How to glue magnets to fabric?

If you've ever tried to glue something to fabric, you know it can be a real challenge. Here are my best recommendations, so you can hopefully avoid making a lot of foot mistakes. And of course I also touch on what you absolutely should not do.

How we used glue & magnets in dance show

Can you glue on clothes? In the summer of 2019, we helped with guidance for a dance show where 20 dancers had to perform Alice in Wonderland for the championships. To be able to change costumes quickly during the many scene changes, magnets were just the right thing to use. But it wasn't everywhere that we could sew something in place, and we therefore had to find a solution with glue. However, the biggest challenge was not the clothes themselves, because there we could sew magnets into either a running gaiter or by using the sew-in magnets with a plastic cover. But on e.g. the foam rubber parts, which had to be attached to the arms, stomach and legs, and which had to be easy to take off, put on and turn, there we were challenged differently. The glue must be able to fit both the different types of fabric / foam rubber and metal.

The solution: Using sy-i magnets and UHU Max Repair lim.

Why & how: It turned out to be almost impossible to find a glue that stuck to both foam rubber and glue. The texture of foam rubber is very "bumpy" and very similar to hessian or other coarse fabric with many small indentations, which will usually provide ideal conditions for the glue in terms of having something to grab onto (same reason that magnets should scratch easily with fine-grained sandpaper before gluing: so that the glue can stick well). But at the same time the surface is reasonably smooth. And that's why we couldn't find a type of glue that was good for both surfaces, while also drying quickly enough that the magnets didn't manage to move around on the costumes. So we quickly switched to using the plastic-encased magnets together with UHU Max Repair to succeed with the project.

What could have been done differently: We certainly could have been achieved by scratching all the raw power magnets with fine-grained sandpaper and by making small depressions in the foam rubber parts, which gave better conditions for the glue. But it is often the case that we get pulled into projects when a lot of other things have been tried, and you think of magnets at the last minute. So that's why we didn't have that much time. But it is clearly something we want to explore even more again at another time.

Glue on curtain fabric

Can you glue on curtains? It's not just dance clothes that can be smartly spruced up with magnets. Also, curtains become super smart in no time, as most curtain rods are magnetic, but also because many buildings have hidden metal beams in window sill joints, which allow magnets to be hung "magically" (or at least with an invisible counterparty).

The solution: With magnetic tape if it is very light curtains such as mosquito nets, and with glue magnets if it is general. fabric.

Doesn't work here: Very heavy curtains cannot be satisfied with glue, and here you have to stick some magnets into e.g. a sewn runner or bend the curtain fabric around the magnets. Glue magnets can make it easier for you because the glue acts as an extra hand as it fixes the magnets temporarily. But in the long run, the glue gives up, as heavy curtains pull too much on the glue compared to the load-bearing capacity per cm2.

Why & how: There are many different curtains, but if we start with the lightest of them (mosquito net etc.), then you can just stick a strip of self-adhesive magnetic tape on the curtains (along the entire length - not only partly). It is clear that magnetic tape becomes a more durable solution if you also sew it to the fabric. But we have a mosquito curtain hanging in the office that is only glued in place, and it has worked flawlessly in our showroom for 3 years at the time of writing (and has been extensively used and tested since 2019).

If you instead hang some light curtains of more common. substance such as cotton fabric, where the weight is still low and where the fabric type is smooth without fluffing, then glue magnets are excellent. They can even sit on velor fabric on the smooth back, if it otherwise makes sense in relation to the way you want to hang the curtains. This is often used as an easy solution for the summer house, boat etc., where you don't need to remove the curtains as often. You can always "refresh" with some two-component glue or UHU Max Repair. But then the easy and quick aspect of using the glue magnets disappears a little. And then you might as well choose a sewing solution.

Important knowledge about adhesive magnets: Although they can stick to fabric quite well, you must be aware that the strength between the magnets is stronger than the load-bearing capacity of the glue, so you can't just take a curtain up and down with careless assembly of the magnets when you have to fold it. Instead, it will require that you carefully separate the magnets, respecting that they are only glued to the fabric. So the glue magnets are best for fabric, when they need to be quick solutions that are not challenged so much in daily use.

When you can't use glue: Magnets are still brilliant for curtains , but if it is a question of a heavier type of fabric or a solution where the curtains must be able to flutter a lot, be taken up and down often etc., then you should instead strongly consider putting magnets into a runner in the curtain, where they are fixed better than with simple glue. We deliver e.g. magnets for many of the large Danish theaters, where a quick scene change between the background carpets is needed, and we are proud to be chosen again and again when new stages have to be built and new stage carpets sewn, because it just confirms that it works super good and is super smart with magnets. But they sew them on, because there is no time to take anything down carefully - things get raised, and glue is not good enough for that.

Here are some of the items I have mentioned so far in the post: