Non-directional Alnico 5

[JGundry]

Magnetic hold is a company is america selling magnets which are from China.

Isotropic A5 shouldnt be very difficult, as it is the same as A5 except that it isnt exposed to a magnetic field during the casting process. I think what is happening is they are changing the A5 formula (thus making it not A5) instead of changing it from ansiotropic (sp?) to iso-tropic.

b.

I think it is more complicated than that or at least there is more that one detail to screws up. I had a US maker do unoriented A5 for me and the first test magnets were fine but a larger second test batch would not hold a charge. The third time they got it right.

[Zhangliqun]

They were just free samples (2 bars) so I didn't lose any skin.

[J S Moore]

If you don't mind my asking, JGundry, what was the minimum order to get them to do it? I'm not asking for dollar value but the number of magnets.

[JGundry]

If you don't mind my asking, JGundry, what was the minimum order to get them to do it? I'm not asking for dollar value but the number of magnets.

The minimum order was around 1200 pieces and the per magnet charge was around $3.50. And that was for uncharged magnets. It is pretty pricey to place an order for them. Hopefully you can find a cheaper source.

[J S Moore]

That's fairly pricey but not too bad. You can't complain about the reception those magnets are getting in your pickups so I think the price was probably worth it.

[Possum]

...

Well I got a sample as well from the US guys, but what bothers me is on the LCR meter the meter could not tell the difference between the nonoriented stuff and a similar A5 magnet degaussed to the nonorient levels. That US maker's magnets are darker than to begin with so is it the process or just their normal recipe/mix? One of the magnets in my PAF sounds exactly the same as alnico 2 from that same maker which holds the identical charge when fully charged up.

[J S Moore]

I've always understood that it's the magnetic field applied during casting ( or whenever it is) that gives Alnico 5 it's strength, so it's not surprising that it won't gauss to regular A5 levels but would maybe be closer to A2.

Maybe they gave you A2 by accident?

[JGundry]

Well I got a sample as well from the US guys, but what bothers me is on the LCR meter the meter could not tell the difference between the nonoriented stuff and a similar A5 magnet degaussed to the nonorient levels. That US maker's magnets are darker than to begin with so is it the process or just their normal recipe/mix? One of the magnets in my PAF sounds exactly the same as alnico 2 from that same maker which holds the identical charge when fully charged up.

The LCR meter would see the same thing as the metal mix should be the same. I think there is something different in the heat treating process that is the trick for unoriented A5. Hard to say though as the engineers I have talked to have not always been big on giving me the technical details. The non oriented does not sound the same as the same A5 degaussed to the same level. Different animals.

Gibson used a bunch of different magnet suppliers. I talked to a guy last week that worked for two different magnetics places that supplied Gibson while in Kalamazoo. He confirmed that each magnet maker would have their own tweak for different alloys. Some are darker, some are brighter but that was from house to house.

[Possum]

...

Add to that, that Jim from WCR talked to a retired magnet salesman who sold to Gibson and said they only bought their "reject" magnets for cheap :-) Maybe thats why some of them are really burnt, some that don't hold much gauss etc. I have all kinds of alnico and same alnico from different places all sound very different. Some I thought I would never have use for have found their place around here.