Metalworking Magnets From Microwaves

As noted by YouTuber Cranktown City in the video below, full-sized pieces of sheet metal can be difficult to transport. If they only came with a set of handles, things might be different. So he set out to create his own… using two microwaves.

The build starts out with the disassembly of two microwaves, with the caveat that you shouldn’t get into one without knowing what you’re doing. From there, Cranktown cuts into the massive coil assemblies in order to convert them into usable electromagnets. This was tested with a Ryobi power pack and “balls of tinfoil” making an effective, if janky, connection. After a bit of sparking, the electromagnet sticks tightly to the metal table, even withstanding multiple hammer blows.

To turn this electromagnet into a usable tool, Cranktown “modified” a Ryobi battery-powered fan by simply knocking the top fan section off and extracting the electronics. A bit of rough-and-ready metalworking later, and he had a usable, if not-so-presentable sheet metal carrier.

For the second handle, Cranktown decided to go a bit further and turn a one-day build into a one-week build (as he put it) using 3D printing. He traced the outline of a Milwaukee tool’s grip section in Fusion 360, and after quite a bit of printing, gluing, and modification, the result was a tool that is both usable and pretty.

As for whether you’d want to use such a tool, when handling a partial metal sheet at the 12:40 mark, the battery drops out of the 3D-printed version, dropping the sheet. Cranktown appears to be wearing rather solid boots, but even so, you'd want to consider the risk of injury when transporting something this way. Combined with the hazards of taking apart a microwave, this might be a build best classed as entertainment, not something you'd necessarily want to try yourself!