Back in April, I ordered a large magnet to have some fun. I intended to make some sort of art project using pieces of metal suspended by thin strings, but before I got that far, the magnet ended up as a centerpiece on our dining table for most of the year.

Iron filings on mirror on neodymium magnet

The parts I used are:

• Sunkee 50x30mm Super Strong Dia.N52 Rare Earth Neodymium Disc Magnet 2x1.18”
• Iron Filings - 1 Pound Package
• Darice 1635-70 Round Mirror, 10-Inch

If you try this, be extremely careful with the magnet! It’s extremely difficult to separate from thick metal, and it will go flying and possibly shatter if it gets close to metals. I got a hammer stuck to mine, denting the magnet and requiring two people to separate! Also, apparently neodymium magnets lose their strength if heated in boiling water, so don’t do that either.

I have nothing else to say, so here are some photos and a video!

Iron filings on mirror on neodymium magnet

Iron filings on mirror on neodymium magnet

Here’s a bonus video of a homopolar motor using the same magnet: