Well I have seen the flat round things used as flywheels on hot air engines, also strung together as decorative light reflectiing mobiles.

Neither use has appealed enough for me to try personally though.

Edited By V8Eng on 04/11/2016 18:52:27

The motors will probably need electronic controllers to make them work. I expect the electronics guys here or elsewhere may be able to help if you wanted to reuse them. Be careful taking the motor apart near your treasured machines and tools as it may contain a ferric fluid for lubrication that can leak out and contaminate surfaces, attracting fine iron based debris. Not worth messing with really.

The disks (platters) are usually aluminium coated in a ferric material layer and a lot of HDD's have ally cases, which could be melted down. It's usually all high quality material.

The magnets will most likley be rare earth, very powerful and can be reused for other things.

Ed.

Hang the discs for the chickens to amuse themselves with!

The magnets have come in handy in and out of the shop for picking stuff up. The ones I had started to decompose after a year or two. At first it looked like a chrome plate pealing off, however, a months/year after that the whole thing crumbled and disintegrated. The flat shiny disks look too useful and shiny to throw away, but I have not found a use for them yet! One day I will make a foundry and melt the scrap aluminum pile … one day.

Steve

Microscopists have made some superb 'slide-ringing tables' from them.

MichaelG.

Some guys use the tiny bearings out of hard drives when making small Stirling engines. Compact and low friction. I have a few thrown in my 'bits box', waiting for a Stirling engine to build itself around them.

Edited By Hopper on 05/11/2016 08:50:47

I've got a vague memory of seeing a photo of a dremel type diamond disc stuck onto a computer drive and then used to sharpen things.

Bill

I'v used the magnets in an alternator, and bearings in hot air engines, haven't got round to finding something for the discs to do. Old VHS video recorders are a better source of things like bearings. Defunct printers for steel rods and motors, the list goes on—–.

Ian S C

The magnets are very strong. I've attached them to Janso lights on both the drill and milling machine. The co-efficient of friction between the plating on the magnet and the painted iron of the machine is very low so, although the magnets stick very well, they are inclined to rotate so that the C of G is at the lowest point. A bit of duck tape stuck to the magnet cures that.

Rod

As I drve along the road in a vast field, I see scarecrows put up and hanging from the sleeves are silver flashing discs on a string. Possible use as a bird scarer?

Clive

And…… the magnets are great for removing splinters from fingers, or general swarf intending to become splinters and hiding in the cracks between fingers.

Just done it, and could actually little clicks as the swarf flew over to the magnet.

Bizarre but effective!

Matthew

Edited By Matthew Reed on 05/11/2016 18:28:51