Magnets

[sierra092]

Yo, i had an idea the other day of using magnets to attach weapons to the back of my armour without the need of any straps.

Where could i get strong magnets (in the UK) that arent too strong but strong enough to hold an AR (scrath built and bondo'd) and take a little force to detach it so it wont just fall off all the time.

thanks.

 

[Night Star]

Buy old HD drives or one's being thrown out , they contain strong magnets inside and back plating to stop the magnet pulses to going radial plus if they clip together some require pilers to pull apart .

 

[Darkslitter]

Don't do it. I broke my AR by it hitting something while it was on my back.

 

[Night Star]

good point if your in a crowded area , even in a shop you'l knock alot of things over :B

 

[Heatshock]

I like magnets



I have come over from star wars clone stuff - and magnets are everywhere

I have mostly used em in helmets - cos ots of the accurate CGI helmets have neck rings that would make wearing em impossible in real life



not sure a complete AR would be a good idea to attach with magnets



the magnest you want are Neodynium rara earth magnets - they are really REALLY strong

just check out ebay - they arent all that expensive - search "rare earth magnet"



they are also good for nice little touches eg a magazine from ur rifle being removable etc

I have used it once on a foam pistol to keep it in a boot holster on my biker scout costume

 

[spartanCOG]

depends on what theyre for, i suppose that you really would have to be careful if ur AR was on ur back, but then again, it would LOOK awesome

 

[sierra092]

depends on what theyre for, i suppose that you really would have to be careful if ur AR was on ur back, but then again, it would LOOK awesome

It would look pretty awesome, just like the game.

And I'll probably only have it on for afew hours when i need to where my suit at an expo in london.

 

[Heatshock]

It would look pretty awesome, just like the game.

And I'll probably only have it on for afew hours when i need to where my suit at an expo in london.

rare earth magnets definately would fit with your idea



I got some 20 mm x 20 mm x 5mm square ones for stormtrooper armor building, and they are stupidly strong!



if its a real heavy AR - might need quite a few, and usually it isnt a problem, with magnet-on-magnet attraction, but magnet-on-armour-surface sticking as simple superglue alone if seldom enough!



I stuck mine down with E6000 block, then bondo'ed it is as well

 

[te flying ninja]

Two words : Industrial Velcro.

 

[Robbymrodriguez]

All Your Neodymium Needs

 

[Darkslitter]

Make sure you put them where you can reach your gun and have enough leverage to pull it off if you decide to use them.

 

[sierra092]

I did some research and found that 20mm diameter by 1mm or higher magnets should be strong enough to hold a scratch-built AR and keep holding it on my back through all the resin and body filler

Theres quite afew good deals on ebay for packs, so me and my friend (whos making dutch whereas Im making either the rookie or buck) will go splits on a pack.

 

[Heatshock]

have used these guys on 3 occasions already, and have recommended them to other clone builders here in UK



their prices are competitive, and delivary quick

http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/Guys-Magnets__W0QQ_armrsZ1



they are a mail-order copnay, but sell through ebay as well.



you would probably need 3 anchor points - ie a minimum of 6 magnets - to stop it spinning about on your back





oh - velcro is an option, but this is why I think the magnets are a far better idea:



1. look more 'professional' theres also a nice 'ca-lunk' as the magnets catch

2. you can mount the anchor magents BEHIND the armour, unlike velcro, which would have to be mounted on the surface of the armour - again, it just looks nicer

 

[sierra092]

have used these guys on 3 occasions already, and have recommended them to other clone builders here in UK



their prices are competitive, and delivary quick

http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/Guys-Magnets__W0QQ_armrsZ1



they are a mail-order copnay, but sell through ebay as well.



you would probably need 3 anchor points - ie a minimum of 6 magnets - to stop it spinning about on your back





oh - velcro is an option, but this is why I think the magnets are a far better idea:



1. look more 'professional' theres also a nice 'ca-lunk' as the magnets catch

2. you can mount the anchor magents BEHIND the armour, unlike velcro, which would have to be mounted on the surface of the armour - again, it just looks nicer

Thanks alot for the link and the info. Placing the magnets behind the armour was what I was thinking about to make it much more game accurate.

Would you think 20mmx1mm would be strong enough to hold an AR? Also, my friend (who I am going to the same expo with) is doing a Dutch armour and is planning on making a spartan lazer, what do you think would be the minimum size magnet he would need? I presume he wouldnt be able to get one strong enough and compact enough for his armour



Edit. The ebay listings say "Please note that if you are intending to glue the magnets to something you will need to use an adhesive which will bond to the metal coating OR key the surface lightly with very fine glass paper." on listings for neodymium magnets, does this mean i wont be able to place them inbetween 2 layers of fibreglass?

 

[bboyfresco]

someone will snatch that off your back and run like hell

 

[shadows0fintent]

search for neodynium magnets on ebay, they are said to be able to lift 10kg of the ground with a 2cm by 2cm square piece. i use them to make my own wind turbine but don't have armor to attach them to. they are quite cheap just make sure you stick the poles the right way round

 

[Heatshock]

hey man - not had experience with something as large as a AR

only tried with parts of a helmet and a small biker scout pistol



depends on how much resin is in you AR

but the 20x20 is stupid strong



I would try the 3 pairs initially, and add more if necessary.



as for the glue part - - yep had experience with that! I scored mine and roughed up with sand paper then glued.

even through 2 sets of 3 mm ABS sheets - those things were clamping on good! dont think FG is gonna be a problem man.

 

[sierra092]

Thanks for the help again. If the 20mmx1mm magnets are that strong I should look into getting weaker ones.

I think i shall mount them in a triangle formation because thats what i think would fit on the back of the torso rather then a line of 3 anchor points.

Also, I think I'll use the industrial velcro idea for the pouches on The Rookies chest because i wouldn't trust magnets like these near credit cards and such lol

Lol! Hopefully no-one will try and run away with them!

@shadowofintent, I am thinking of using disc neodynium magnets for the anchor points butt ill look into using squared ones also.



Edit, I'll have a WIP on saturday 'cause Im not home and my dads laptop is slower then a snail with a broken leg!

 

[Heatshock]

better to be too strong than not enough I'd say



yep triangular much better - if they were in line, they could still twirl I think



awaiting WIP eagerly mate

 

[sierra092]

better to be too strong than not enough I'd say



yep triangular much better - if they were in line, they could still twirl I think



awaiting WIP eagerly mate

lol, like with scaling armour - Better to be too big then too small, that way we can still wear it