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Right, I get the idea with magnetising and I see its applications, but how do I go about doing it? What magnets/ glues should I use? Keep in mind we're working with largely scratchbuild materials, cardstock, foamboard, plasticard etc...all help welcome

Use neodymium rare earth magnets, superglue and a pin vice

Also Green stuff REALLY helps when working with magnets - for keeping them in place. I also mark the polarities X and O with a sharpy because they get tricksy and flip on you sometimes, leaving your piece unusable.

Standardize on your sizes early, and standardize your polarity for model attachments immediately.

I have found 2mmx1mm work very well for joins for things no heavier than SM devastator backpacks to the main body. 4x1 works well as general purpose, and 4x3 is a lot stronger than 3 4x1 to the point that a knight can be magnetised to its base without direct contact using only 8 pairs of them in its toes. You may also want green stuff, or one grade stronger such as Milliput for complex joins, or uneven surfaces that you want to connect.

For the polarity, make a 'magnet authority' model which has a top, bottom, left ,right, forward, and back attachment. I use a broken tech priest which I felt fitting. Make sure this model is never far away from your magnets, and use it as the decision maker for *everything you do*.

It's helpful to calibrate Top, Forward and Right all the same, with their opposite sides opposte as it means models can be stacked on each other, aligned to each other, and lock face to back with each other. More practically it means opposite sided parts such as sponsons stay together in their pairs for ease of transport.

Use this model to 'calibrate' the magnets you're attaching. the time and heartache it saves, such as not having to bore into and dig out a magnet you mistakenly inverted in a fine/delicate piece is worth the lost model.

Using a model means you always know it's *that model* instead of say, a reference piece which can be easily misplaced.

What are you building?

Thanks guys- at the mo it's for some spare epic rhinos, I figured they could serve as vindicators or whirlwinds, or even predators

 Skinflint Games wrote:
Thanks guys- at the mo it's for some spare epic rhinos, I figured they could serve as vindicators or whirlwinds, or even predators

2mm is your friend there. anything larger and the drill bit will start warping the mountings.

Use more expensive magnets. El cheap'os from China tend to be weaker. Probably because they save on magnetic material.