MATERIALS, MAGNETS

See psychedelic patterns the safe way! Press your hand on this 6" x 6" sheet of liquid crystal and leave a print of swirling colors that, like the mood ring of yore, you can use as a sign of your mood. The pattern will blend and fade in seconds as the crystals react to temperature. Tiny liquid crystals inside the film-like material react to the heat of your hand, 25-30°C (77-86°F) by changing colors. As science, it demonstrates the way liquid crystal displays work. And you can cut each crystal sheet into pieces to incorporate into a science project. Or just leave it out for guests to play with when the party turns boring.

Can't beat a classic. These uncoated ceramic donut magnets have a 1-lb pull, which makes them dandy for classroom or refrigerator use. They measure 1-1/4" dia x 3/8" ID x 3/16" thick and are polarized on the faces. You get a wrapped roll of 29 donuts.

These here are made for repairing tents after critters tried to get inside or somebody bent over too fast with a machete in his belt. Iron these off-white canvas strips, shiny side down, over the hole and yer tent's like new, almost. Pants too, if ya got off-white canvas britches. Make good iron-on name tags, no matter how short or long your name is. Small are 2" x 2". Sold in large quantities, in case you have particularly aggressive critters, or an extra-long machete.

Our thinner picker-upper, but with a powerful 5-lb-pull, 9/16" dia magnet on the business end (for spilled nails, the screw that rolled under the stove, or the heavy wrench you dropped into the sump). The 5/16" dia x 5-1/4" long 4-draw barrel extends to a full two feet. Has a convenient pocket clip.

Hang it all with this set of (10) magnetic hooks. The 1-3/16" long x 9/64" hooks screw into 1-3/8" dia magnetic bases with an approx 8-lb pull, which is heavier than most jackets and keys. Good for horizontal or vertical mounts, and dandy for adding hooks to gym or school lockers.

More likely cowskin, but who ever says that? Leather, anyway. Our each is a package of (10) leather cords, 3/16” x 1/16” x approx 42” long, in assorted colors and ready for your frontier craft needs, or for lacing up your boots. Also dandy for cowboy key chains. Our samples were brown, dark brown and black. What will yours be?

Our each is 100 feet of of paracord (tactical cord) from Atwood Rope Mfg. Measures 3/32" dia (think round shoelace) with (4) internal strands and a 275-lb test strength. UV inhibited; rot and mildew resistant. In assorted solid and blended colors, from which we'll pick because we have impeccable taste in cordage.

This multi-use, all-purpose, tear-resistant, all-weather generally handy blue tarp is for covering up stuff. Measures 7 x 5 feet in .0085 thick plastic (polyethylene) with rust-proof aluminum grommets and a 1/16” poly rope inside the hem to give it extra stability. Also makes a nice lean-to or an ugly raincoat.

Rare earth magnets are usually killers for their size, and these thick nickel neodymium discs are no exception. The price, on the other hand, for (3) 7/16" dia x 1/4" 5-lb lift or (2) 15/32” dia x 3/16” 8-lb lift magnets each stored on a 2" dia steel disc, is a rare exception.

This plated N52 14,200 gauss neodymium magnet is shaped like a miniature silver ingot, measuring 1-1/2" long x 1/2" wide x 1/8" thick. Has a big hangonability quotient, which the manufacturer claims is 15 lbs of pull, meaning it's probably closer to 13 lbs. Impressive either way for such a cute little magnet. 

Or under it, or somewhere. These 1/4" thick cork rubber sheets are approx 22” x 16”, and they’re surplus from a gasket manufacturer. They make great vibration dampers, and can be cut to fit for furniture and floor protection. Also good to deaden sound in the storage of tools, and pots and pans. Various black streaks through the brown cork may militate against bulletin-board use, but then again maybe not since the bulletins will cover that anyway. And, yes, they're perfect if your hobby just happens to be gasket-making.

Excellent heavy stretch knit elastic looking for a crafter or tailor to give it a home. Won't weaken over time, after washing and drying, or with needlework, which makes it the choice for face masks or anything else that needs to retain its stretchability. In black nylon polyester, it measures 1/4” wide on a 300-foot spool.

This paracord is rated for 350 lbs, which means you can go camping and hoist pretty much everything you brought with you up into a tree. Forget about the doughnuts and bacon; with this cord, you can send your bicycles up there. Our each is a 50-foot spool of 1/8” wide cord, and we'll carefully select one in green, digital camo, blue, black or red to match your outfit.

Okay, it isn't the cheapest magnet in the warehouse - but we pulled about 35-40 pounds with this 4-7/8" x 1" x 3/4" ceramic magnet,  and we think it's a bargain. It has a 6" bracket with mounting holes on 5-1/2" centers, plus a 1/2" ID eyehook bolted into the center of it. It's all set to troll the bottom of the lake next time your filing cabinet falls overboard.

We think of these as industrial worry beads, but they're really 5/16" dia (8mm) steel ball bearings, ready to be put to whatever ball-bearing uses you might have. Our each is a pack of (50), which should cover a lot of worries, and whatever else you can come up with.

Voted most likely to attract by the judges, this magnet has the relative strength of 10 men. A shiny silver 1/2" cube of neodymium magnetism, it packs approx a 15-lb pull. If our boss Pat were that strong he could lift 2,160 lbs! Besides its superpower strength, this beautiful cube also would improve the looks of your fridge or bulletin board to no end.

Or just stop worrying about the line breaking. Battlecord is skinny but megatough stuff. And this one is a 50-foot length of black cord rated for 2,650 lb test. Measures 1/4” dia with a 7-strand core and is rot, mildew and UV resistant. Made in the USA for Atwood Rope.

Or singing suppositories. The pair is very magnetic, whatever they are. The 1-3/4" long prolate spheroids look like highly polished black hematites. Hold them an inch apart in your palm, toss 'em into the air and listen to them make a sound like the cyber-crickets. Or an electrocuted chicken. The manufacturer suggests keeping these mega-magnets away from computers, pacemakers, TV sets and credit cards.