Warlord Titan Assembly – Magnetizing the Torso
For magnetizing this beast, I went with much larger magnets than the Reaver.
So far, I’ve purchased 3/4″ diameter by 3/8″ thick neodymium magnets. These puppies have a pull force of around 24 pounds when it’s magnet to magnet.
I purchased magnets for four different joints
- Legs -> Torso
- Right shoulder -> Arm
- Left shoulder -> Arm
- Head -> Body
Here I’m using a 3/4″ Forstner bit to drill the hole for the lower magnet.
After the main hole is drilled, drill a few holes for the excess JBWeld epoxy to squirt out through. This means you can coat the hole liberally with JBWeld for good coverage, and then push down the magnet until it’s flush, and an excess JBWeld will push out through the tiny holes.
I also drilled through the top plate (bottom of the torso). It’s not 3/8″ thick, so I ended up drilling clean through (not pictured).
Here you can see the fully glued in leg/hip magnet
And the fully glued in torso magnet.
Because the torso plate was thinner than the magnet itself, I dumped quite a bit of JBWeld on top of the magnet to create plenty of support for the torso magnet so it doesn’t pull out when assembling/disassembling the torso from the legs. The fun thing about JBWeld is that it’s metallic & ferrous, so the magnet actually pulls the JBWeld towards it! I just kept adding JBWeld until it created a nice thick ‘cap’ around the top of the magnet.
So far (about a week, and probably 100 torso/leg attaches and detaches, both magnets are still 100% secure… so I don’t anticipate a risk of the magnets coming loose from the resin due to the strong 24 pound pull force.
30mm Madness! 
Great job as usual! I’m enjoying following this project. Thanks for sharing it!
October 4, 2015 at 10:36 am
I bought some of the same magnets as you used. You don’t think the pull force is too much? I’m just worried about damage when I go to separate them.
August 11, 2016 at 4:39 pm
The magnets at that size are perfect for the weapon arms and torso, but a bit much for the head/cockpit and you could go smaller there. In any case I’ve attached/separated many times with no issues.
August 11, 2016 at 5:36 pm
Which JB weld did you use for your build? Trying to get all my supplies in hand before my forgeworld order arrives and there are SOO many JB weld options.
thanks in advance!
October 25, 2016 at 10:01 am
I used original JBWeld for any joint that could be safely clamped in place and to provide backing for my magnets: https://amzn.com/B000ALG8LO
I used JBQuick for anything that was hard to clamp, and I just manually held the pieces in for ~5 minutes until the initial cure set in: https://amzn.com/B005UYVIXO
Unless you get a really ‘square’ clamp, use JBQuick, it’s almost as strong, and there’s nothing worse than a clamp ‘slipping’ overnight, and you wake up to a permanently crooked piece, which happened on one of my leg pistons. I wish I had just used JBQuick on those pieces!
I buy the ‘industrial size’ tubes, as they $14-$15 bucks each. That way I can mix a little extra and not worry about a little waste, then running out of epoxy as I wait for another order of the little tubes from Amazon.
October 25, 2016 at 10:37 am
Thanks for the quick response!
So you ended up using JB steel then and not JB plasticweld? Another Warlord build i was reading up on appeared to use JB plasticweld but i saw yours talking about it being ferrous and magnetic
October 25, 2016 at 10:45 am
Yeah, I used the standard ‘steel’ type which is ferrous and does react to the magnets. If you look at the torso magnet (from the chest/torso section, not the legs) you’ll see that it worked out nicely. I just poured mixed JBweld on the magnet and the magnet pulled the JBWeld into a nice, even blob around itself.
I’ve never tried the plastic weld… not sure how it binds to forge world resin. Looking online at least one other build used it so I’m guessing it’s fine.
October 25, 2016 at 4:24 pm
Gotcha, thanks again. This guide will be a big help during my build
October 28, 2016 at 5:19 am
Hey, thank you.
I am also working on a Titan project now. Thanks to your Blog, I also got the same kind of magnet and ordered JB Weld as soon as I saw how strong the magnets are.
About magnetizing the Hip/Torso: How did you make the upper and the lower part fit on each other when there is a “blob” of JB Weld on top of each other? Doesnt this “blob on blob” action of the JB Weld on the top and bottom magnet prevent a flat connection between the two and make the connection wobbly?
November 10, 2021 at 1:04 am
The last picture showing the jbweld ‘blob’ is a bit confusing. The blob is actually inside the titan upper body… and there is no blob on the lower hips/leg assembly. The join between the torso / hip magnets is flat/magnet on magnet.
November 10, 2021 at 8:41 am
Ahhhhh, that makes so much sense. Thanks for clearing that up, and so quickly as well!
I’ll be working on a Reaver Titan once it arrives. Do you think these magnets are overkill for it? I plan on using them for the Hip/Torso section as well, just to be sure that it lasts.
Your blog is a great resource for Titan builders btw!
November 10, 2021 at 10:47 pm
Thank you! Your tips have been golden.
I have assembled the Reaver Titan using the big magnets and the JB Weld glue, and it turned out really great so far. I still have to attach some of the cabling and pistons, but the main build including the guns stands. I have pinned the major connections and magnetized a lot. (The Head to Torso, Torso to waist, Carapace and Arm Weapon Hardpoints plus the Weapons themselves).
If you want, I could write an entry as a guest author on your blog as a small collaboration, since your blog helped so much, or I could send you the Photos of the assembly and you could create one if you want. Just an offer!
November 15, 2021 at 6:06 am
Here is a post where I explained my approach to the Reaver titan arms. https://30mm-madness.com/2012/01/13/magnetizing-the-weapon-arms-on-a-forgeworld-reaver-titan/
As far as overkill.. as long as the magnet ‘fits’ while leaving enough original resin to support the magnet and the pull force, you should be good to go.
I’d error on the ‘stronger’ magnet if I have multiple options.
I get the sense that the JBWeld bond won’t break anywhere near these pull force levels. So go as big as you can ‘fit’ in a joint with plenty of support resin left over (my advice, but of course you may have different results!)
Good luck with your build! Would like to see any pics of the build and/or completed titan!
November 11, 2021 at 1:59 pm