"Litko Magnetic Base Problem" Topic

Note: This is by no means a complaint against Litko Aerosystems as I am a HUGE fan of their products and have had no complaints regarding their products or services in the many years I have used them. And used them extensively I have. I do plan on e-mailing them directly regarding this issue, but I wanted to see if anyone else had encountered it first.

I purchased two hundred 1" hexagonal magnetic base bottoms a couple of years ago for a project. How long I cannot say, but I know it was in 2007 or earlier. The project never got off the ground and recently I started a new project where they would work splendidly.

I had about 30 out loose and the other 70 or so were still in the bag. I had another unopened bag of 100 as well.

So today I begin sticking them on there, first the loose ones (which were stacked up, but out of the bag) and then the ones from the opened bag.

When I went to place them on my metal trays the ones that had been stored out of the bag worked perfectly, the ones in the bag lost their "stick" so to speak. I tried the rest in the bag and all had lost their stick. I opened the previously unopened bag and they had lost their stick as well!

Is there an expiration date on these things? Have any of you experienced this? Is there a way to fix it or do I chuck them?

Oddly enough I have a 1/6000 Bismark and Prinz Eugen painted, based on a Litko wooden base, and with a megnetic base below that has been hanging from the front face of my workbench shelf for about 3+ years and they are still going strong.

Any help/advice is appreciated in advance!

Thanks,

Pat

Could they have been mislabeled. Maybe they are the Flexsteel and not the magnetic version. You might see if they stick to a magnet. I like to use the flexsteel, but can see how they could easily be confused with the magenetic bottoms.

Just a thought,

Jeff

Expiration is 12/31/08…..

Looks like you just missed it.

On a more serious note, just ring up/e-mail Litko. I'm sure they will be willing to advise you.

Sounds like it could be the Flex-steel material instead.

I've used magnetic plastic tape on the bottom of figures for many years (seriously, since 1979 or thereabouts). I have always heard that the magnetic strength can decay over time, though I've never observed that myself.

I'm not familiar with Litko's products specifically, but have heard many good things about the company. Giving them a call is probably a good idea.

I just checked a box that I have with a few hundred Litko magnetic stick ons that are still packaged.

They are two – three years old.

The few that i sampled are fine.

Unlikely to be a mislabel as from 1 bag, those taken out worked and those left in didn't.

Were those taken out kept in a different place? Might have been subject to a magnetic field.

I've also heard that sheet magnets kept stacked and not properly aligned will cause a slow degradation.

As BooneC said, it appears that leaving magnets together with their polarities misaligned could cause them over time to lose power (attraction). I did a little looking and found a lot of very advanced physics data on the process, but the short snipit listed below gets to the point. Could be that if all the magnets would have been placed together end to end with their polarity in the same direcetion they would be fine, but if some were going different ways, it could be a problem.

link

Jeff

Unfortunately, JRACEL is correct about the misalignment of magnetic polarities. It sounds like the magnets in the bag have been jumbled together and their magnetism has been degraded over time.

It is possible to make them magnetic again, although you will probably need a specialist kit or an experienced electrician so you don't hurt yourself.

Most magnets are made industrially by a process similar to wrapping them in a copper coil and passing electricity through them. This aligns the domains within the metal and increases the strength of the magnetic field.

It may be better to cut your losses and order replacements from Litko. In the meantime you could use a stronger magnet to realign the domains. The bigger the magnet used the better the result.

If you get all the magnetic bases correctly aligned an electromagnet might help.

Either way I am sorry to hear about your predicament and I hope you can solve it.

Oliver

@ BooneC : The ones out of the bag were left stacked on the workbench, the bagged ones were on a hook, hanging from the workbench.

@ JRacel : A friend asked that as well. I tested them with a rare earth magnet and they stuck to it. So then I tried a magnetic base that worked and it also was attracted to the rare earth magnet. So I am not sure that was the best test.

I am not sure how you would know whether the polarities were aligned or not. With these base bottoms the magnetic draw is not incredibly strong and with the odd shapes you can purchase it isn't as easy as it sounds. Like I said, I have round magnets that were left bagged for at least three years and they work fine.

I have e-mailed Litko, I am sure they will take good care of me since they are such a great company. We will see what happens.