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Making Electro magnets

Posted: 11 Nov 2020, 09:36
by MariaQ
Hi Peeps,

Just wondering do most of your teachers want the students to make their own electro magnets with insulated copper wire? Just seems such a waste to me making new coils every year :-( what does everyone else do?

MariaQ

Re: Making Electro magnets

Posted: 11 Nov 2020, 09:47
by mtg
I save the used wire into a kit and re-use it every year.

Re: Making Electro magnets

Posted: 11 Nov 2020, 10:12
by Merilyn1
Always just given them last year's efforts. They usually get so squashed and stretched out of shape before they even get back to the prep room, they need to be rewound. Never had anyone complain.

Re: Making Electro magnets

Posted: 11 Nov 2020, 10:45
by bigmack
I reuse the wire . We use cotton covered stuff as the plastic insulated stuff tends to melt and hurt children :whistling2:
Electromagnet kits.jpg
I prepare the ends ...IE cut back the cotton and add a dab of fingernail polish or PVC to stop it unravelling. We find a 2 meter length is ample .Any longer and the kids just tangle it all up . it will easily pickup small nails and paper clips with either a "D" cell or 2V on the power packs .
Ends.jpg
I ask the teachers to get the kids to leave them on the rods so I can carefully unroll it so it doesn't kink but there is always one that has to pull the rod out and give you a coil .
on return.jpg
To straighten the wire , I tip my chair over and pull the wire around the stand a few times ( but any fixed round bar or pole would work ) . Comes out like new :thumbup:
straightening.jpg

Re: Making Electro magnets

Posted: 11 Nov 2020, 11:22
by MariaQ
:giggle: Thanks Bigmack for such a detailed reply! Awesome :wink2:

Re: Making Electro magnets

Posted: 11 Nov 2020, 12:17
by Labbie
Your the best Bigmack Really you are.

Re: Making Electro magnets

Posted: 12 Nov 2020, 08:30
by MariaQ
Ok next question, I have a little of the cotton covered copper wire, but not enough. Does anybody know where I can purchase this? Did a quick goggle search and not much came up.....MariaQ :thumbup:

Re: Making Electro magnets

Posted: 17 Nov 2020, 14:38
by bigmack
Good question Maria .Gosh , I thought our regular suppliers still sold it but no .....it's a lot worse than that as you say .
You can get 500KG spools @ around $2,500 from China :crazy:

or about 30 metre reels from the UK .

Re: Making Electro magnets

Posted: 25 Nov 2020, 12:42
by cactus155
I found this one site in Australia
https://www.evatco.com.au/solid-core-vi ... vered-wire

Cheers