mine, who attached an industrial magnet to his fridge for laughs, and ended up destroying the fridge.
 
Try to fit two strings in between the magnets. Attach them securly. They have an office Tug of War contest
 
1. Cut a cardboard box into multiple pieces a little larger than the size of the magnets.
2. Force two pieces of cardboard between the magnets (will probably require a screw driver to pry them apart enough.
3. Push remaining pieces of cardboard between the two pieces one at a time until the two magnets are far enough apart to easily separate them without them springing back together.
 
Where can I get one of these super magnets?

The perfect thing for when you drop your keys off the boat in a lake...
 
santa said:
Try to fit two strings in between the magnets. Attach them securly. They have an office Tug of War contest
Click to expand...

I think you're on to the SOLUTION!!

If you can get some strong line, and run it through the nut, you might be able to pull it away from the other objects.

It's a start.
 
Thanks,
You just made my day with this post. :laughing :thumbup

Google:

#5. How do I separate large magnets?
Small and medium-sized magnets can usually be separated by hand by sliding the end magnet off of the stack. Medium-large magnets can often be separated by using the edge of a table or countertop. Place the magnets a table top with one of the magnets hanging over the edge. Then, using your body weight, hold the magnet(s) on the table and push down on the magnet hanging over the edge. With a little work and practice, you should be able to slide the magnets apart. Just be careful that they don't snap back together once they become separated. For very large magnets (generally 2" and larger), we use a specially made magnet separating tool. You can see pictures of one of these tools as well as instructions on how to build your own on this page: Build your own magnet separating tool.

Here is the toolnot really usefull for you unless you get them stuck together after you get em off the nut.
 
This was all I could find.
http://www.pupman.com/listarchives/2005/Jun/msg00092.html
"If you want to separate your supermagnets, I'd suggest drilling two flat pieces of scrap pallet wood to snugly fit the circumferences of the magnets, and position them asymmetrically so you could use a bench vise to slide them apart across the plane of contact, sort of like a wooden pair of scissors. You could use a loosely applied C-clamp or two to keep the wood pieces flat against each other during the process .
Should work like a charm."

Good Luck,
Christian
 
how did they get shipped to you? lead box?

to get the magnets apart they'll need to slide past each other. some kind of penetrating oil might be able to work itself in between them to reduce the friction. forget about pulling them apart normal to the stuck surfaces

what shape are they?

the one with the nut stuck to it could be threaded onto a corresponding bolt on a ..... bridge? whatever a 5 lb nut goes on, so at least you have something immovable to pry against. of course if you stick the magent to the bridge you're double fuxored....

brass is also non magnetic, as are many stainless steels (check with a smaller magnet first of course) maybe you can find some make-shift tools around

T-1 Thunder said:
Where can I get one of these super magnets?

The perfect thing for when you drop your keys off the boat in a lake...
Click to expand...

cabelas et al will sell a magnet designed for this situation. if these magnets are strong enough to drag themselves across the floor seeking rebar that's surrounded by a couple inches of concrete you don't want them on a boat.
 
Last edited:
Striking a magnet very hard will disrupt the atomic ordering that makes it magnetic. So, you could try striking it very hard with something non-magnetic.

You can also try heating the magnet. If you heat it enough, it will begin to lose it's magnetic properties.

Both of these solutions will effectively weaken and/or destroy the magnetic properties of the magnet.
 
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