Thoughts on using a magnetizer

[Sheldon Dingwall]

We've got a magnetizer sitting here that we're just starting to play with.

Any thoughts on how the jaws should be set? Do you want a gap or a close fit?

Thanks.

[Possum]

....

No gap, you put the magnet in, close the jaws tight against it and fire away. I keep one jaw locked down then just slide the other one against the magnet then turn it on, the magnetism will clamp it tightly shut. If you're magnetizing bucker magnets that haven't been magnetized before, hold the jaws wide open and touch one edge to the locked down jaw and hit the button real quick, this will magnetize that edge so the magnet will stick to the jaw, then you can close the other jaw and magnetize it normally. This keeps the magnet from falling through before you hit the button, its kinda hard to hold it in there and then magnetize and you might get your fingers pinched real hard if they get in the way. Your magnet will end up with a full charge so if its too much use a jeweler's demagnetizing table off ebay hooked to a variac, or just use a ceramic magnet and repel it against alnico to drop it down to gauss levels you want. Hope you have a guassmeter?

[Possum]

...

Forgot to mention, for Fender type single coils you put the whole pickup in the jaws and magnetize the entire assembly in one blow...

[PAF-Boy]

Hello,
this is just a bit off topic.
I had been using factory magnetized alnicos for my single coils for five years now and I only had good results and great feedback from my customers.
Now that I had build me a magnetizer and had charged my first pickup set with it ( verry proud ! ) the guy who bought it came back and said he was having too much treble after installing the new singlecoils.
Today I know that the storage and mounting process plays an important role and gives the pickup a special character.
Time to build a demagnetizer!

P.Boy

[Possum]

...

You don't need a demagnetizer. Get a ceramic bar magnet and push it repeatedly repelling each pole on the magnet you want to drop the power on. You must have a gaussmeter or you won't have a clue whats happening. This is the easiest and best way to do this in a controlled manner. If you end up going too low just recharge it again and start over..

[PAF-Boy]

Thanx Possum!
I had bought me a demagnetizer from ebay on of those they normaly use for steeltools.
I will use it with a timerrelais,to control the amount of demagnetizing.
I wind my pickups in batches around 5-10 sets,so the ceramicmagnet methode will eat to much time.-
tx
p.

[kevinT]

I will use it with a timerrelais,..

What is this?

wind my pickups in batches around 5-10 sets,so the ceramicmagnet methode will eat to much time.-

Each magnet in a brick varies slightly from the one next to it and the farther away you move from your initial location of the test magnet within the brick, the changes in the mix of the alloys become more drastic and gauss levels will be different.

I think you're heading for disaster if you demag and don't use a gauss meter and test the outcome. As Possum said, you won't know what is happening. You can't assume that they will all be the same.

I've notice some bricks of mags are fairly consistant throughout and then there are bricks with magnets that vary quite a bit throughout the brick. If you want to do batches of specific models and remain consistant, I would recommend investing in a gauss meter. IMO, out of all the tools in making pickups (not counting your winder), a gauss meter is the most important along side a stew-mac polarity tester

[Joe Gwinn]

What is this?

Timer relay. Probably can be set to apply power for any specified period of time within some range. They were very common on photo enlargers, to set the exposure when making prints.

[kevinT]

hmmmm,

I'm a little unclear. Can you use something like this to charge magnets?

For humbucker bar magnets, as Possum described and as I do, you zap the mag for a second and it is fully charged (or chaged to the extent the magnet is capable of holding).

I don't understand the timer relay thing and how it would apply to charging mags. Maybe PAFboy can describe how he uses something like this.

[Possum]

...

yeah a timer ain't gonna work, you need a variac for the demagnetizer, and even then it is tricky. You have to pass the pickup over the AC field, run it through it, you definitely must have a gaussmeter to set this up right.

[PAF-Boy]

Thanks,
I had orderd the gemagger and I expect it to arrive this week.
I am shure it needs some experience and trail and error to get consitent results.

@Possum: I have a variac so I will try this ,too and I will use a digital Gaussmeter to control the whole procedre.

P-boy

[JGundry]

The way I use the demagnetizer is I drop the voltage with a variac and I put the magnet in a pickup and swipe just one pole over the bed. It is pretty controllable this way.

[kevinT]

ok... I see,...you use it to demag. I still think folks are making it more complicated than what it needs to be.

A swipe or two with an A8 or Ceramic (or for the brave a neo) will do the trick.

The main thing is having a meter to monitor your results.

[David King]

Hi Sheldon, long time no see around here!

Does a Gauss meter need to be calibrated? I'm assuming it doesn't since as long as relative levels are maintained, quality is assured?

[kevinT]

Hi Sheldon, long time no see around here!

Does a Gauss meter need to be calibrated? I'm assuming it doesn't since as long as relative levels are maintained, quality is assured?

Yes.

Carlton-Melton recommends that calibration be done yearly on thier meter. I'll have to look again at the paperwork.