True…and I was being so careful to hold them close to my body and ease them together. Only grabbed my T-Shirt twice
1 Like
Do watch for flying shrapnel if they get away from you. (Not joking at all.)
I bought those, I think at your recommendation. Why do you say with extreme care? Do they flashback the laser?
I also bought these because I like the long edge for jig use. But I worried about the reflectivity. Powerful Neodymium Bar Magnets, Rare-Earth Metal Neodymium Magnet, N45, Incredibly Strong 33+ LB Strength - 60 x 10 x 5 mm, Pack of 10 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072K5SLXK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_9d4N8xU2mgO8c
1 Like
For the same reasons others have alluded to. They will snap together violently from a considerable distance, which can result in pain, injury, and/or the magnets breaking into pieces. Strong magnets have a way of jumping out of your hand when you least expect it, especially if you’re handling more than one at a time.
I have never had occasion to find out. I make sure they’re well outside the 1/4" zone of uncertainty from any laser activities.
3 Likes
I use the 1.5" diameter disc magnets too, and I will say it again - beware ‘magnet slapping’. They can pinch with enough force to make you bleed. Like @chris1 said, heads up if you handle more than one at a time!
I will generally place the material with the camber down and pinch the edges of the material down by hanging just the edge of the magnet over onto the material.
That is why I have my theory of lots of little magnets. Individually they are moderately strong but get stronger when stacked, so they should be easier to handle. That’t the theory. I will see how they behave when I get a fist full of 1/2" x 1/2" x 1/16" squares in a couple of days.
1 Like
Ah ok. I have a couple boxes of those Bucky Balls which became a big safety scare, so I have great respect for these kinds of magnets.
I have a small stack (4) of those as well (only 1 stack, because I can actually get them apart). What I do is actually just attach them at the sides to one another so they are very easy to get apart when I need them. The tags work great on them to pull them up because they hold well, but not OMG well. You can also slide them across your material and through the passthrough slot very easily (if it doesn’t damage your material).
I find having the discs and the bars works great depending upon the size of material and the space for the magnet to fit in without interfering into the design.
1 Like
Does any one else hope they find another way to avoid this other than have us give up precious material area for magnets? Has anyone heard whispers? The VersaLaser I used to use, the air assist acted as a vacuum and sticks the paper TO the crumb tray and this one does the opposite… It’s taking some adjusting to get used to for sure. 
For light stuff I plan on getting the Seklema Mat. I have heard good things around the forum about it. I just haven’t pulled the trigger yet. One design I am working on cuts a bunch of 1/2" holes out of paper. When I did a test run the cut out hole parts started flying around inside the GF. Magnets won’t help that situation, but a sticky mat might.
3 Likes
You can make your own for about $10.
Sheet of scrap ply, sprayed with 2 coats of Krylon Repositionable Adhesive #7020.
Refresh the spray as needed to replenish the sticky. 
7 Likes
I was wondering! I make my own carrier sheets for the cutter so it’s the same. I wonder if Tack It Over and Over would work with the laser… I will have to check the ingredients.
It should…a lot of folks used that on digital cutting mats who didn’t want to mess with spray adhesives. 
When I hit one of the (with the beam), absolutely nothing visible happened (outside of preventing the job to finish as designed). Did not see any issues with the GF 
, but proper layout needed to prevent future issues.
1 Like
So two materials I’ve read about that are reflective to an IR laser’s wavelength are copper and chrome. As the magnets I was going to buy were very shiny I checked the coating - not chrome. So if you do accidentally place them under a laser operation you’ll probably be okay.
A few years ago I was playing around with some fragments of a broken HD magnet. I was watching it jump around on the back side of my hand with the field passing through my palm.
Then one flip and it rolled to the side. Both fragments snapped together with the skin between my thumb and forefinger between them. I had to go find somebody to remove then while I was turning bright red and holding my breath from the pain.
Good times
Not!
3 Likes
The reason that Bucky Balls were banned is that kids and pets would swallow some and the balls would find their way through guts to get to each other. Rather horrific.
2 Likes
So you are saying I shouldn’t be feeding them to the pigeons?
Unfortunately I’ve never been able to find the video from this PSA: