#demagnetize

The Science of Magnetic Field Lines A magnetic field surrounds any electric charge in motion. The magnetic field is continuous and invisible, but its strength and orientation may be represented by magnetic field lines. Ideally, magnetic field lines or magnetic flux lines show the strength and orientation of a magnetic field. The representation is useful because it gives people a way to view an…

Magnetizing Steel without Special Tools Step 1 Find north. Find north. If you have a compass, the needle will point directly to magnetic north. Otherwise finding true north should be good enough for this method. Step 2 Arrange the steel so it points north. Arrange the steel so it points north. Put the steel object down, so its longest dimension is laid out north-to-south. This method will not…

Magnetize Steel Using a Battery Strip the insulation off both ends of a wire. Using wire stripping pliers, strip about 1 in (2.5 cm) of insulation from each end of an insulated wire. You’ll need enough wire to wrap around your steel object at least 10 times. “Enameled wire” with thin insulation will have a stronger effect. Do not use bare wire without insulation, as this will interrupt the…

Magnetizing Steel Using an Existing Magnet Use this to quickly make a temporary magnet. Keep a strong magnet around, and you can magnetize some types of steel with a couple minutes of work. This turns the steel into a weak magnet that loses its magnetism over time. This method is ideal for magnetizing a screwdriver, nail, or needle just before use so they are attracted to metal and won’t easily…

Making an Electromagnet Gather the necessary materials. To make an electromagnet, you will need insulated copper wire, a piece of metal with known iron content, a 12-volt battery (or other DC power supply), wire strippers/cutters, and electrical tape. The insulated copper wire needs to be thin enough to easily wrap around the metal and long enough to wrap a few dozen times. Make sure the metal…

Magnetize a Metal Using Striking Hammer Gather the necessary materials. To magnetize a metal using a hammer, you will need a compass, a hammer, and a piece of metal with some iron. These items can easily be purchased at a local hardware store. A metal alloy that doesn’t have iron in it is less likely to be magnetic. Pure gold, silver, copper, etc. cannot be magnetized with this method. Identify…

Rubbing the Metal with a Strong Magnet Gather the necessary materials. To magnetize metal with this method, you just need a strong magnet and a piece of metal with known iron content. Metals without iron will not become magnetic. A strong magnet, such as neodymium, can easily be purchased online. Identify the North pole of the magnet. Every magnet has two poles, a North and a South pole. The…

How Does Magnetism Work? Magnetism is caused by the motion of electrical charges. All substances are made up of tiny particles known as atoms, which have even smaller particles that carry electrical charges, called electrons. In some substances—like iron, cobalt, and nickel—these electrons are mostly spinning in the same direction in relation to their atoms. This makes these kinds of substances…