Does anyone else harvest the magnets from old hard drives? Strong magnets with attached mounting brackets are useful for all kinds of random stuff!
Does anyone else harvest the magnets from old hard drives? Strong magnets with attached mounting brackets are useful for all kinds of random stuff!
19 Comments
I do, they are quite useful. I’ve used them to hide geocaches a few times.
just more junk. hoarder behavior.
Yep, fridge magnets or to hold screws in one place in a box that gets knocked about.
I like the shiny metal parts. Which part is the magnet?
I kinda assumed everyone did. Great way to ensure data is unrecoverable from an old drive, plus you get magnets. Some uses I’ve found:
– Mounted a line of them on the wall at the back of my workbench to hold screwdrivers, pliers, etc.
– Glued one to my mailbox lid so it closes more securely (it’s really windy here and mine doesn’t latch well)
– Glue to base of drill to hold bits
– Stuck one up under the frame of my car with an emergency key in a ziplock baggie
– Use one inside a plastic bag to catch metal shavings from my bandsaw, just turn the bag inside out and dump shavings into the trash
– I use them to keep track of tools all over the place, for example my bandsaw and bench grinder both require a special allen key to adjust some things or replace blades, I just stick the allen key on there with a magnet so I don’t lose it
I saw the thumbnail and I dreaded seeing another ‘how can I recover data from my dead drive’ post.
How do you remove the magnets from the mounting bracket? Are they glued or welded on?
I’ve harvested magnets from packaging. The product had strong magnets embedded in the cardboard and used them to hold a marketing front box flap in place. You open the flap and see the products description and features. The front of the flap is just the flashy pics, name, etc. I bet most people would throw the package out without a second thought. D:
This is the way…
… No but I should be!
Yes, I do
I’ve worked in K-12 IT for 19 years now and have watched thousands of computers go to ewaste. When I need magnets, I have a constant supply to pick from. At home, I have probably 50 or so sitting around to be used. My only gripe is I wish they were smaller and a more uniform shape but beggars can’t be choosers.
Yup. I used them to fix an old cabinet in the garage that had it’s doors always opening when I didn’t want them to. Now they are always shut and I can open them only when I want.
I do that I like magnets
I used to play with them when I was little until I cut myself.Those magnets are way too strong
I have no need for them, so not really no. In a future WW3, I might be able to weaponize them though.
I like to hang stuff on the side of my toolbox with them.