I found John Canton’s method when searching for the answer online but I can’t figure out exactly what he did or why it would work.
A method of making artificial magnets without the use of natural ones.
https://archive.org/details/bim_eighteenth-century_a-method-of-making-artif_canton-john-frs_1751/page/n5/mode/2up
In: Technology
John Canton’s method was the same as John Mitchell’s: both used pre-existing magnetic metal to impart magnetism to a piece of iron. Basically, nothing like what you describe was ever made prior to the discovery of electromagnetism. Only when people figured out that electricity has magnetic effects, and that some metals can become magnetized by placing them in electromagnetic fields, did it become possible to magnetize metal without pre-existing organic magnetics.
The first natural permanent magnets were certain ores that were struck by lightning, called lodestone. They were used in ancient primitive compasses.
You make a magnet, you need copper wire wrapped around an iron core to create a strong electromagnet.
Take some material that has the ability to be magnetized, heat it up to its “Curie Point”, and then energize the powerful electromagnet next to it, while the material cools .
A very common magnet is made from ferrite ceramics, like refrigerator magnets.
The popular ones now are neodymium, and for high-temperature magnets, the Samrium Cobalt magnets work well.
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