How to make an electromagnet

[#1]

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@shutter wrote:

@Mustrum  By "quite powerful"... I was really talking about something stronger than seen on You Tube vids that just managed to pick up a few paper clips

Correction to the original post... wire size would be 0.1mm  not 0.01mm ! ! ..

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@shutter

I wondered about your originally quoted wire size and remembered the difficulty experienced when I was a kid trying to use really thin enamelled copper wire for making electromagnets - i.e. frequent breakages!

One of the best 'ready-made' powerful electromagnets at that time was made by using the generator coil and it's associated metalwork removed from one of the old 'bottle-type' bicycle dynamos (the type that used to press against the tyre), and powering it from a 12v Hornby Dublo model railway transformer.  That could easily pick up chunks of assembled meccano etc.

How about trying the mechanism from an old electric bell?  They had reasonably powerful electromagnets in them, although if you wanted the electromagnet to activate for the length of time your morse key is closed you would need to remove the make/break contact from the bell circuit. 

[#2]

@RobPN  Ah yes.... them were the days... 6v dynamo on front wheel... very hi tech ! ...then there were those that were incorporated in the front hub.... however...

The alternatives you mention are "feasible" ... however... this is more of a "fun" project to make and see if it works, rather than "knowing" that something from some other technology, will probably work, ( and maybe better too ! )... I`d rather spend some time trying to "make a good job" of it,... than spend hours traipsing around scrap yards, and the like looking for the "alternatives"...

Edit.... Just had a look on ebay... and surprisingly, there are several of the OLD type originals, on sale from about £6.00 upwards.... and some new models for modern bikes too !  ( but more expensive )..

Don`t think I want to go that route though !.

Thanks for all the input...  Much appreciated, as usual.

[#3]

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@shutter wrote:

@RobPN  Ah yes.... them were the days... 6v dynamo on front wheel... very hi tech ! ...

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@shutter

I can't remember the voltage, but I do know that if you held one in your hand such that your finger contacted the centre output terminal, and ran the small rotating part along a carpet (or your trousered thigh), it was enough to give your finger a series of small powerful jolts - just for testing purposes of course. 

[#4]

You could also get generators built in to the wheel hub and detachable ones which attached to the bottom bracket.