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Temporarily demagnetize a magnet: A guide for beginners



You should take an electromagnet that operates on some frequency (tens of Hertz) and creates enough large magnetic field to magnetise your permanent magnet. Then you switch on your electromagnet in the vicinity of the permanent magnet and go slowly back from the permanent magnet at the distance of several meters. After this the permanent magnet should be demagnetised.




how to temporarily demagnetize a magnet




The idea behind this procedure is that the electromagnet will magnetise the permanent magnet and its magnetisation will follow hysteresis loop that will became smaller and smaller when you go back from the magnet.


Magnets are items with poles and a magnetic field. This is due to the configuration of its electrons. There are three metals that are naturally magnetic; iron, nickel, and cobalt. These metals allow the electrons to configure in such a way that magnetic fields are created around them, and it is this magnetic field along with the poles of the magnet, that allow magnets to attract and repel. When two opposite poles are brought together, they will attract. But when the same poles are nearby their fields will repel each other.


But while we call these permanent magnet, there really is nothing permanent about the fields. All magnets can be demagnetized, and there are multiple ways to do that. Temporary magnets are items that are magnetic but do not keep their field as strongly. Items in this group include paper clips, scissors, refrigerators, staples, and various other items. These items are much more likely to lose their magnetic field than are permanent magnets.


There are a few ways to remove a magnetic field from a permanent magnet. One of these methods requires increasing the temperature of the magnet. Another way to make a magnet lose its magnetic field is by hitting it.


Your results will depend on the strength of the magnet you are using to turn the bolts into magnets. Most of the bolts should be noticeable weaker, but not all of them. Heat and impact are two ways to demagnetize an item, so the bolt that were hit by the hammer and the bolt that was placed in the oven should both be weaker. But time and cold should not affect the bolts. So the control bolt and the freezer bolt should both be about the same strength.


The best way to remove a magnetic field from a magnet is through the removal of mass. If the volume of the magnet is reduced, the magnetic field will also be reduced if not entirely eradicated. This can happen when a portion of the magnet is split from the main body of the magnet, however, more often than not, this happens through corrosion. Typically a loss of performance due to corrosion or the magnet breaking is obvious and observable even to the untrained eye.


The magnetic field can be removed from a magnet by applying a reversed magnetic field to the magnet. This can be accomplished by passing an alternating current through an alternating current through a component of the magnet.


Throughout frequent use and occasional mis-haps, it is possible for a magnet to lose some of its strength or just stop working completely. This can be inconvenient in some cases, but very convenient in others. Interested in this topic, I did some research to find out how magnets are generally de-magnetized.


How do you demagnetize a magnet? Magnets can be de-magnetized in several ways: from excessive heat exposure, high levels of shock or force, and improper storage, all the way to corrosion. In order to purposefully de-magnetize a magnet, you can apply any of these components to the magnet in question.


Or, on the other hand, you might just be interested in the possibility of making a magnet lose its functions, and are looking for a fun science experiment. Either way, you will find all of the answers to your questions throughout the rest of this article.


While this is a list of problems that the average person would want to stay away from, you might be looking to try this out yourself. Whether you are searching with purpose or just for fun, take a look at the list down below to find out what you can do to de-magnetize a magnet.


However, if you plan on using your magnet again after this little experiment, you should be careful not to let it break into pieces of become deformed. This is something that can be irreversible, which we will get into throughout the rest of this article.


To start, you do not need to be a physicist to experience magnetic fields firsthand; however, magnets losing their field can present serious problems to anyone unfortunate enough to witness their demagnetization.


But whether you are a nuclear physicist or a magnet fishing hobbyist, it is crucial to understand how magnets lose their magnetic field, and especially when it is worth it to attempt to revive a weakened magnet.


In other words, magnets that are repeatedly exposed to a force that repulses them can possibly be re-magnetized. However, they must still be physically intact, and come in contact with a strong magnetic field in order to begin the re-magnetization process.


With magnetism, a crystalline structure and like-facing electron polarities are key towards producing a net magnetic field -- when you expose this object to extreme heat, you change this meticulous structure and disrupt the underlying forces.


Thankfully, the likelihood of a casual magnet user having access to the amount of heat needed to ruin a magnet is very low - magnet temperature is negligible until it reaches what is known as the Curie point.


Small, weak magnets are most susceptible to this type of damage, and even then, you would have to throw it really hard or hit it with all of your might with a hammer to disrupt the magnet, irreparably.


Finally, the volume of the magnet is important to factor in if you are considering whether re-magnetizing is worth it. Unfortunately, this falls under the auspices of structural damage, this time even more permanent.


Even losing part of the overall structure to corrosion weakens the force exerted by a magnet, and it is near impossible to fix without scrapping and remaking a magnet altogether. Wear and tear are serious problems, and that is why it is advisable to research the best magnet storage practices.


Permanent magnets that are in good condition, but have simply been weakened, can be restored when exposed to strong magnetic fields -- the best part is that you do not have to do this more than a few times.


Electromagnets can rapidly regain their initial field if a current is run through their coils, and this is what makes these types of magnets so well-preserved in the long run. Electromagnets are still susceptible to damage, and if their coils are destroyed or the loop is disrupted, the magnetic field will too be eliminated.


Neodymium is going to be your magnet of choice because it is one of the strongest magnets commercially available for personal uses: it is an alloy of neodymium, boron and iron. You can buy them online for under $30, and they have a multitude of orientations available.


When talking about brand new, permanent magnets, the answer is: for as long as you want! Permanent magnets by definition will never lose their magnetic field unless they experience any of the problems previously mentioned.


Even permanent magnets that had to be re-magnetized will be expected to keep their magnetic field for just as long as their initial field - it is one of the interesting properties of our universe that allows these magnets to maintain their function for impossibly long amounts of time.


However, all magnets are subject to damage if they are handled the wrong way; their shelf life is determinant on how often they are used, and how they were stored. Like any object, the more you use it, the more you risk damaging it.


The alternating orientation means that if you have a bunch of bar magnets with North and South clearly labeled, store them in an alternating fashion where each North of one magnet is paired with the South of another, and vice versa.


Doing so will minimize the contact your magnets will have to opposing forces, and preserve their orientation for longer. You could also store each individual magnet separately, but depending on your space and frequency of use, this may not be so practical.


This should be obvious, but make sure your magnets are kept safe from the elements. Constant use of neodymium magnets for magnet fishing can wear the protective nickel coating away, and rust can result.


There are reports of people being injured by magnets, not so much the magnet itself, but the force that strong magnets exert on other objects. In strong magnets like those found in MRI machines, the force can be so strong that people can be suffocated or crushed to death.


Swallowing one magnet is not usually a cause for concern, but if someone ingests multiple neodymium magnets, the force they exert on one another in the gastrointestinal tract can wreak havoc on the human body.


One of the best parts is that anyone can observe and test the science of demagnetization and remagnetization, often sparking further curiosity into magnets and their various applications across our globe.


Welcome to Magnetpartner. Magnets are our expertise and we have specialised in online sale of very strong magnets and magnetic pockets of the highest quality on the market (since 2007). We are passionate about our customer service! Due to increasing demand, we decided to start up Magnetpartner in the spring of 2015, and we are now selling our magnets throughout EU.


How can you re-magnetize a magnet? In order to remagnetize the average magnet, you need another larger (and at least as powerful) magnet. Because the good news is that your magnet might still work: it has just lost the original direction of the poles because of rough use or similar. And the "new" magnet will help the weakened magnet to remagnetize.


This guide only works on permanent magnets. If you are trying to remagnetize an electromagnet, on the other hand, you will need to go a completely different approach (including manipulating the coiled wires inside the magnet with excessige levels of force). 2ff7e9595c


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