Magnets

[bigears]

I purchased a new old Carrera Sports Car Legends set on ebay. The magnets in the cars need to be cleaned. What is the best way to do it?

[Mikeinclover]

Why do you think the magnets need to be cleaned? I assume you are talking about the magnets under the car.
Mike

[RichD]

This seems to be an odd question. Traction magnets are neodymium and they are normally plated because neodymium corrodes very quickly. For a start do not use anything that might remove the plating. If metal filings are stuck to the magnets sticky tape is the best way to remove them.

[bigears]

Thanks for the help on a dumb question.

[Brumos RSR]

No such thing as a dumb question here. We are all here to help you enjoy the hobby more or improve your builds or enjoy camaraderie with other virtually in this hobby

[32lbking]

It is very common for the plating on Carrera magnets to flake off, especially the older ones. RichD's idea of tape to remove the flakes is a good one. I would think you could apply a clear coat to them after cleaning if you want. Some of mine have flaked and look kinda rough but I have not done anything to them yet.
I will defer to RichD as to whether some paints might cause an issue with magnets [I have no clue], because he is very knowledgeable when it comes to chemicals.
By the way, that is a very nice set that you bought
Randy

[bigears]

The track set seems to be as new. I have not removed the track as yet. Just paging through the booklet it looks like the track connects together differently then the newer Carrera track.

[32lbking]

That is an older set. The track connects with horseshoe shaped clips. It is a little harder to connect than the newer sliding clips, but it gives a tighter joint. If you are going to be disassembling it alot the newer track with sliding clips is better suited for that because it is easier to disassemble. If using horseshoe clips you only need 1 clip per joint, or 2 at the most. It is easier to assemble the older track in sections upside down. The old track will connect to the newer track with no special adapters, and you won't see any difference once assembled. The newer clips don't provide quite as tight of a joint, so if you have a section that isn't tight enough just use a horseshoe style clip on that joint [horseshoe clips work on both old and new style track]
IMHO Carrera track is the best plastic track available and you will be very happy you chose it.
Randy

[RichD]

If the plating has started to flake off you would have to remove as much of the loose material as possible before you tried to coat the magnet to prevent corrosion. Something like Rustoleum might make a good coating, but any of the original plating that was left might continue to peel off. It might be better to buy replacement magnets. I checked the Carrera site and it looked like they had magnets, but the link went to a blank page. Professor Motor carries a variety of magnets, possibly one of those would be a good fit.
I suppose that the final option is to just live with the magnets that you have.

[bigears]

Thanks again. Great people. Wally