Using Magnets for Guitar Repair Projects

Luthiers Mercantile International has created a nice video (below) demonstrating how handy magnets can be for doing repair work. Not surprisingly they also sell a Guitar Repair Magnet Kit. As featured in the video, repair guru Dan Erlewine demonstrates that magnets are tools and have lots of uses.

For example, magnets can be attached to (or inlaid in) clamping cauls for easy alignment with steel clamp jaws. This can be a great help when aligning patches for repairing cracks, or when re-gluing a bridge. An exterior magnet can be used to move a second magnet inside a guitar where your arm can't reach - wrap the inner one in a damp cloth to clean glue squeeze-out, or attach self-adhesive sandpaper to remove dried glue.

The magnet kit contains two 1/2" (12.70mm) and two 1" (25.40mm) round nickel-plated magnets. Each is 1/8" (3.18mm) thick, with a center mounting hole that's countersunk on both sides for handy attachment to clamping cauls. Also included are two Magnet Handles that make picking up, positioning and separating these powerful magnets a whole lot easier. They're made of knurled brass, 1-3/16" long, with attachment screw. Each handle holds one or two magnets, as needed.

When using magnets, please keep these warnings in mind!

Warning: These are seriously strong magnets, made of rare earth neodymium boride. The Guinness Book of Records lists this as the world's most magnetic substance, ten times stronger than the ceramic magnets used in modern loudspeakers.

These magnets can degauss, magnetize or repolarize any ferrous or magnetic material, including guitar pickups! Keep them away from magnetic storage media such as computer discs, audio and videotapes, as well as pacemakers, computers, CRTs, TVs and watches.

KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN.

If magnets are swallowed, they can attach to each other and cause internal injury.