How to Connect a 6V Battery to an Electromagnet

Making an electromagnet with a 6V battery, can be dangerous and time consuming if you are unguided.  Magnets themselves can prove to be dangerous if you are untrained with them.  It is not difficult to do, though, provided you have good advice and clear steps to show you how to go about creating it.

Step 1 – Preparing the Work Space

Before you begin any work project, especially one involving magnets, whether strong or weak, clear out the space you will be working in to clear away any items that may get in the way or be caught in the work itself.  Clear off any surfaces you will use, sweep the surrounding ground, make sure there are no open drawers or cabinets around the area and put away any loose metals or things that may be caught on a magnet.
Remove any metal on your body, including rings, necklaces, bracelets, earrings or hair clips.  This is especially important for this project because you will be working with a strong magnet that could potentially tear any jewelry out of your body.

Step 2 – Set Up Your Materials

Next, you should set up the materials you will be using, including the battery itself, the copper, wire cutter and penny nail.  Always make sure every material you need for a project is readily available so you do not need to leave the work space for any reason, possibly leaving dangerous items unattended.
Remove any store packaging from the battery and take off any paper from the copper wire.  Be extra careful when handling the battery without any hand protection.

Step 3 – Wrap the Penny Nail

Next, you are going to start wrapping the penny nail with the wire.  Begin by wrapping the bare copper #22 wire around the penny nail 50 times to start.  You can wrap it more times once you have configured the electromagnet, making the magnet stronger.  Just to get started, 50 times is plenty.

Step 4 – Attach the Battery

Next, you are going to connect a wire to the positive terminal of the 6v battery.  To do this, use your wire cutter to strip the ends of the wire.  Attach one end of the wire to the positive terminal of the battery.  You will notice that one of the terminals will have a + sign and another will have a – sign.  These are positive and negative terminals.  Attach the wire to the terminal that has the + sign (positive) first.
Using the opposite end of the wire, connect it to the – (negative) terminal of the battery just as you did with the positive.  Once you do this, you should have a functioning electromagnet.

Step 5 – Increase the Strength

To increase the strength of your electromagnet, simply wrap more wire around the penny nail, but take note:  you should unwrap the wire from the battery terminals before wrapping more wire.  Failing to do so could result in burns, electric shock or other injury.