Magnet Sweeper Idea

I went on a walk with the girlfriend the other night in a residential neighborhood and with my keen eye for scrap metal I noticed nails, screws, car parts, pins, and shards of steel in the gutter and street edges. I'm sure the amount I noticed wasn't more than normal but it is certainly there.

The little ol' light bulb came on and I wanted to benefit from it in some way. I thought about making my own magnet that I just drug along to pick up the scrap ferrous pieces but I stumbled across what roofers and warehouses commonly use to pick up steel. Magnetic sweepers of all sizes are made that just roll along.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6212is-Pr3U

Maybe I am slow to this activity and many of you already do it or maybe I am dumber than a box of rocks to think that it would be beneficial at all to walk the streets with a 4 foot device rolling next to me. I know that it's not going to make a person rich or even make a noticeable amount but if one were to make $2-4 on a one mile walk then why not do it? Some questions I had though were these; would it take too long to make enough money to justify paying for one? Is there another device out there that would be more beneficial? Does anyone else do this that cares to share?

You know they make magnets that you can wheel around to clean driveways and such at industrial places and scrap yards right. I know i used one when i was maybe eight I am pretty sure it had a handle that you just flipped a switch on magnet on magnet off and was four feet wide. I remember my dad got a flat the day after I swept and I got b#tched at about not doing it right.

Is it beneficial? Sure! When I walk my neighborhood, I never pass a penny and certainly nothing silver! I also can't stop myself from picking up washers... I don't know what it is about washers, but I MUST HAVE THEM ALL!! I also pick up nails, bolts and screws. I find wheel weights and all manner of odds and ends. Besides, every nail and screw I pick up is one less that will end up in my tire or the tire of my neighbor.

I found an old boom bass speaker on the side the road, and grabbed it for the magnet. It's over 5 inches diameter, and attached the part that held it to the speaker to a piece of 1 1/4" wooden closet rod, the right length to comfortable hold just above the ground. It's a strong magnet, and works well to sweep an area for light metal objects. It also picks up lots of metal dust too tho, but i guess any magnet would.

you would want an electromagnet on a rotating oval.

When the magnet is on the street side it's on and picks stuff up. it rotates into a truck that has a box, when over the box it turns off dropping all metal objects in.

Would need a bunch on the oval to function properly but i bet you could make a killing. too bad lead isnt magnetic. the weights come off tires all the time.

Jack the scrappers idea, a magnet on a stick works good. I made one my self.

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Originally Posted by Bear

It also picks up lots of metal dust too tho, but i guess any magnet would.

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Wrap a plastic bag round the magnet first.

harbor freight magnetic sweeper $10 for a small one $35 for a big one

Could you take an old push broom without the bristles and add a line of those hard drive magnets that no one knows what to do with. Just mount a couple of small wheels to the side and you have you own do-it-yourself magnet.

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Originally Posted by wayne

Wrap a plastic bag round the magnet first.

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I've also thought of using a flat piece of tin with a handle of sorts, like a flat metal dustpan thing, only thin and small, that could easily be popped off to release the picked up stuff, but I haven't tried that as yet

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Originally Posted by Mechanic688

Could you take an old push broom without the bristles and add a line of those hard drive magnets that no one knows what to do with. Just mount a couple of small wheels to the side and you have you own do-it-yourself magnet.

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I like that idea! Although I think after I acquired all the materials the $35 magnet at Harbor is cheaper. Too bad I don't have that stuff laying around

This place has quite an assortment, http://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...6864_200426864
Also Ebay; http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-18-Rolli...f3c6ac&vxp=mtr

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Originally Posted by cobre collector

I know that it's not going to make a person rich or even make a noticeable amount but if one were to make $2-4 on a one mile walk then why not do it?

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When you say $2 - $4 each time you have to realize ferrous prices are roughly .10 a lb, so you would be talking about 20 - 40 lbs of weight. In addition to your magnet sweeper (I have one of the bigger ones from Harbor Freight), you have to figure out how you are going to carry that much extra weight. When I go walking I usually wear trousers with cargo pockets, and put my scrap in those pockets, but even they will not carry that much weight. And even if they did, I would really need an industrial strength belt to keep them from going down to my ankles!!

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Originally Posted by wayne1956

When you say $2 - $4 each time you have to realize ferrous prices are roughly .10 a lb, so you would be talking about 20 - 40 lbs of weight. In addition to your magnet sweeper (I have one of the bigger ones from Harbor Freight), you have to figure out how you are going to carry that much extra weight. When I go walking I usually wear trousers with cargo pockets, and put my scrap in those pockets, but even they will not carry that much weight. And even if they did, I would really need an industrial strength belt to keep them from going down to my ankles!!

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Yeah I realize now that $2-4 in ferrous was a bit of an over estimation. I did buy a 22" sweeper from Harbor Freight and tried it out this afternoon in my apartment parking lot and the neighborhood a little bit. It was the non-ferrous stuff that I made my money on as the magnet only picked up about 6lbs of steel being only .60 or so and I felt 6lbs was a good night. Between the strips of copper wire that I picked up, cans, brass key, lead wheel weights, random aluminum, pennies, and the steel I mentioned I made about $1.84 in 90 minutes. Yes it was fun and I got some exercise but I'm sure I could have made more hitting the dumpsters.