Deciding, with Iron and Magnets

I've been thinking

Decisions have been made, and I have decided on what objects to produce and that each of them will contain specific important skills.

• Metal key, illiterates basic hard edge making with various machining skills. Plus metal powder casting and weathering effects.
  

• Camping lamps, working electronics (as time permits) clear/transparent casting techniques. ability to make multiple replicas and vac-formed plastics.
  

• Back pack, Will be made from various materials, allows for experimentation representing plastic objects and their imperfections, through sculpting and spraying techniques. Also allows other objects to be displayed as a costume type piece.

Magnets

One of my more favoured idea's is the backpack is made from a half plastic coating magnet. This meaning all the tools and equipment could be easily interchanged while out 'borrowing things".

Thinking on this, giant magnets are heavy and expensive. Tests were produce to see how much iron powder is required to obtain a useful magnetic effect.

#	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
Resin (g)	20	20	20	20	20	20	20
Aluminium Pwd (g)	20	10	5	20	10	20	0
Iron Pwd (g)	0	10	15	10	20	20	20

--anything above 10g of iron made the resin affected by a magnet, but the iron makes a large effect on the colour of the metal.

Research is required to see if magnetic powder is a possibility in order to produce a large prop which still can be hollow and light. But a magnets physical structure is important for the magnetism. So it may not be overly successful.