High Strength Neodymium Magnets Keep Curtains Closed

[nelsonic]

My idea is to embed strong magnets into the the bunk beds in the area corresponding to the bottom corners of the curtains:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/50pcs-N38-Round-Countersunk-Ring-Magnet-10mm-x-3mm-Hole-4mm-Rare-Earth-Neodymium/302486401010

The countersunk hole in the centre of the magnet will mean that the corresponding stainless steel ball bearing: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4mm-Diameter-Grade-1000-Hardened-1010-Carbon-Steel-Ball-Bearings/131946903286

The ball bearings will be sewn into the corner of the curtain will "snap" closed and stay there. This will mean that the creases in the curtains will "iron out" and the "seal" will prevent light from entering the bed and increase privacy for the occupant.

My reasoning for putting the ball bearings in the curtains is to maintain their machine washability.

I haven't seen this anywhere before, mostly because the average "hostel" is trying to keep costs as low as possible and is not minimally interested in the sleep quality of the guests. I suspect I could Patent the application and get "royalties" from every "pod hotel" and hostel in the world to the tune of 50cents x 100k ... $50k for the idea? 💡 💰 OR I can patent it to start my patent collection and make the design free for non-profit organisations.

If the 10mm circular magnets end up being too "weak" to hold the curtains in place, My next line of enquiry will be these much "beefier" magnets: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-100pc-N52-Super-Strong-Neodymium-Magnet-Countersunk-Round-Disc-Hole-Block-Hook/263059200637

But my reasoning for using the circular ones is implementation practicality: It's way more difficult to embed a rectangle magnet into the wood (it requires manual chiselling) whereas a circular design means I can use my laser-guided column drill to precisely & squarely drill the 10mm hole to embed the magnet and it will look "clean".

Relates to: #6 (Magnets are the reason why I think curtains are going to work in the bunks!) 🤓

[nelsonic]

Prior art: https://howdoesshe.com/brilliant-d-i-y-magnetic-curtain 👍

[nelsonic]

I estimate that I need between 6 and 8 magnets per bunk. (32 bunks x 8 = ) 256 magnets. 😮 But I'm also planning to use this method for blackouts in the rooms which don't have roller blinds ("estores"), namely the rooms in the basement.

I don't think I need to order all the materials up-front and there is no "bulk discount" incentive from the eBay sellers to buy more of either component, so I'm going to order the minimum quantity of each component to test the idea.

My plan has always been to iterate on the bunk design, If I order 50 magnets it's "enough" to produce the first 6 bunks. If I can get 6 bunks made by the end of Jan I will be delighted. (not because I'm setting my goal "low", just that I know there is a lot of other things to build!!)

Washers?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/M2-M30-Flat-Washers-304-Stainless-Steel-DIN125-Penny-Repair-Washers/252175687434

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/M4-M5-M6-M8-M10-M12-MUDGUARD-PENNY-REPAIR-WASHER-WASHERS-A2-STAINLESS-STEEL/112361609802

Bigger Magnets?

The reason I'm considering larger magnets is because I really have no idea what the "pulling force" is for any of the magnets sold on eBay ... 😕

20 mm diameter, 4 mm thickness, 5 mm hole £0.40/each

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5-10-20pcs-N50-Strong-Disc-Round-20x4mm-Magnets-Countersunk-Ring-With-5mm-Hole/192359895410

These are considerably more expensive per magnet. I'm ordering a set to try. Hopefully the smaller ones will be "enough" to keep the curtains closed ...

[nelsonic]

What we've learned by prototyping this idea in the curtains in our room that have Neodymium Magnets sewn into the corners is that the stitching needs to be extra strong otherwise they unravel with people pulling on them ...

I still like the usability of Magnets. But we need to be aware that they require careful execution. 💭