Morning All, I was reading a catalog today and I saw a warning I
would like to get some feed back. If indeed there is truth to the
warning, we all need to heed it.
“Magnetic Clasps should not be used around Pacemakers.”
I don’t have a friend cardiologist I can ask about this, but perhaps
someone on this list will be able to get a valid answer.
I wonder just how strong the magnetic field need be to interfere. My
dad wore a pacemaker and the primary warning was for microwaves.
thanks,
Teresa
It will depend on the pacemaker. Most of them today are fairly
resistant to such things; a microwave is no problem for mine. But
they do say such things as “you should hold yout cell phone to the
ear on the other side”. But in general, just avoid huge magnets (such
as an MRI). But there are still older less sophisticated pacemakers
out there, too, and tey have to be considered too. So I would check
with the clasp manufacturer and see what they say.
Margaret
"Magnetic Clasps should not be used around Pacemakers." I wonder just how strong the magnetic field need be to interfere. My dad wore a pacemaker and the primary warning was for microwaves.
Not how strong, but how close. Any electronic device will be
affected by the electromagnetic radiation produced naturally by
magnetic objects. If you dropped that magnetic clasp down by where
the pacemaker was, you could keep it from operating properly. Notice
that big fat >could<. It seems that this is probably lawyerspeak for
‘we warned you it could kill you’ and a remark on the litigious
nature of our society. Chances of such a thing actually happening
would be very slim, but just the kind of thing to happen when you
least expect it. Ben Silver
Not how strong, but how close. Any electronic device will be affected by the electromagnetic radiation produced naturally by
There is a magnetic field but there is no “radiation” from a magnet
(except, of course, from any embedded trace amounts of unstable
element atoms in the material–but that will be far less than what we
are bombarded with from space, or even the Earth, everyday.)
But yes, the magnetic field can cause problems because whenever it
is moved across a wire or other material containing electrons that
are free to move it will tend to cause them to move (that is how
electric generators work). In the standard pace maker there is the
control module with a long wire going to the action module at the
heart and it’s the wire that generally allows the problems and makes
the use of MRIs on pacemakered individuals risky. Whether the
magnetic clasp would have a strong enough magnetic field to cause
enough electrons to move in the wire and be acted on as a “firing”
signal to the action module at the heart is the real question. The
basic answer, I suspect, is the risk would be negligible. There was a
good article in Popular Science a month or so ago regarding the new
pacemakers which dispose of the wire and replace it with an optical
fiber.
James E. White
Inventor, Marketer, and Author of “Will It Sell?
How to Determine If Your Invention Is Profitably Marketable
(Before Wasting Money on a Patent)” www.willitsell.com
My last post got posted without my message—it had only the post of
Janet Yang to which I was responding! She said she liked the Lee
Valley magnets the best and found they were the strongest. I was
wondering if she had compared them to the Rio magnets mentioned on
another post. I later saw the Rio magnets are ready-made magnet
clasps, not just magnets. But in any case, Janet, I was wondering if
there were particular magnets (or magnet clasps) which you found be
to too weak for jewelers’ purposes.
Janet in Jerusalem
My phrasing was ambiguous. I meant to say that neodymium seem to be
the strongest magnets, and Lee Valley is just one company that
carries them. Also, I forgot about how these magnets would be used.
Lee Valley isn’t a jewelry supplier, and their magnets are probably
the wrong shape and size. But you can learn a lot from the articles
at their website.
Janet
I have added a few magnet clasps on chains for the elderly. I have
noticed that they tend to collect metal filings (from where, I’m not
sure) and as they build up, loose strength. Depending on the
placement of the magnet in the clasp, it can be difficult to remove
these filings. Has anyone else had the same thing happen?
Brian Barrett
I have used magnetic clasps for the past couple of years in 14 K,
gold fi lled, and silver. The first thing you should know is this; if
your customer has a pace make r they should not use a magnetic clasp
because it can interfere with the electronics somehow. Secondly if
you solder them on don’t get the magnet hot or it will lose it’s
polarity. Thirdly don’t put steel in the pickle, that may be causing
the build up on the magnet or it might be rust. Tell your customers
not to get them wet. Other than that I have no customer c omplaints
about them. I get the 14 K clasps from Rio grande and the gold
filled and silver from them or a local jewelry supply house here in
Balti more. I personally like the magnetic clasp for the customer who
can’t use other types of clasps because of agility. Try them you’ll like 'em!
Rio didn’t tell me about not soldering the clasps… so I have a
“dead” clasp…just out of curiosity why does the heat make them
“dead” for use. . calgang@aol.com
The other night on the CSI television show the plot, which involved
a house fire, was solved because of refrigerator magnets having lost
their magnetism in the fire. Evidently the heat gets the molecules
moving around so much that they lose their alignment and therefore
their magnetism.
Janet Kofoed