How to magnetize a board

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framerbob

framerbob

CGF II, Certified Grumble Framer Level 2
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I want to make a magnet board, but instead of sticking magnets to a metal surface, I want to be able to stick metal golf markers to a board that is magnetic.

Does that make sense? In other words how do I make a board magnetic so that metal objects will stick to it?
 
By "golf markers", are you referring to small things used to mark ball positions on the putting green?

If so, I suggest using 1/4" or 3/8" diameter rare-eart magnets. Glue them to a reinforced mounting board in a neat pattern, then cover the board with fabric.

Wherever there's a small, round bump (magnet) under the fabric, a ferrous-metal marker would adhere.
 
thanks I really like both of those ideas. Paul, do those things really work, I've never seen such a thing, once a metal object is magnetized does it ever loose its charge?
 
There is magnetized paint.....L.
 
DANG! beat me by 2 minutes...... :D

OR if you put some big rare earth mags attached to the metal board... the board becomes one big mag. Cars will veer, it will strip the buttons off small childrens Osh Kosh bibbies, and bobby pins with magically appear through your door drawing their owners by the hair....
 
I've got a roll of magnetic sheeting for auto magnets if you need some. It's 24" wide.
 
I just tried the magnetic sheeting idea over the holidays for a project for my wife.. I don't recommend it.

The sheeting material is fairly weak magnetically and is made more for sticking-to-things instead of things-sticking-to-it. As in, the ratio of weight / magnetic strength / surface area is backwards from what we're trying to use it for.

There's probably sheet / flat magnets out there better suited, just not the roll, thin-sheet variety. Stronger interspersed magnets like rare-earth would work, but you would have hot-spots instead of a consistent magnetic coverage (then again, Jim's idea would work if it was part of a fixed design). I would do what Paul said and just magnetize the objects or attach magnets to the objects, and use a piece of sheet metal instead.
 
The flexible magnetic sheeting will work nicely for small objects like ball markers as long as they aren't aluminum or plastic or some other non-ferrous material but it won't take much jostling around to jar them loose. Before the coming of rare earth magnets, I used flexible magnetic sign material quite often to hold certain types of items steady after I stitched them into a shadowbox. The stitching held them in place and the magnetic material at the bottom or the edges or wherever it is prudent to use it would keep it from swinging on the stitching or moving about in the shadowbox. It is easy to check if it will work before fastening the item down in the display as I have not tried to use just the sheeting to hold anything by itself.

I can't say for sure if a few rare earth magnets would completely magnitize a backing sheet of steel or not. I suppose it depends on the size of the display and its thickness and the size of the rare earth magnets you use. I do know that even the quarter inch magnets are a real bee-och to pull apart when stuck together in a stack but that is magnet against magnet!!

I took a few of my buddies to the cleaners on a bet one time that they couldn't pull a stack of 10 half inch rare earth magnets apart by pulling straight away. No sliding sideways allowed, just pull straight away from the stack and separate them.

............ I won lunch.
 
Golf ball markers are less than the size of a dime and even lighter than a dime. The white side would be mouted to foam core and fabric layed on the black side. It will not hold anything of real weight but markers should stick fine. The stock I have is the thickness of a sheet of matboard and not the flimsy stuff.
 
Tom Reigle said:
I can't say for sure if a few rare earth magnets would completely magnitize a backing sheet of steel or not. I suppose it depends on the size of the display and its thickness and the size of the rare earth magnets you use.
Click to expand...

Nah, the field strength rapidly diminishes.. though I suppose you could coil wire around the whole thing and wire it up to a battery or something.. :)
 
Yeah Steve, I can hear the conversation now!

Bob: "Here's your finished framing for your golf ball markers, Mr. Jones."

Mr. Jones: "Wow!! Much nicer than I ever imagined it would look! But what is that large black thing hanging from the bottom of the frame?"

Bob: "Oh, that's your extra heavy duty deep cell marine battery for the shadowbox. Just be sure that the leads are always connected to those 2 little posts sticking out of the frame or all the markers will land in a heap in the bottom of the shadowbox." :o

Uh huh. ..................... Next question is do you do installations, I'd bet. :cry: .............. :D
 
you guys are too much, I'm cracking up here!

Thanks for all your help I think I'll try Jeffs idea for starters, I'll send you a PM

thanks again
 
Magnetic foamboard: 32x40 & larger sizes

A few sizes available from Gilman Brothers. Carried by Southern Moulding in the Southeast. Possibly other companies around the country.
 
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