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- Dec 2, 1999
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This is a short tutorial on making what I call a magnet flapper or magnet pull toy. It takes about 5 minutes to make, kids can make it with a little supervision. It's interactive and makes a whump-whump-whump sound when pulled apart and a clack-clack-clack when it pulls together.
DON"T LET THE KIDS EAT THE MAGNETS!
Materials Need:
Painters tape or masking tape - to hold the duct tape down so it's easier to work with.
Duct tape - Cheap duct tape is OK for smaller magnets, heavier duct tape is need for magnets above .5 inch in diameter, if you're using magnets over 5/8 diameter you'll need to use Gorilla duct tape. A special note here that cloth faced tape will seal to itself when you use larger magnets and will be impossible to pull apart. The magnets will squeeze the adhesive through the cloth face and it will be a solid stack of magnet and tape. Cloth faced tape works up to about 1/2 inch diameter magnets. Anything larger needs a vinyl or other tape face. Nashua has several tapes with a smooth face. Gorrilla tape also has a smooth face.
Disc rare earth magnets - In this I use 3/8 inch diameter by 1/8 thick disk magnets. I do not reccomend you buy anything thinner then 3mm or 1/8 inch. Thinner magnets will break very easily and will shatter and will cut you. Also for this toy anything over 3/16 thickness will make the tape bunch up and not look very pretty.
You may be able to find rare earth magnets at your local hardware store but they will be more expensive. If you plan on making many, it's cheaper to buy online. I usually buy magnets from www.kjmagnetics.com. You can look in the discount or clearance sections to get better deals.
3/8 diameter rare earth magnets are good as even kids can pull them apart, yet they're strong enough to be cool. 1/2 to 5/8 inch in diameter is cooler yet but more expensive and slightly more trickier to make. I've made ones with magnets up to 1 inch in diameter and they little beasts. Ceramic magnets won't work very well, I tried them, they too big and too little power. Rare earth magnets can vary in grade from N35 to N50. Anything N35 and above work fine as the grade go up they get more expensive. You can buy ebay but the vendors range from good to sleazy.
To get started I put a piece of cardboard down so I don't get the table sticky. Here you can see the stuff I have laid out. I'm going to use Permacell cloth faced tape for this example. I have a previous toy I made in yellow.
Here's a close up of a stack of 3/8 magnets and the previously made toy.
You can see I took a strip of duct tape sticky side up, and used painter's tape on the edges to keep it from moving around. You can also see I have started placing the magnets. When you're making this toy you need to alternate poles. The easiest way to do that and keep track as you go along is mark one end of the stack with an X and the other end of the stack with a O. Everytime you remove a magnet from the stack, make the same mark on the very next one on the stack. Once you have placed and remarked the X, then flip the stack over and put the next O magnet. Remarked, flip, place etc. until you have run out of magnets or space. Make sure you press firmly so the magnet will stay anchored to the tape!
So now I have worked my way all the way across the tape. The distance between can be about 3/4 of an inch. If you are using bigger magnets increase the spacing between them. A word of caution, especially with bigger magnets. Keep the stack away from the magnets on the tape. Otherwise the tape will pull up or the stack slip out of your hand and make a big messy magnet tape mess. I don't go all the way to the end, I leave a little bit so I can attach the finger loops.
When you have gone all the way across, take another piece of tape, sticky side down, and put it down on top. Use a marker to something to firmly push down the tape and work the tape in around the edges of the magnets.
Carefully pull up from the surface and tear off the painters tape. Working methodically from one end to the next, fold the tape alternately so the faces of the magnets attract each other. It should look like an accordian when done. Once it is folded up, crease each fold of the tape between your fingers. This gives the tape some "memory" effect and will guide the magnets together when released after pulled apart.
Trim and clean up the ends with a scissor. To make the finger loops for the end take a half with of tape, sticky side up. Then overlay with another shorter strip, leaving about 3/4 inch of sticky remaining on each end. Loop the sticky section over each end and press firmly so it stays bonded to the magnet strip.
Here's what it look like pulled apart. To use stick a finger from each hand in the loops and pull apart. Then as you bring your hands together it goes clack-clack-clack... as it pulls together. If it doesn't fold together in order smoothly then fold it yourself and re-crease the tape. If it still doesn't work then it likely needs remade with closer magnet spacing.
DON"T LET THE KIDS EAT THE MAGNETS!
Materials Need:
Painters tape or masking tape - to hold the duct tape down so it's easier to work with.
Duct tape - Cheap duct tape is OK for smaller magnets, heavier duct tape is need for magnets above .5 inch in diameter, if you're using magnets over 5/8 diameter you'll need to use Gorilla duct tape. A special note here that cloth faced tape will seal to itself when you use larger magnets and will be impossible to pull apart. The magnets will squeeze the adhesive through the cloth face and it will be a solid stack of magnet and tape. Cloth faced tape works up to about 1/2 inch diameter magnets. Anything larger needs a vinyl or other tape face. Nashua has several tapes with a smooth face. Gorrilla tape also has a smooth face.
Disc rare earth magnets - In this I use 3/8 inch diameter by 1/8 thick disk magnets. I do not reccomend you buy anything thinner then 3mm or 1/8 inch. Thinner magnets will break very easily and will shatter and will cut you. Also for this toy anything over 3/16 thickness will make the tape bunch up and not look very pretty.
You may be able to find rare earth magnets at your local hardware store but they will be more expensive. If you plan on making many, it's cheaper to buy online. I usually buy magnets from www.kjmagnetics.com. You can look in the discount or clearance sections to get better deals.
3/8 diameter rare earth magnets are good as even kids can pull them apart, yet they're strong enough to be cool. 1/2 to 5/8 inch in diameter is cooler yet but more expensive and slightly more trickier to make. I've made ones with magnets up to 1 inch in diameter and they little beasts. Ceramic magnets won't work very well, I tried them, they too big and too little power. Rare earth magnets can vary in grade from N35 to N50. Anything N35 and above work fine as the grade go up they get more expensive. You can buy ebay but the vendors range from good to sleazy.
To get started I put a piece of cardboard down so I don't get the table sticky. Here you can see the stuff I have laid out. I'm going to use Permacell cloth faced tape for this example. I have a previous toy I made in yellow.
Here's a close up of a stack of 3/8 magnets and the previously made toy.
You can see I took a strip of duct tape sticky side up, and used painter's tape on the edges to keep it from moving around. You can also see I have started placing the magnets. When you're making this toy you need to alternate poles. The easiest way to do that and keep track as you go along is mark one end of the stack with an X and the other end of the stack with a O. Everytime you remove a magnet from the stack, make the same mark on the very next one on the stack. Once you have placed and remarked the X, then flip the stack over and put the next O magnet. Remarked, flip, place etc. until you have run out of magnets or space. Make sure you press firmly so the magnet will stay anchored to the tape!
So now I have worked my way all the way across the tape. The distance between can be about 3/4 of an inch. If you are using bigger magnets increase the spacing between them. A word of caution, especially with bigger magnets. Keep the stack away from the magnets on the tape. Otherwise the tape will pull up or the stack slip out of your hand and make a big messy magnet tape mess. I don't go all the way to the end, I leave a little bit so I can attach the finger loops.
When you have gone all the way across, take another piece of tape, sticky side down, and put it down on top. Use a marker to something to firmly push down the tape and work the tape in around the edges of the magnets.
Carefully pull up from the surface and tear off the painters tape. Working methodically from one end to the next, fold the tape alternately so the faces of the magnets attract each other. It should look like an accordian when done. Once it is folded up, crease each fold of the tape between your fingers. This gives the tape some "memory" effect and will guide the magnets together when released after pulled apart.
Trim and clean up the ends with a scissor. To make the finger loops for the end take a half with of tape, sticky side up. Then overlay with another shorter strip, leaving about 3/4 inch of sticky remaining on each end. Loop the sticky section over each end and press firmly so it stays bonded to the magnet strip.
Here's what it look like pulled apart. To use stick a finger from each hand in the loops and pull apart. Then as you bring your hands together it goes clack-clack-clack... as it pulls together. If it doesn't fold together in order smoothly then fold it yourself and re-crease the tape. If it still doesn't work then it likely needs remade with closer magnet spacing.
