Adhesives, Glue and Magnets
Magnets are essential for many projects—whether it be home improvement or a component of a product you are selling. In some cases it is necessary to glue them. Below are some tips that may ensure your success the first time around.
Application Tips:
- Make sure to read the instructions of the adhesive you’re using.
- Clean the surfaces you’re going to apply the adhesive to. Residue, grease, or dirt can create an unnecessary barrier that doesn’t allow the glue to take hold as intended.
- Isopropyl alcohol or similar will do the trick.
- Many epoxies and adhesives suggest roughening the smooth surface you intend to glue, as that makes the adhesive bond better.
- To roughen the magnet surface, you can either use 10-50 grit sandpaper or scratch it with a nail. Make sure to clean the dust off afterwards.
- Gluing magnets to plastic is trickier due to the difficulty of getting a good adhesive bond to the plastic. Some plastics hold adhesives better than others. Contact the adhesive customer support for questions/advice about plastic and their glue.
- Loctite Plastic Bonder Epoxy has been shown to have successful outcomes, working well with many plastics such as ABS, PVC, Acrylic, Nylon, Polycarbonate, and Mylar.
- Keep the newly glued magnets separate from other magnetic surfaces that might pull it away from the drying bond. In addition, you can place steel on the other side of the glued surface to help hold the magnet in place while drying. We recommend a cure time of at least 24 hours.
Which Glue Should I Choose?
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Recommended:
- Two-Part Epoxy (majority of the time, epoxy works best)
- Double/Bubble Orange Epoxy Adhesive
- E6000 Adhesive
- Acrylic Adhesive
- Super Glue/Cyanoacrylate
- Gorilla Glue/Urethane Adhesives
- Liquid Nails
- Silicone Adhesives
- Mod Podge
- Dot Not Use:
- Hot glue guns. High temperatures can demagnetize magnets, rendering the magnet unusable.