I bought a set of plastic looking measuring cups from Farberware which stick together like their magnetic. Even after sticking one in the microwave it’s still magnetic. How?
Are the sides magnetic too? Or only the bases? I suspect they embedded a magnet in the plastic.
Pix or a link to a website selling them would have been helpful. As it is we can only offer guesswork until somebody goes to the effort to track down the specific thing you’re asking about.
As you’ve probably noticed, novelty fridge magnets are commonly made of something that feels like a hardened somewhat flexible paste. Which is exactly what it is.
A pellet or layer of that stuff has probably been incorporated into your cups.
Are they just magnetic too each other, or to painted metal stuff, as well (like your fridge)?
If is just the first case…
you might have seen how some plastic bugs, after you’ve rubbed them, or the air blew around them, tend to stick to other plastic bugs or your hands.
That, I think, is called static electricity.
There are plastic and rubber compounds that are both “magnetically susceptible” and “xray detectable.” They are typically used in food and pharma processing when it’s advantageous to be able to spot bits of belt, scraper, seal and the like in the product. Since most processing lines have mag and xray sections to catch metal bits, making the soft stuff detectable by these stages is cost effective.
You occasionally find ordinary stuff like cups, balls and toys made from it for promo or novelty reasons.
I have two rubber balls on my desk, much like super balls, that are magnetically attracted. I also have a very soft little ribbed cup, used to pull muffins out of baking trays, that’s even more magnetically attracted.
Like these?
Yeah, that’s them. I’ll have to see if they’ll stick to anything else.
If they’ve got magnets embedded in them, I’m kinda curious as to whether or not they’re microwave-safe…
Fucking Magnet Cups, how do they work?
Quiet, you.
Why wouldn’t they? They’re magnets.
Oh, please report back.
RE Magnets in the microwave:
Just a WAG, but while the microwave radiation still might cause a current in the magnet, their electrons are embedded in plastic, and therefore not directly exposed to air, so any build up of charge wouldn’t arc through the air but perhaps be redispersed through the type of plastic they used.
Not to worry; I don’t have a microwave. As I said, just curious…
my magnet cups won’t stick to wood.
I just noticed that the cups have a magnet embedded in the handle. Good thing I didn’t ruin my microwave. :smack:
That’s because they’re magnets.