How to Glue Magnets: Tips for Avoiding a Sticky Situation

Glue and adhesives are often used to help keep magnets in place, but if you ever attempted to glue magnets yourself, you know it can become quite a sticky situation. One of the trickiest parts of gluing magnets is getting the magnet to stay where it’s attached and not where it’s attracted. Here are a few tips we’ve learned that help create a successful bond.

Magnet Gluing Tips

Follow this step-by-step guide for helpful tips on successfully bonding magnets.

Step 1: Preparation

Properly prepping your work surface can save you loads of time and headaches. No matter what surface, type of magnet or glue you’re using, you’ll want to start by cleaning and sanding the surfaces. First clean the magnet, removing both dirt and oil by wiping it with rubbing alcohol. Then to make sure you get a good bond you’ll want to rough up the surface a little. This added texture will allow the glue and magnet to better adhere. A quick wipe with sandpaper should do the trick. Then be sure to clean again and wait for it to fully dry.

Step 2: Choosing the Right Glue

There are a lot of different glues to choose from and the selection can be a bit overwhelming but choosing the right glue for the job is important. For most projects a strong adhesive such as a two-part epoxy or super glue will do the job, but sometimes you’ll need something different depending on the magnet and material you are affixing it to. Here’s a quick guide.

Metal, wood and rubber: Two-part epoxies, Loctite, Liquid Nails, Super Glue, and Gorilla Glue

Plastics: Some plastics are more difficult to adhere than others. Generally two-part epoxy glue will work, otherwise choose an adhesive specifically designed for plastic such E6000, 3M™ 4693 and Loctite.

Paper: Super glue

Fabric: Possibly the most difficult to glue, a two-part epoxy is your best bet, but it still might not work

Light-weight craft projects: Double-sided tape and glue dots but be careful with hot glue. The temperature of the glue can lower the strength of neodymium magnets so a low-temp hot glue should only be used with ceramic magnets.

Step 3: Wait

It’s important to give the adhesive proper time to cure. It will ensure the bond holds tight. It’s best to follow the manufacture directions, keeping in mind that humidity and excessively thick applications will slow down the cure time.

Adhesive Magnets

Another option, instead of gluing magnets is to purchase magnets with adhesive already attached. This cuts out a lot of the guess work and mess. Simply peel and stick. We offer a wide variety of adhesive magnets from magnet tape to neodymium disks with either a foam adhesive or a thin film adhesive. We also have adhesive steel plates, which provides an easier option over trying to line up the polarity for magnet-to-magnet applications.

You can shop our entire line of magnets and magnetic receptive products online or if you have any questions about our products or magnetic solutions in general, please feel free to contact us.