<![CDATA[Latest posts for the thread "Best resource for rare earth magnets?"]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/8.page JForum - http://www.jforum.net Best resource for rare earth magnets? http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/532992/5726241.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/532992/5726241.page GMT Best resource for rare earth magnets? ]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/532992/5726331.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/532992/5726331.page GMT Best resource for rare earth magnets? http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/532992/5726395.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/532992/5726395.page GMT Best resource for rare earth magnets? http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/532992/5726406.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/532992/5726406.page GMT Best resource for rare earth magnets? and shipped for less than the list price of the magnets, alone.

As Flinty says, magnetization is mostly about trial and error. You can find out the pull strength of a given size/grade magnet, but that isn't going to translate cleanly into "can it hold this arm in place." A lot of people simply use the biggest magnet they can fit into any given joint, and that will frequently do the trick. Personally, I prefer to use smaller magnets (I always countersink them, too, allowing for thicker magnets with greater pull to be used), adding more at key points if I need additional hold. For things like projecting limbs, torque becomes an issue, so I would use a pin (glued on one side only, obviously) to bear the weight, with a magnet to keep the part from popping off. Two pins, in extreme cases, can stop a part from rotating where even several magnets might fail.

As for size, shape, and grade, there's a lot of variety in people's personal preference. I've seen a number of folks on Dakka that use very thin, surface-mounted square magnets for weapon swaps done at the wrist, where I might countersink thicker disks, instead. 1/8"x1/16" disks are my go-to size (small enough for anything thicker than a dainty wrist on troops, while strong enough for vehicle parts, if multiplied when necessary), but I also snagged some 1/4"x3/32" disks for big jobs (haven't actually needed them, yet). All are grade N42, which is pretty much standard. N52 (stronger pull) is also available, but slightly more expensive and the increased usefulness is debatable.

To echo Flinty, once again, double- and triple-check your polarity before you commit! It's easy to do on one-off projects (I use a stack of magnets as a handle, of sorts, which also keeps them all aligned in the proper direction, once oriented to the already mounted magnet), but magnetizing a whole squad for interchangeability (like the arms for regular/CC termies) requires a bit more care, as you need to manage polarity between like parts across models, not just sides of single joints.

[edit:]
helotaxi wrote:
Pretty much if they don't have what you need, you probably didn't really need it in the first place it doesn't exist.
Fixed that for you. ]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/532992/5726544.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/532992/5726544.page GMT Best resource for rare earth magnets? http://www.first4magnets.com/crafts--model-makers-133-c.asp]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/532992/5729212.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/532992/5729212.page GMT Best resource for rare earth magnets?
http://www.back2base-ix.com/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=74

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