What inspired the question: I saw this woman in a doctor’s office. She used a clip
like this:
To hold her place in a paperback book she was reading.
She turned out to be a wonderful person to talk to and explained how this innovation of hers enables her to read with just one hand on the book, but also to mark her place when she puts it down.
So, I have similar clips and tried them with a Crossword Puzzle book, and another for a Bonsai book. Both are paperbacks. But they (the books) are so thick that the clips won’t work when I get deeper into the books.
So, I’d like to see what could be done with neodymium magnets like those at…
…et al.
Why those magnets? You can get very strong neodymium for relatively cheap. And it might be a fun project.
I’m aware of the pitfalls and dangers of these things, so I’d be very careful.
We have a couple of magnetic book marks.
They are 2" by 4" pc of paper, folded so each side is 2x2"
Then one side has a piece of metal and the other has a magnet on it.
Looks kind of like a matchbook cover.
Maybe a variant on that?
You’d want to have the magnet on the outside and the metal on the inside, or you won’t be able to close your book.
You could also use the design that I’ve seen for weighted bookmarks…a long strip of leather/cloth with weights or magnets sewn inside. The weighted version would just sit on the open book, holding the pages down. The magnet version could be made with a “bridge” roughly 3" long, which should span at least half the pages of any normal-size novel.
It’s basically just two larger ends with the magnets sewn inside (though how you’d use a metal needle anywhere near a rare earth magnet, I have no idea, now that I think of it), connected by a bridge or strip of the same material.
The strong magnetic fields of neodymium magnets can also damage magnetic media such as floppy disks, credit cards, magnetic I.D. cards, cassette tapes, video tapes or other such devices. They can also damage televisions, VCRs, computer monitors and other CRT displays. Never place neodymium magnets near electronic appliances.
Children should not be allowed to handle neodymium magnets as they can be dangerous. Small magnets pose a choking hazard and should never be swallowed or inserted into any part of the body.
Never allow neodymium magnets near a person with a pacemaker or similar medical aid. The strong magnetic fields of the magnet can affect the operation of such devices.
They could probably damage my wrist watch, as well (much less someone’s pacemaker!!).
Actually, I’ve never made one. We have a couple that my MIL brought back from a vacation. They have touristy pictures on the outsides. These aren’t nearly as strong as you are looking at. They will hold the bookmark through a handfull of pages, which keeps the bookmark from falling out of the book, but not from the cover to the center, like you seem to be looking for.