Introduction: Magnetic Kitchen Timer

About: An experimental physicist and a chemist/psychologist who like to make things themselves. Enough said.

This is a easy modification to a common kitchen timer. We had wanted our timer to sit on our range hood away from the heat and splatter of the stove and in a more visible place.

As an added bonus, the timer is also significantly louder than before.

Step 1: Supplies

You will need:

Packing tape (or duct tape)

Neodymium magnets x2

Kitchen timer with a place you can stick the magnets

Step 2: Clean the Timer

Clean off the inside surface of the timer so it is free from grease, dust, manufacturing leftovers, etc. The goal is to make sure the adhesive can stick.

Step 3: Stick a Magnet

Cut out a piece of packing tape to be roughly square. Place a neodymium magnet in the center of the tape.

You might think it would be easier to place the magnet and tape it down: in reality we found that the magnet will immediately stick to the timer bell if released. Thus we tape first.

Step 4: Stick It On

Stick the magnet onto the timer as far into the corner as possible. Press the tape around the magnet to make sure it's securely fastened.

You could use epoxy to hold the magnet down if you want, but the tape has worked well for us.

Step 5: And Again...

Stick another magnet on the other side of the timer. If you're picky, you can make sure the polarity of the magnets are opposite of each other.

Step 6: Cook (and Beware of Little Green Men)

Place the timer on your range hood or other magnetic surface. You're ready to cook!

Our timer now sits on our range hood along with a little green man. The timer doesn't slide down even with the fan on high. We can see the timer more easily as well.

We've been using this method for about two years now, and it works very well. The timer is very loud now and we can hear it all the way across the house.