Hanging curtains with magnets instead of screws

[all4camping]

I have an idea but need some input. I know our campers are aluminium. I am assisting a friend making new curtains/valences for my 2006 2619 and we would like to know how to use REALLY STRONG magnets instead of the prior "screws into the fabric". I want to know if it is possible and if so how, to attach a small magnet onto the wall right at the end of the curtain channel. My friend thinks she can get a magnet into the curtain at the right spot but we don't know how to get a magnet onto the wall. Any ideas??? This does SOUND like a great idea but . . . . your thoughts are welcome

[ka9nyn]

Maybe something like this. Double sided tape, very high bonding. Used this back at previous employer (Nuke power plant). http://www.amazon.com/TapeCase-Width...ds=3m+vhb+tape

[Bill]

Instead of putting a magnet into the wall, how about gluing or screwing or riveting a small steel plate to the surface of the wall. Then sew the magnet into the curtain material.

You should check out a company called K&J Magnetics
https://www.kjmagnetics.com/
Not only are they a source for all kinds/shapes/sizes of VERY strong magnets (inexpensive, too!), but in their Magnet Blog are many application ideas - including how to sew them into cloth items to attach those items to various surfaces.

Since these strong magnets are readily available, I would avoid the black ferrite or ceramic magnets sold at hardware stores and craft stores. Considering their size, they are not very strong, and the ferrite ones shed black dust all over everything.

I have no connection with the company, but have used their products in a number of projects, always with good results.

Bill

[Kidkraz]

Have you ever used the Command strips? Buy a package of replacement tapes. They will stick most anything to the walls. I have used them to stick metal strips to attach screen material around my door using magnets. They don't leave marks and do come off easy. Most packs tell you how much weight it supports, also.

[all4camping]

Bill the magnets thread is awesome and I'm sure I can find what I'm looking for there. What do you think about using/glueing (DAP contact cement?) something thin like a washer to the wall of the camper and having the magnet in the curtain? I'm looking for a THIN surface for the magnet to "stick" to - I think this will work for my idea?

[ArkyDoodle]

I wanna do the same thing with mini-blinds......

[Bill]

Dona Jo -

I think gluing a thin steel plate to the wall is a great idea. My only advice (learned from the JKMag web site) is not too thin. The holding power of a magnet depends on the thickness of the steel you are glomming it onto. (Sorry, that's technical talk.) While a magnet will always be attracted to steel, if the steel is too thin, you lose attracting force. You can make up for it with a bigger magnet, of course, but that is pretty inconvenient in your curtains. Certainly do not go foil thin - there is no need to do so.

I'm not sure that a washer is the best thing to use, simply because the magnet won't be attracted to the hole in the center. I haven't tried it, but in my mind I'm thinking that something the size and thickness of a quarter or half dollar might work. Arky Doodle, this probably won't be enough to support mini-blinds. In that case, maybe glue a steel strip on the wall, and several magnets in the mini-blind housing. In either case, the steel can be painted to look better, but use a thin paint.

If you rummage around the KJMag site, you will find some quantitative information about the drop in attracting force for various thicknesses of steel, and it may or may not guide you. Fortunately, the magnets are inexpensive, and delivery is fast, so once you think you have narrowed it down, you could buy one each of several sizes and see which one works best.

Bill

[MamaJBee]

Hi! We had extensive mouse damage and had to replace all the curtains and had to get rid of the tracks, too. I tried lots of ideas, knowing that in all cases my curtains would need to be put up and taken down each time, and that I would no longer leave them in the trailer to be eaten when we were not traveling.

My solution? Café rods, medium-large 3M hooks backed with VELCRO command strips and a pneumatic stapler.

I first put 3M on the backs of each 3M hook, using the 3M Velcro picture hanger command strips of the highest weight allowance. I then enlisted a second set of hands/eyes and held up the 3M hooks with the rods and curtains where I thought they should go. When approval re: spacing and leveling was given, I pressed the hook back to the wall, then carefully disengaged the hook Velcro from the wall Velcro.

PRESS THAT DOWN HARD ON THE WALL! Then STAPLE IT in place with the pneumatic stapler. TRUST ME! No power stapler, and your curtains will fall down, and the 3M sticky Velcro will come off the wall with it. ALSO TRUST ME: Use the heavier weight Velcro 3M strips, or your café rods won't be held up with the Velcro connection. Indeed, over the sink, I had to use 3 large 3M hooks, instead of 2 medium ones like the other windows have.

It takes us about 5 mins extra to hang up and take down our curtains, but they look chic like an expensive hotel room and are another layer of insulation mixed with black out backing.

This works well, as my gals and I like to go glamping. Nice sheets, nice comforters, nice curtains. We can get filthy all day long, but at night, we clean up and once in the TM, we are clean, cozy and pampered. Which is the only way I can get 2 teenager girls, and their friends, to come hang out in the woods for several weeks a year.

Good luck!

[Craigrrr]

My wife is going to re-do our curtains as well, and I think we are going with the velcro and vhb tape to keep them up.

[Lesherp]

I ran into some information on magnets a while back I will share.
You might be able to find some products that will work for hanging curtains here:
http://www.amazingmagnets.com/

This is the post that lead me to this site and where I learned about neodymium iron boron (NIB) magnets, commonly just referred to as "neodymium" or "rare earth" magnets.
http://www.dansdata.com/magnets.htm

It is a fun read and now I don’t have to worry about what to do with old hard drives so no one can retrieve data off it. They use this type of magnet in them and once you remove them I guarantee no data will be retrieved. I mounted one on the TM swing hitch to hold items like WDH pins and propane tank hold down bolt and nut when not in use. I sometimes put one in my pocket when pruning in the yard to hold tools attached to the outside of my pants for easy access. These things are so incredibly strong you have to be careful with them that you don’t hurt yourself. Worth checking out if you have not played with one just for the fun of it.