August 6, 200817 yr If you open up a discarded hard drive, at the base of the swing arm are two small very powerful rare earth magnets. If you let them click together they are hard to separate w/o a tool. Caution opening up a hard drive will almost surely ruin it for computer use. In old microwaves you can find a pair of nice ring magnets about 3" dia inside the klystron which looks like a tin can with fins on in usually mounted at the top and back. Pull the can apart to find the magnets. There is also a big high voltage cap usually at the back which looks like a flat tin bottle with terminals. I like to short this out first by putting a screwdriver across the terminals just in case its still holding a charge. I have never seen a spark but its a simple precaution.
August 6, 200817 yr Hey Maddog, Give these folks a try. I incorporate rare earth magnets in my wood-work to hold metal elements in place. Good selection, fast shipping, economical and no electrical shock risk!Amazing Magnets
August 6, 200817 yr Electronics repair shops regularly discard large loudspeakers that can't be re-coned. They have large dough-nut shaped ceramic type magnets that are quite powerful. You can remove the magnets with a screw or nut driver usually.
August 6, 200817 yr Sonicare electric toothbrushes have replacable heads. I take the wore out heads and pry off the two tiny,yet strong magnets off the bottom. They're great for holding notes on the steel shop door.
August 6, 200817 yr I have a couple of speaker magnets on the inside wall (sheet metal) of my shop---they are growing "hair" on the outside as the wind blows ferrous dust around the building... One way to collect iron ore!
November 27, 200817 yr A VERY cheap source for strong neodymium. (I have bought from them, and they are both reliable and fast.)eBay Store - magnets: wind turbine, flexible magnets windmill blades, rare earth magnet Neos (Neodymium rare earth) are really good, as a small fifty pound pull sucker (1" diameter by 1/2" grade N50 ) can be used at a distance to tell if steel has gone non-magnetic, without the hot steel being close enough to really damage the magnet. Just don't try to touch the steel to the magnet..... even with cold steel. These are POWERFULL. No, I have no connection other than being a happy customer of theirs.... Paul Andrulis
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