They are more effective than I judged they have a right to be. You'd expect the magnetizer to not really magnetize and the demagnetizer to not really demagnetize but what you get is something that is very effective at both. So its not transferring anything to the screwdriver, its just lining up existing magnetic domains within the steel or partially randomizing them. A very cool and handy piece of kit, even the super cheap ones.
@@djmipsTrue but this is probably one of the few things it’s cheaper to just buy lol - it’s hard to beat $3 at a local walmart or $1 on Temu, vs the costs for the pla, electricity, magnets, and your time
I bought one of those and found it really works. Didn't get detailed instructions on how to use it. Now I know thanks to your posting this. Thanks for your help!
Can you tell me where I can buy one of those magnetizers/demagnetizers? I live in an extremely rural area and we don't have the luxury of having any of those types of things. We do have a hardware store but he never heard of anything like that??
Your welcome! Others have thought that running it though the magnetize section a few times would help. Its too bad most or all don't come with instructions.
Nice explanation of how these devices work. I taught biology in college and would have loved it had I been able to put together such a nice, concise lesson. Usually I just rambled around a topic until my students either figured it on their own or were totally lost.
Really excellent video, thank you for this clear explanation. About 5 years ago, I bought a screwdriver set with one of these magnetic devices built into the storage rack, and until 15 minutes ago had no idea how to use it! I'm off to the garage NOW to try it 😄 Thanks again, I've liked and subscribed!
Well thank you so much! It is an intriguing little device with way more clever magnetics than one might at first expect. So glad you subscribed - I really appreciate it - always important for a small channel. Hope you enjoy some of my old - and future videos!
Thanks for the drawing and explanation, accidentally took apart my magnetizer tool and I didn't know which way the magnets should slot in, appreciate it!
I have seen a video on this before but the guy kinda ignored the stairs saying they where just a design thing but you've given a far better developed version of that explanation thank you.
Your welcome! To be fair - its not obvious how the steps could be of use given they are non-magnetic plastic and none of these devices seem to come with proper instructions. It did take me a while to clue in that it was much like the operation of an AC powered demagnetizer: pulling the screwdriver out of the hole makes a AC-like rotating magnetic field, and moving up the steps makes that AC field reduce in strength for each cycle. If you want to see how a AC demagnetizer works, I did a video on it a while back: th-cam.com/video/mGK8oYdEqyE/w-d-xo.html
I have been wondering when these devices first appeared - so thanks to you I now know they were available in the 90s. Will be interesting to see if anyone mentions having one earlier than that.
@@ElectromagneticVideos I bought one in the first half of the 2000's, but was aware of their existence about 5 years or so prior. That puts my earliest spotting of them in the latter half of the 1990's, coinciding with the account of @bertiesworld .
It would be nice if you used your detector on the screwdriver during the last demonstration with the disassembled demagnetizer. Thanks so much for actually taking apart the demagnetizer!!
You know, its always a struggle as to how long - or short to make a video, and the youtube audience seems to have a short attention span. So unfortunately many things that could be in it get left out .... Glad you like seeing the actual inside of the device!
Very cool explanation. Maybe including one of those jars of oil with iron filings in them to show the fields around the tool would make the fields even more apparent.
My first experiment with magnatism (even though I wasn't aware of it as such at the time) was as a very small child, when I put a magnet onto the screen of our home CRT colour television. So enraptured was I by the effect (all those pretty colours in rainbow arcs) that I drew attention to the spectacle to my mother, who told me to 'stop doing that immediately' - I'm paraphrasing. 😂
Ha! Me too actually. But both you and me were lucky - one commenter did the same but either had too strong a magnet or held it too close and apparently permanently magnetized the some part of the tube (shadow mask maybe?). Apparently none of the TV repair shops could fix the color shift and the TV had to be replaced - oops!
I use one of these for my work fixing/ servicing laser printers/ MFDs in an enterprise environment and this simple device makes my work a lot less stressful!
Interesting - never thought about it but the laser printers etc you work on are probably the most mechanically intricate piece of equipment used in homes and offices. With all the screws and tiny parts I can imagine how this little device would be useful for that.
I’ve literally always wondered what they point for the stairs were. I thought it could be just a quick visual indicator of what side you were about to use. Now I need to go try this myself! Thanks! 😊
This is a clever device for how simple it is! I could sort of deduce how the magnetizer half worked, but I was totally stumped by the demagnetizer until you explained it.
I couldn't agree more! I was baffled by the demagnetizer - and even after figuring it out, the staircase was a mystery -even after googling it. Took me a while to clue in that it was mimicking an AC demagnetizer as discussed here th-cam.com/video/mGK8oYdEqyE/w-d-xo.html
Agree here, it gives the information you need in a straightforward and direct manner. Though, I wouldn't be disrespectful towards those who prefer a different video style since it'll come down to viewer preference.
Informative! This reminds me of the AC powered tape head degausser wand/tool I bought years ago. The instructions were that the tip of the degausser was to be moved away from the tape heads slowly. The steps on that magnetizer/demagnetizer block make sense now.
I have an AC powered bulk tape degausser and also one for CRTs - very similar in terms of moving away slowly. I did a video on that if you interested: th-cam.com/video/mGK8oYdEqyE/w-d-xo.html
More spectacular was the degaussing coil for a CRT, you rotated it in front of the tube watching the lovely colour patterns whilst slowly move some meters away. If the power was shut of too quick the tube had a permeant field and that was not good. Also the mains coil pulled a good few amps so you had one shot at it before smoke appeared.
When I was in school, we did this with bare magnets; stroke a magnet longways down the shaft, physically touching, to magnetize, stroke through the air further and further away to demagnetize. Basically the same principle, but without a gadget.
I used to do oilfield work and one of our tools used the same principle to locate pipe collars in the casing. A CCL or Casing Collar Locator. The main bit of it was two magnets with the same pole facing each other vertically. Between them a coil of wire. The fields hit each other and go straight out a ways radially around the tool. As the tool moved through the well casing, any metal changes in the field induced a current in the coil. Like the mass change where two pipes are screwed together. That then went to the surface via a cable would register on computer software and as raw kicks on a meter directly attached to the line. This device is attached to every tool we ran down hole.
That's fascinating - what a clever way to detect a discontinuity in the casing. When I was a student I had a magnetics Prof who designed pigs to go down oil pipes and magnetically look for problems. I wonder if that how the pigs did it too?
@@ElectromagneticVideos not sure on the pigs. Never worked on the pipelines. I always worked on the pads. Did what is called wireline. We ran anything from scientific and diagnostic tools to cutters and explosives. And plugs as well. A lot of the scientific stuff was to correlate our logs with drilling logs. For example, we would do cement bond logs on the casing. An acoustic tool that clicked kinda like sonar. The reflections off the casing would chart out on a plot. Showing the general constitution of the material behind the casing pipe. Generally a layer of concrete and then rock formations. Along with that tool was a gamma ray spectrometer and the CCL. The gama tool just reads the gamma radiation in the ground and can then give pretty detailed plots of the rock formations. Mainly detecting hydrocarbon deposits. But many things affect it. That log, along with CCL are used to verify and correlate out well logs with the drilling logs. Basically make sure our squiggly lines match theirs at any given depth. It gets a fair bit deeper, but this comment is probably too long already.
@@cbremer83 It is amazing how hi-tech oil exploration and production is. Not sure of Schlumberger is still around, but way back in the 80s they would show up at my old university around graduation time and hire anyone who had taken the signal processing, electromagnetics and similar courses. I can sure see why fro what you describe. Never heard of the gamma tool either - fascinating!
Isn't also true that you can hit the screwdriver against for example a big vice, like I tend to do to get rid of small metal filings? I've been wondering how that actually works.
Yes! Causing a mechanical shock like that will demagnetize things - not just tools but also "real" magnets, although magnets are often brittle and are likely to break in pieces if you hit them too hard. The steel in screwdrivers consists of tiny magnetic regions called domains. When magnetized, they re mostly lined up with their fields pointing in the same direction. Bang it and it shakes them up and they end up pointing in random directions on average and average magnetic field goes away. It works the other way to - expose a screwdriver to even a weak magnetic field and bang it, and it will re-arrange the domains and become magnetic.
I have one of these but the markings wore off of it a long time ago and I had forgotten which one was mag and demag. I also never knew what the stairs were for. Much appreciated explanation.
You must have an old one! So far, I have not found out when the stairs first appeared - looks like the original did not have them. Its too bad that none seem to have an explanation of what the stairs are for.
Never even heard of such a device like this before. It’s pretty awesome and I wouldn’t mind having one here in the house. Plenty of times when I had to try and keep very small screws on a screwdriver which was not magnetic. This would solve that issue
If I understand correctly, passing the screwdriver over the magnet at those three different heights, in that order, puts the iron of the screwdriver in a close-to-random configuration. The closer to random it is, the less iron shavings it picks up. The goal of the device is to take a magnetized piece of iron and make it as random as possible while keeping the cost of material low and the procedure quick and easy to reproduce. This device accomplishes both objectives well!
You described it better than I did! What a perfect summary! If your interested in a more detailed look at demagnetization, which is normally done with an AC magnetic field field that is gradually lowered (and is similar to what happens during each pass of the screwdriver) , I did a video going into more detail a while back: th-cam.com/video/mGK8oYdEqyE/w-d-xo.html
Thank you. I always assumed there was more to these little tools than that. Looked up my old mag'r/dem'r and used it with new understanding. Mine does not have the steps, but rather, has a "D" shaped demag area with the curve facing downwards. Magn'tzd a driver, then put it in the demag at the bottom and slid it up to the top while withdrawing and it worked perfectly.
Your welcome! I haven't come across one like you describe, but it sound like a similar process - gradually reducing a changing magnetic field as the screwdriver is pulled though the demagnetizer. I'll have to keep my eyes ope for one like you describe!
"KNOWING IS HALF OF THE BATTLE!" So true for so many things. What I like about this device is how impossible it seems until you open it up, and them its almost obvious. The investor(s) who came it with it years ago was so smart and really knew magnetics!
Had problems demagnetizing completely . Now I know. Thanks alot. Others say that stairs doesn't do anything because it's empty inside and just for show. ;D That's youtube for you
In fairness to other youtubers , these devices don't seem to have instructions on how to use them, and to deduce why the staircase is needed does take a bit more than an elementary under standing of magnetics, although its pretty simple once you understand it. Hope this solves your demagnetization issues. If not, see if you can find an old AC powered bulk tape demagnetizer which should be able to an even better job.
@@christopherismcaceas4868 I found the same thing - I think it has a lot to do with positing the screwdriver just right for each step. If it dips down towards the magnet it can re-magnetize itself. Not a perfect device, but amazingly effective for its simplicity.
Just wanted to say thanks for this vid. I make jewellery and constantly battle magnetized pliers grabbing onto random bits i didn't actually want picked up lol. Now i have a solution and it's surprisingly cheap too! thanks for saving what remains of my sanity
Glad I was able to help! Just so you are aware, some of these gizmos are better made than others, inducing some which were apparently sold without the magnets inside. So if the first one you get doesn't work well. try another from a different brand or source.
@@bevakathedementedraccoon Actually price doesn't seem to be a good indicator of which are good and which dont work well. So maybe try a cheap one and if that doesn't work, try one that looks a bit different (same genera shape, but clearing from a different manufacturer such as sharper/rounder corners, lettering on the plastic or not etc). Or, get one from a local hardware store, which supports the local community, and if it doesn't work, you can easily return it.
@@ElectromagneticVideos sadly my local guy shut up shop during covid. So i'll go amazon cheap first, n know what to look for if i need a better one later. Thanks again
I'm sure my videos has inadvertently resulted in sales of thousands of these devices - to bad I don't get a royalty :) . They are so cheap and so useful to have its well worth picking up one if you happen to see one in a hardware store.
@@ElectromagneticVideos the only way i knew to magnetized something is to keep rubbing a magnet over and over (not so different from device), or wrap a coil around object and tap it to a car battery which is not always possible. To demagnetized i had no other way unless to super heat the object, again not always possible, this device makes all that easy!
Your welcome! I took me a while to figure out the purpose of the steps. I suspect decades ago there was an instruction manual with the first version of the device describing how to use it, but somehow over time that information got forgotten.
I have seen those in stores, but never tried one. At my last job, we had an old ballast from a streetlight connected directly to 120 vac , with a momentary contact switch. If you were quick enough, you could magnetize with it. Hold the switch down and slowly move the screwdriver out of the coil to demagnetize... If I see one of the gizmos you demonstrated, I'm going to get one and experiment with it... Well done video.
Thanks! How neat - what a great example of magnetizing and demagnetizing . If its of interest to you, I did some videos a while back on how things get magnetized: th-cam.com/video/S21rlwrY74I/w-d-xo.html and demagnetized: th-cam.com/video/mGK8oYdEqyE/w-d-xo.html with a lot of similarity to what you describe. Keep an eye open for one of those devices - some people even reported getting them free as part of some promotion!
Apple Stores has these in their repair rooms for techs to use them on the screw drivers to make it easier for the tiny screws used in devices to be picked up. I never just inserted my driver bits directly in, but just run it along the insides in a quick circular motion Nice to see the simple science behind it!
Interesting! Someone mentioned watchmakers using them - I never thought about modern miniaturized electronics but it sure makes sense that Apple fixers would find them useful.
Cool. I always wondered _exactly_ how these things worked. I understood he concept but never fully understood how exactly the tool was interacting with the magnetic field. Thanks, buddy.
I've seen these things around for so many years but never used one. Great explanation of how they work. YT showed this vid as a recommendation and after watching it I watched your about vid on your home page. You now have a new subscriber! Now I have some catch up binging to do.
Here is the link where I got it www.indigoinstruments.com/magnets/accessories/magnetic-force-3d-compass-magnaprobe-44702.html . I bought mine about a year ago for a previous video - handy litttle device to have!
Canadian pronunciation maybe? Or maybe a mish-mash of various English accents - when I was a kid my dad was posted to various foreign countries so I went to a variety English speaking schools and used to have an accent half way between Canadian/US/British/South African English. Anyway, glad you liked the video!
I got a demagnetizer that's over a hundred years old. It's a watchmakers tool. It's a coil of wire in a case with a switch that looks like a telegraph key to pulse it on. You can really feel the pull of the magnetic field when you pulse the switch with something metal such as a file inside the coil. This pull is probably where guys got the idea to build magnetic pulse guns.
What a cool vintage piece of equipment! I did a video on coil type demagnetizers a while back in case your in interested: th-cam.com/video/mGK8oYdEqyE/w-d-xo.html
@@ElectromagneticVideos Look up "Vintage South Bend pocket watch demagnetizer" with a Google image search and you will see models like mine. They go for around $100 bucks as antiques these days.
Glad you liked the video. Those little devices are great to have in a toolbox for that one time you need to pick up hard to reach screw, or for that matter when a screwdrivers is annoyingly magnetized.
I have shown using these handy devices many times on my bench and it's really great to see inside and learn the science behind it. Excellent video as always! I Enjoyed it! Thanks.
Yes - in other words, if the device is oriented so that that the demagnetizer hole is above the magnetizer hole, you can demagnetize by passing the screwdriver below the bottom side of the device (ie below the magnetizer hole).
Great explanation and demonstration. I always expected that you would need an active electromagnet with AC input for a good demagnetizer but obviously the simple setup in this device resulted in very good demagnetization.
Thanks! That's what I thought till I looked into the ingenious little device. I'm not sure how well I explained it in the video, but as you pull the screwdriver out of the demagnetizer each part of it is exposed to a magnetic field that changes direction as it weakens. The effect on the magnetic domains in the steel is much like an AC field, and moving up the steps is like gradually moving the object away from an AC demagnetizer.
@@ElectromagneticVideos I think the video was clear and I understood it like you described here. I was simply surprised that such a simple method worked so effectively.
Magnetize: because of the magnetic flux splits and flows outward through both sides of the magnetize hole, more than one pass wont increase the strength. Demagentize: the hard thing is keeping the screwdriver parallel to the floor of the demagentizer hole as you pull it though and move it up step by step. If you dont think it was parallel enough, a second pass at teh same step may help. But if it was parallel, it should make no difference. So I guess in summary, if you did it right, one pass is all you need at each level.
@@ElectromagneticVideos thank you for the detailed response. I have one of these in my toolbox and use it a lot, but I've always ran it through multiple times. Almost like sharpening a knife. Now I know I don't have to do that.
Excellent simple diagram explaining this simple, magical, device 👏 once magnetized, does the screwdriver remain magnetized indefinitely or does it demagnetize over time? If so, how quickly does it demagnetize?
Thanks! Things like screwdrivers tend to loose their magnetism over time, usually as a result of being banged. So it how often you bang them that often determines how long. The steel in them is generally "magnetically soft" meaning they are easy to magnetize because the magnetic domain boundaries can easily move. And that ability of the magnetic domain boundaries to easily move makes it easy for that form of steel to demagnetize as well. Other materials where the domains get locked in place make longer lasting magnets - called magnetically hard materials - which is what permanent magnets are made of. If its of interest to you, I did a video a while back on how things get magnetized: th-cam.com/video/S21rlwrY74I/w-d-xo.html and demagnetized: th-cam.com/video/mGK8oYdEqyE/w-d-xo.html
It might be! I have never looked into it, but I do remember that some of the digital scopes from that period did have Easter Eggs including Tetris. I'll have to look into it - might make a neat video!
Thanks so much for this. I love learning how things work. If you would, a question: Except when you used the demag staircase, you passed the screwdriver through only once. When I've magnetized screwdrivers with these devices, I've passed the screwdriver through multiple times, figuring that more is better, while keeping the same orientation of the shaft (i.e., not rotated). What effect do multiple passes actually accomplish, if anything?
Your most welcome! Thats a great question: If you look here th-cam.com/video/AZsYHLHlIso/w-d-xo.htmlsi=YzF_NleqpT-YFHbm&t=291 , when the screwdriver is more than half way though the hole, that (far) end is subjected to a magnetic field going in the opposite direction (arrows pointing left in my diagram), magnetizing that end in the other direction. When you pull it back, the last strong field each part of the screwdriver sees is the fieldd with arrows pointing right, and since that is the last field it was subjected to, it retains that field. So when you do multiple passes, any part of the screwdriver that goes though more than half way gets magnetized in the opposite direction undoing any magnetism it originally had, only to regain it when pull back out of the hole. So in the end multiple times probably wont make much of a difference. There may be a slight effect (adding a bit more or less magnetism) depending on the slight positional changes every time you redo it. Hope that helps!
A definite maybe! It all depends on the nature (magnetic hardness) of the steel in the screwdriver and its magnetic saturation level. If its magnetically hard a stronger magnet in the the magnetizer gizmo would be able to leave the screwdriver with a stronger field closer to its saturation level. But most steels for things like tools are more magnetically soft - they dont retain fields well. So bottom line, probably a slightly stronger filed but not significantly stronger unfortunately. I did a more detailed look at how things are magnetized if your interested: th-cam.com/video/S21rlwrY74I/w-d-xo.html
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@ElectromagneticVideos it was something that just came to mind. Thanks for the explanation. I'll definitely look into the video once I get the time. 👍
if you stick your screwdriver in the one with "magnetizer" field in a north orientation then stick it in the one you took apart that was in the south pole orientation, does it demagnetize? Do you have to stick it back into the south pole one a second time to then remagnetize it?
The demagnetizer will work no matter which one you used to demagnetize it - here's why: When the screwdriver is magnetized by either one, the direction of magnetization is parallel to the length of the screwdriver - just the direction is different. When the screwdriver is passed directly over the demagnetizer magnet, the first thing that happens is that the screwdriver is magnetized perpendicular to the the the length of the screwdriver. This wipes out any of the previous magnetization - regardless of direction - that the screwdriver had. As the screwdriver is pulled out of the demagnetizer it is subjected to a weaker and weaker field that also gradually changes direction to be parallel. Is the change of direction + the weakening field that lowers the amount of magnetization left after a swipe though the demagentizer.
Not for the type of speeds one would normally be able to pull it though the device. There is some time time it takes for magnetic domains to change as needed to magnetize or demagnetize, but I'm not sure what that is. So if you shot the screwdriver from a gun though the hole in the magnetizer, there might be all sorts of weird effects that come in to play. I have never tried that :)
I have carried these for years, and now I'm curious, does repeated use increase or have any impact on the strength of the magnetism? I always see my fellow techs run their screwdriver through a few times, but the old timers seem to know something the new guys don't, they only run their screwdriver through once. I'm referring to the magnetize portion, not the demagnetize portion, I can see why running it through multiple times is needed for total demagnetization. Interesting video!
The old timers are right! Here's why: Look at the diagram here (freeze frame the video) th-cam.com/video/AZsYHLHlIso/w-d-xo.htmlsi=jf4Ym7fqhf8srSnG&t=285 . The flux in the middle of the of the magetizer slits, with half flowing out the left side of the hole and half flowing out the right side (think of it as water flowing). When the screwdriver is inserted as far as possible, most of it is sticking out left of the hole and is subjected to left flowing flux, and is magnetized in that direction (which is opposite to to the direction the screwdriver would have been magnetized from a previous pass). So the remagnetization in the wrong direction undoes any effects of the any previous passes. Now pulling out out towards the right, the screwdriver steel is pulled though the middle where the flux splits, and is subjected to a strong right flowing flux or field which remagnetizes in the correct direction. And that magnetization stick because the field direction remains unchanged as you pull it out. So bottom line, each time you insert and remove, the screwdriver has any remnants of the field wiped out when first magnetized in the wrong direction, so the is no cumulative effect. One small twist however: If the screwdriver was short and only reached the half way point when inserted, never seeing the field going in the other direction, it wouldnt have its field reversed and wiped, so it might increase slightly, particularly if by change it was help in a slightly more favorable position to get subjected to a higher filed strength. Even then though, probably a minimal effect. Hope that helps!
@@kellerbenjaminjames They are interesting! I did a whole bunch of videos on various aspects of magenetics and related things. If you interested, here is playlist - you should be able to click on whatever looks interesting th-cam.com/play/PLHUfJmsprIcRgeatuwmJkMYf-hEFvwR5E.html
If you magnetized one screwdriver in the North unit and one in the South unit would they stick to each other? Could be a fun trick for sorting different tools apart (the "click" means it's in the wrong pouch, for example).
Thats an interesting thought. The device magnetizes things like screwdrivers such that the end that was last in the magnetizing hole is either North or South depending on how the magnetizer was built. So what you are suggesting would work assuming the tool was like a screwdriver and had a handle that really forced you to pull it though the magnetizer always with the pointy end coming out last. The issue would be that the steel used for tools is not very good staying magnetized, and after some use of the tools they will gradually or suddenly loose their magnetism (ie after being hit with a hammer). But it would work for a short term for demonstrating the trick!
so you could demagnetize the screwdriver by moving it below the whole thing as well? my brother showed me you can magnetize your tools by leaving them in strong sunlight too which works but I don't know why.
Yes! Exactly! Materials loose their magnetic properties above a certain temperature called the Curie temperature. Heat a magnet above that and it will demagnetize. Works the other way too. Place some steel that is really hot in a magnetic field and cool it, and the steel will become magnetic.
Thanks! Here is the link to the magnet detector www.indigoinstruments.com/magnets/accessories/magnetic-force-3d-compass-magnaprobe-44702.html It is apparently made in the the UK so you may be able to purchase it from a local supplier and save a lot of shipping cost. It is a great little device for showing magnetic fields.
@@Tims_Projects Your welcome! I try to reply to most (reasonable) comments. Sometimes for whatever reason comments seem to get lost in the innards of TH-cam particularly when video suddenly gets a lot of attention for some reasons.
So, theoretically, you don't even need the top half of the demagnetizer or the steps, do you? If you flipped the whole thing upside-down and slowly raised the screwdriver up from it while moving it forwards and back repeatedly, would it not have the same effect as sticking it through the demagnetizer over each of the steps?
@@ElectromagneticVideos it's a very clever convenience, able to instruct you to do all of what I said just by giving you a hole with some steps on the side
@@badger273 Yes - I never expected the cheap little device to be such a brilliant design in its simplicity and functionality. Whoever came up with the steps (which was not in a 1960s patent for a similar device) must really have had in in-depth understanding of magnetism.
Amazing! Had one of these for years on my hobby bench inside and although I figured out how to magnetize by fooling around, I had never been that successful demagnetising. I've never taken the gizmo seriously, so thanks for the explanation!
Glad I was of help! To demagentize well you have to be careful to pull the screwdriver out all the way each step, and then insert it one step up. If its slips down when inserting, repeat at that step and the move up.
Great video !!! I always wondered how they actually worked on the inside. I had maybe a very vague guess, but I didn’t think it was that simple. The diagram really illustrated it clearly. As I started watching the video, I thought: “he should get one of those green nanoparticle sheets that show magnetic fields” but then I saw the probe which is fantastic. I’d never seen one like it and was going to ask where it was from but then saw the link you posted on another comment. In any case, thank you so much for taking the time to make an original educational video about this ubiquitous little device.
Woe - I had not seen those green magnetic field display sheets - just googled - will definitely have to get one! There used to be viewers to see the field on magnetic tape for editing, probably a similar device. Glad you found the link to the magnetic probe - here it is again in case anyone else needs it www.indigoinstruments.com/magnets/accessories/magnetic-force-3d-compass-magnaprobe-44702.html Glad you liked the video. I enjoyed figuring out this neat little device!
I can't find which video now, but Technology Connections looked at these a while ago and didn't know what the staircase was for. Really some instructions should be supplied with these devices.
Its funny - based on some comments, these gizmos have been around for at least 30 years. They must be copied from the original manufactures product produced in the 90s or earlier (anyone know?). Looks to me like the copies of copies of copies that we get today are being produced by companies that have no idea how the product works, and certainly wouldn't likely have anyone with a background in magnetics on their staff. After all they just make an injection molded plastic housing and put some magnets that they get from some supplier inside. So I dont think the manufacturers today even know the purpose of the staircase. I did some googling and the only instructions I found was something like "put the screwdriver in the magnetize hole to magnetize it and in the other hole to demagnetize" which seems to confirm they dont know. Very weird that its a product that even the manufacturers dont know how to properly use it!
Thank you for your video, so that means the hard drive when you put it apart the two magnets there is north and south, how can you tell which one is the north and south the bottom one or the top one, so I can magnetz screwdriver, thanks again😊
Well if you to configure the magnets like in this little device, the trick is to have both the N or S poles of the magnets pointing towards each other across the magnetizing hole. Since it doesn't matter if they are both N or both S, the easiest thing to do is see which way to orient that so that they try and push away from each other - and thats the way to mount them around the magnetize hole.
It is actually the stairs - I probably should have included more details: The operation is similar to an AC powered demagnetizer: pulling the screwdriver out of the hole makes a AC-like rotating magnetic field, and moving up the steps makes that AC field reduce in strength for each cycle. If you want to see how a AC demagnetizer works, I did a video on it a while back: th-cam.com/video/mGK8oYdEqyE/w-d-xo.html
If you have iron filings stuck to a magnetized screwdriver, if you smack it really hard against something like a bench vise, it will take all the filings off.
Thank you for this video. I'm now trying to visualise what the inside of my Wera Star one looks like. It doesn't have any holes in it like the normal types. I also see that you are taking the time to reply to everyone's comments. I think that's excellent!
I had to google Wera Star - never seen that before! I'll have to get one (or two) and figure it out sometime. Like the one in this video, its not obvious how it works but will probably be obvious once its taken apart. I always try and answer comments - I appreciate when people take the time comment. And - as in your comment - there is often something really interesting in them. Its actually turned out to be fun. So thank you for commenting!
@@thegenericnerd3189 It sure does some magical things! Sadly because of its complexity, Maxwell never got know they way Newton or Einstein did after figuring out the classical theory behined it.
really nice explanation of the unite. as a little kid this thing was magic to me. still is in a way. but i have long understood the principles behind it.
As a teen in the 70's I remember my dad using his Weller soldering gun to magnetize his screwdrivers. He would wrap several loops of copper wire around a broom handle and connect the ends to the gun. Remove the broom handle, pull the trigger, slide the screw driver inside the coil, and voilà the tool was magnetized. I wonder if your magnetizer tool existed back then!? 🤔
What a neat memory. The trick with magnetizing things that way is to turn the gun off while the AC field is at its peak so it leaves a string field in the screwdriver. Leave it on and pull the screwdriver away gradually and you can demagnetize the the screwdriver. I did a video that includes a Weller soldering gun doing just that here: th-cam.com/video/mGK8oYdEqyE/w-d-xo.html You know, I would be so interested to know when someone invented this little device. My guess is 1960s is the earliest it could have been developed because thats when plastics became in widespread use making it simple to manufacture. If anyone knows when they first appeared, or what company made the first one, please post!
I feel like you could of mentioned the difference it makes if you have a hardened steel, from the screwdriver, vs untempered soft steel, on magnetization. PS I love the simplicity of the device. Thanks for the explanation👍
I get your point - but I'm sure you have also found that it is always a tough call as to what to put in a video and what to leave out. I find that the attention span of the general youtube audience is such that often keeping things to a minimum is better and so I purposely left out the aspects of different magnetic materials. A while back I did do a couple videos about magnetization in case your interested: Magnetizing: th-cam.com/video/S21rlwrY74I/w-d-xo.html DeMagentizing: th-cam.com/video/mGK8oYdEqyE/w-d-xo.html Just looked at your channel (actually just subscribed). see your from the UK. Regards from Canada!
@@ElectromagneticVideos I know what you mean, I have definitely made the made mistake of adding too much information in my older videos🤔. It's finding the right balance of getting your message across(and keeping attention spans) without compromising too much. Thanks for subscribing👍😉
@@MyProjectBoxChannel Yeah - you wouldn't believe how much stuff I cut out of the final video before publishing. Well actually you probably do :) Anyway, looking forward to watching some of your videos!
Most tools are made from what is called magnetically soft materials which meas they are easy to magnetize but also demagnetize. They can demagnetize over time particularity if stored in hot locations (ie in car on a hot summer day), but also if subjected to shock (hit with a hammer, dropped) or subjected to an opposing magnetic field (which if too strong can magnetize the screwdriver in the opposite direction.). So bottom line - if the screwdriver if left in cool location and not banged around, the field could last for months or more. Heat, banging etc can at worse case make the magnetism disappear immediately. So there isnt a slow predictable decline of the magnetic field, but instead a more unpredictable drop in the field after being subjected to one or more "bad" situations.
It should work - but not very well because the field in the device will not be as high as a typical magnets original field, so it wont magnetize the magnet to it max field strength. I did a video on how to remagnetize a magnet here th-cam.com/video/S21rlwrY74I/w-d-xo.html in case your interested.
First got one of these at Princess Auto in the clearance aisle when I was about ten years old. I was mystified. Lovely to see the mechanism broken down like this
I just looked - they still have it! Funnily the Canadian Tire website also has one - with the magentize and demagnetize labels flipped. Next time I'm in the store will have to see if the real devices also have the labels wrong. Glad you enjoyed the video!
I have no idea how or why this works, but I’m so fascinated with the whole idea. How could a magnet make another object a magnet? Could *I* become a big magnet?
Glad you liked the video! The time a screwdriver stays magnetized can vary - it actually depends on the steel in the screwdrivers which usually is "magnetically soft" and mechanically strong. Magnetically soft means it is easy to magnetize but also easy to demagnetize. So a slight bang on the screwdriver or exposure to an opposing (repelling) field from a similarly magnetized screwdriver can easily demagnetize it. So its hard to predict how long it will last but certainly not forever and often only hours or days depending on how much it is banged around. A while back I did a video in how things are magnetized and how the magnetism is retained in objects - if your interested th-cam.com/video/S21rlwrY74I/w-d-xo.html
Unfortunately it wont work well for that. permanent magnets are made from material that is harder to magnetize (and therefor demagnetize) and typically needs a stronger field to magnetize than this device will produce. I did a video on re-magnetizing permanents here if your interested: th-cam.com/video/S21rlwrY74I/w-d-xo.html
i know you can magnetize with one magnet (not this tool , just a loose magnet) but is there any way to demagnetize with just a loose magnet ? i have large drill bits that won't fit inside the tool .
You could if you could adjust the position of the permanent magnet just right to exactly counter the field in the drill bit. But its practically impossible to get it just right. Try this: bang the drill bit on the (not sharp) end with a hammer. Or drop it a few times on a concrete floor. The shock may be able to demagnetize it. Better, get a used, AC powered, bulk tape demagentizer which should be able to do it.
The Curie temperature. Basically when you get a magnet hot enough it loses it's magnetism. I think it's because the crystal structure is changed by intense heat.
@@jakepassolt9640Yes! Exactly! The only everyday use I know of the Curie temperature is in rice cookers of all things. Its used to change the magnetic characteristics of the gizmo that keeps the switch on until it gets hot (all the water evaporated) and the switch is released Turing it off.
They are more effective than I judged they have a right to be. You'd expect the magnetizer to not really magnetize and the demagnetizer to not really demagnetize but what you get is something that is very effective at both. So its not transferring anything to the screwdriver, its just lining up existing magnetic domains within the steel or partially randomizing them. A very cool and handy piece of kit, even the super cheap ones.
Exactly what I thought - amazing little devices. I wish I knew who came up with the ingenious designs that so cheap and yet so effective.
@@ElectromagneticVideos
One should be able to make their own? - crudely or with a nice 3D printed case.
@@djmipsTrue but this is probably one of the few things it’s cheaper to just buy lol - it’s hard to beat $3 at a local walmart or $1 on Temu, vs the costs for the pla, electricity, magnets, and your time
@@ElectromagneticVideosThe earliest one I found was a patent in 1967 by Cloyd D Smith (US3467926A)!
@@djmips Yes - the hardest though would be to find a suitably shaped magnet.
The drawing was very helpful for understanding how the demagnetiser works.
I glad it helped - I always find a diagram makes things easier to understand or visualize.
Indeed.
Diagrams are the most effective way for me to learn something. He’s very good with this!
I bought one of those and found it really works. Didn't get detailed instructions on how to use it. Now I know thanks to your posting this. Thanks for your help!
Your welcome! Glad the video helped!
Can you tell me where I can buy one of those magnetizers/demagnetizers? I live in an extremely rural area and we don't have the luxury of having any of those types of things. We do have a hardware store but he never heard of anything like that??
@@scorpio5493 Aliexpress, Temu, Amazon, ebay - they all sell the same China stuff.
It seems so simple when the construction is revealed. I always wondered how these things worked.
I think I referred to it as "magical" in the video and it is! It did take a me a while to clue in what the steps were for.
The first thing I did, after seeing it work, was break it open 😅
@@assasin19991999 Its so intriguing its hard not to do that :)
Had one for decades but never knew it worked that fast and didn’t know about the stairs. Always just left it in over night not knowing. Thanks.
Your welcome! Others have thought that running it though the magnetize section a few times would help. Its too bad most or all don't come with instructions.
5:58 this is where Technology Connections would cite "by the magic of buying two of them..."
Your not the first one who pointed out I was negligent in not saying that :)
I have wondered how these work. I debated buying one just to open up, but I wasn't that curious. Glad you made this video
Glad I did - seems like I save a number of these gizmos from being chopped up!
been using these things for decades and i never really considered WHY. thank you so much! :D
Your very welcome! It is a really clever little device.
Nice explanation of how these devices work. I taught biology in college and would have loved it had I been able to put together such a nice, concise lesson. Usually I just rambled around a topic until my students either figured it on their own or were totally lost.
One trick which you dont have in a classroom is the ability to edit! You wouldnt believe how much stuff I edit out!
Really excellent video, thank you for this clear explanation. About 5 years ago, I bought a screwdriver set with one of these magnetic devices built into the storage rack, and until 15 minutes ago had no idea how to use it! I'm off to the garage NOW to try it 😄
Thanks again, I've liked and subscribed!
Well thank you so much! It is an intriguing little device with way more clever magnetics than one might at first expect.
So glad you subscribed - I really appreciate it - always important for a small channel. Hope you enjoy some of my old - and future videos!
Thanks for the drawing and explanation, accidentally took apart my magnetizer tool and I didn't know which way the magnets should slot in, appreciate it!
Glad that was useful! I have since heard that some of them almost fall apart at times - not exactly the greatest build quality!
your voice is very relaxing and this video was very informative. thank you!
Thank you! First time a comment told me my voice was relaxing :)
@@ElectromagneticVideosvery true!
@@glottalstop2080 I'm amazed!
It's called ASMR :)
@@sprockkets :)
I have seen a video on this before but the guy kinda ignored the stairs saying they where just a design thing but you've given a far better developed version of that explanation thank you.
Your welcome! To be fair - its not obvious how the steps could be of use given they are non-magnetic plastic and none of these devices seem to come with proper instructions. It did take me a while to clue in that it was much like the operation of an AC powered demagnetizer: pulling the screwdriver out of the hole makes a AC-like rotating magnetic field, and moving up the steps makes that AC field reduce in strength for each cycle. If you want to see how a AC demagnetizer works, I did a video on it a while back: th-cam.com/video/mGK8oYdEqyE/w-d-xo.html
This wasn't just a great explanation of how it works, it was a perfect walkthrough of the thought process of how to figure out how it works
Thank you so much!
I was given one of these way back in the '90's. First time I used, it was a wow moment. Pretty clever device that doesn't cost the earth..
I have been wondering when these devices first appeared - so thanks to you I now know they were available in the 90s. Will be interesting to see if anyone mentions having one earlier than that.
@@ElectromagneticVideos I bought one in the first half of the 2000's, but was aware of their existence about 5 years or so prior. That puts my earliest spotting of them in the latter half of the 1990's, coinciding with the account of @bertiesworld .
It would be nice if you used your detector on the screwdriver during the last demonstration with the disassembled demagnetizer. Thanks so much for actually taking apart the demagnetizer!!
You know, its always a struggle as to how long - or short to make a video, and the youtube audience seems to have a short attention span. So unfortunately many things that could be in it get left out .... Glad you like seeing the actual inside of the device!
Very cool explanation. Maybe including one of those jars of oil with iron filings in them to show the fields around the tool would make the fields even more apparent.
Yes! Someone even pointed out that you can now get an even easier to use variant of that which is somehow made into a green flexible sheet. Next time!
Putting the bar magnet on a gimble was genius for clearing showing field orientation. Great video!
Glad you liked it. Those field direction indicators area really great for demonstrations.
My first experiment with magnatism (even though I wasn't aware of it as such at the time) was as a very small child, when I put a magnet onto the screen of our home CRT colour television. So enraptured was I by the effect (all those pretty colours in rainbow arcs) that I drew attention to the spectacle to my mother, who told me to 'stop doing that immediately' - I'm paraphrasing.
😂
Ha! Me too actually. But both you and me were lucky - one commenter did the same but either had too strong a magnet or held it too close and apparently permanently magnetized the some part of the tube (shadow mask maybe?). Apparently none of the TV repair shops could fix the color shift and the TV had to be replaced - oops!
I use one of these for my work fixing/ servicing laser printers/ MFDs in an enterprise environment and this simple device makes my work a lot less stressful!
Interesting - never thought about it but the laser printers etc you work on are probably the most mechanically intricate piece of equipment used in homes and offices. With all the screws and tiny parts I can imagine how this little device would be useful for that.
Really appreciated this video, so I figured I’d leave this comment to hopefully help this video in the TH-cam algorithm.
Thank you so much!!!!! Yes - leaving comments really helps - really appreciate you - and everyone one else who comments - doing that!
I’ve literally always wondered what they point for the stairs were. I thought it could be just a quick visual indicator of what side you were about to use.
Now I need to go try this myself! Thanks! 😊
I few other people have said that and I think its secondary purpose is as an easy indicator. Really good ergonomics from that standpoint.
I use that exact kind of one every time I use a new screwdriver. I love it lol.
Great little tool!
I've had one of these for many years and never really understood how, exactly, it worked.
It just did!
Many thanks for showing me. :)
Your welcome!!!!!!!
This is a clever device for how simple it is! I could sort of deduce how the magnetizer half worked, but I was totally stumped by the demagnetizer until you explained it.
I couldn't agree more! I was baffled by the demagnetizer - and even after figuring it out, the staircase was a mystery -even after googling it. Took me a while to clue in that it was mimicking an AC demagnetizer as discussed here th-cam.com/video/mGK8oYdEqyE/w-d-xo.html
Clear, informative, concise -- well presented! I learned everything one needs to know about this device -- thanks!
Thanks so much! Glad you found the video useful!
Agree here, it gives the information you need in a straightforward and direct manner.
Though,
I wouldn't be disrespectful towards those who prefer a different video style since it'll come down to viewer preference.
Informative! This reminds me of the AC powered tape head degausser wand/tool I bought years ago. The instructions were that the tip of the degausser was to be moved away from the tape heads slowly. The steps on that magnetizer/demagnetizer block make sense now.
I have an AC powered bulk tape degausser and also one for CRTs - very similar in terms of moving away slowly. I did a video on that if you interested: th-cam.com/video/mGK8oYdEqyE/w-d-xo.html
More spectacular was the degaussing coil for a CRT, you rotated it in front of the tube watching the lovely colour patterns whilst slowly move some meters away. If the power was shut of too quick the tube had a permeant field and that was not good. Also the mains coil pulled a good few amps so you had one shot at it before smoke appeared.
You’re voice is so soothing, it’s making me sleepy in good way
Someone else said that :) Not sure if that's good if it puts people to sleep before the end of the video!
When I was in school, we did this with bare magnets; stroke a magnet longways down the shaft, physically touching, to magnetize, stroke through the air further and further away to demagnetize. Basically the same principle, but without a gadget.
Yes - exactly! I vividly remember doing that in school too. Seemed amazing at the time. And it sort of still is!
Very nice magnetic field diagram and explanation.
Thanks!
I used to do oilfield work and one of our tools used the same principle to locate pipe collars in the casing. A CCL or Casing Collar Locator. The main bit of it was two magnets with the same pole facing each other vertically. Between them a coil of wire. The fields hit each other and go straight out a ways radially around the tool. As the tool moved through the well casing, any metal changes in the field induced a current in the coil. Like the mass change where two pipes are screwed together. That then went to the surface via a cable would register on computer software and as raw kicks on a meter directly attached to the line. This device is attached to every tool we ran down hole.
That's fascinating - what a clever way to detect a discontinuity in the casing.
When I was a student I had a magnetics Prof who designed pigs to go down oil pipes and magnetically look for problems. I wonder if that how the pigs did it too?
@@ElectromagneticVideos not sure on the pigs. Never worked on the pipelines. I always worked on the pads. Did what is called wireline. We ran anything from scientific and diagnostic tools to cutters and explosives. And plugs as well. A lot of the scientific stuff was to correlate our logs with drilling logs. For example, we would do cement bond logs on the casing. An acoustic tool that clicked kinda like sonar. The reflections off the casing would chart out on a plot. Showing the general constitution of the material behind the casing pipe. Generally a layer of concrete and then rock formations. Along with that tool was a gamma ray spectrometer and the CCL. The gama tool just reads the gamma radiation in the ground and can then give pretty detailed plots of the rock formations. Mainly detecting hydrocarbon deposits. But many things affect it. That log, along with CCL are used to verify and correlate out well logs with the drilling logs. Basically make sure our squiggly lines match theirs at any given depth. It gets a fair bit deeper, but this comment is probably too long already.
@@cbremer83 It is amazing how hi-tech oil exploration and production is. Not sure of Schlumberger is still around, but way back in the 80s they would show up at my old university around graduation time and hire anyone who had taken the signal processing, electromagnetics and similar courses. I can sure see why fro what you describe.
Never heard of the gamma tool either - fascinating!
Isn't also true that you can hit the screwdriver against for example a big vice, like I tend to do to get rid of small metal filings? I've been wondering how that actually works.
Yes! Causing a mechanical shock like that will demagnetize things - not just tools but also "real" magnets, although magnets are often brittle and are likely to break in pieces if you hit them too hard. The steel in screwdrivers consists of tiny magnetic regions called domains. When magnetized, they re mostly lined up with their fields pointing in the same direction. Bang it and it shakes them up and they end up pointing in random directions on average and average magnetic field goes away. It works the other way to - expose a screwdriver to even a weak magnetic field and bang it, and it will re-arrange the domains and become magnetic.
I have one of these but the markings wore off of it a long time ago and I had forgotten which one was mag and demag. I also never knew what the stairs were for. Much appreciated explanation.
You must have an old one! So far, I have not found out when the stairs first appeared - looks like the original did not have them. Its too bad that none seem to have an explanation of what the stairs are for.
Never even heard of such a device like this before. It’s pretty awesome and I wouldn’t mind having one here in the house. Plenty of times when I had to try and keep very small screws on a screwdriver which was not magnetic. This would solve that issue
Most hardware stores and online retailers have them ranging in price from $3 to $20. I used the $3 or $4 ones. Well worth having one at that price!
If I understand correctly, passing the screwdriver over the magnet at those three different heights, in that order, puts the iron of the screwdriver in a close-to-random configuration. The closer to random it is, the less iron shavings it picks up. The goal of the device is to take a magnetized piece of iron and make it as random as possible while keeping the cost of material low and the procedure quick and easy to reproduce. This device accomplishes both objectives well!
You described it better than I did! What a perfect summary!
If your interested in a more detailed look at demagnetization, which is normally done with an AC magnetic field field that is gradually lowered (and is similar to what happens during each pass of the screwdriver) , I did a video going into more detail a while back: th-cam.com/video/mGK8oYdEqyE/w-d-xo.html
Thank you. I always assumed there was more to these little tools than that. Looked up my old mag'r/dem'r and used it with new understanding. Mine does not have the steps, but rather, has a "D" shaped demag area with the curve facing downwards. Magn'tzd a driver, then put it in the demag at the bottom and slid it up to the top while withdrawing and it worked perfectly.
Your welcome! I haven't come across one like you describe, but it sound like a similar process - gradually reducing a changing magnetic field as the screwdriver is pulled though the demagnetizer. I'll have to keep my eyes ope for one like you describe!
Thank you! I love that thing and always wondered why it worked and what those steps were for. "Now I know! AND KNOWING IS HALF OF THE BATTLE!"
"KNOWING IS HALF OF THE BATTLE!" So true for so many things. What I like about this device is how impossible it seems until you open it up, and them its almost obvious. The investor(s) who came it with it years ago was so smart and really knew magnetics!
Had problems demagnetizing completely . Now I know. Thanks alot. Others say that stairs doesn't do anything because it's empty inside and just for show. ;D That's youtube for you
In fairness to other youtubers , these devices don't seem to have instructions on how to use them, and to deduce why the staircase is needed does take a bit more than an elementary under standing of magnetics, although its pretty simple once you understand it.
Hope this solves your demagnetization issues. If not, see if you can find an old AC powered bulk tape demagnetizer which should be able to an even better job.
Just tried and this simple stairs solution helps. Sometimes it takes a couple of times but definitely works :)
@@christopherismcaceas4868 I found the same thing - I think it has a lot to do with positing the screwdriver just right for each step. If it dips down towards the magnet it can re-magnetize itself. Not a perfect device, but amazingly effective for its simplicity.
You're a wonderful teacher! Thank you!
Thank you so much! Thais what I am aiming for in this channel - to explain things in an understandable way!
Just wanted to say thanks for this vid. I make jewellery and constantly battle magnetized pliers grabbing onto random bits i didn't actually want picked up lol. Now i have a solution and it's surprisingly cheap too! thanks for saving what remains of my sanity
Glad I was able to help! Just so you are aware, some of these gizmos are better made than others, inducing some which were apparently sold without the magnets inside. So if the first one you get doesn't work well. try another from a different brand or source.
@@ElectromagneticVideos thanks for the tip. I'll avoid the REALLY cheap one on amazon then, it's probs that cheap for a reason.
@@bevakathedementedraccoon Actually price doesn't seem to be a good indicator of which are good and which dont work well. So maybe try a cheap one and if that doesn't work, try one that looks a bit different (same genera shape, but clearing from a different manufacturer such as sharper/rounder corners, lettering on the plastic or not etc).
Or, get one from a local hardware store, which supports the local community, and if it doesn't work, you can easily return it.
@@ElectromagneticVideos sadly my local guy shut up shop during covid. So i'll go amazon cheap first, n know what to look for if i need a better one later. Thanks again
@@bevakathedementedraccoon Hopefully the first one will be all you need! Good luck!
I have one of those exact magnetiser/demagnetisers, I always wanted to know, How? Now I know and understand how they work, thanks for that.
Your welcome! Glad I solved the mystery for you!
i have actually never seen those, i didn't even know they existed! Now i know i need one.
I'm sure my videos has inadvertently resulted in sales of thousands of these devices - to bad I don't get a royalty :) . They are so cheap and so useful to have its well worth picking up one if you happen to see one in a hardware store.
@@ElectromagneticVideos the only way i knew to magnetized something is to keep rubbing a magnet over and over (not so different from device), or wrap a coil around object and tap it to a car battery which is not always possible. To demagnetized i had no other way unless to super heat the object, again not always possible, this device makes all that easy!
@@ayumuchan3541 Yes! I really take my hat off to whoever came up with with such a simple mechanism to do it - particularity the demagnetizing part!
I have precisely the same magnetizer, and I always wondered what's the function of those stairs. Now I know, thanks.
Your welcome! I took me a while to figure out the purpose of the steps. I suspect decades ago there was an instruction manual with the first version of the device describing how to use it, but somehow over time that information got forgotten.
I have seen those in stores, but never tried one. At my last job, we had an old ballast from a streetlight connected directly to 120 vac , with a momentary contact switch. If you were quick enough, you could magnetize with it. Hold the switch down and slowly move the screwdriver out of the coil to demagnetize...
If I see one of the gizmos you demonstrated, I'm going to get one and experiment with it...
Well done video.
Thanks!
How neat - what a great example of magnetizing and demagnetizing .
If its of interest to you, I did some videos a while back on how things get magnetized: th-cam.com/video/S21rlwrY74I/w-d-xo.html and demagnetized: th-cam.com/video/mGK8oYdEqyE/w-d-xo.html with a lot of similarity to what you describe.
Keep an eye open for one of those devices - some people even reported getting them free as part of some promotion!
Apple Stores has these in their repair rooms for techs to use them on the screw drivers to make it easier for the tiny screws used in devices to be picked up. I never just inserted my driver bits directly in, but just run it along the insides in a quick circular motion
Nice to see the simple science behind it!
Interesting! Someone mentioned watchmakers using them - I never thought about modern miniaturized electronics but it sure makes sense that Apple fixers would find them useful.
What a great teacher you are, Thank you!!
Thanks again!
Cool. I always wondered _exactly_ how these things worked. I understood he concept but never fully understood how exactly the tool was interacting with the magnetic field. Thanks, buddy.
Your welcome! Its really quite advanced magnetics that your wouldn't expect to find in such simple little thing.
I like the tool. It has worked for me. Thanks for breaking down the concept, and cutting into it!
The fun part was cutting into it and see what was inside!
I've seen these things around for so many years but never used one. Great explanation of how they work.
YT showed this vid as a recommendation and after watching it I watched your about vid on your home page. You now have a new subscriber! Now I have some catch up binging to do.
Hi Bill, welcome aboard! So glad you subscribed - hope you enjoy some of my old upcoming videos!
So nice and so simple! Where can I buy your small detector? I always found electronic detectors.
Here is the link where I got it www.indigoinstruments.com/magnets/accessories/magnetic-force-3d-compass-magnaprobe-44702.html . I bought mine about a year ago for a previous video - handy litttle device to have!
i really love the way you say "again"! thanks for a super informative video
Canadian pronunciation maybe? Or maybe a mish-mash of various English accents - when I was a kid my dad was posted to various foreign countries so I went to a variety English speaking schools and used to have an accent half way between Canadian/US/British/South African English. Anyway, glad you liked the video!
I got a demagnetizer that's over a hundred years old. It's a watchmakers tool. It's a coil of wire in a case with a switch that looks like a telegraph key to pulse it on.
You can really feel the pull of the magnetic field when you pulse the switch with something metal such as a file inside the coil.
This pull is probably where guys got the idea to build magnetic pulse guns.
What a cool vintage piece of equipment!
I did a video on coil type demagnetizers a while back in case your in interested: th-cam.com/video/mGK8oYdEqyE/w-d-xo.html
@@ElectromagneticVideos Look up "Vintage South Bend pocket watch demagnetizer" with a Google image search and you will see models like mine. They go for around $100 bucks as antiques these days.
Some times the more simplest things really do amazing jobs very well... Thumbs Up!
I couldn't have said that better myself. An amazingly ingenious little device!
I really appreciate this! I acquired one of these many years ago in a box of tools, and I’ve never really played with it..
Glad you liked the video. Those little devices are great to have in a toolbox for that one time you need to pick up hard to reach screw, or for that matter when a screwdrivers is annoyingly magnetized.
Very informative video! The drawn picture really helped me understand how it worked. I may never use this information but hey, now I have it.
Thanks! Yes - sometimes its just nice knowing even without an actual use of the knowledge!
I have shown using these handy devices many times on my bench and it's really great to see inside and learn the science behind it. Excellent video as always! I Enjoyed it! Thanks.
Thank You! Yes - amazing cheap, simple devices that are so effective!
so, as a party trick, you could de-magnetize on the opposite side of the de-magneetizer hole - just moving the screwdriver in the free air ?
Yes - in other words, if the device is oriented so that that the demagnetizer hole is above the magnetizer hole, you can demagnetize by passing the screwdriver below the bottom side of the device (ie below the magnetizer hole).
Great explanation and demonstration. I always expected that you would need an active electromagnet with AC input for a good demagnetizer but obviously the simple setup in this device resulted in very good demagnetization.
Thanks! That's what I thought till I looked into the ingenious little device. I'm not sure how well I explained it in the video, but as you pull the screwdriver out of the demagnetizer each part of it is exposed to a magnetic field that changes direction as it weakens. The effect on the magnetic domains in the steel is much like an AC field, and moving up the steps is like gradually moving the object away from an AC demagnetizer.
@@ElectromagneticVideos I think the video was clear and I understood it like you described here. I was simply surprised that such a simple method worked so effectively.
When you're trying to charge or decharged the screwdriver does it only need one pass or does multiple passes raise the effectiveness?
Magnetize: because of the magnetic flux splits and flows outward through both sides of the magnetize hole, more than one pass wont increase the strength.
Demagentize: the hard thing is keeping the screwdriver parallel to the floor of the demagentizer hole as you pull it though and move it up step by step. If you dont think it was parallel enough, a second pass at teh same step may help. But if it was parallel, it should make no difference. So I guess in summary, if you did it right, one pass is all you need at each level.
@@ElectromagneticVideos thank you for the detailed response. I have one of these in my toolbox and use it a lot, but I've always ran it through multiple times. Almost like sharpening a knife. Now I know I don't have to do that.
@@Big_Perm Well the important thing is in the end, whatever works!
Excellent simple diagram explaining this simple, magical, device 👏 once magnetized, does the screwdriver remain magnetized indefinitely or does it demagnetize over time? If so, how quickly does it demagnetize?
Thanks! Things like screwdrivers tend to loose their magnetism over time, usually as a result of being banged. So it how often you bang them that often determines how long. The steel in them is generally "magnetically soft" meaning they are easy to magnetize because the magnetic domain boundaries can easily move. And that ability of the magnetic domain boundaries to easily move makes it easy for that form of steel to demagnetize as well. Other materials where the domains get locked in place make longer lasting magnets - called magnetically hard materials - which is what permanent magnets are made of.
If its of interest to you, I did a video a while back on how things get magnetized: th-cam.com/video/S21rlwrY74I/w-d-xo.html and demagnetized: th-cam.com/video/mGK8oYdEqyE/w-d-xo.html
Thanks for the immediate & understandable reply, I'll check out the videos!
Is that one of those oscilloscopes that's has tetris built in?
It might be! I have never looked into it, but I do remember that some of the digital scopes from that period did have Easter Eggs including Tetris. I'll have to look into it - might make a neat video!
Thanks so much for this. I love learning how things work.
If you would, a question: Except when you used the demag staircase, you passed the screwdriver through only once. When I've magnetized screwdrivers with these devices, I've passed the screwdriver through multiple times, figuring that more is better, while keeping the same orientation of the shaft (i.e., not rotated). What effect do multiple passes actually accomplish, if anything?
Your most welcome! Thats a great question: If you look here th-cam.com/video/AZsYHLHlIso/w-d-xo.htmlsi=YzF_NleqpT-YFHbm&t=291 , when the screwdriver is more than half way though the hole, that (far) end is subjected to a magnetic field going in the opposite direction (arrows pointing left in my diagram), magnetizing that end in the other direction. When you pull it back, the last strong field each part of the screwdriver sees is the fieldd with arrows pointing right, and since that is the last field it was subjected to, it retains that field.
So when you do multiple passes, any part of the screwdriver that goes though more than half way gets magnetized in the opposite direction undoing any magnetism it originally had, only to regain it when pull back out of the hole.
So in the end multiple times probably wont make much of a difference. There may be a slight effect (adding a bit more or less magnetism) depending on the slight positional changes every time you redo it. Hope that helps!
Makes perfect sense, now that you've explained. Your illustration indeed helps. Thank you. @@ElectromagneticVideos
Had one of these stuck to the inside of my supply cabinet for years. Lifesaver
Yeah - great to have at unpredictable times!
Just wondering. Would it make the effect be stronger on the screwdriver if exchanging those magnets with stronger neodymium ones?
A definite maybe! It all depends on the nature (magnetic hardness) of the steel in the screwdriver and its magnetic saturation level. If its magnetically hard a stronger magnet in the the magnetizer gizmo would be able to leave the screwdriver with a stronger field closer to its saturation level. But most steels for things like tools are more magnetically soft - they dont retain fields well. So bottom line, probably a slightly stronger filed but not significantly stronger unfortunately.
I did a more detailed look at how things are magnetized if your interested: th-cam.com/video/S21rlwrY74I/w-d-xo.html
@ElectromagneticVideos it was something that just came to mind. Thanks for the explanation. I'll definitely look into the video once I get the time. 👍
Its a good question! The other video should provide the reasoning behind my answer. Enjoy!
I have some speaker magnets on my bench and i use them to magnetize my screwdrivers, and it works like a charm!❤
You cant beat speaker magnets - they are some of the best - probably work better than the gizmo in the video too.
if you stick your screwdriver in the one with "magnetizer" field in a north orientation then stick it in the one you took apart that was in the south pole orientation, does it demagnetize? Do you have to stick it back into the south pole one a second time to then remagnetize it?
The demagnetizer will work no matter which one you used to demagnetize it - here's why: When the screwdriver is magnetized by either one, the direction of magnetization is parallel to the length of the screwdriver - just the direction is different. When the screwdriver is passed directly over the demagnetizer magnet, the first thing that happens is that the screwdriver is magnetized perpendicular to the the the length of the screwdriver. This wipes out any of the previous magnetization - regardless of direction - that the screwdriver had.
As the screwdriver is pulled out of the demagnetizer it is subjected to a weaker and weaker field that also gradually changes direction to be parallel. Is the change of direction + the weakening field that lowers the amount of magnetization left after a swipe though the demagentizer.
Does the speed of the screwdriver moving through the magnetic field affect the strength of the magnetism that the screwdriver picks up?
Not for the type of speeds one would normally be able to pull it though the device.
There is some time time it takes for magnetic domains to change as needed to magnetize or demagnetize, but I'm not sure what that is. So if you shot the screwdriver from a gun though the hole in the magnetizer, there might be all sorts of weird effects that come in to play. I have never tried that :)
@@ElectromagneticVideos"I shot a screwdriver through a magnetizer - Something weird happened" sounds like a fairly normal TH-cam video, though. 😂
@@GoGoGoRunRunRun I could probably get a lot more views if I did that :)
I have carried these for years, and now I'm curious, does repeated use increase or have any impact on the strength of the magnetism? I always see my fellow techs run their screwdriver through a few times, but the old timers seem to know something the new guys don't, they only run their screwdriver through once. I'm referring to the magnetize portion, not the demagnetize portion, I can see why running it through multiple times is needed for total demagnetization. Interesting video!
The old timers are right! Here's why: Look at the diagram here (freeze frame the video) th-cam.com/video/AZsYHLHlIso/w-d-xo.htmlsi=jf4Ym7fqhf8srSnG&t=285 . The flux in the middle of the of the magetizer slits, with half flowing out the left side of the hole and half flowing out the right side (think of it as water flowing). When the screwdriver is inserted as far as possible, most of it is sticking out left of the hole and is subjected to left flowing flux, and is magnetized in that direction (which is opposite to to the direction the screwdriver would have been magnetized from a previous pass). So the remagnetization in the wrong direction undoes any effects of the any previous passes.
Now pulling out out towards the right, the screwdriver steel is pulled though the middle where the flux splits, and is subjected to a strong right flowing flux or field which remagnetizes in the correct direction. And that magnetization stick because the field direction remains unchanged as you pull it out.
So bottom line, each time you insert and remove, the screwdriver has any remnants of the field wiped out when first magnetized in the wrong direction, so the is no cumulative effect.
One small twist however: If the screwdriver was short and only reached the half way point when inserted, never seeing the field going in the other direction, it wouldnt have its field reversed and wiped, so it might increase slightly, particularly if by change it was help in a slightly more favorable position to get subjected to a higher filed strength. Even then though, probably a minimal effect.
Hope that helps!
@@ElectromagneticVideos it's so cool to finally understand how this works, magnets are so interesting!
@@kellerbenjaminjames They are interesting! I did a whole bunch of videos on various aspects of magenetics and related things. If you interested, here is playlist - you should be able to click on whatever looks interesting th-cam.com/play/PLHUfJmsprIcRgeatuwmJkMYf-hEFvwR5E.html
@@ElectromagneticVideos thanks, I'll check it out!
@@kellerbenjaminjames Enjoy!
I’ve used these for decades. Great tool! It works!
Yes - so handy to have when you need it!
I have a identical one, very handy.
Thanks for clearing up the mystery.
Your welcome! It was fun figuring out how they work!
If you magnetized one screwdriver in the North unit and one in the South unit would they stick to each other? Could be a fun trick for sorting different tools apart (the "click" means it's in the wrong pouch, for example).
Thats an interesting thought. The device magnetizes things like screwdrivers such that the end that was last in the magnetizing hole is either North or South depending on how the magnetizer was built. So what you are suggesting would work assuming the tool was like a screwdriver and had a handle that really forced you to pull it though the magnetizer always with the pointy end coming out last.
The issue would be that the steel used for tools is not very good staying magnetized, and after some use of the tools they will gradually or suddenly loose their magnetism (ie after being hit with a hammer). But it would work for a short term for demonstrating the trick!
5:48 "Through the magic of buying two of them", as Alec from Technology Connections would say.
Your not the first one pointing this out - I guess I was really derelict in my duty as a you-tuber for not using that phrase :)
so you could demagnetize the screwdriver by moving it below the whole thing as well? my brother showed me you can magnetize your tools by leaving them in strong sunlight too which works but I don't know why.
Yes! Exactly!
Materials loose their magnetic properties above a certain temperature called the Curie temperature. Heat a magnet above that and it will demagnetize. Works the other way too. Place some steel that is really hot in a magnetic field and cool it, and the steel will become magnetic.
Great job.
I love that magnet detector your using, not seen one of those before, what is is called (name/brand) and where can I get one?
Thanks! Here is the link to the magnet detector www.indigoinstruments.com/magnets/accessories/magnetic-force-3d-compass-magnaprobe-44702.html It is apparently made in the the UK so you may be able to purchase it from a local supplier and save a lot of shipping cost. It is a great little device for showing magnetic fields.
@@ElectromagneticVideos Thankyou.
And for the quick reply. It's nice to find channels that reply.
@@Tims_Projects Your welcome! I try to reply to most (reasonable) comments. Sometimes for whatever reason comments seem to get lost in the innards of TH-cam particularly when video suddenly gets a lot of attention for some reasons.
So, theoretically, you don't even need the top half of the demagnetizer or the steps, do you? If you flipped the whole thing upside-down and slowly raised the screwdriver up from it while moving it forwards and back repeatedly, would it not have the same effect as sticking it through the demagnetizer over each of the steps?
Yes - exactly!!!!!!!! The steps and demagnetization hole are only a convenience.
@@ElectromagneticVideos it's a very clever convenience, able to instruct you to do all of what I said just by giving you a hole with some steps on the side
@@badger273 Yes - I never expected the cheap little device to be such a brilliant design in its simplicity and functionality. Whoever came up with the steps (which was not in a 1960s patent for a similar device) must really have had in in-depth understanding of magnetism.
This is awesome! I've been wondering about this exact thing for years. Thank you.
Your welcome! Glad I was able to solve a mystery!
Amazing! Had one of these for years on my hobby bench inside and although I figured out how to magnetize by fooling around, I had never been that successful demagnetising. I've never taken the gizmo seriously, so thanks for the explanation!
Glad I was of help! To demagentize well you have to be careful to pull the screwdriver out all the way each step, and then insert it one step up. If its slips down when inserting, repeat at that step and the move up.
Very detailed and high quality content! Thank you!
Thanks! I appreciate the compliment!
Great video !!! I always wondered how they actually worked on the inside. I had maybe a very vague guess, but I didn’t think it was that simple. The diagram really illustrated it clearly.
As I started watching the video, I thought: “he should get one of those green nanoparticle sheets that show magnetic fields” but then I saw the probe which is fantastic. I’d never seen one like it and was going to ask where it was from but then saw the link you posted on another comment.
In any case, thank you so much for taking the time to make an original educational video about this ubiquitous little device.
Woe - I had not seen those green magnetic field display sheets - just googled - will definitely have to get one! There used to be viewers to see the field on magnetic tape for editing, probably a similar device.
Glad you found the link to the magnetic probe - here it is again in case anyone else needs it www.indigoinstruments.com/magnets/accessories/magnetic-force-3d-compass-magnaprobe-44702.html
Glad you liked the video. I enjoyed figuring out this neat little device!
I can't find which video now, but Technology Connections looked at these a while ago and didn't know what the staircase was for. Really some instructions should be supplied with these devices.
Its funny - based on some comments, these gizmos have been around for at least 30 years. They must be copied from the original manufactures product produced in the 90s or earlier (anyone know?). Looks to me like the copies of copies of copies that we get today are being produced by companies that have no idea how the product works, and certainly wouldn't likely have anyone with a background in magnetics on their staff. After all they just make an injection molded plastic housing and put some magnets that they get from some supplier inside. So I dont think the manufacturers today even know the purpose of the staircase. I did some googling and the only instructions I found was something like "put the screwdriver in the magnetize hole to magnetize it and in the other hole to demagnetize" which seems to confirm they dont know.
Very weird that its a product that even the manufacturers dont know how to properly use it!
Thank you for your video, so that means the hard drive when you put it apart the two magnets there is north and south, how can you tell which one is the north and south the bottom one or the top one, so I can magnetz screwdriver, thanks again😊
Well if you to configure the magnets like in this little device, the trick is to have both the N or S poles of the magnets pointing towards each other across the magnetizing hole. Since it doesn't matter if they are both N or both S, the easiest thing to do is see which way to orient that so that they try and push away from each other - and thats the way to mount them around the magnetize hole.
Is it really the stairs that do the tr8ck, or just repeating it thrice?
It is actually the stairs - I probably should have included more details: The operation is similar to an AC powered demagnetizer: pulling the screwdriver out of the hole makes a AC-like rotating magnetic field, and moving up the steps makes that AC field reduce in strength for each cycle. If you want to see how a AC demagnetizer works, I did a video on it a while back: th-cam.com/video/mGK8oYdEqyE/w-d-xo.html
If you have iron filings stuck to a magnetized screwdriver, if you smack it really hard against something like a bench vise, it will take all the filings off.
And the shock of a hard blow may also demagnetize the screwdriver!
Thank you for this video. I'm now trying to visualise what the inside of my Wera Star one looks like. It doesn't have any holes in it like the normal types.
I also see that you are taking the time to reply to everyone's comments. I think that's excellent!
I had to google Wera Star - never seen that before! I'll have to get one (or two) and figure it out sometime. Like the one in this video, its not obvious how it works but will probably be obvious once its taken apart.
I always try and answer comments - I appreciate when people take the time comment. And - as in your comment - there is often something really interesting in them. Its actually turned out to be fun. So thank you for commenting!
You cant fool me, magnets are just magic
And this gizmo sure proves it :)
"Fuckin' magnets, how do they work?"
-ICP 2010
@@curtisyue182 beat me to it, damnit
Electromagnetism as a whole is just magic we understand. It's got some awesome powers.
@@thegenericnerd3189 It sure does some magical things! Sadly because of its complexity, Maxwell never got know they way Newton or Einstein did after figuring out the classical theory behined it.
really nice explanation of the unite.
as a little kid this thing was magic to me. still is in a way. but i have long understood the principles behind it.
"was magic to me. still is in a way" - so true! It really is an amazing little device!
As a teen in the 70's I remember my dad using his Weller soldering gun to magnetize his screwdrivers. He would wrap several loops of copper wire around a broom handle and connect the ends to the gun. Remove the broom handle, pull the trigger, slide the screw driver inside the coil, and voilà the tool was magnetized. I wonder if your magnetizer tool existed back then!? 🤔
What a neat memory. The trick with magnetizing things that way is to turn the gun off while the AC field is at its peak so it leaves a string field in the screwdriver. Leave it on and pull the screwdriver away gradually and you can demagnetize the the screwdriver. I did a video that includes a Weller soldering gun doing just that here: th-cam.com/video/mGK8oYdEqyE/w-d-xo.html
You know, I would be so interested to know when someone invented this little device. My guess is 1960s is the earliest it could have been developed because thats when plastics became in widespread use making it simple to manufacture. If anyone knows when they first appeared, or what company made the first one, please post!
Excellent explanation. I like the demonstrations. The drawing was helpful in me understanding!!
Thanks! I always feel is picture is worth a thousand words - although I do wish I had fancier graphics sometime!
I feel like you could of mentioned the difference it makes if you have a hardened steel, from the screwdriver, vs untempered soft steel, on magnetization. PS I love the simplicity of the device. Thanks for the explanation👍
I get your point - but I'm sure you have also found that it is always a tough call as to what to put in a video and what to leave out. I find that the attention span of the general youtube audience is such that often keeping things to a minimum is better and so I purposely left out the aspects of different magnetic materials.
A while back I did do a couple videos about magnetization in case your interested:
Magnetizing: th-cam.com/video/S21rlwrY74I/w-d-xo.html
DeMagentizing: th-cam.com/video/mGK8oYdEqyE/w-d-xo.html
Just looked at your channel (actually just subscribed). see your from the UK. Regards from Canada!
@@ElectromagneticVideos I know what you mean, I have definitely made the made mistake of adding too much information in my older videos🤔. It's finding the right balance of getting your message across(and keeping attention spans) without compromising too much. Thanks for subscribing👍😉
@@MyProjectBoxChannel Yeah - you wouldn't believe how much stuff I cut out of the final video before publishing. Well actually you probably do :) Anyway, looking forward to watching some of your videos!
when you magnetize the screwdriver, does its magnetic ability dissipate over time if left alone? If so how fast?
Most tools are made from what is called magnetically soft materials which meas they are easy to magnetize but also demagnetize. They can demagnetize over time particularity if stored in hot locations (ie in car on a hot summer day), but also if subjected to shock (hit with a hammer, dropped) or subjected to an opposing magnetic field (which if too strong can magnetize the screwdriver in the opposite direction.).
So bottom line - if the screwdriver if left in cool location and not banged around, the field could last for months or more. Heat, banging etc can at worse case make the magnetism disappear immediately. So there isnt a slow predictable decline of the magnetic field, but instead a more unpredictable drop in the field after being subjected to one or more "bad" situations.
would this work to fix a magnet that got weaker or is it a temporary change?
It should work - but not very well because the field in the device will not be as high as a typical magnets original field, so it wont magnetize the magnet to it max field strength. I did a video on how to remagnetize a magnet here th-cam.com/video/S21rlwrY74I/w-d-xo.html in case your interested.
First got one of these at Princess Auto in the clearance aisle when I was about ten years old. I was mystified. Lovely to see the mechanism broken down like this
I just looked - they still have it! Funnily the Canadian Tire website also has one - with the magentize and demagnetize labels flipped. Next time I'm in the store will have to see if the real devices also have the labels wrong.
Glad you enjoyed the video!
Good video that mate, you have a good voice and demeanor for youtube videos like this.
Well thank you so much! Glad you liked the video - and my voice :)
I have no idea how or why this works, but I’m so fascinated with the whole idea.
How could a magnet make another object a magnet?
Could *I* become a big magnet?
Well, a while back I did a video about how things are magnetized - here it is if you interested: th-cam.com/video/S21rlwrY74I/w-d-xo.html
@@ElectromagneticVideos thank you!
5:45 missed opportunity to say "through the magic of buying two of them"
Your the second person who said that :)
@@ElectromagneticVideos Great video btw!
@@InbasagarNadar Thanks!
How long does the screwdriver stay magnetic after being magnetised like this? Great vid, thanks.
Glad you liked the video! The time a screwdriver stays magnetized can vary - it actually depends on the steel in the screwdrivers which usually is "magnetically soft" and mechanically strong. Magnetically soft means it is easy to magnetize but also easy to demagnetize. So a slight bang on the screwdriver or exposure to an opposing (repelling) field from a similarly magnetized screwdriver can easily demagnetize it. So its hard to predict how long it will last but certainly not forever and often only hours or days depending on how much it is banged around. A while back I did a video in how things are magnetized and how the magnetism is retained in objects - if your interested th-cam.com/video/S21rlwrY74I/w-d-xo.html
Oh.. I should have taken one of these apart myself.. Woot! thanks for sharing
They are intriguing little devices!
Can you use that device to re-magnetize a de-magnetized magnet?
Unfortunately it wont work well for that. permanent magnets are made from material that is harder to magnetize (and therefor demagnetize) and typically needs a stronger field to magnetize than this device will produce.
I did a video on re-magnetizing permanents here if your interested: th-cam.com/video/S21rlwrY74I/w-d-xo.html
i know you can magnetize with one magnet (not this tool , just a loose magnet) but is there any way to demagnetize with just a loose magnet ? i have large drill bits that won't fit inside the tool .
You could if you could adjust the position of the permanent magnet just right to exactly counter the field in the drill bit. But its practically impossible to get it just right.
Try this: bang the drill bit on the (not sharp) end with a hammer. Or drop it a few times on a concrete floor. The shock may be able to demagnetize it.
Better, get a used, AC powered, bulk tape demagentizer which should be able to do it.
thanks .
The Curie temperature. Basically when you get a magnet hot enough it loses it's magnetism. I think it's because the crystal structure is changed by intense heat.
@@jakepassolt9640Yes! Exactly! The only everyday use I know of the Curie temperature is in rice cookers of all things. Its used to change the magnetic characteristics of the gizmo that keeps the switch on until it gets hot (all the water evaporated) and the switch is released Turing it off.
This is fascinating! Thank you for making this video for us
Its is a fascinating little device! So glad you liked liked the video!