MATERIALS, MAGNETS

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.

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.

These are all 21” square cotton/poly blend factory-second bandanas. A few are unhemmed on one side, but generally we can’t see why many of them were seconded. Most are traditional paisley designs in assorted colors, but others are novelty versions in USA and Texas flag looks, camo, smiley faces, dog paw prints, solid colors and others. It’ll be a nice change not to know exactly what you’re getting, won’t it? Buy ’em at the bulk price and resell them. Start your side hustle now!

Pick up this 1-3/4" x 7/8" x 3/8" ceramic pick-up magnet while we still have it. It's in a heavy metal housing and has a stationary metal hoop, about 1/2" i.d., on top. The manufacturer tells us the magnet will grab up to 5 lbs of metal, however Pat and Magnet Testing Team #3 have repeatedly lifted 10+ lbs, so it's very strong. Especially if you're going to dangle it on the end of a cord to gather spilled nails or to fish your keys out of the lake/pond/sewer/drain!

Donut magnet you can take to town!! 74mm dia x 14mm thick with a 30mm hole. Very strong and well pedigreed - in fact, its kin are activating pacemakers. They are of a high permeability ferrite material with a lovely light blue or white epoxy coating. Okay, we have them because there is the odd bubble, slight scratches or the word MAGNET painted in the coating which ruled them out of the medical ball, but they're fine company nonetheless. Good display bases, paper clip traps, and super for classroom demos.

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?

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.

This small stainless steel fine-mesh filter is 2" dia x 1-1/2" tall. It has fine mesh sides, a solid plastic bottom and slight lip around the top. Nice for small filtering jobs, but would also make a passable basket for a gerbil hoops game.

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.

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 lighter than most jackets and keys. Good for horizontal or vertical mounts, and dandy for adding hooks to gym or school lockers.

Hexagonal silicone. Whatever you like to call them. You definitely need a bunch of these translucent white, six-sided silicone discs. We've seen three sizes, but there could be more (that's surplus for ya.): 2-7/32", 2-9/16" and 3-11/16” across and all 1/16” thick. Probably from a gasket factory, but they’d make dandy vibration pads, non-slip feet, Hobbit hot pads, shot-glass coasters, earrings or very odd bouncy floor tiles. We'll pick a handful of assorted sizes for you.

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.

And people won't crash into you, because nothing says safety like this high-quality reflective tape, the same material that's used to make stop signs. You get (4) glossy, self-adhesive red reflective tapes, 12" long x 3/4" wide. We're thinking bike fenders and helmets, dog collars, garage door frames, anything that could benefit from a heightened visibility.

What is a killer rare earth magnet? Well, once upon a time, a copywriter put this little magnet next to his computer monitor and got really pretty, wavy, aurora-like effects. And then got a new monitor! Don't try this at home. Our shiny, silver-colored 1" x 1" x 1/2" neodymium magnet looks innocent, but is industrial strength, pulling something like 25 lbs with enough strength left over to erase all your credit cards. And wreak havoc with your monitor.

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.

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.

Beats us, frankly, but this black plastic cover, 1-3/4” x 1-1/2” x 1/4” (not unlike a tiny toilet seat cover) is hiding a really nice 1” dia x 1/8” (think: quarter size) plated neodymium magnet, with at least a 8-lb pull, inside. The mystery is that the cover won’t open unless you break it. The magnet grabs fine in the case or out of it. Tap it on its side with a hammer to crack open the case and reveal nothing but magnet.

It's easier to see. Our each is (100) feet of 3/32" dia high visibility neon-green type-III paracord. Made of 7-strand, 550-lb test nylon, it's color-fast and resistant to rot, UV light and mildew. A camper's dream! Also makes really snazzy bootlaces.