I'll reiterate what joeb1999 mentioned. Even the small ones can be hazardous, but it increases exponentially the larger they get. They need to be kept away from kids, pets, and people with pacemakers. They have a very strong pull, but are brittle, and can chip or shatter fairly easily. The first thing to do when handling them is learning the best way to separate and/or gently stick them back together if you have more than one you're storing. It's very easy to get careless and have them slam back together, or into any ferrous object. I purchased 3 via the web (pretty tough to find them in stores other than the tiny stuff, primarily because of all the precautions) and most places ship them stacked, with plastic washers separating each one. I would not recommend trying separate them with your fingertips. Most will find it nearly impossible, and you'd also be headed for some pinched fingers. Secure the stack in your dominant hand as you would a roll of coins With a solid grip, use your thumb to slide the top magnet towards your other hand. When you feel the magnetc pull giving way, grab the magnet with the other hand and put it down on a safe spot. Reverse this process by carefully sliding it from the side, back to the stack of magnets, making sure you have the plastic washer in place to give them that slight separation. At this point I usually place the stack back wherever I've been storing it, usually in an out of the way spot (in my case, a metal shelf bracket) out of the reach of munchkins and electronics. I realize I'm making this sound like the handling of nitroglycerin, but it is very easy to make a painful or expensive mistake with these things.
Since I recently added a White's Dual Field to my arsenal, I knew I'd be wanting to add a magnet or two, to my scoop. SInce my scoop is made from non-magnetic stainless steel, it would require securing the magnet(s) in some way. As you can see in the first pic, I'd decided on a ring magnet with epoxy coating. Standard neodymium magnets have a thin nickel plating which doesn't hold up for too long in the sandy, rocky, and, often salty environments we deal with, if what I've read is correct. I may test some of the disc variety (about the size of a nickel) that I recently found at a local hardware store, to see how long that plating holds up. Back to the ring magnets....when deciding how to secure it to my scoop, I bought stainless and rubber washers of roughly the same diameter, and stainless bolts and nuts. I already had nylon zip ties at home as an alternative. The epoxy coated magnets in the ring variety are not as common, but I managed to get them from one of the biggest providers online.....not cheap....between 5 and 6 bucks a piece, and the shipping brought the total for 3 to just under $22. I decided to give some added protection to the magnet from larger rocks and metal chunks banging into it by using the rubber and stainless washers. The rubber washers are actually a bit bigger diameter than the magnet, so it's actually totally obscured from view, while in place, except for the edge. Imagine the whole setup like a cheeseburger, where the metal washers are the buns, and the rubber ones are like cheese on either side of the meat (magnet). This is probably overkill, but it also gives better contrast with the metal washer being on top.....most ferrous stuff would be harder to see, stuck to a black magnet and/or black rubber washer. Also, unless you obtain a bolt with an oversized head, you'll need that washer if your scoop has holes the size of mine. Another thing joeb1999 mentioned was gently bolting the magnet in. Even with the washers I've added, I suspect that cranking down on the nut could easily crack the magnet. I'd considered using the nut and bolt arrangement with just a bit more than finger tightness and Loctite. But, in the end, I realized I'd be happier with nylon zip ties, using 2 in the fashion shown, so that if one finally does give (unlikely they'd both break at the same time) from age or exposure, the other would hold it in place (albeit, floppy) long enough for me to replace the broken one. I'll probably put another at the 6 o'clock position. As strong as the one is, I've still seen bobby pins escape it. A second should put an end to most of that. It's easier to zip and trim the ties from the outside of the scoop, but it's obviously a little more streamlined to have the "nubs" on the inside. Sorry about the long-windedness.....hope this helps.
Spungehead
(Andy in NWFL)
P.S. If you choose epoxy coated magnets, and end up with a chip in it, you can buy marine epoxy to patch it....same stuff you may have seen guys use to coat the bottom of a coil, in lieu of a coil cover. Conversely, you could buy nickel plated magnets and epoxy coat them yourself.
) and magnets will be added.
