Ferro-magnetic Liquid

T

tymeonadime

Junior Member
Well, I know this topic is a bit off center for this forum, but......
Everyone knows what ferro fluid is. Have you ever made your own, or bought commercial grade ferro fluid ? I ask because, as a pack rat ,I had a ton of old ferrite rods and broken chunks of ferrite frames. After seeing many how-tos online on how to make the stuff from everything from old VHS tapes to certain printer toners....I tarted to wonder if I could make some efrom these junk ferrite chunks...
Well, I took it upon myself to find. ause for the pieces of ferrite I had laying around. I powdered several chunks with a hammer on a cast iron wood stove. I wrapped a Neo mag in plastic and gathhered my ferrite powder, dumped it into a small plastic bowl and added DOT 3 brake fluid till I had sludge. Then, placed the Neo mag onte bottom of the bowl an dpoured the excess fluid out.
I now have some ereally cool ferro fluid. Now....if I could just find a use for it....I was thinking of making a display with it in a jar of water with several small electro magnets glued to various places on the exterior of the jar. The coils would be hooked to my 1800 watt home stereo. Each mag would have its own. Frequency. Effectively turning my little jar into an equalizer read out...idk
Well,there it is. So, has anyone ever worked/played with this stuff? If so, did u make your own, or buy commercial.
 
Well, my ferro fluid started to clump, SSO I am trying to source a tiny amp nt of oleic acid as a surfacant.
I have also began trying to make a ebter quality batch, this time tyrnig my ferrite chunks not into coarse sand but more of a flour textured powder . I am also going to use kerosene, diesel, and a few other carrier liquids to try to zero in on the best recipe.
I estimate to be able to make at least a liter of finished decent quality ferro fluid. I have been trying to find a audio visual combination to build forghe sole purpose of displaying this stuff. Have some decent ideas, but keep slamming face first into brick walls.
It seems like I am the only one here to be experimenting with ferro fluid. I as hoping to find that at least a couole of you all have as well....could really use the feed back.
 

tymeonadime said:
Well, I know this topic is a bit off center for this forum, but......
Everyone knows what ferro fluid is. Have you ever made your own, or bought commercial grade ferro fluid ? I ask because, as a pack rat ,I had a ton of old ferrite rods and broken chunks of ferrite frames. After seeing many how-tos online on how to make the stuff from everything from old VHS tapes to certain printer toners....I tarted to wonder if I could make some efrom these junk ferrite chunks...
Well, I took it upon myself to find. ause for the pieces of ferrite I had laying around. I powdered several chunks with a hammer on a cast iron wood stove. I wrapped a Neo mag in plastic and gathhered my ferrite powder, dumped it into a small plastic bowl and added DOT 3 brake fluid till I had sludge. Then, placed the Neo mag onte bottom of the bowl an dpoured the excess fluid out.
I now have some ereally cool ferro fluid. Now....if I could just find a use for it....I was thinking of making a display with it in a jar of water with several small electro magnets glued to various places on the exterior of the jar. The coils would be hooked to my 1800 watt home stereo. Each mag would have its own. Frequency. Effectively turning my little jar into an equalizer read out...idk
Well,there it is. So, has anyone ever worked/played with this stuff? If so, did u make your own, or buy commercial.
Click to expand...
the ferro-fluid being black and magnetic the best part is that the black magnetic fero-fluid is the same colour as the black magnetic powder found inside of 6 volts nickel metal hydride batteries when i found that out i wondered if that same black magnetic powder could be mixed with some oil like stuff to make the same magnetic stuff like fero-fluid
 

That's a good question. I haven't been inside of one ithise batteries....
I have honestly enjoyed playing with this stuff. It's pretty awesome to watch the spikes grow as the magnet gets closer to the container. It reminds me of something from a sci fi movie.
 
The oleic acid is almost a necessity. Without it the powdered ferrite clumps after a while ruining the effect of the fluid. A quick stir and things are back to normal.
I am also trying to find an alternative to the OA simply to see if I can find a way to make this stuff ff accessible to any one with a tad of patience and some old electronics.
 
@steven chiverton Yes Steve Try Wire Glue, its a conductive glue, and mix the black magnetic powder into it. (y).
You might even find a recipe to make it for yourself, but remember that the Wire Glue you buy can withstand high temperatures and could also be useful for that mother of an electromagnet that you made :D..
The Wire Glue that you buy has some liquid in it, although i dont know what it is, it would save you from buying oil like stuff cobber (y)..
b70c_wire_glue_conductive_glue_combo.webp
 
After an unexplainable, and unrepeatable(as of yet..) I shap what the the fluid, I have decided to step back and take a different approach.
I want to fill a small plexiglass cube with some powdered ferrite and use it in the same way was planning with the fluid.
I want to tell about the mishap with the fluid but am terribly afraid I will be ridiculed.
 

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