Tool magnetizer/demagnetizer

[liquibyte]

Anyone here ever built a magnetizer/demagnetizer?  We used to have one where I worked that looked fairly old and was rather large and I haven't been able to find any sort of reasonable plans other than some dangerous looking stuff on Google.  I'd like to be able to demagnetize larger tools like wire cutters, pliers, vise grips etc. but don't want to be tripping circuit breakers with things that behave like shorts.

[Thor-Arne]

I have a old one, basically just a mains powered coil around a iron rod.

I suppose making one from a old transformer would do.

[calexanian]

You can make one with a gapped core, a coil suitable for mains, and a variac. Stick the tool in the gap, ramp up and back down the variac and make sure you saturate the flux capacity of the tool.
As far as magnetizing an iron tool, just touching it to a strong neo magnet works well. They sell cheap little tools for doing screwdrivers.