Magnetize Steel Using a Battery
Strip the insulation off both ends of a wire. Using wire stripping pliers, strip about 1 in (2.5 cm) of insulation from each end of an insulated wire. You’ll need enough wire to wrap around your steel object at least 10 times.
“Enameled wire” with thin insulation will have a stronger effect. Do not use bare wire without insulation, as this will interrupt the current and fail to work.
Supervise young children while they work with wires.
Wrap the wire around the steel. Leaving a couple inches (several centimeters) of wire at each end, wrap the insulated portion around the steel. The steel will become more magnetic the more times you wrap the wire. Use at least 10 loops for nails, and several dozen for larger objects.
Alternatively, wrap the wire around a heat-proof plastic tube large enough to insert your steel through.
If a regular magnet is not attracted to the steel, don’t bother trying to magnetize it with a battery. Some types of stainless steel cannot be magnetized.
Magnetize Steel Using a Battery
Select a low-voltage battery. An ordinary 1.5V or 3V battery will provide a safe, DC power source sufficient to magnetize nails or screws. Larger steel objects may require a higher voltage battery, but these will create more heat, and a more dangerous electrical shock if handled improperly. A 12V car battery can be used if it is removed from the vehicle and the safety precautions below are followed, but higher voltages are not recommended.
Never use an electrical outlet or other AC power supply, as the high voltage could blow your house fuse or create serious safety risks.
Use rubber gloves and rubber-handled tools. These will prevent the electrical current from reaching you. Although low-voltage household batteries are harmless in this respect, you may want gloves anyway as the metal can get quite hot if left in the coil.
Connect the wire ends to the battery. Attach one of the stripped wire ends to the positive terminal of the battery. Attach the other wire end to the negative terminal of the battery. For small household batteries, wrapping the wire around a brass paper fastener will make it easier to keep them together. Place the fastener head on the battery so the wire makes contact, then use tape or rubber bands to attach the fastener arms to the side of the battery. An additional rubber band holding the fasteners in place lengthwise will make a more sturdy connection.
If using a higher-voltage battery, you may see sparks when the circuit is completed. Only hold the wire by the insulated portion.
Test the steel. An electrical current flowing through the coil creates a magnetic field, which will magnetize any ferromagnetic metal placed inside it. If your variety of steel can be magnetized, it should be able to pick up small iron objects after a short time in the coil.
Putting magnetized steel through the coil a second time will demagnetize it again.
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