Demagnetizers

[Ed Weldon]

Marv - These are great new ideas for a DIY demagnetizer. I like the idea of dedicating an old soldering gun to the task. These things frequently show up cheap at garage sales and flea markets. Leave it plugged in and hanging in it's own "holster" ready to grab and "shoot".
There's still the old method of using a stator winding from a shaded pole fan motor. These devices are designed to be impedance protected with a rotor in place and not turning. But that protection works well enough with the rotor removed to be convenient to use for a demagnetizer. Simply disassembled from a table fan the wiring is exposed and the connection is fragile. So if I were starting a project I'd build a simple protective housing for it with a momentary on-off switch and pilot light and attach it permanently or with a screw clamp to a work bench in some out of the way corner like hanging from the end of a shelf where I could push the button with my left hand and withdraw the tool with my right.