A notch above magnetic poetry

Neodymium magnets (made of a combination of neodymium, iron, and boron — Nd₂Fe₁₄B) are super strong and for sale in all shapes and sizes at United Nuclear. One the size of a penny can lift over 10kgs. Needless to say irreparable damage to disks, computers, and bank cards is a given at close proximity. Buyers beware.

If you want to go bigger you can purchase their most powerful magnets ever for $75 and $100. These suckers can break arms and more:

Uses include magnetic steering of nuclear particles in homemade accelerators, levitation devices, magnetic beam amplifiers, scrap iron separators, etc...

We can only ship these magnets by ground UPS - they cannot be shipped via air as it will interfere with the aircraft's navigational equipment.

I'd like to see that UPS "What Can Brown Do For You" ad.

Comments

[Tim Worstall]

They’re rather over egging the pudding there aren’t they? NdFeB is pretty standard for iPod and Walkman headphones for example. Perhaps they should move up a step to SmCo (much much more likely to be used in a nuclear accelerator)?

Bismuth the most diamagnetic? Surely Holmium is?

OK, OK, sorry, rather geeky I know. Just that I’ve bought and sold these metals a few times.

[Anne]

Oh you have, have you? Would that be because you were building a home accelerator, magnetic beam amplifier, or etc.? Busted.

And for the record there is no over geekdom here. It's a geek embracing space.

[Tim Worstall]

No, that would be because I’m a dealer in rare earth metals. Main part of the business is scandium but have supplied neodymium to magnet makers as well as NdFeB powders. And Sm to other manufacturers, recycled PtCo magnets, SmCo as well from a Russian nuclear facility, Ga from the solar neutrino experiment, Ge from lenses and so on. We’ve supplied Lu to crystal growers for MRI machines, Y and Eu to TV phosphor manufacturers, provide most of the world’s supply of Sc2O3 for the ScI3 in metal halide bulbs.... all sorts of wonderful things you can do with the rare earths. Not necessarily at home though.