How to make a magnet?

We are all accustomed to such an uncomplicated subject as a magnet. In everyday life, it is often used by people because of its ability to attract small objects from a certain metal. In addition, magnets are widely used in many areas, for example, in the production of electricity. In fact, electrification without them would be impossible. Magnets are the core of electromagnets - devices that generate electricity. But that's not all. In our bodies, biocurrents also produce magnetic lines of force. Our planet, we can say - is a huge blue magnet, because it generates a huge force of attraction. There are areas in which it is simply necessary to use a strong magnetic field. For example, lifting sunken ships, thermonuclear fusion and much more.

People in ancient times learned about magnets, their properties and began to apply them. However, in those days these were just pieces of magnetic iron ore, or natural magnets, as they are now called. The first monuments of dating people with them were found during excavations in Central America. These were sculptures carved from huge blocks of this breed, because of their shape researchers called them "fat boys". The magnetic lines of force link these figures and seem to come out of their belly. In addition, the natural magnet and its properties are described in ancient Chinese manuscripts. This substance, iron ore, relates to iron oxides and has the property of attracting various objects from iron or steel. They used it for centuries. However, over time, the quality of iron ore has ceased to meet human needs. With the advent of production, the question arose how to make a magnet stronger and more reliable. Gradually, there were technologies for manufacturing artificial magnets.

Have you thought about how to make a magnet? Are they made exclusively in the factory or can they be built by handicraft? In this article, let's talk about how to make a magnet at home.

So, let's start, as they say, from the stove. All materials that have at least some ability to magnetize are magnetically hard or magnetically soft. What do these names mean? The first quickly lose the properties attract objects to themselves, and the second - they retain them, and, as a rule, for a long time. Before you make a magnet, you need to select the right material to make it. As can be seen from the above, not every material is suitable for this.

If you take a strong magnet and pass it with a metal bar, then this will be enough to make this object magnetized. Also, if several times to quickly open and close the steel massive scissors, they have the property to attract small metal objects. And this acquired property can be used repeatedly, for example, to get small steel parts from the cracks.

Usually a permanent magnet, which was made by magnetizing a piece of iron, does not retain its properties for a very long time. As a rule, it is enough to heat it to a certain temperature or to knock on any hard surface - and it will not attract anything more.

Magnetic properties change with the addition of certain substances in the metal. It's about those additives that turn iron into steel. Steel, which can be quenched, is usually a magnetically solid substance, which means it can be the starting material for creating a magnet. As a rule, stainless steel is not capable of hardening and does not attract metals.

Now we come directly to the answer to the question: how to make a magnet? It is not so difficult. How to make a powerful magnet? To do this you will need: a bar of hardened steel and an inductor. The size of the piece of steel should be such that it fits perfectly inside your coil. In the event that the current you are using is from the mains, plug the fuse into the circuit to prevent a short circuit.

Not only is iron or steel used to give the object properties to attract metals. For this, an alnico-special alloy made of several metals is sometimes taken. But most often ferrites are used for this purpose. Ferrites are iron oxides in the form of a powder, which is mixed with certain additives. It is the ferritic magnets that are most convenient, they can be given any shape. However, the strongest are those magnets that were made from a special mixture of neodymium, iron and boron.