Can somebody help me?

[rocksolid]

I am interested in making a Ferrofluid Magnetoscope. I know where to buy the Ferrofluid from but I don't know where to buy or make the platform that is used to hold the magnet that allows you to move the magnet up and down. I am making this for my son who is 8 yrs old. It does not need to be large or fancy but functional. ALso does anybody know if Ferrofluid comes in any other colors other then black and where I can buy it from? Thanks.

[Tres Juicy]

you can make ferrofluid from washing up liquid and oil

 

http://www.popsci.com/diy/article/2009-09/making-ferrofluids-work-you

 

I'll see if I can find a better link

 

 

As for the colour, I think black is the only option

[rocksolid]

Thanks for responding. I am not interested in making ferrofluid, I want to make a magnetoscope. Here is a link to one. http://www.funexhibits.com/magnetoscope.html

 

I just don't know where or how to make the part that holds the magnet and crank it up or down toward the ferro fluid.

 

 

you can make ferrofluid from washing up liquid and oil

 

http://www.popsci.co...fluids-work-you

 

I'll see if I can find a better link

 

 

As for the colour, I think black is the only option

[Tres Juicy]

Sufficiently strong magnets can just be held in place by their own field as long as you are using metal

 

How big is it going to be?

 

How much movement do you want?

[rocksolid]

It does not have to be as big as the one in the website link. It seems like the magnets are held by something that allows them to go up and down. I don't know what to use to hold the magnets in place. Here is another example http://vimeo.com/11606571

[Axioms]

From what I can see from that video is that he has an electromagnet over a tray of ferrofluid.

 

I would make it like this:

 

Place a tray of ferrofluid under an electromagnet. You can attach the electromagnet to a pully system, or any system that you can think of that will enable the electromagnet to move up and down, and it should work. You can even make the pully system out of wood and string. It doesn't need to be as elaborate as the video?

 

It does not have to be as big as the one in the website link. It seems like the magnets are held by something that allows them to go up and down. I don't know what to use to hold the magnets in place. Here is another example http://vimeo.com/11606571

 

If you use wood you could nail it into the wood? It does need to be an electromagnet though or you will struggle to get the liquid off the magnet. You could actually just hold the magnet over the liquid and it should do the same thing. Try to magnitise a smooth surface as well. You could get fancy and use a perm magnet that is brought into contact with a smooth highly magnetic metal which then can move down towards the tray of liquid. You then take the magnet off when you want the liquid to fall back down.

 

I'm sure you will come right with a bit of ingenuity. Making the electronic moving parts would be much more tricky.

 

 

 

[michel123456]

What comes into mind is to use a book binding press.

If your grandfather did not let one of such in your heritage, you may find it in antique shops. maybe there are modern models in hobby shops, I don't know.

 

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Maybe using a car jack ? and some patent of your own.

 

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If you go to a good tool store, you may find a drill stand like the one on this link (no add intended)- not too expensive.

Edited January 21, 2012 by michel123456

[Iggy]

I am interested in making a Ferrofluid Magnetoscope. I know where to buy the Ferrofluid from but I don't know where to buy or make the platform that is used to hold the magnet that allows you to move the magnet up and down. I am making this for my son who is 8 yrs old. It does not need to be large or fancy but functional. ALso does anybody know if Ferrofluid comes in any other colors other then black and where I can buy it from? Thanks.

To hold the oil I would think a glass jar would be easiest and cheapest. Something like a flour jar maybe:

 

 

You'd definitely want something airtight so the oil doesn't leak out when it gets pulled up to the top.

 

 

To hold the magnet I'd use a rotary drill press since they are cheap and it would be easy to hold a magnet instead of a dremel...

 

 

$51.99

 

 

$81.99

 

It would mostly be a matter, I think, of having the size or strength of the magnet work with the size of the jar (or sealed up aquarium or fish bowl or whatever you end up using) and the size of the drill press stand.

[michel123456]

You'd definitely want something airtight so the oil doesn't leak out when it gets pulled up to the top.

 

If it is required to be airtight, that's a problem: how would you manage to produce the movement? You'd need a more complex mechanism.

[Iggy]

If it is required to be airtight, that's a problem: how would you manage to produce the movement? You'd need a more complex mechanism.

Not sure how you mean. The jar would stay still and the magnet/s would move outside the jar (closer to and further from it). The magnets never touch the oil -- they're outside the jar -- and the volume of the container holding the fluid never changes.

 

EDIT:

 

Imagine filling this jar half full of ferrofluid oil:

 

 

If you then held a strong magnet against the top of the jar it would pull a column and a good deal of the oil up to the top of the jar. If you then held another magnet against the bottom of the jar it would pull some of the oil back down and it would make a pretty pattern with multiple columns. Then you could move the two magnets (or you could just move one of them if it isn't a very elaborate setup) further from and closer to the top and bottom of the jar. You'd get a lot of cool changing patterns as the oil is more or less attracted to the bottom or top of the jar.

 

Something larger like an aquarium could, I think, be cooler -- more like the video, but not as easy to set up. You'd have to seal a piece of glass over the top of the aquarium that could take a bit of force pushing up on it. The magnets would always be outside the sealed aquarium space though.

 

Is that not the way you'd understand to do it?

Edited January 22, 2012 by Iggy

[michel123456]

Not sure how you mean. The jar would stay still and the magnet/s would move outside the jar (closer to and further from it). The magnets never touch the oil -- they're outside the jar -- and the volume of the container holding the fluid never changes.

 

EDIT:

 

Imagine filling this jar half full of ferrofluid oil:

 

 

If you then held a strong magnet against the top of the jar it would pull a column and a good deal of the oil up to the top of the jar. If you then held another magnet against the bottom of the jar it would pull some of the oil back down and it would make a pretty pattern with multiple columns. Then you could move the two magnets (or you could just move one of them if it isn't a very elaborate setup) further from and closer to the top and bottom of the jar. You'd get a lot of cool changing patterns as the oil is more or less attracted to the bottom or top of the jar.

 

Something larger like an aquarium could, I think, be cooler -- more like the video, but not as easy to set up. You'd have to seal a piece of glass over the top of the aquarium that could take a bit of force pushing up on it. The magnets would always be outside the sealed aquarium space though.

 

Is that not the way you'd understand to do it?

No, I was stupid.

I thought you intended to put the whole mechanism inside the jar...(as in the pictures in the links)

Now I understand your proposal.

It should work.

And if he puts the jar upside down he may get a clearer picture of what will happen or use any other kind of recipient with opaque cover.

[Iggy]

No, I was stupid.

I thought you intended to put the whole mechanism inside the jar...(as in the pictures in the links)

Now I understand your proposal.

It should work.

And if he puts the jar upside down he may get a clearer picture of what will happen or use any other kind of recipient with opaque cover.

Ok, I see what you were thinking, like in this link, http://www.funexhibits.com/magnetoscope.html how everything is inside the plastic bubble. I had missed that link. It definitely looks cool with a big tray of fluid like that.

 

Perhaps another solution would be to use electromagnets and vary the current rather than moving the magnets. Nothing would have to move