Cali Kid Corals

Best Source for Magnets?

99sf

99sf

Guest
BARcard
I would like to glue some monti caps onto magnets and attach the magnets to the back of my 3/8" acrylic tank. The magnets on my frag rack are small and really hold through the tank walls (unlike one of my Koralia magnets). Where can I buy small, strong reef-safe magnets?
 
I've bought from dealextreme.com before and coated in plasticdip from HD. Seemed to work fine, just took some time/patience in coating.
 
Speaking of dipping / coating, has anyone dipped their reef tweezers or cutters in a hardware store's plastic dip? My giant tweezers have more than a bit of rust, probably caused by forgetting to rinse them in freshwater just one time! Mitch, how long did it take for the coating to dry on your magnets?
 
Tony--Thanks for the links, and the recommendation of epoxy coated magnets. Bryan, I'd love to try out one of your magnet sets.
 
Just bought 10 1/2" x 1/8" from http://www.kjmagnetics.com/

Part D82E Total was 11.40 with Standard USPS.

I think/hope they're the ones I wanted....
 
Haven't dipper my tweezers, but I'm worried whether the constant flex will weaken the coating (and then rust will start unbeknownst to me). At least now I know when they're rusting and where ;)

99- one thin coat dried in ~1.5-2 hrs for me. The way I do it, I use a flat topped screw/nail and use that to hold the magnet and dip it halfway into the stuff. Hang and let dry, then swap to the other side and repeat. Do that 4 times and I haven't really had a problem. I've done them in stacks of 2 at a time for better strength and it worked out fine.

For what it's worth, 10pk of 18mm x 2mm uncoated discs for 3.82 + free shipping. Just takes a while to make it to the states. I'm thinking of picking up maybe 20 of them. http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.10304
 
I've had the plastidip coatings fail on me and while it's not the end of the world, it's kindof a mess. I'm currently playing with ceramic magnets (reef safe w/no coatings necessary) on the inside of the tank and neodymium magnets outside (they're splashproof at least) - this gives you the strength of the neodymium magnet and the durability of the ceramic magnet, best of both worlds if your tank walls are thin enough and your project light enough.
 
Jess where ya getting your ceramics? And I don't know how well the plastidip handles under constant movement or attach/detachments. I always just set them there and left it until it was time to take that tank down.
 
http://www.magnet4sale.com/ has a smaller selection, but generally better pricing than magnets4less.

I wasn't abusive of the plastidip magnets, but would move em on occasion to clean the glass, but you're right that they work ok if you're careful.

Ceramic / Neodymium combos seem somewhat promising so far, but haven't had a chance to get them mounted to a rack for real-world testing yet... 1/2" glass makes this a little more challenging :D
 
Positive in that I've got a doctorate in chemistry and such - heck no, this is reefer talk! :D

But as for a semi-rational argument - that's what our pump impeller shafts are made of, and we've been using those for decades with no (apparent?) ill effects. I've had a handful of the ceramics in my tank for a week so far with no corrosion or any other suspicious changes... *shrug*
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top