How can I go about magnetizing something? Specifically, a whole bunch of BB's. I want to try this so that I could make a cheaper version of the Bucky Balls product. Even if I can't replicate Bucky Balls, it'll still be an interesting project.
[Physics] How to magnetize an object
electromagnetismhome-experiment
Best Answer
To permanently magnetize them, you need to start with bb's that are made of a ferromagnetic material, e.g., iron (or some kinds of steel), nickel or cobalt. This is the challenging part. When I was a kid they made bb's out of copper. Nowadays they probably make them out of some other less expensive but equally non-ferromagnetic material.
Assuming you can find a ferromagnetic bb, the next step is to subject it to a very strong magnetic field, which you could do with a homemade electromagnet.
You can slightly magnetize the right object simply by subjecting it to high shock, for example, by striking it with a hammer; but a blow strong enough to be of magnetic benefit might squash your bb.
EDIT: Was doing a little research to answer a comment, and discovered that those "copper" BBs I shot as a kid were actually copper-coated steel BBs. So, your magnetic BBs may be much easier to come by than I thought.