magnets

naughtysmurf

looking for a strong magnet to help find nails in a plaster wall so I can locate the timber stud, any idea where I could get one locally.
Thanks

oakshade

Never heard of anyone using a magnet for this before? Clever idea. You could just pickup a stud / pipe / wire detector in a diy shop?

naughtysmurf

I am on a very tight budget lol

oakshade

Lol, have you tried the 'noise test' ... bang gently with the back of a screwdriver, the wall sounds slightly different where the studs are??

naughtysmurf

Yeah, either my hearing isn't what it used to be or there wad a timber shortage when the house was being built. Is there a standard distance between studs?, in the US its 16" i think

oakshade

Oh your asking the wrong fella now, im a bit of a diy disaster. Maybe try the diy forum? Best of luck

jonski

It's supposed to be 16" , given that the slabs are 48" , but I wouldn't be surprised to see one with a half way split at 24" .

Having said that , I'm no expert .

John2002

If you have an old hard drive lying around they have very strong magnets inside.

Stuxnet

Pro tip - Was a chippie before giving it all up in 2010

... look at the skirting boards (if any), where they are nailed...that's where the studs are, studs are usually fixed 16" apart.

jbkenn

Stuxnet wrote: »

Pro tip - Was a chippie before giving it all up in 2010

... look at the skirting boards (if any), where they are nailed...that's where the studs are, studs are usually fixed 16" apart.

Good tip Stuxnet, like my mother used to say, " the next best thing to knowing how to do something, is to know the fellow who does, that, and having his phone number"

naughtysmurf

No skirting, sorted anyway, just drilled a series of small holes until I found them, room being gutted so the holes didn't matter
Thanks for replies

stefanovich

Wrap some wire around a nail and hook it up to a battery. Instant electro magnet.