Bismuth Magnet Levitator

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Canada Goose online Ever since I was young I’ve wanted to make or have something that levitates or floats. I’ve always been amazed at magnets and their invisible strengths and all the cool Canada Goose sale things that they could do. And so naturally, when I came across Canada Goose Coats On Sale bismuth magnet levitation on the internet, I had to give it a go. So join me on my first instructable and we’ll break the laws of gravity together! (not really but it sounds cool)Like I mentioned, the levitator works by utilizing the strong canada goose clearance diamagnetic properties of bismuth. There are many other diamagnetic materials other than bismuth, however bismuth is very strong, if canada goose coats not the strongest. Diamagnetic materials, when in the presence of a magnetic field, induce magnetic fields that are in the exact opposite direction of the applied magnetic field. Basically, when a magnet gets close to a diamagnetic material such as bismuth, a repulsive force coming from the bismuth will act on the magnet. Canada Goose online

cheap Canada Goose This levitator has two bismuth ingots on the top and bottom of the floating magnet, just like in the picture. cheap Canada Goose

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canada goose black friday sale 1 cubic inch N42 magnet (huge magnet!)1/5″ 1/4″ N42 or N52 magnet cubes2X 3/8″ threaded rod 4X 3/8″ nuts Around 5 10 ounces of refined bismuthFor the threaded rods, I bought a 2 foot long one and then cut it in two with a dremel. If you don’t have a dremel or disc cutter of Canada Goose Online any sort that can cut metal, you can use a hack saw. Some hardware stores will cut the threaded rod for you, so don’t forget to ask. canada goose black friday sale

canada goose clearance sale Originally I bought these little magnets from Amazon. They ended up being too weak for my taste. The ingots of bismuth had to be brought so close together that it didn’t look that impressive. The stronger the better for the little floating magnet. FYI, neodynium magnets’ strength are rated with an “N” number. The higher the number, the stronger the magnet. The most popular strong ones are N42 and N52 I believe. canada goose clearance sale

Canada Goose Parka Also just a warning, the really big magnet is really, REALLY strong. Obviously electronics and magnetized cards are not friends with Mr. Magnet. It’s also strong enough to fly at a piece of metal so fast that it shatters, so don’t let it knock into metal things. As it turns out, the stronger a magnet is, the more brittle it is as well. Canada Goose Parka

canada goose store For my design, I used my 3D printer to make the main structure. These files are attached to this step. If you don’t have a 3D printer, first of all, get a 3D printer! They’re very economically priced these days and are sooo much fun to play around with. If you don’t have a 3D printer and don’t plan on getting one, follow this video on making your levitator. The prototype design in the video is very similar to mine. Basically it’s just replacing the cheap Canada Goose 3D printed parts canada goose outlet with pieces of wood. canada goose store

Canada Goose Jackets For casting the bismuth, you will canadian goose jacket need some sort of small container or small box and wet clay sand mixture to fill it with. You will also need a sort of metal cup or spoon to melt the bismuth. I just bought a cheap metal measuring cup canada goose uk shop set from Walmart and it did the job. Canada Goose Jackets

buy canada goose jacket Step 3: Making the Mold to Cast buy canada goose jacket

canada goose clearance I suppose you could get away with not casting the raw bismuth you ordered and just break away two pieces to make your levitator. But where’s the fun in that? Bismuth is really easy to cast because it has a relatively low melting point of about 520 F or 271 C. You uk canada goose outlet only need to use a stove top to get things up to that temperature (which is what I used). canada goose clearance

Canada Goose sale The first step with casting is making the mold. You need some kind of container to hold a moist clay sand mixture. It doesn’t need to look good, it just canada goose clearance sale has to work. I just chopped up some wood from an old fence post and dug out some clayish dirt from the ground in my yard. Regular soil might work fine, but I don’t know. You want to then wet the clay sand, but not a whole lot. If it’s over saturated with water, the buy canada goose jacket cheap water will boil when the bismuth is poured and could potentially splash everywhere. Canada Goose sale

canada goose deals Print out this mold I designed canada goose and then press it firmly into the clay sand mixture. Make sure that it is level, otherwise the bismuth will turn out crooked and weird. uk canada goose If you don’t have a 3D printer (yet), you can canada goose store use anything that’s 3cm in diameter. Ideally you want buy canada goose jacket a cylinder that is 3cm in diameter and 1cm thick. I know I’m kinda bouncing around between customary and metric, but bare with me. canada goose deals

canada goose Another option that I didn’t try is to use Canada Goose online a small muffin pan as the mold. I’m not sure if it would work with the 3D printed parts however. canada goose

canada goose coats on sale Step 4: Melting and Casting the Bismuth canada goose coats on sale

buy canada goose jacket cheap Now the fun part. To melt the bismuth, you need some kind of cup to hold the metal over whatever you are using to heat it. I found that the 1/4 cup from a cheap set of measuring cups works very well. For heat, you can use a stove top, electric or propane. canada goose coats on sale If you don’t have access to either, you can buy a small propane Canada Goose Parka or butane torch at your local hardware store and use that (which would probably work better than a stove) buy canada goose jacket cheap.