Ideas for a large rare earth magnet?

[Larry Edgerton]

Someone gave me a rare earth magnet that is 36"x4" and about .125 thick. It is out of a commercial printer, and it is extremely strong. I stuck it on the hoist and had to get help to get it off. It will hold me up and I weigh in at 260 pounds. It is strong enough that it should be kept away from people with pacemakers as well.

Its cool, but I have not come up with any good ideas as far as what to do with it. I already have an Industrial Magnetics nail picker upper, so got that covered.

Ideas, fun or practical?

Larry

[Joe Kieve]

If you can devise a secure holder for it, tie a rope to it, drop it overboard, and drag it around a public lake. No telling what you'll come up with.

[John Conklin]

I don't have any ideas for ya, just a word of warning to be careful with that monster.

When I was a kid my dad worked in a machine shop and brought home a couple magnets that came with a piece of equipment for mounting that weren't used. They were the size and shape of chalkboard erasers and were strong enough that if you let them come together, the only way to get them apart was put one in a vise and beat the other one with a rubber mallet. I had the bright idea that it was fun to see how close I could get them without letting them attach. I was holding them in front of me and bracing my arms against my torso... nothing could go wrong with this, right?

I got them too close and they slammed together with a chunk of belly between them. I somehow yanked them off my gut and got to watch an epic 1/2" x 3" blood blister/bruise form.

I imagine yours could do even more damage, be careful.

[Chuck Wintle]

If you can devise a secure holder for it, tie a rope to it, drop it overboard, and drag it around a public lake. No telling what you'll come up with.

who knows what is at the bottom of a lake.

[Brian Effinger]

who knows what is at the bottom of a lake.

Dead bodies

[John McClanahan]

I've worked in commercial sheetfed printing for over 25 years and can't think of any machine that would have a magnet like that. Any ideas of what it came out of?

John

[Curt Fuller]

I don't have any ideas for ya, just a word of warning to be careful with that monster.

When I was a kid my dad worked in a machine shop and brought home a couple magnets that came with a piece of equipment for mounting that weren't used. They were the size and shape of chalkboard erasers and were strong enough that if you let them come together, the only way to get them apart was put one in a vise and beat the other one with a rubber mallet. I had the bright idea that it was fun to see how close I could get them without letting them attach. I was holding them in front of me and bracing my arms against my torso... nothing could go wrong with this, right?

I got them too close and they slammed together with a chunk of belly between them. I somehow yanked them off my gut and got to watch an epic 1/2" x 3" blood blister/bruise form.

I imagine yours could do even more damage, be careful.

[Larry Edgerton]

I don't have any ideas for ya, just a word of warning to be careful with that monster.

When I was a kid my dad worked in a machine shop and brought home a couple magnets that came with a piece of equipment for mounting that weren't used. They were the size and shape of chalkboard erasers and were strong enough that if you let them come together, the only way to get them apart was put one in a vise and beat the other one with a rubber mallet. I had the bright idea that it was fun to see how close I could get them without letting them attach. I was holding them in front of me and bracing my arms against my torso... nothing could go wrong with this, right?

I got them too close and they slammed together with a chunk of belly between them. I somehow yanked them off my gut and got to watch an epic 1/2" x 3" blood blister/bruise form.

I imagine yours could do even more damage, be careful.

Already did that trying to get it off of the hoist.......

Have no clue as to the use of this magnet and I am not allowed to ask questions about where he works.

Hey the lake thing sounds fun, and it will give me an excuse to buy a boat.........

Larry

[Leigh Betsch]

Mount it to the front of a old truck. Have a load of fun watching people try to parallel park in front of you, while the magnet sucks them in. You might collect a lot of insurance money! Oh, forgot cars are all plastic now.
Mount it under your kitchen table, put some little reverse polarity magnets under your plates, impress the neighbors with your levitation ability!

[Stephen Tashiro]

Use the large rare earth magnet to cast an even larger rare earth magnet. (Is that possible?)

[Brian Ashton]

I'd get it on a rigid backing plate asap as they're quite brittle - especially at 1/8"

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Drag it around the desert looking for meteorites?

[Myk Rian]

If you can devise a secure holder for it, tie a rope to it, drop it overboard, and drag it around a public lake. No telling what you'll come up with.

That's exactly what I was going to suggest.
Motors, anchors, rods/reels.
In fact, take it to Fletchers Floodwaters in Hillman. I actually watched 2 bozos lose an un-chained 6hp motor when they nailed a stump. Had to get towed back to Jacks Landing. Then they had to work out payment for the motor.

[Sam Murdoch]

You could end up grabbing a holt of some submerged unseen that weighs so much that the magnet will need to be left behind. That would be sad.

No ideas of any worth yet coming from my little head - but I am intrigued. I like the looking for meteorites idea.

[ray hampton]

[QUOTE=Sam Murdoch;2239919]You could end up grabbing a holt of some submerged unseen that weighs so much that the magnet will need to be left behind. That would be sad.

If your magnet attach too-much weight to pull in, then leave a buoy-marker that will support the rope until you can make a call to the local police