Cow magnets ??

Google "cow magnet" and you'll find a ton of 'em...

Ain't the web grand?

Bill

I did hear of "RC plane magnets" - which can be alternatively described as "trees, bordering an RC arfield"...

Actually I have heard of these but that was some time ago. They are to attract bits of metal that the cows get hold of along with whatever they are grazing on then are passed out with the manure. I am guessing they are only used once. Yech.

We used to play with those as kids, on my uncles dairy farm. they were about the size described below, maybe a bit longer, (think AA battery) they were the most powerful magnets I can think of, much better than a speaker magnet or ...

Dave

Sure. They're exactly what you said. A magnet coated in ceramic or something that the cow swallows. It sits in one of the stomachs and collects the bits of metal that the cow swallows. They're pretty large compared to cowl magnets. The ones I've seen were about 1-1.5 cm in diameter and maybe 2 cm long.

You want strong magnets, take apart an old hard drive. There are magnets in them that can be broken into smaller pieces and they are STRONG. I use them in one piece about 2 cm X 3 cm epoxied to the wall to hang small tools on.

-- Red Scholefield

They have been around for at least fifty years. And they do not pass thru the cow. They stay in the rumen, the stomach that does the fermentation. As do any nails or screws or hunks of wire a cow swallows. Absent the magnets any sharp metal such as nails can puncture the cows rumen resulting in death due to enteritis. It can still happen even if you use the magnets on the critter. But at least some folks are convinced the magnets cut the risk. Probably about as valuble to a cow as the pills in the health food store are to you IMO.

If you give a cow too many at a time they will always point North.

Point North! LOLROTF!

I showed this post to my doll collector wife and she said they use a strong rare earth magnet to hold a pacifier in the doll's mouth. It's about the size of an aspirin tablet. Take a look at this doll reborner's site:

She's got a doll that has one of these pacifiers, and it does take a surprising amount of force to pull it off! In fact, they warn users to keep it away from electronic equipment, especially pacemakers. She says she also has seen these magnets sold on e-Bay under "dolls and bears" under the subcategory "reborn dolls".

Morris

I've heard of them too even though I'm a city kid;) Didn't know the

stayed with the cow however.

One can get cowl magnets at Radio Shack, I wish they were cheape though.

-- sfsjki

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| If you give a cow too many at a time they will always point North.

Clever.

However, I'm guessing that you don't want to give a cow more than one. As long as it stays in the stomach there's probably not too much risk, but if it ever does get passed, it could be deadly.

Certainly, if your child eats one small magnet, he's probably fine. But two or more can kill --

(and as the parent of two children, age 2 and 4, let me say that I'm glad they're mostly past the stage where everything goes in the mouth. (Mostly -- not completely.))

Ob R/C related :

I'll have to find a few cow magnets. They sound ideal for picking up screws and such on the workroom floor, and would have a nicer form factor than the magnets I've pulled out of hard drives.

(I've got a plane that's using one of those hard drive magnets as balancing ballast, stuck right to the frame on a SPAD. I guess I should go ahead and tape it down and make it right, but it's fine as is too. :)

Another place where you may find them cheap is on those fancy flasing LED buttons. I have seen them at the dollar store. You normally get 2 magnets with each button.

-Rob-

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We got one of those for the grand kid. It is suprising how strong that little magnet is.

Yup

JS

Cow magnets are about 2" long and 3/8-1/2" in diameter. Dunno what appliccation they'd have in our hobby. The super magnets you are probably thinking of are rare earth magnets. Radio shack has them, but a bit pricey.

There was a time in the 70's or 80's when there were claims that strapping a couple of cow magnets to your fuel line would increase fuel efficency. One of the more remarkable scams of the time.

John

...these work well, if you want to stick a cow to your refrigerator door.

Now THERE'S an innovative idea!!! Never run outta milk again..........

Bill

Yeah, but you have to bring in all of that messy hay, muck the kitchen floor, etc. Ever use bag balm before? You will. 8^>

Ed Cregger