Magnets in the workshop

Working with magnets

As in Living area, so also come in the workshop Magnets are used in many different places and make our work easier. You may not even know where these little helpers can be used everywhere. That's why we've put together a few examples.

Magnets for „lost“ Screws

Imagine the following situation: You are working on your car in the narrow engine compartment and loosen a screw, for example with a screwdriver or a ratchet. Suddenly, the screw falls off the tip of the screwdriver or ratchet and disappears into the depths between the engine, transmission and front axle. The problem: You absolutely need this screw, because it has to be back in its old place after the repair. In addition, it could damage sensitive parts of the technology on the car if it is not found.

What do you do in such a case? Our Tip: Use a Magnet as a helper! In the trade you can find special tools where a small Magnet is attached to the tip of a telescopic rod. These tools are called magnetic lifters or magnetic grippers. So you can vary the length of the rod as you wish and extend it to a maximum length of about 1.5 meters. With this thin rod, which resembles an old car antenna, you can reach almost any place in the engine compartment of the car and other inaccessible places. The magnet attached to the tip then ensures that the lost screw is held and can be removed. A practical thing, isn't it?

Magnetic tool

You can avoid the case described above from the outset by using tools with a magnetic function. For example, screwdrivers with magnetized tips are available on the market. To reach inaccessible places, simply place the screw on the head of the screwdriver. Now you can work with it unhindered. Ratchets, riveting pliers and other pliers are now also available with a magnetic function. Once you have worked with them, you will certainly not want to do without them again.

Magnetic strips and fastening elements

A well-stocked workshop should be tidy. Nothing is more annoying than when you have to laboriously gather the tools for each work step. To make it easier to keep things tidy, there are special magnetic strip fasteners for the workshop. The selection here ranges from a small, narrow bar to which screwdrivers can be attached, for example, to a complete magnetic wall that keeps the entire tool assortment clearly arranged.

Magnetic trays and collecting trays

In some cases it is necessary, for example, to extract small metal parts from a liquid such as engine oil etc.. A special magnetic bowl can be used for this purpose. Basically, this is a conventional bowl made of metal, similar to a bowl in the kitchen, with the difference that the material has been magnetized beforehand. After the liquid has drained into the bowl, you can easily dispose of the collected material, leaving the metal parts in the bowl. Such a bowl is also very suitable if, for example, you want to determine whether there are chips in engine oil, transmission oil or coolant.

LED lights with magnetic holder

Even in a very well-lit workshop, you could run into problems if, for example, you have to work in hidden and winding areas of a car. A workshop light is therefore a must. However, it does not hold in all places of the vehicle and is therefore often impractical. It is much better to use an LED light with a magnetic holder or several of them. These lamps are now available in many versions in tool shops. They can be easily attached to any metal part of the car and shine exactly where you need them. Some of the lights also have built-in joints so that they can be positioned and adjusted even more precisely.

Magnetic tape

An extremely practical helper in the workshop is so-called magnetic tape. At first glance, this is a conventional adhesive tape, i.e. in the typical roll form. What makes this tape special, however, is that it contains a mesh of thin metal threads that have been magnetized beforehand. Such adhesive tape can be used in many ways in the workshop. For example, it can be used to secure small parts such as bits, screws, nuts, etc. either in the toolbox or on the tool wall so that they cannot get lost. In addition, magnetic tape can be used to repair metal parts such as exhaust pipes in the short term, since not only the adhesive power is used here, but also the Magnetism acts as an additional force. Thus, the connection lasts much longer than with conventional adhesive tape.

Conclusion: A workshop without magnets is hardly conceivable

In the workshop, the magnets can really show off their practical function. We can use them to search for lost screws or to bring order to the chaos of tools. As you can see: The possibilities are enormous!

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