Working With Big Magnets, Safely

Big Strong Neodymium Magnets must be respected or they will hurt you badly. Below is my magnetic strength rating system.

My Strength Ratings by Damage Caused

LOW, under 20 pounds pull force, = pinches, blood blisters

 MEDIUM, 20 to 100 pounds pull force = cuts and bruises

HIGH, 100 to 200 pounds pull force = broken fingers and bad bruises 

SUPER HIGH, over 200 pounds pull force = crushed broken hand with permanent bodily damage (including Amputations)

One recommended way of working with high or super high strength NIBs is to do it while wearing thick insulated gloves like ski gloves. The padding isn't going to do much save your hand from damage if crushed by 2 magnets. It will make it easier to get your hand out from between the magnets, just before you go to the hospital.

I like my fingers. I like the way they are and I like where they are. When I work with or play with Super High Strength Magnets I go to lengths to handle them safely. I am also concerned about handling them gently so they do not break or chip. After all, they are not cheap. I go to the extreme of making special tools to keep my hands out of the danger zone.

I have an idea in my mind about making a magnetic catapult powered by the repelling force of 2 big NIBs. In this video I check-out this repelling force as I demonstrate the safe handling of a couple of 2" dia by 1" thick N42 Neodymium disks which have a pull force of 230 pounds and a mutual attraction of about 350 pounds. Notice that the near magnet is locked in the tool and the tool is clamped to the bench. I check the polarity with my Electronic Pole Identifier then clamp the rear magnet into a tool. As you can see, it's safe and efficient. The problem with this concept is that these particular tools only work with 2" dia NIBs. If I want to try a similar experiment with my 2" by 2" by 1" thick blocks, I have to make a couple more tools to handle them. The wood I use is red oak for strength and the hardware is non-magnetic brass.

OUCH!

When you push the limits you must suffer the consequences. Instead of a big beautiful 2" disk I now have 2 big powerful ugly chunks. I used sandpaper to smooth the sharp edges. Don't breath the dust. They say that Neodymium has a low-to-moderate acute toxic rating. As with other rare earths, Neodymium should be handled with care. Wet sandpaper is best for this smoothing.

These are some other devices I use to handle Big NIBs. Click on the picture to read more about them and to see videos of  them in action..