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The Learning Circuit 36: DIY Electromagnet

 

 

Karen covers how moving electrons create magnetic fields, how materials can become magnetized, what materials make good magnets, how electricity can be used to make an electromagnet, and more.

 

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Anonymous
  • in reply to makerkaren

    I drilled my finger the other day, holding a 3D printed part that needed a hole. It was my own fault and I should have known better. I knew it might drill me but I just hoped it wouldn't and carried on. Maybe I should have used pliers.

     

    My best episode of self-drilling was during a health and safety talk to my students about drilling PCBs, which I always concluded by telling them that although the drills were small they were still powerful, which I accidentally then demonstrated as I was waving my hand about (I like a bit of hand waving during lectures) and drilled through the nail of one of my fingers. If you had asked me beforehand I would have said it was physically impossible to do that, but obviously it was!

     

    Dubbie

  • in reply to DAB

    That's a good point. I've done enough drilling into things over the years that I know how to do it safely so I don't drill into my hand, leg, or furniture nearby. This time the tubing was soft enough and I started with a pre-drilled smaller hole to center the larger bit. For anyone not experienced with drilling holes, I would recommend putting the tubing into a vice or at least placing it down onto a hard surface that you don't mind if it gets drilled into.

     

    Vicing up PVC can get tricky though. You'll want to use some cloth between the vice jaws and your PVC to prevent them from marring the tubing. It'll also give you a better grip since the tube is round and would have limited surface area meeting the jaws. There's also a fine line of when the vice is tight enough to hold the tube so that it wouldn't slip do to the downward pressure, but not so tight as it is squeezing and mis-shaping the tube.

  • Hi Karen,

    Good build.

     

    One point however, you should use a vice to secure the wooden tube before you drill.

    Holding the part in your hand while you drill with the other hand is a very good way to get injured.

    Please keep safety in mind while you are doing your builds. I would hate to see someone follow your example and become injured by a sharp drill bit.

     

    DAB