#039: Magnetic Silly Putty

remierk discovers the future of silly putty:

I’m not sure, but I think this is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen. I need to get this.

http://www.geekosystem.com/magnetic-silly-putty/

Woah!

#037: Gauss Pistol

Rob made a Gauss Rifle, so why not a Gauss Pistol? Here’s his clever concept miniaturised. 

#036: Gauss Rifle

The late Rob Gallagher was a magnetic genius, and it shows in his Gauss Rifle. Using linear acceleration spurred by magnets, Rob launches a steel ball from the rifle at a substantial rate.

Brilliantly simple, and a great demonstration of the true power of magnets.

‘Inside Insides’ have been shooting Magnetic Resonance Imagery (MRI) of food. See if you can guess which foods are shown below, then see more at http://insideinsides.blogspot.com/:

(Via tacit-laconic)

#034: Animag Photo Stands

Photojojo lurrrrve magnets, and their latest magnetic treats are super-cool. These ‘Animags’ are magnetic photo-holders shaped like animals. Check them out!

"Electricity and magnetism are those forces of nature by which people who know nothing about electricity and magnetism can explain everything."

BoostUp reports that a former NASA engineer has developed customisable, multiple-pole magnets.

Programmable magnets could be used to seal spaceship hatches, to create friction-free prosthetic ball joints and to make long-lasting gears for engines.

ramonsmind found this cool magnetic artwork. Magnets never cease to amaze us!

#029: Magnetic Polaroid Frames

We love Photojojo (they sell great gear for photography nerds), and we love that their online store is increasingly full of magnetic goodies!

Their latest is a nifty magnetic frame for your polaroid photos. Lots of people use magnets to hold photos on their fridge, but these frames give your pics an added retro kick. Nice work, Photojojo!

eightarms stumbles across a potential explanation for how magnets work.

Hmm, not quite! But still worthy of a chuckle. The magic remains a secret…

#028: Catching Bugs Bunny

Here’s one just for fun: follow Wile E. Coyote’s example and use a ten trillion volt electromagnet to catch the elusive Bugs Bunny. It’s not quite as successful as you’d think. (Perhaps he’d have been more successful if he’d chosen Aussie Magnets rather than ACME…)

Skip to 4:23 to see the magnets in action!

#027: Drill Press Vice

Here’s a third (but probably not final) use from Erle - a homemade jig for holding small objects whilst drilling. Erle uses magnets to separate the two pieces when the vice is opened, effectively acting as an extension and a reshaping of the vice jaws.

Erle’s shed is positively brimming with magnets. Where do magnets feature in your workshop? Let us know!

#026: “Soft Jaws” Magnetic Vice

Erle is still going strong with uses for Aussie magnets, this time with a “soft jaws” attachment for his vice. To prevent the metal jaws of the vice damaging delicate materials, Erle embedded two magnets into pieces of MDF. Then, he simply attaches the MDF to the vice, the magnets lock them in place and he can work safely without the jaws causing any damage. Clever stuff.

#025: Magnetise Your Shed or Workshop

Aussie Magnet-er Erle has found some priceless uses for magnets – keeping tools handy in the shed. There’s nothing worse than being stuck without the tool you need (especially if you’re doing precision work), so Erle employs magnets to save the day:

I use Aussie rare earth magnets throughout my shed to hold the tools applicable to the various machines on the machines e.g allen keys and spanners. This means I don’t need to go searching for them when I want to make an adjustment.

I also attach small rare earth magnets to pencils and these are located at strategic places so all I need to do is put my hand out and generally there’s one there!

Above you’ll see magnets holding up various calipers, chuck keys, drill press covers, awls, allen keys, blade holders, rulers and of course pencils. Adding magnets is a simple (yet genius) trick that makes these tools endlessly handy.

Erle’s using our 12mm x 1mm Rare Earth Discs to hold up most of his tools (they hold 671 grams), but for heavier equipment he uses our 12mm x 1.5mm’s (these hold up to 1 kilogram).

Great uses Erle! We’ve sent some free magnets your way as a thankyou - be sure to let us know what use you find for them.

#024: Ferrofluid Magnetic Art

Artists Sachiko Kodama and Yasushi Miyajima have created this amazing sculpture using magnetic fluid and electromagnetic fields. A controlled magnetic field interacts with the ferrofluid to create patterns that work beautifully when set to music.

This technique uses one electromagnet, and its iron core is extended and sculpted. The ferrofluid covers the sculpted surface of a three-dimensional iron shape that was made on an electronic NC lathe. The movement of the spikes in the fluid is controlled dynamically on the surface by adjusting the power of the electromagnet. The shape of the iron body is designed as helical so that the fluid can move to the top of the helical tower when the magnetic field is strong enough.

Clever stuff. Where else have you seen magnets in art?