# Don't throw away old hard drives-- handy method of mounting stuff.



## ophidia (Jun 21, 2015)

I used to be a desktop support tech, and crashed hard drives tended to stack up on my desk.  What I did was disassemble them (typically a small torx screwdriver is needed, from t6 to t10, depending on the brand) and remove the magnets.  Hard drive magnets are rare earth/neodymium magnets that are extremely strong.  They also tend to have holes in them that one can drive screws through.

Now, I wanted a cork tube to be mounted up on the top of my A. diversipes' cage.  I could have glued it or used epoxy, but the fumes would make the cage deadly for a while. I've used waterweld underwater epoxy in a cage with animals with no problems, but I didn't have any.  What I did have was a bunch of HDD magnets.

I used some small self-tapping screws to attach one to the bark, and held it up to the top.  I then put another one above it on the other side of the plexi, and BOOM!  Cork bark mounted!

I've done this with light dishes, silk plants, other stuff.  THey are so strong that I had a 19" flat panel monitor mounted on the wall above my computer with three of them.

Just thought I'd share.  Pic below.

-Chris

Reactions: Like 5


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## edgeofthefreak (Jun 21, 2015)

Upcycle indeed!! Also, the platters make fun *non-functioning drink coasters with the help of stick-on dots.

Love this idea! My old HDDs (about 6 or so) are keeping my monitor about an additional 8" off my desk. They'd do the same without their bits inside.



*coasters should be absorbent, but if they look cool, who cares?


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## The Snark (Jun 21, 2015)

A friend has an art gallery. Along most of the walls he had sheet metal covering the walls from 4 feet high to the ceiling then covered the metal with thin, 3/16th inch thick drywall/sheetrock or wallpaper or other wall covering like glued on burlap.. Then the pictures get one or more of these magnets attached to the back of their frames. Infinitely movable and adjustable and 3 or 4 of those magnets will hold up a 20 lb ornately framed oil painting.


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## ophidia (Jun 22, 2015)

They're really useful.  I also used them as a magnetic latch on my leopard gecko's cage (to hold the lid firmly against the anti-cricket-escape weather stripping) and have some in the garage holding various tools.  Naturally I had to find a use for one in a tarantula's cage as well.


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## The Snark (Jun 22, 2015)

Or the ultimate use. A woman I know wanted to get a picture of her baby wearing matching colors sitting on the hood of her new car posed just so! Simple. Slip an 6 pound speaker magnet into his diapers


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## edgeofthefreak (Jun 22, 2015)

Always wanted to drop one into a coffee mug, place it on the roof of my car... right before I take off for the highway.

Reactions: Like 2


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## ophidia (Jul 5, 2015)

Good idea.  I think I'll try it.


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## dementedlullaby (Jul 5, 2015)

My one tb failed a few years ago and I have plenty of smaller ones laying around. Time to bust those suckers open! My techno-hoarding has finally paid off haha.

Thanks for the idea Ophi .


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## Sam_Peanuts (Jul 7, 2015)

I don't know if they're affected by a powerful magnetic field though so I'm not sure I'd try this myself.


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## pyro fiend (Jul 7, 2015)

Sam_Peanuts said:


> I don't know if they're affected by a powerful magnetic field though so I'm not sure I'd try this myself.


thats kinda how im feeling on this.. id need an update photo of the lil avic thats made his web in and around that cork


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