OK, I have a NIB magnet attached to a piece of steel using an acrylate based adhesive as shown:

 

 

I mean, that is what it looks like, you can't see the glue or anything!

 

I want to remove the NIB magnet from the steel backing... but the glue is strong, how can I do it?

 

I do not wish to ruin the magnet, so that rules out extreme heat, hammers, explosives etc!

I'll bet there isn't any glue, or very little, it's probably just the magnet holding on for dear life. I'd take a pair of pliers and carefully pull it off.

thats the magnet you find inside a harddrive. they are infact attached, not just holding on. they are very powerful, but not powerful enough that you cant slide them around on that metal. methods i have used come down to brute force and leverage. if you use a screwdriver and use a part of the metal that sticks up as a fulcrum you can pry some of them off. there are some i never managed to get though.

 

(they have to be attached because in side the harddrive there are two of them facing each other with opposite ends next to each other, so they have to be attached with something stronger than the combined forces of the magnets)

2 pair of pliers, grab either end of the metal backing plate and bend it like a `U` (not that exagerated though).

the magnet is stronger and will not bend, but the glue will crack

 

that`s how I do all of mine and I`ve never broken one yet

Nice idea YT, I will try that tomorrow when I can get a 2nd pair of pliers (only have one at home).

 

There was always the obvious solution of stick something in the gap and force, but that gap is very small, something that thin would probably break, I was going to have to resort to sanding a screwdriver and trying it, but I think YT's idea is better!

 

Thanks, will post tomorrow with the result

2 pair of pliers' date=' grab either end of the metal backing plate and bend it like a `U` (not that exagerated though).

the magnet is stronger and will not bend, but the glue will crack

 

that`s how I do all of mine and I`ve never broken one yet [/quote']

 

 

yt... your a friggin genius.

 

i have like 6 that i never managed to pry off, ill have to give that a try.

 

now... what do use them for? (i hear one of their best applications is inside your hardrive making the head move back and forth )

What, what do you use powerful magnets for?

 

Rail guns, magnetic accelerators, ferrofluid, attracting money , discovering strange magnetic shielding properites (see the antiferromagnetism thread, do a search).

american money isnt magnetic : (

american money isnt magnetic : (

 

Yes it is...

Yes it is...

 

 

how do you figure? im sure with a powerful enough magnet you could move any metal, but american money doesnt have enough magnatism for any magnet you and i can get.

how do you figure? im sure with a powerful enough magnet you could move any metal, but american money doesnt have enough magnatism for any magnet you and i can get.

 

Yes, it does. Take a $1 bill and fold it into a C shape. Then put it on a hard surface and bring a magnet near it. The bill will move slightly. They are printed with ferromagnetic ink.

...

that is the trippiest thing i have ever seen. it never even occured to me that a BILL would be magnetic. i was referring to the coins.

... As was I

 

Anyway, I did this [magnet/metal seperation] today.

 

It involved a steel clamp, a pair of pliers, a hammer and a lot of brute strength!

 

I mean, thats like 4mm thick steel!

 

It came off, there was slight damage to the magnet in that, you know its coated in a silvery coating, a big lump of that came off to reveal the magnet below, I'm hoping it won't oxidise or anything, just wondering why it is covered in such a thin layer, whatever, most of the bottom of the magnet has that covering layer removed, it's still just as strong.

It involved a steel clamp' date=' a pair of pliers

[/quote']

 

you were doing fine up until this point: "a hammer and a lot of brute strength!"

 

 

ROFLOL! )

hmm wouldnt it have been easier to use a solvent to disolve the glue?

after trying this out i have decide "pliers" isnt quite the right term, it sort of implies a smaller tool. "wrenches" is closer. thats some thick metal. it also makes it easier if you have a friend to hold one of them.

actualy I put the one end in a bench vice, and use the grips to bend the plate with.

after a little practice you can get quite a little production line going with at least 4 done a minute

Can I hijack this thread with another glue question?

 

You can use acetone to unstick superglue but, is it possible to dissolve an epoxy adeshive such as araldite?

 

Preferably without also dissolving the things that are stuck together!

I know of no other way to break the bonds in such a resin without intense heat. and have never been able to destroy it chemicaly without it damaging the parts underneath it. you`ve got me there!

a hot wire setup would work, and you might get away without ruining anything

but it has to be real thin real hot and you gotta be really carful