Alemoki
Active Member
Hey everyone
So I bought a whole bunch, 50 to be exact, N52 plastic coated magnets from AliExpress (Around $55).
Decided to build a magnetic frag rack yesterday with 4 of them for my cube tank.
Basic build materials:
- magma bond glue (don't know the US equivalent sorry)
- red acrylic (6mm)
- 4 x of the N52 plastic coated magnets (20mmx5mm)
Tools used:
-radial arm saw (could use a jigsaw as well, but won't be as accurate)
-16mm spade bit
How I made it:
1. Cut 1 piece 140mm x 10mm, 1 piece 140mm x 25mm acrylic and 1 piece 140mm x 60mm acrylic
2. Clean up all the edges and mark the holes 20mm apart (or as desired)
3. Drill the holes using the 16mm spade bit ( would suggest a drill press for this). Drill halfway and then flip and drill through completely from the other side. This will ensure no exploded edges on the back side
4. Glue the 10mm wide strip against the 20mm wide strip centerline, forming a T shape using the magma bond
5. Once dry (sturdy enough), glue two magnets on either end of the T shaped flat edge. This will be the outer handle so to speak. Let this dry well.
6. Slowly magnetize a magnet onto each end of the handle. You should now have two magnets on each end. Once magnets have been lined up straight, use the magma bond to glue the frag plate (60mm x 140mm) onto the two magnets that have been aligned with the handle. This will ensure they will want to magnetize true when placing in the aquarium. Standing the rack on its one end while gluing the plate made it easy to hold in place and line up correctly.
7. Let it dry and place in the aquarium. I found the N52 (20mm x 5mm) to be strong, but maybe a little bit on the weak side for my 10mm glass. So would not recommend going more than 10mm with these magnets. 6mm glass would be optimal I believe.
Here are some pictures:
Hope someone can see this and possibly be inspired! I plan to improve on the design using some 3D printed parts.
So I bought a whole bunch, 50 to be exact, N52 plastic coated magnets from AliExpress (Around $55).
Decided to build a magnetic frag rack yesterday with 4 of them for my cube tank.
Basic build materials:
- magma bond glue (don't know the US equivalent sorry)
- red acrylic (6mm)
- 4 x of the N52 plastic coated magnets (20mmx5mm)
Tools used:
-radial arm saw (could use a jigsaw as well, but won't be as accurate)
-16mm spade bit
How I made it:
1. Cut 1 piece 140mm x 10mm, 1 piece 140mm x 25mm acrylic and 1 piece 140mm x 60mm acrylic
2. Clean up all the edges and mark the holes 20mm apart (or as desired)
3. Drill the holes using the 16mm spade bit ( would suggest a drill press for this). Drill halfway and then flip and drill through completely from the other side. This will ensure no exploded edges on the back side
4. Glue the 10mm wide strip against the 20mm wide strip centerline, forming a T shape using the magma bond
5. Once dry (sturdy enough), glue two magnets on either end of the T shaped flat edge. This will be the outer handle so to speak. Let this dry well.
6. Slowly magnetize a magnet onto each end of the handle. You should now have two magnets on each end. Once magnets have been lined up straight, use the magma bond to glue the frag plate (60mm x 140mm) onto the two magnets that have been aligned with the handle. This will ensure they will want to magnetize true when placing in the aquarium. Standing the rack on its one end while gluing the plate made it easy to hold in place and line up correctly.
7. Let it dry and place in the aquarium. I found the N52 (20mm x 5mm) to be strong, but maybe a little bit on the weak side for my 10mm glass. So would not recommend going more than 10mm with these magnets. 6mm glass would be optimal I believe.
Here are some pictures:
Hope someone can see this and possibly be inspired! I plan to improve on the design using some 3D printed parts.
