Rare earth Magnets

Just how good are the magnets when they are stuck to ya pick and will they come off when ya digging a hole.

they work good, just got to ensure that they really stuck on
they work by picking the metal out as you dig with the pick
cheers

the only problem that i have found is when you are digging into really hard ground the magnet slides on my pick as i dont have it glued to it,
another thing is they stick to everything that is metal in the back of your ute and can be a real pain when you finally get it off something just to have it stick to something else,
i have found the best place to store the pick is stuck to the side of the toolbox,
I only use the magnet on my pick maybe 1 in 4 digs as i get lazy and do it the old way with no magnet, but it does make it 10x quicker detecting with a magnet.

cheers

koeh

I bought a 20mm round one. Glued it to 6 inches of broom handle, drilled a hole thru the other end, and put a zip tie loosely on it. It clips onto my belt next to my scoop. I use double end dog clips from bunnings they are brass, and bullet proof. I found in small holes the pick head wouldnt fit in them. I also painted it bright yellow like all my other tools, as i am sick of losing them...

G'day matey......Another idea for the cylindrical rare earth magnet is to drill a hole in the base of the pick to make a firm fit and then glue it into the shaft. Pick and magnet are connected.

Mal


.....fail to search is fail to find.....

trianglemal wrote:G'day matey......Another idea for the cylindrical rare earth magnet is to drill a hole in the base of the pick to make a firm fit and then glue it into the shaft. Pick and magnet are connected.

Mal


.....fail to search is fail to find.....

Yep works a treat



Happy hunting

JW

Thanks for all the info guys. Looks like I'll be giving it a try sometime in the future.

cheers
bullet

HI
after 5 years of looking for the proverbial big one....I actually have 2 rare earth magnets on the bottom of my pick and have never lost either of them....this way they work a treat..when i put my pick in the back of my ute it doesnt move.
Regards
Oneday69

Here's a question for the tech heads. Can the magnets interfere with the workings of the control box if they come into contact with each other ?

and can they interfere with the coil ?

in answer to the last two posts,

yes and yes.

also as you probably know don't get them near your credit cards
or any magnetic swipe cards...

I had a problem with magnets getting too close to both of my GPS's with an "electronic" compass function . They seem to be as sensitive as a normal compass
I had to go through their recalibration proceedure to get them true again .
When stationary , both GPS units need to be held at nearly arms length away from speakers and UHF radios , I asume this is because of the magnets in their speakers . They showed correct direction once the GPS was mobile
Has anyone else noticed this ?

Accidents happen, so now I think I will continue doing it the hard way and no magnets.

hi all,how goes it? i had an idea [ once, gave me a head ache!] about building a sluice set up incorporating these magnets,primarily for black sand mining mbe general sluicing. dunno, could be a goer.i guess one could scan holes etc with them to narrow down the search factor? any-one know how to rig up a battery powered- 12volt magnet/coil system? oh well, back to the lab. igor.

I know nothing about sluices, can't see why it wouldn't work. I'm sure someone here will tell ya about it, lot of sluice users.

Bullet wrote:I know nothing about sluices, can't see why it wouldn't work. I'm sure someone here will tell ya about it, lot of sluice users.

hi bullet,reckon i know less than you, but gotta find a way to work smarter,not harder hard going when yer starting out but. that,s the nature of the beast. i am prepared to do it the hard way, and learn tho. it,s an adventure. cheers

I only dig holes when I get the chance and I hate finding boot tacks or bits of small nails and everyother bit of rubbish that comes with the game. if magnets will do the job, I might give them a go but I'm a bit worried about contact with the control box.
I don't mean put the magnet on the unit, only if it comes in contact and what sort of distance should the magnet be from the control box without interference.

Bullet,

not sure i'd want to experiment with 'how close' to the box you can get with a magnet,
I take great care to keep my pick magnet well away from the box always, especially when storing in a vehicle.
I put the pick in a completely different area from the control box.

played around with rare earth magnets on sluices both big and small, problem was they were to good --ironstone with gold attached stuck to magnets !! so no real benefit also they attracted soooooo much iron and ironstone they blocked or at best servilely upset the flow in the sluice

goldslugger wrote: hi all,how goes it? i had an idea [ once, gave me a head ache!] about building a sluice set up incorporating these magnets,primarily for black sand mining mbe general sluicing. dunno, could be a goer.i guess one could scan holes etc with them to narrow down the search factor? any-one know how to rig up a battery powered- 12volt magnet/coil system? oh well, back to the lab. igor.

Been done already, http://www.sluicemagnet.net/ Please take note of the WARNING

Happy hunting

JW

what do you use a rare earth magnet for ????

Didnt you see the link I put up?? Pretty self explanitry. It attracts the magnetic sands & leaves the gold to concerntrate in your box free from the magnetic sands. If you are detecting you have one either mounted into the handle end of your pick handle



or glued on to the head of your pick. It is used for attracting ferrous, Magnetic crap items" on to the magnet so you arent wasting time looking for the detected signal if it is magnetic iron. By waving the magnet over the signal, if it is iron crap it will leap up on to the magnet. If it is gold it will not.

Happy hunting

JW

Flakmagnet wrote:in answer to the last two posts,

yes and yes.

also as you probably know don't get them near your credit cards
or any magnetic swipe cards...

hi flak.we had an episode of MYTH-BUSTERS on here recently. they proved that credit card memory is virtually in-destructable.
how-ever they did,nt use rare earth magnets. they did rig up a powerful electro magnet,which had nil result.interesting stuff. cheers

Been using rare earth magnets for a couple of years now.
First off I recessed the end of the pick handle and glued the magnet in, but it got out and lost
Next one I fiber glassed in, smoothed the fiberglass, which left a nice smooth surface covering the magnet, which is now very easy to wipe the iron bits off.

No doubt the pick handle has got close to the control box over the time but so far it has not affected the detector.
As far as a labor and time saver I would not be without it.

Ron

Same here ! Been using them for 3 seasons, Wouldn't be without it, I use a 50mm x 12mm rare earth magnet, attach it to the bottom of the pick ( sits in the middle by magnetic force ) & when i have to dig in harder ground i just give the pick a good swing into the ground to move the magnet to the edge of the pick & take it off and put it to one side, Care has to be taken when putting it back on by hand but usually i just dab the pick on top of the magnet and away you go. Gets rid of any magnetic material very quickly when you wave it over a target signal.
Cheers
Ashley

Hello Goldslugger,

Interesting to hear about an electro-magnet not cleaning off a swipe card.
I will certainly take your (and Myth Busters), word for it
but I will still have a hard time not adhering to the old habit on this one
especially where rare earth magnets are concerned, they are seriously powerful as you know.
The thought of one being passed close to the control box would give me great pause.

Wonder if MineLab looks in on these descussions,
they could cut this thread short with one reply.

Perhaps I will email them and see what they say, I'm interested now..

Flakmagnet wrote:Hello Goldslugger,

Interesting to hear about an electro-magnet not cleaning off a swipe card.
I will certainly take your (and Myth Busters), word for it
but I will still have a hard time not adhering to the old habit on this one
especially where rare earth magnets are concerned, they are seriously powerful as you know.
The thought of one being passed close to the control box would give me great pause.

Wonder if MineLab looks in on these descussions,
they could cut this thread short with one reply.

Perhaps I will email them and see what they say, I'm interested now..

hi flak,how it,s it going on your side?no, i thought the same as you,but the episode verdict was -myth.i see the boys lost a cannonball yesterday? one simple test FM. SWIPE A CARD WITH YOUR RE MAGNET. i feel sure that minelab read these forums for feedback and general concensus,and competitor comparisions etc. go well, cheers

Goldslugger,

Here ya go:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/12/mythbusters-cannonball-discovery-channel.html

I guess the boys got everybody's attention in the bay area with that one.

I'll give an RE magnet a go one of these days, just not today in case it cleans it,
I don't have any cash on me right now...

[quote="Flakmagnet"]Goldslugger,

Here ya go:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/12/mythbusters-cannonball-discovery-channel.html

I guess the boys got everybody's attention in the bay area with that one.

I'll give an RE magnet a go one of these days, just not today in case it cleans it,
I don't have any cash on me right now... quote]
hi flak, funny stuff for sure. they are naugthy boys ain,t they? yeh, i think my jeans have holes in the pockets,always empty too:roll: rock on,dig it cheers

G'Day

I bought my magnets from DealExtreme a few years ago, I think for $23 for 100 (20mm X 2mm)

http://s.dealextreme.com/search/magnet

I have half a dozen Araldited to the pick head as they WILL move around otherwise

Waz


PS They are also great to chuck on the fridge door and watch the Grandkids try to get 'em off.