Magnetic Shield Mount for Captain America Shield

harrypotterfan

Active Member
So after having all my shields done, I decided I needed a faster way to snap the shield on my back at conventions not only for show, but when people ask to take photos with me, its kind of embarrassing trying to wiggle the straps off my back...So I finally came up with this magnet idea. I got my Stealth suit and it comes with this really nice metal back harness. I went to my local hardware store and picked up 2 of these 16 pound hold magnets. they're smaller than I was hoping to fine, but I though I'd try them out. I mounted them to the harness and the shield with the Mounting Tape. They wont hold my spun shield, but it will hold my Bucky Rescue Heater Shield and I know for a fact that it can hold the saucer sled shields. I'll be heading back tonight to see if I can find a stronger magnet, since I know they sell them.
The first 2 photos are GIFS, I think you have to click them to play...
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At Harbor Freight (and HarborFreight.com) you can get 65lb and 95lb grip lifting magnets. My harness uses a 65lb inside the shield and a 95lb in the harness, and a non-magnetic buffer cover between the magnets (the shield-side is mounted behind a cover).

The buffer allows you to pull the magnets apart. The 95lb magnet will hold almost anything up. Your shield won't be too heavy.

- - - Updated - - -

BTW, I want the pattern for the leather harness, and the blueprints for the metal coupling on the back. These are exceptional.

:D
 
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I'd love to hear if you get it to work with your spun shield. I have a similar dilemma, and this would be a great fix! Do the higher power magnets work?
 
At Harbor Freight (and HarborFreight.com) you can get 65lb and 95lb grip lifting magnets. My harness uses a 65lb inside the shield and a 95lb in the harness, and a non-magnetic buffer cover between the magnets (the shield-side is mounted behind a cover).

The buffer allows you to pull the magnets apart. The 95lb magnet will hold almost anything up. Your shield won't be too heavy.

- - - Updated - - -

BTW, I want the pattern for the leather harness, and the blueprints for the metal coupling on the back. These are exceptional.

:D
Heading over to Harbor Freight to get them! I'll update soon!
 
could you show some pictures of these magnets and more important the non magnetic buffers. and a place one might find it online? Thanks
 
That's a great question. A "non-magnetic buffer" is simply anything the magnet won't pull. So for example, a magnet won't pull cardboard -- that makes a great buffer, especially when your shield (like mine) is actually made of cardboard.

The blog to make my basic shield: http://shieldlab.blogspot.com

Here's a photo of it taken today:
IMG_0944.jpg

Here's the back-side:
IMG_0945.jpg

You can see the worn circle from where the exterior magnet grabs the interior magnet. On the back side here, there's a simple tray constructed to conceal the glue joints from the front side, to give us a mounting surface for the handle gear, and to create a cavity where the interior magnets can hide (there's another one straight down from the one that I use most often so it doesn't matter if I attach the shield to the harness at (North) or (South) position.

OK - that all said, here's what my first attempt at the exterior harness looks like:
IMG_0947.jpg

That's a quarter under it for the sake of scale, but in absolute terms, the metal plate is a modified 4x4 steel electrical junction box cover, the D rings are 1" rings from a 4-pc kit I bought at Lowes, and the magnet is the 66mm 95lb pull magnet from Harbor Freight I mentioned above. It's not pretty, but it is functional. I'm working on a pattern for a leather-like harness given the limited reference available from CATWS, but this is the started version I have today.

Here's the backside of the harness (the part that faces to my back):
IMG_0948.jpg

I also cut the metal straps by hand. :)

So in this case the 65lb magnets are inside the shield, the 95lb magnet is outside, and they are separated by a non-magnetic medium to allow them to come apart.

Anecdotally, the first time I faced the big and small magnets together, I pinched my finger between them hard enough to draw a blood blister, and I needed a screwdriver to pry them apart. This arrangement is good enough for walking around, but not for running around. When I finish the aluminum version of this build technique, I think there will be a need to revise the way the magnets grab and release.

Does that help?
 
yes it is extremely helpful. I'm waiting on the big back buckle to make a harness like in the movie. And the magnet technique seems more practical than the "Screw sliding into the slit of the buckle" technique
 
Alright, So after having these magents for a few days, I finally can work on this. The magnets are in this front aisle of the Harbor Freight and are SUPER cheap compared to menards and Home Depot. They are obviously really big, but they are SUPER strong. I accidently stuck these two together and I have to use a vice and a screw driver to get them apart...I tried to use the mounting tape to hook this up, but unfortunately its not strong enough. I ended up using a nut and bolt to secure one to the harness and I'm just JB welded the other to the inside of my shield. So far so good! I'll update tomorrow.
DSC_0766.JPGDSC_0768.JPGDSC_0767.JPG
 
That is really, really great. I think you're going to find that 2 x 95lbs if going to be hard to separate with ease. Looking forward to your feedback on this solution.
 
Final result: Success! well- sort of. After everything dried, I decided to test it out. I strapped the harness to my back and tried to attach the shield. I could feel the magnet pulling at it, but it wouldn't stick. I took it off and tried to put it together without it on my back so I could see what was going on. The magnets have to line up perfectly with each other to get it to stay, and when it sticks, it REALLY sticks! I was using duck-tape as a magnetic buffer just so I could pull them apart easier and it worked pretty well. I'm starting to get the hang of putting it on my back, but it takes practice. Oh, and MAKE SURE ITS ACTUALLY ATTACHED. I thought it was and I let go. Guess what? It wasn't, and I was not wearing any socks or shoes. Yeah, Ouch. But Overall, a pretty good result. I'm hoping to get better at attaching it before Comic-con. The second gif is me trying to shake it off, it really stays on and it takes some force to get it off
The first 3 photos are GIFS, you have to click for them to play.
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One trick with magnets is getting the poles correctly lined up. That's a step I skipped in my summary, but once you have the first magnet attached to the shield, take the second magnet before you attach it to the harness and let it clamp to the first magnet. that spot (where they line up exactly, face to face) is the place where the S pole on the outer magnet is aligned with the N pole on the inner magnet and vice versa. Mark the top and bottom of the outer magnet so you know which side faces up and which faces down, then attach to the harness.

If you do this, you will not have a problem getting them to "click" when you reach the shield back. You'll probably have a hard time taking it off again.
 
One trick with magnets is getting the poles correctly lined up. That's a step I skipped in my summary, but once you have the first magnet attached to the shield, take the second magnet before you attach it to the harness and let it clamp to the first magnet. that spot (where they line up exactly, face to face) is the place where the S pole on the outer magnet is aligned with the N pole on the inner magnet and vice versa. Mark the top and bottom of the outer magnet so you know which side faces up and which faces down, then attach to the harness.

If you do this, you will not have a problem getting them to "click" when you reach the shield back. You'll probably have a hard time taking it off again.
That makes a lot of sense actually, I'll be back!
 
I have a different solution. I use a 150lb pull actuating magnet so I have a very solid pull with the magnet on but can release the magnet by flipping a lever.

The magnet can attach to the shield or to the harness. The attached pics are of my beta test. Here I put the mag directly om the harness and just JB welded some washers to the aluminum shield. This held pretty well on the 1/8'' shield. For my real harness I'll be cutting leather to make a screen accurate harness and using a steel harness buckle (pictured) with the magnet on the shield. My new shield is 1/4'' thick and a bit heavier. The thick back buckle will give the magnet plenty to grab.

Anyhow, below are some pics of my wife using the beta harness at Tampa comic con over the past weekend.

If anyone wants to replicate this, the model of the magswitch magnet can be seen in one of the photos.

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I think HPF said he used Duct Tape, which is a fine idea because it is thin and slippery. You honestly can use anything that creates about 3/32" gap between the magnets which will not itself become magnetized. The point here is to get the max magnetic attraction without allowing the two magnets to touch and form a bond that requires a bobcat and two spotters to separate.

A large copper plate would do it; putting the outer magnet behind a (thin) leather pocket would be good. I have some scrap plastic sheets that I think would work. You just have to find something that doesn't look like the dog's breakfast when it is fully assembled.
 
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