Heat'em Up: How To Save Bent Car Magnets
Tailgating
Rob Black
Heat’Em Up
How To Save Bent Car Magnets
A close look at the side of the road by any major sporting event will reveal all manner of team car magnets that have been separated from their rightful owners. It’s happened to all of us at some point or another. Your car magnet gets a couple of corners bent and doesn’t completely affix to the vehicle. A few minutes of speeds above 50 miles per hour rip the magnet right off.
The companies manufacturing all these team magnets are happy to sell us more. After all, our vehicle won’t back out of the driveway unless it is adorned with at least a half dozens magnets and flags displaying our loyalty. But rather than losing a bent car magnet, what if we could salvage it?
Tailgaters can save a bent car magnet by applying heat to it. It makes common sense, but it took a hot day at a ballgame to teach me the lesson. I typically take my magnets off before I go into the game to prevent theft. During one hot southern Saturday afternoon, I left a bent magnet up on the dash of my truck. When I returned three hours later, the magnet was all limp and floppy. It’s simple – the hotter the plastic gets – the more pliable it becomes.
Luckily, you don’t have to wait for a hot day to let the oven inside your vehicle repair a bent magnet. A hair dryer will do just fine.
Take the magnet and place it on a clean, flat surface. Turn the hair dryer on high and aim the hot air directly at the magnet. Hold the hair dryer approximately six inches from the surface and wave it back and forth over the affected area. In a few short minutes those bent corners will fall right back in line.
Next month: Why Windsocks Are Better Than Car Flags
