How to Magnetize Steel
Understanding magnetism can lead to hours of fun learning. One way to make magnetism really accessible to anyone is to do a project in which you actually magnetize a piece of steel. Magnetizing steel should never be done without adult supervision, but with proper guidance even a 10-year-old can enjoy magnetizing a piece of steel and then doing experiments with the homemade magnet.
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Things You'll Need
- 12-volt battery
- Regular 10-gauge wire, 1 foot long for each square foot of steel
- Wire stripper
- 2 or 3 bricks
- Insulated pliers
- Small piece on non-magnetized steel
Instructions
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1
Strip both ends of your 10-gauge wire about an inch each. Use the wire stripper to pull off the plastic ends of the wire. Once you have done this, the wire will conduct electricity from the battery.
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2
Lay your wire onto the steel piece in a snake pattern. You should position the wire so that it twists back and forth on top of the piece of steel. It will literally look like a snake lying on top of the piece of steel.
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3
Position your bricks on top of the wire to hold it down and press it firmly to the steel. It is important that the wire is in full contact with the steel.
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4
Attach one side of the stripped wire to the negative battery terminal. You can wrap it around the terminal, or if there is a clip attached to the terminal, you can use it to hold the end of the wire this way.
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Grab the other stripped piece of wire with your insulated pliers. You are going to tap the bare end to the positive terminal three times, which will cause sparks, but since this is only a 12-volt battery, there is no danger of electrocution.
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Tap the wire on the positive terminal three times in rapid succession. You will see sparks.
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7
Test the magnetization properties by placing the small piece of steel on the larger one. If there is a magnetic attraction, you are finished; if there's no magnetic attraction, tap the wire on the positive terminal three more times.
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Tips & Warnings
Wear safety goggles for this experiment. Do not leave batteries within reach of children.
