Not quite big enough for the Atlas table, but relavent none the less. On my electronics bench are a number of tools that seem to "grow" magnetism at the most inopportune time. I keep a large soldering gun handy to correct this. A Weller D-550(350w), even an 8200(140w) has a single turn coil as the secondary to a transformer. As the
AC is backed away from the tool, the field is weakened. Actually, I use a half KVA Variac, but that isn't common in most metal working shops. Placing the tool between the prongs but behind the tip and pulling it away handles this. I tried to use a link to the PDF, but the website won't allow this now. Look at
http://www.hudsontelcom.com/ and then look to the bottom of the page for [
Home Shop Electrics]. The PDF is some 50 pages long so should be obvious why I don't plug it in here.
The salient point is the
AC field generated by a Weller soldering iron. If you were to use a magnetizer backward it would do what magnetizers are supposed to do, but backward.
Do not use this. Magnetizers often are line powered with an
internal rectifier to produce the
DC needed.
A low power demagnetizer, such as found on a TV(CRT), will work, just not very quickly. It might take hours to complete the cycle. I would highly recommend something to taper the voltage applied over time. A variable transformer, Variac, would be the simplest. But require your attention for a long term usage. A tape demag device is better, but still maybe not enough. But consider how it is supposed to be used......
I have an Atlas MF-C, the table is rather heavy though small. I thank God mine has never gotten magnetized. In any event, you want a tapering
AC feed, not a DC. Iron is the basic component in steel, 95+%. Any magnet will contain iron to some extent.(except AlNiCo) The AC feed will swap the magnetizing field 100-120 times a second. 120 in the States..... As this is tapered toward zero, so also is the magnetism of the table.
Heat and/or
Shock will demag the table. But either is no-no on a precision milled table. And you might consider what caused the magnetism to start with. Either will also cause magnetism. As will an unshielded DC motor.....
Hope I helped your thought processes a little;
