Anyone tried drilling a hole in a magnet?

Re: Anyone tried drilling a hole in a magnet?

Larry Clinton At Frankfort, (Central) Indiana

There are many different types of magnet material, many are made from sintered material, none of the sintered are considered machinable. Some compositions are Ceramic, Neodymium-Iron-Boron, Alnico, and Samarium Cobalt. Most are too brittle to drill, although you might with a diamond bit with water coolant. Grinding is feasible, though I do not know what wheel would be required.

Re: Anyone tried drilling a hole in a magnet?

John K Jordan

I've ground magnets. You won't destroy the magnetism unless the metal gets quite hot. (magnets made from certain materials are less heat resistant than others)

In fact, every crumb and dust particle from the machining will be a tiny magnet and will stick to the tools, the mother magnet, and to siblings.

Some magnets are made from a type of ceramic and are brittle and may crack under pressure. You might try a carbide masonry bit or a diamond cutter in a rotary tool. Some have plating which I'd grind away first.

Do you have an actual application, in which case what shape are you trying to make? Or is this pure curiosity? If the latter, I'd suggest going to the shop and experiment.

If you can wait until later today, I can send a note and ask my friend Joe who knows everything common and technical about magnets, magnetism, and application.

JKJ

Don't

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

At the risk of offending, do you not read posts here, or do you forget? I reported before that rare earth magnet material is pyrophoric. The result will be a dull drill and a pile of dust that will catch on fire and fill the shop with noxious fumes.

Re: Don't

Barry Irby

I read most posts here on this forum and the turning forum. Somehow I failed to see that one or failed to remember it. How long ago was that?

And, thanks, that's exactly the information I wanted, although, I would like to see that fire. Don't tell the terrorists.

Re: Don't

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

the fire was entertaining. The fumes weren't.

I didn't know that...

John in NM

I've had plenty of them break in half or chip though -- stuff is hard and brittle, too much so to drill in any case.

Re: I didn't know that...

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

A cobalt drill will drill them, make a pile of dust, which smokes, then burns and fill shop with who knows what kind of smoke.

Your results may differ. Try and report back

What is the desired shape and need? *LINK*

Keith Newton

Maybe there is another way to achieve this, like shaping a piece of steel, then magnetizing it afterwards.

Back before there were all these magnetizing and de-maging tools, I was magnetizing mine with a method that isn't all that safe, and I won't share here for fear of being jumped on by our host, as well as those of you with better sense than I had back then. ha

However there are several ways to do it, and google is your friend.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKmImCBrgbA

Haha...

John in NM

No way! I can buy fireworks here if I want that kind of excitement in my shop!

making a magnet

John K Jordan

>>>Back before there were all these magnetizing and de-maging tools, I was magnetizing mine with a method that isn't all that safe...

Ha. When I was about 6 or 7 I wanted a magnet, really wanted a magnet. Hearing that electricity could make a magnet I unscrewed the bulb and dropped a slug of iron into a light socket. That was exciting but it didn't make a magnet.

Then I learned that the electricity needed to go through wires wrapped around the steel. I wanted a really strong magnet. So I climbed way up in our swing tree and stretched a wire above our tree house to make a lightning rod, wrapped the wire around the steel, then buried the other end in the ground since I knew a lighting rod needed that. I waited like forever for a lightning storm to come and hit the wire. It never came (fortunately) so that didn't make a magnet.

Then I found out there were magnets in speakers! Not long after I was in proud possession of a real magnet! The old radio in the basement didn't work after that but hey...

JKJ

Re: Anyone tried drilling a hole in a magnet? *LINK*

William Duffield

Why not just buy the magnets in the shapes and sizes you need. Neodymium (rare earth) magnets are available very inexpensively, direct from China, in any size, shape and quantity you can imagine.


https://www.banggood.com/search/neodymium-magnets.html