Uses of Neodymium Magnets

Uses of Neodymium Magnets

Nickel plated neodymium magnet on a bracket from a hard drive.

The magnets in your possession are some of the most powerful magnets in the world.  They are made out of a neodymium-iron-boron material, or Nd2Fe14B, of which iron is the main component.  Their field strength has been measured at 12.5 kiloGauss, or 1.25 Tesla (tens of thousands of times stronger than the earth’s magnetic field).  Their incredible strength makes them a constant source of wonder as well as ideal demonstrators of the force of magnetism in traditional, and some not so traditional, experiments.  As you may already know, these are not ordinary magnets and cannot be handled as such.

Here is just some of the uses that neodymium magnets have been put to:

  Repairing my fridge seal. Put a couple inside the plastic of the seal and it holds the door shut beautifully

  Experimenting with cathode ray tubes (TV's and computer monitors)

  Hold directions to my motorbike petrol tank so they don't come off at speed

  Removing parts from a punch press, safely. 

  Cleaning up debris in a machining workshop.  

  Hanging wet clothes to tent poles or parts of a caravan 

  Levitation 

  Tie clip 

  Violin mute. Put small discs on each side of the bridge to add mass and quiet the violin.

  Slot car traction

  Holding down a car cover 

  Pulling dents out of vehicles. 

  Attaching tracking devices to motor vehicles.  

  Jewellery clasps 

  Hanging fairy lights  

  Re-magnetising alnico (Aluminium-Nickel-Cobalt) magnets.  

  Hanging tapestries in a warehouse.

  Magic illusion tricks 

  With 1 magnet and a ball bearing I remove dents from brass musical instruments.  

  Holding all the lathe tools to the lathe 

  Magnetic stirring device  

  Bike light generator  

  Christmas presents! 

  Wind power alternator  

  Alleviate joint pain - magnetic therapy 

  Hold a small vice down  

  Welding  

  Picking up nails/screws/needles 

  School projects and demonstrations 

  Hold lines and tape on steel boat hull.  

  Collecting nails or bits of barbed wire from pasture  

  Oil filter in my motorbike  

  Guitar pickups  

  Attaching tools securely to my car 

  Holding the roof down on my shed 

  Holding safety shield on machine tools 

  Holding trailer lights on towed vehicle.  

  Picking keys out of storm drains! 

  Retrieving an antique shotgun from a well. 

  Treasure hunting  

  Loudspeakers  

  Cleaning up the oil in go-cart racing engines. Glue them inside!  

  Used to create great ear, nose, lip rings and therefore avoid piercing. 

  Car Top advertising signs  

  Stud finder in walls  

  Holding vehicle number plates to the car 

  Holding sheet metal together for welding 

  Dampening for seismograph  

  Door latches on a tree-house  

  Hold down a tarpaulin 

  Hanging tools in sheds and garages 

  Door catches for cupboards and ward robes. 

  Cleaning fish tank glass from the outside  

  Holding a set of house keys securely in a car.  

  For the darkroom: to secure metal developing tank parts, reels, etc. To lock down metal wash tank doors instead of sticky bolt locks.  

  Motor experiments  

  Water Conditioning 

  Magic tricks 

  Erasing tapes  

  Remove metal debris from a well 

  Homemade alternator  

  Movement of paramagnetic beads for bio-medical applications  

  Erasing credit card data 

  Erasing hotel door key cards 

  Cleaning plastics granulate for moulding.  

  Holding a vehicle glove box closed 

  Finger Print collection and processing 

  Shirt fastenings instead of buttons or studs 

  Holding curtains to a caravan 

  Holding curtains to a narrowboat 

  Geocaching 

  Door closures for high end furniture 

  Swarf removal from converyor belts 

  Cleaning fish tanks