Pulling apart a desktop hard drive to get rare earth magnets.

Step 8 Getting the magnet of the brace!

Due to comments here is how to get the magnet off the brace.

Sorry, No photos, forgot.

What I recommend i not taking them off the brace because most magnets will snap BUT

What to do is get a (blunt) butter knife and slide it under. Then get a pair of pliers and try to grab the top without them sticking.

Using your feet hold the brace and pull using the knife and pliers. Make sure not to snap them bucause the stuff inside is bad for you!

Comments

[or_ford98]

put dental floss under the magnet and pull whilst holding on to the unmagnetised metal with pliers of some sort... but you need three hands :'(

[ronmaggi]

Wouldn't an electro-magnet be able to push it off? I say electro-magnet because you may need to reverse the polarity. the idea is to put it behind the casing and turn on the electro-magnet, if the magnet doesn't pop off, reverse the polarity.

[kjbaran]

That would work if the magnet was attached with its own magnetism. However, it is securely stuck in place with a bonding material that ensures the magnet doesn't move during normal operations. :D

[lmlisak]

I have been lucky with an X-ACTO knife. Some magnet brackets have 2 threaded holes that are right under each pole of the magnet. Then carefully using the drives machine screws and the xacto knife, I break the bond... eventually getting a slotted screwdriver blade under it. I only broke one... and from then on, I've gotten the "Feel" of it..

[clics]

A better way to do this is to put the magnet with the casing in a vice and use a pair of pliers or vice grips to bend away the back casing. This will usually make the magnet come off the backing in one corner. You can then simply pull it off if you've got enough separation. If not, you can use a flat head screw driver to get under the magnet and gently pry it off.