magnetizing bars w/ stew mac magnets

[aaronslater]

Sorry about the newbie question but,
I've searched the boards and elsewhere but I still don't totally understand. Is it possible to magnetize Alnico Bar magnets (humbucker, p90) with the Stew Mac 1" disc neo magnets? Or are they only good for rods? If so what is the most effective direction to pass them between the neo's?

is this right?

{N} Neodymium
{S}

[====] -> -> -> Alnico Bar magnet sliding through with wide side towards you

{N}
{S} Neodymium

I'm working on putting together the parts for my first pickups and don't want to invest too much, the Stew Mac magnets seem like the most inexpensive for me right now but if I need something larger let me know.

Thanks all, I've been reading and researching here for a while and looking forward to my first build!

[Possum]

...

No they are too weak and too small. Go on ebay and find a neodymium bar magnet that is the same length as a bucker bar mag or longer. I've found them for around $16 for a pair a couple years ago. If you don't see them email some of the sellers because they do have them some of them.....

[Magnut]

These are 3" long and are inexpensive. I would get 4 and pair them up.

[LtKojak]

find a neodymium bar magnet that is the same length as a bucker bar mag or longer

Is this the way you charge your magnets, Possum? Or you've got a charger? If you do, which one you've got?

Inquiring minds would like to know.

[aaronslater]

thanks guys, that's what I thought.

Does it make a difference what direction the alnico is passed between the charging magnets? Meaning how it enters and exits the magnetic field? I've never charged magnets before, been doing a little reading here and outside this board, I think I understand the principles but not the exact practice.

Any advice helps, thanks again! I'm building my first guitar, it's from wood I cut, and couldn't resist building my own pickups too!

[Possum]

...

I use a Magnetool charger. About $600 shipped. Its a small one kinda like what Leo had but plugs into the wall.

Its tricky, charging with neo, with A5 you can just charge one side on a neo and then do the other, A5 only charges in one direction. A2, A3, A4, will charge in any direction so ideally its best to charge in a charger, since the neo is always "on" and always pulling at the bar magnet, so if you're pulling out of the field the field is pulling at it sideways as you remove the magnet. Probably not a real big deal but its nice to have a real charger.

[RedHouse]

A couple more links:

http://www.kjmagnetics.com/proddetail.asp?prod=BY084

http://www.forcefieldmagnets.com/cat...tl7okrvsimt5f0

[Dave Kerr]

so if you're pulling out of the field the field is pulling at it sideways as you remove the magnet.

Or, if you have the neos mounted on a vise, you can hold the magnet in place and crank the vise jaws open to maintain a nice, linear orientation

[LtKojak]

http://www.kjmagnetics.com/proddetai...=BZ0Y0X0%2DN52

Two of these mounted in a vise would do the trick... isn't it?

[aaronslater]

thanks guys, I think I get it now, and thanks for the links I hadn't seen that forcefield magnetics site.

[pila]

I believe Stewmac sells the little pen-sized polarity indicator for determining which pole is which ( north or south) Don't remember for sure where I bought mine, either Stewmac or Antique Electronics. It's handy though:

[EFK]

"Or, if you have the neos mounted on a vise, you can hold the magnet in place and crank the vise jaws open to maintain a nice, linear orientation"

Good luck with that! Great idea but you'd need 3 hands, two to hold the alnico and one to work the vice. Maybe my neos are too strong - there is no way I could hold it between them with one hand.

[David Schwab]

"Or, if you have the neos mounted on a vise, you can hold the magnet in place and crank the vise jaws open to maintain a nice, linear orientation"

Good luck with that! Great idea but you'd need 3 hands, two to hold the alnico and one to work the vice. Maybe my neos are too strong - there is no way I could hold it between them with one hand.

Maybe they were too strong. I did this a few times like this. I think the magnets could have been bigger, but it worked. I even made a cheap ceramic magnet stronger.

[EFK]

They must be too strong. I'm using two 1X3X1/2" thick neo 'bricks.' Certainly charges mags and entire pickups, I'll tell you that! Also seems to magnetize everything within 2 ft. Hmmmmmm....... Not to be a weenie, but I wonder if there are any detrimental long-term effects as a byproduct of regularly sticking your hands into that kind of magnetic field?

[David Schwab]

They must be too strong. I'm using two 1X3X1/2" thick neo 'bricks.' Certainly charges mags and entire pickups, I'll tell you that! Also seems to magnetize everything within 2 ft. Hmmmmmm....... Not to be a weenie, but I wonder if there are any detrimental long-term effects as a byproduct of regularly sticking your hands into that kind of magnetic field?

I don't think it will hurt you, though it has been found that using electric blankets is a bad thing because of the magnetic field, and people who live under high tension wire towers seem to have higher incidence of leukemia.

Maybe you can make a sled that can hold the pickup and slide between the magnets. It would be quite a bit longer than the pickup, so you would have lots of room on each end to hold it.

I don't normally charge magnets using that vice thing, but that pickup in the photo is from a '72 Mustang which had been sitting in a box of junk ceramic pickups for years, so the magnets had gotten very weak. So I wanted to see if it worked, and it did.