MagneticCube.com - Do-It-Yourself Kit Instructions

Notes:
Please read these instructions in their entirety before starting your project. Next to each of the steps is a link to the video demonstration of that specific step. I recommend you watch each of them. If you're reading these instructions in printed form, just go to http://MagneticCube.com/DIY for the links. In these instructions, I refer to 3/8" holes and magnets as large, and 3/16" holes and magnets as small.

Required items:

Magnets and dice available from MagneticCube.com
Drill press with stop
3/16" & 3/8" split point drill bits
Loctite brush-on super glue
Scrap wood and screws to make jig
Three clamps (two for securing the jig to the drill press, one for the core dice)
Flat head screwdriver, with head that is larger than the magnets (so you can push the magnets flush, but not too far)
Two different colored Sharpies

Build the jig: Video
Using scrap wood, create a jig you will put on the table of your drill press. This makes it easy to get a hole in the center of the dice, every time. A few pointers: leave some space between the two pieces of wood that form the right angle. This gives the drill shavings somewhere to go. If you really want to get fancy, you can put a clamp on your jig to hold your shop-vac hose so it will immediately vacuum up any shavings.

Examine the dice: Video
Line the dice up in a row so that all of them are facing the same direction. Examine each side, looking for imperfections. If there is a die with an imperfection, make sure you drill on that side, so the exterior of the finished product looks nice.

Mark the magnets: Video
Divide the magnets in half, two stacks of six big magnets and two stacks of 48 little magnets. The others are extras. Now put the little magnets on the big magnets, so you have two stacks of 54 magnets (six big and 48 little). Mark with a red Sharpie the same side of every magnet in the first stack. Then mark the opposite side of the other stack blue. When you're done the blue side of the one stack should attract the red side of the other stack. That way, when you put the magnets in the dice, the dot will always go in. You'll just use red magnets for some, and blue for the others. This helps the finished product look nicer, since the dots will be inside the dice.

Drilling the dice: Video
When lining up your jig, let the bit just touch the die, then turn the die 90 degrees and see if it hits the exact same spot. Once it does, clamp it in place. Drill a little bit deeper than the magnet. If you have a caliper or other device to measure the depth, drill 3/32" for the small holes, and 3/16" for the large holes. This allows for a pocket for the extra glue to go when you push the magnet in. If you don't do that, you run the risk of the glue squeezing up and making a mess on your dice. Drilling just a little bit extra also allows you to make sure the magnet is perfectly flush, which is what you want. After each drill, make sure no debris is in the way for the next drill, so you make sure you hit the exact center. The finished product works best if every hole is as close to center as possible.

Putting in the magnets: Video
I recommend Loctite brush-on super glue. The brush-on applicator makes it much easier to apply, and less messy. Apply the glue to the inside wall of the hole. Not the bottom, as this is not flat, and is too deep to make contact. The bottom is where the excess glue will go when you push in the magnet. After applying the glue to a hole, push the magnet in slowly until it is perfectly flush. Let each die dry for an hour before letting it come in contact with other dice.

Centers (6):
Drill one large hole in each die. On the first die, drill it in the 1, on the second die, drill it in the 2, and so on. Drill four small holes in each die, leaving the side opposite the large hole undrilled. Use a blue large magnet and four red small magnets for each die.

Edges (12):
Each die will have small holes drilled in four of the six sides. Here are the sides you don't drill: 1-2; 1-3; 1-4; 1-5; 2-6; 3-6; 4-6; 5-6; 2-4; 4-5; 2-3; 3-5. When you put in the magnets, start with the red magnets and put them in the two holes that are opposite each other (the two holes on sides that are parallel to each other). The other two holes on each die (the holes on sides that are perpendicular to each other) will use blue magnets. I prefer to do the red magnets on all 12 dice, leaving two holes open for later, then going back and doing the blue magnets in the remaining holes. While you do one color magnets, leave the other stack out of reach so you don't accidentally grab the wrong ones. Remember, your dot on the magnet always goes in.

Corners (8):
Each die will have small holes drilled in three of the six sides. Here are the sides you don't drill: 3-5-6; 2-3-6; 4-5-6; 2-4-6; 1-2-3; 1-3-5; 1-2-4; 1-4-5. Use blue magnets for all three sides.

Assembly instructions: Video

Start with the die that has magnets on all six sides (the core).
Find the six center dice (the dice with magnets on five sides). Attach the centers to the core. Make sure to get the right sides in the right place. The sum of any face and it's opposite face should be seven, and if the one face is on top, and the two face is towards you, the three face should be to the right and four to the left.
Find the 12 edges (the dice with magnets on four sides). Using the two sides without magnets match it up to it's location.
You should have eight corner dice left (the dice with magnets on three sides). Put these in their appropriate locations.

Neodymium Magnet Safety:
The magnets included are extremely strong, and must be handled with care to avoid personal injury and damage to the magnets. Fingers and other body parts can get severely pinched between two attracting magnets. Neodymium magnets are brittle, and can peel, crack or shatter if allowed to slam together. The strong magnetic fields of neodymium magnets can also damage magnetic media such as floppy disks, credit cards, magnetic I.D. cards, cassette tapes, videotapes or other such devices. They can also damage televisions, VCRs, computer monitors and other CRT displays. Never place neodymium magnets near electronic appliances. Children should not be allowed to handle neodymium magnets, as they can be dangerous. Small magnets pose a choking hazard and should never be swallowed or inserted into any part of the body. Never allow neodymium magnets near a person with a pacemaker or similar medical aid. The strong magnetic fields of the magnet can affect the operation of such devices.