Watch What This Metalworker Does With an Old Hard Drive!

Any use for those old dead hard drives? Possibly...
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[@drbrickner]

I worked on the first digital map for military aviation. (It flew on AV8 and the F/A18) we developed an optical disk drive for the project for all the map data. Security was critical so we had to include a “distruct” mechanism. The disk substrate was hardened glass which would shatter into millions of fragments. The destruction was accomplished with a very tiny Jack hammer. Your attack on the hard drive inspired my memory.

[@WillyPete_]

I am a beekeeper, I use a hard drive magnet which i put inside my bee suit front pocket to hold my Hive Tool.

[@teebosaurusyou]

Sweet! :-D

[@Herthan]

2:33 It looks like the belt cover is going to fall off before the chuck and key do.

[@josephkrug8579]

Hard drive magnets are awesome. I have used it to make a super strong towel holder on my fridge. I also used them to add a light to my drill press. I use them in the yard to help hold up the "frost cover" cloths when we have freeze warnings for our plants by just putting metal on the trellis, holding the sheets up, then click, and works for whatever high winds we get. I have 3 or 4 large peanut butter jars full of those magnets now. Very good for all sorts of things. :)

[@copperdolphin5291]

I have taken 100's of computer hard drives apart and if you balance the hard drive disk on your finger and thump it, you can tell the Ceramic apart from the Aluminum. The aluminum disk will ring like a bell, the ceramic will have a dull sound and not ring at all.

[@DannyBeans]

I used a hard drive magnet to keep a spare key inside my old truck's bumper. Got me out of trouble more than once.

[@pyromen321]

You gotta love giving old hard drives the Clinton treatment

[@John-jc3ty]

@A true meme master the emails are part of his cannon now

[@drumboarder1]

I also use the Clinton's to hold my bits and bobs

[@PyroForge]

The separator rings between the platters on the glass hard drives are titanium. I discovered this when I tried to melt all the aluminum bits down and those rings just wouldn't melt... confirmed it on the bench grinder, they throw bright white sparks just like titanium. I think they use titanium instead of something cheaper because the thermal expansion matches glass almost exactly.

[@dalusa81]

that magnet is crazy strong, I didn't even know it was in there!

[@floridferret4585]

my dad once called me over after taking one apart and clipped the magnets to my shirt took me over a minute to pull them apart.

[@randycny]

Used them for years. They are great on our metal tool bench. no mounting required. Just stick it to the back and you can stick tools to the front.

[@Ucceah]

the reason for the impressive holding foces is, that those magnets contain two opposing dipols, backed with a yoke to close the circle. glueing two opposing flat magnets to some 3mm steel has the same effect.

[@DracoOmnia]

Slightly unconventional disk use: put them on top of candle jars to retain heat and burn all the wax (instead of melting a dumb hole down the middle and leaving waste wax). Aluminum is a fantastic conductor of heat, the hole is just large enough to allow sufficient oxygen to the flame. Don't bare hand the disk once it's been up there for awhile. Stack them for deeper candles, push one over to starve the flame.

[@bobhenry6159]

I do the same thing. The older, larger SCSI drives have great magnets. Just know where they are so you don't place any electronics near them, especially storage.

[@dubsydubs5234]

Been using those magnets for years, perfect for butt welding panels.

[@greggv8]

3.5" metal drive platters are pretty good for wind chime parts.

[@Jesses001]

Thanks for the tip. I have a pile of shot hard drives in my junk electrons room. I will have to salvage all the marts sometime, magnets included.

[@1rustytree]

What a great tip! Thanks!

[@dremwolf5419]

The platters make great signal mirrors.

[@jasonsummit1885]

I use the neodymium magnets for finding magnetic stones when rockhounding.😁👍

[@mrcaboosevg6089]

What do you do with magnetic stones? Just out of sheer curiosity

[@TomlinsTE]

@@mrcaboosevg6089 I think meteorites are magnetic and valuable.

[@BoT-cm7pw]

Magnetic force isn't forever. If you hoping for your magnet to keep a certain strength, don't leave it stuck to another magnet when not in use.

[@wayned5872]

Save the disc for a signal mirror to put in a bug out bag, I have several they work!!

[@richardpalmer6196]

Great idea , they already come with the sighting hole built in .👍

[@karlbe8414]

They are neodymium magnets. Also very useful once removed from bracket, but be careful not to pinch yourself if you have 2 of them. I used them to beef up a cabinet magnet. Just place on existing metal strike plate.

[@NineSun001]

Yeah two of the large ones can easily break your finger if one is not careful with them.

[@americanrebel413]

This was a very cool experiment! Thank you for sharing this.

[@alback]

0:10 I almost choked on my coffee.

[@stompinmcallister1295]

Got a bunch from the 90s hard drives and they got big magnets in them ,use them around the shop and when working on cars. Put them on the underside of a car you are working on no longer set wrenches on the ground just stick them tomthe car when not needed then just grab it a work love those mags. Yes case is aluminum and the board on it is a high quality board they are worth money at scrap, 5lbs get you about 30$ 40$ at a recycler

[@AviewFromUnder]

So glad I watched this video! I have around 100 drives to recycle at the same time I have all these abs panels that I have been wanting to replace thumb screws with magnets,, voila! Thanks you very much!

[@choppergirl]

They actually make very good doorstops... I'm not kidding. They are just the right size for a house door to slide over them, but also to pop up and stop the door from opening up. I've been using dead harddrives for years as door stops, I've yet to find anything that works better.

[@mauricestainsby196]

One word of advice. Be careful getting two of these magnets close together. They can give a mean pinch.

[@slipshft1]

I use those same magnets on my drill press, I found that I can put the magnet on the inside of the cover (no screws) and it will still hold the chuck key. I also met down the aluminum parts, most of the case frame is aluminum as are some of the platters.

[@desertwindauh]

Fascinating! Thanks for the revelation...

[@HepauDK]

The small magnet would have held much more weight if you had applied it to a flat surface instead of a curved one...

[@mikerayle6103]

Been doing this for years I have a stack of rare earth magnets some from hard drives and some other types. Gave a few to a coworker years back blew his mind how powerful they are. Be careful though they can be brittle.

[@GaryLordsWayMinistry]

Imagine the current you could pull out of windings of a stator with a field of these magnets whirling around it on your flywheel.

[@karlbe8414]

Tesla already did!

[@charlesmoore456]

Two other important finds inside a hard disk: The copper coil, and the data-arm bearing.

[@mystakilla]

wow, incredible. Thanks for video!

[@edbouhl3100]

Great idea! I’ve never seen this in a a repurposing article before.

[@Slikx666]

The disk if powered and metal can be used as a flat grinding machine, the issue is that it's fast but doesn't have too much torque.

[@stanogle8977]

Hey, just found your channel, very cool. Nice to see simple smarts! BTW, there is also Ferro Fluid in most HARD DRIVES, in the spindle bearings. If you can extract it, you can do some fun stuff with it… thanks

[@bakcompat]

I save the magnets and use them with my benchtop power supply leads to attach to 18650 battery cells harvested from dead laptop batteries for recharging. Then I save the aluminum casings for eventual smelting, and keep the innards in case I ever want to harvest the platinum chemically.

[@EthanReesor]

Neodymium magnets are rather fragile and can chip or shatter. You should cover the magnets with something, maybe epoxy, maybe glue a bit of rubber over it.

[@danhard8440]

there kind of hardy I have about a hundred of them but I usually break them off of the backing

[@CSSIandAssociate]

I wonder if you can make 90 degree brackets for welding and since they would be homemade you can make the "ON/OFF" Feature save a bundle. I myself will look into this. I have at least 4 old hard drives and I am sure they are readily available. I am sure a cam action would be how the "ON/OFF" Feature would work. Worth a maker's try. Thanks for sharing.....

[@FarmCraft101]

Great idea.

[@malj7890]

And we throw them away, the earth gets more rare every dsy

[@AshleyWragg]

Impressive. Thanks!

[@johnduch2815]

gold on the pins, ribbon wires, chips, silver in a few places and disk are plated in Platinum.

[@mrcaboosevg6089]

It's amazing hard drives are as cheap as they are really, 3tb of data stored stored on rare elements for less than the cost of a video game. Even ten years ago that would have cost a small fortune

[@bencesarosi7718]

00:10 Damn I saw that coming and still can't stop laughing.

[@QlueDuPlessis]

As far as I know, the platters of hard drives haven't been made from glass since the Reagan administration. They're usually aluminium or an alloy of aluminium. They are flatter than your surface plate though...

[@DracoOmnia]

Have you found this flatness to have any utility?

[@jt9498]

I've been using those magnets for years. Every time I come across an old hard drive, the first thing I go for is the magnet inside. If I could post a picture in here, I could show you a LOT of them! :)

[@Metalstacker]

Good stuff! 👍👍

[@swbyrd]

That’s awesome. I keep the magnets but remove them from the bracket. Wish I would not have not now.

[@roxanna1971]

i have a few hds im gonna get rid off once my new ssds come thanks for the idea

[@dennislock3415]

Learned something new,thanks.

[@theoriginalbubba1036]

Great Tip! I have magnets all over my shop, love them. What's the best way you've to get found to get chips/grinding fuzz off of them? Quick swipes with a wire brush is the best I've found so far...any more Ideas?

[@gaveintothedarkness]

could you wrap the magnets in a zip lock bag. Then when shavings get on them, take the magnet out of the bag and the grinding fall off.

[@dremwolf5419]

Strong tape works great for getting debris off magnets.

[@bobpowers9862]

For stubborn grit, coat in a thick layer of RTV/silicone glue. Let cure. Slowly and carefully peel off the glue, which will embed most of the iron pieces. That's how I get it out of those magnetic hex bits.

[@dalusa81]

better than what i was using it for... a mirror. I have the plate sitting by my front desk computer so when a client is about to come in, I can check if I have something in my teeth or whatever.

[@marinopacentrilli9533]

Thanks for all your hard work good tip.

[@tykellerman6384]

Interesting info 🤠👍

[@WizardNumberNext]

well this is not magnetic shield this magnet have 4 poles (2 on each side). this makes it much stronger but at the same time much tighter (magnetic flux does not extend far)

[@AlexanderWright1]

The disks are also *very* flat and can be used if you need a flat surface.

[@dickham]

Like the magnets, I find the bearings are very useful.

[@ancientmariner7473]

Why do you measure in imperial, and weigh in metric ?

[@LarJgrip]

Good question … I’m in Canada and when I took my trade everything was imperial, halfway through my apprenticeship the country changed to metric. As a result, give me metric or give me imperial it matters not. 👍

[@talltimberswoodshop7552]

The platter is useful for a signaling mirror in an outdoors emergency situation. Put the hole to your eye, hold up your other hand, make a V with two fingers as your front sight, and make the reflection go toward the target between your fingers.

[@patrick103b]

Not the only one that uses two chucks I have a smaller one fits battery screwdriver very good for small bits

[@dolfinmagikpro]

Not sure if you are aware, or if someone else has already mentioned it, but there are actually 2 of those magnets on each hard drive. One on each side of the arm! If you are very careful, you can actually pry them off of the bracket that they are attached to. But, they are VERY brittle, so be careful! As always ... Have a better day!

[@jamespowell7231]

Sounds more like the story you come up with when the FBI is like where's this missing hard drive. Oh, well, it............. 😆 Just being funny, great idea. I'm going to do this for my father's drill press.

[@shawndoe3806]

Lol i loved that ,maybe I'll look it up ....then again i might be to lazy. I honestly burst out laughing so hard

[@davids1716]

Fantastic!

[@unasoto1]

another good source of neodymium magnets are brushless motors I have several old quadcopter/drone motors and you get bunch of quarter inch magnets that I super glue to places to hold tools like screwdrivers for my 3d printer :)

[@fricknjeep]

HI THERE I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY NUT THAT SAVER THOSE , I ALSO SAVE THE LITTLE MOTOR , AND THE DISC , THE DISC MAKES A GREAT MIRROR , GOOD SHOW JOHN

[@duderobi]

not the older style magnet the 3.5" hard drive magnet. the one you opened was pretty old

[@alt-w7130]

You can use it as a grab bar or pick up things in tight places

[@typograf62]

I think the alloy 1:13 is called mu-metal.

[@caleb186]

Those platter usually have some palladium in them. Theres also gold in the disk

[@frogz]

us computer nerds have known this for years, heres a little "shop trick" you will love, take 1 of those neo-diddilyum magnets and stick it to the shaft of a screwdriver/bit driver and then the screw will stick to the end while you drive it/locate the hole

[@Peter_Scheen]

Some card board around it, and on one side a photo and stick it on the fridge. I also used it (several of them at a large cardboard glued to it) to hold any kind of tools.

[@danhard8440]

you can actuall get them really cheep on the gearbest site

[@josepablotassara8990]

I also use the magnets from old HD's for many different things

[@howardfortyfive9676]

HARLEY DAVIDSON'S??

[@senatorjosephmccarthy2720]

Oh, the 3 kilo. No teddy bear today.

[@tujuprojects]

Try melting that aluminium frame. I would like to know is it good alu for machining. You would pour something round from it and try it in lathe.

[@Blitterbug]

That's neodymium, isn't it? Or neo-didlyum as some Canadians like to say :)

[@Tara-li6pg]

Thanks for naming them, I just bought some for my truck tonneau :)

[@jmtx.]

Magnetics are awesome, but magnetizing some of those parts, like the chuck key, would be annoying.

[@richardpalmer6196]

Wonderful recycling of just one more item that does not need to into the landfill.

[@macswanton9622]

Yea those magnets are ten-fifteen bucks apiece easy, and they break like glass if not mounted like that. And BTW you should make that last bit a feature, like a sign-off. Bckwrds sht cracks me up ever time :o)

[@HelloKittyFanMan.]

Wow, I hope you got your data from that disk OK!

[@MikeClare0]

I take a couple of the magnets out of old 3.5" drives and a 6" piece of Gorilla tape and tape the magnets to the cardboard backing on a legal pad. The magnets hold the pad firmly to the fridge and the gorilla tape keeps metal in the magnets from scuffing the finish on the fridge.

[@JoseRodrigues-kr6zg]

The reason that the mounting plate is not magnetic is because there's 3 magnets instead of one and the array the magnets are placed makes them more concentrated on the ends the nickel based plate helps achieve the goal.

[@colincrooky]

Don’t forget to scratch the platter (disc) because it still contains data - a prize for criminals!

[@chiefbiglew]

i have some rare earthth magnets i use for stud finders works great lots of uses

[@jbsthegamer]

Yea those are magnets really are helpful.

[@rnickel123]

I taped a piece of sandpaper to the platter of a full sized hard drive and turned it into a bench grinder. I have a video of it on my channel.

[@HepauDK]

When you say full sized, do you mean 3.5" or 5.25"?

[@vaibhavdubey8713]

Alright, where's my hard drive, I'm taking it apart.

[@Rorschach1024]

The backing is called MuMetal.

[@bobbg9041]

9:17 did you mine the Gold off it? My older brother owned a computer store, he would take apart old machines and mine the gold out of them, i think last time i asked him he had 6 troy ounces of refined gold just from computer parts @ about 2k usd an ounce that is about 12k bucks. Its worth mining gold out of them

[@michaelhilliard9770]

you know there are 2 neodymium magnets in those spinning disk HD's.... the spinning disks are a very pure silica with a very thin plating of either platinum or palladium (too thin to be worth trying to recover) the disk you dont really want to break because its worse than obsidian glass, the fragments are very small and ultra sharp. getting one of those slivers in you is almost as bad as getting a fiber optic sliver.... they just dont want to come out and often need to be surgically removed.

[@HisWayHomestead]

well, I got some tearing apart of hard drives to do!!!

[@robertreynolds9228]

Yep I've used them for years!

[@senatorjosephmccarthy2720]

Good to know. I didn't know they'd hold years.

[@johnycash978]

U can attach sand paper to the disc and get speed controller for it online just go buy bunch old hard drives remove all without the motor the disc and mount it on wooden plate with some magnets at the bottom of the plate so u can change the way it sits

[@kinnikuzero]

I was hoping you'd do something with the bearing

[@caleb186]

Those bearings are crazy. At least 10k rpm. Maybe do se tesla turbines with them

[@Prairiedrifter1]

Are these the magnets Trucker Mike talks about on his videos

[@_P0tat07_]

It would make sense that those plates the magnets are mounted to are a nickel alloy, they’re actually pretty tough. To bad they aren’t bigger.

[@frogz]

ever open up a drive from the early 90s or late 80s? they are muuuuuuuuuuuuch bigger, especially the quantom bigfoot drives that had 5 inch bay instead of 3.5

[@fillphat]

amazing

[@alittleofthisandalittleofthat]

Is there gold in them parts??

[@willykanos1044]

I'll be darned. I have never replaced a hard drive on a computer. In most cases it is something else that craps out.