Rare Earth Magnet method

[Prymer13]

Ok, so I finally have things going on my ESB Fett. I am painting the armor this next week and I am preping my vest and I was planning on using the magnet method. I plan on using JB weld or GOOP to attach the magnets to the armor and then going inside the vest and attaching the matching magnets.

This way I can move things around, try it on, see how it looks, etc. Once I have the exact layout I'll mark their position on the inside of the vest and hand sew small closed pockets over each one. Nothing completely permanent, but enough to keep them from falling off, if I ever have to remove the armor for upgrades, repainting, etc.

My main question...how far away from my chest light circut board do these have to be? Should I check the magnification of one magnet to another ferrious metal and gage the distance and use that as my cushion?
I really don't want to ruin a set of $80 lights without adequite ressearch.

IDEAS?
SUGGESTIONS?

 

[Jimmy BufFETT]

Hmmm. I can say a couple things here. First, that sounds like a cool idea, but you may need some pretty strong magnets.

I was more into classical physics (mechanics) rather than electricity and megnetism. But I can tell you the magnetic field intensity is proportional to the inverse of (distance)^2. Just keep that in mind if you're gonna be scaling distances.

Just make sure your careful when your put the armor away. If you fold your vest or take the armor off, make sure you dont store it such that a magnet is right over the chip.

Something else that just dawned on me ... OVER TIME, the magnetic fields could have an effect on the chip. But again, I'm no electrician, so that's the best help I can give ya.

 

[Prymer13]

Thanks for the input JB. I can tell you these things are STRONG! I mean, you have to slide them apart and grab the trailing magnet just to get them apart. I can put one in the palm of my hand and the other on the backside of my hand and they both stay putso having less than a 3/16" of fabric with batting will not be a problem at all.

I'll have to check into that formula, thanks!

 

[electric jay]

JB is right...a rare earth magnet will erase that chip, but only if you put one right up against it.
It will also change the color and intensity of the lights...like if you put a speaker on top of a color TV...all the colors sort of "bleed" towards the magnet.
It's not that big a worry, as rare earth magnets tend to have the stringest poles in only two directions (like "front" and "back"), having the lights off to the side of a magnet by about an inch and a half should be alright.
Should be.

 

[Prymer13]

Thanks Jay. I have about 6 magnets that are about 1/2 the size of the larger ones. I think if I use those around the chest lights and keep them atleast 2 plus inches away, I should be ok. The larger ones are about 1/2" diameter and the smaller about 1/4"...possibly 3/16"

I'll be sure to post my the details of my crowning achievement...or my serious folly.

 

[sithlord23]

Keep us posted, and show pics if it works out. I've always been interested in this method.8)

 

[Laan]

Yes! Keep us posted!

 

[Mandaflorian]

Yes, me too.

We want pics, we want pics, we want pics...

 

[Prymer13]

Well, the armor is not finish-painted, but here is the ROUGH layout. I'll have to sew the visible holes closed, but most will be covered with the chest diamond and the collar.

I used smaller earth magnets around the chest lights. Just have to find a 9 volt batterie to test it out

 

[Laan]

Looking good. Now hurry up and get that armor painted!

 

[evan4218]

Is that the new FP armor?

 

[Prymer13]

Is that the new FP armor?

I wish! Thanks for the compliment bro!

This is my scratch-made sintra armor.

 

[Gator Fett]

Is that the new FP armor?

I wish!

This is my scratch-made sintra armor.

I would take that as a huge compliment. If your scratch-made sintra is being mistaken for FP armor, then you have some serious skillz. Nice job.

With regard to the magnet method, I would try on the vest before you go any further and move around to see if the armor pops off. I use the rare earth magnets on my collar and back plate to hold them in postion on my vest, and when I move around the corners of the collar have a tendancy to pull apart. I would not want to loose a chest plate right when you are posing for a photo.

Gator

 

[Prymer13]

Believe me, Gator I took it just as you would a huge compliment.
Thanks all for the kind words.

Gator I have tried it on and in reality it exactly where it needs to be. The collar sits well and the backplate mates to that perfectly. However, I want to get the ab armor and the chest pieces to fit together a little closer. I believe I'll use some heavy duty snaps on my back armor.

So far the magnets seem to work well, but what you brought up was a good point. I may forgo this method for the tried and true Heavy Duty velcro.