The folks at [K&J Magnetics] have access to precise magnetometers, a wealth of knowledge from years of experience but when it comes to playing around with a silly project like a magnetic koozie, they go right to trial and error rather than simulations and calculations. Granted, this is the opposite of mission-critical.
Once the experimentation was over, they got down to explaining their results so we can learn more than just how to hold our beer on the side of a toolbox. They describe three factors related to magnetic holding in clear terms that are the meat and bones of this experiment. The first is that anything which comes between the magnet and surface should be thin. The second factor is that it should be grippy, not slippy. The final element is to account for the leverage of the beverage being suspended. Say that three times fast.
Magnets are so cool for anything from helping visualize gas atoms, machinists’ tools, and circumventing firearm security features.
Dang. When I saw “K&J Magnetics” and “beverage” I was really hoping they had cobbled together a magnetic refrigerator for beer. (see, for example, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_refrigeration )
I looked for DIY magnetic refrigeration projects but I didn’t have any luck. That could be worth an article.
I came here to see how they made alumin[i]um beer cans magnetic…
The grippy not slippy bit is the very reason my magnetic phone mount doesn’t quiet work – it’s just too slippy :(
And joining the fail-of-the-week pile-on: 3D printed plastics are too slippy for this application. So tempting to embed magnets in, but lousy for holding things up.
Voice of experience…?
Yup.
Brian, Elliot,
“… grippy, not slippy.”
Any chemists on tap?
How about a HaD feature on silicones? Why are some supersticky and some superslicky? Some hard, some soft? How do we mix up a batch with the required characteristics?
Heck, do urethanes too, while yer at it. How do you make some bouncy, some ‘dead’, some foamy?