Have you eaten in a restaurant and discovered that your silverware was magnetized?

Question

Over the years I've found this in several different restaurants.

Not a huge crisis, but what causes it?

Answer 1

Not really. But an interesting question. There is something called static electricity that gets generated when you rub tableware and stuff like that., but magnetism is of course a different case. Are you sure it was magnetism? I am wondering, static electricity grounds itself ASAP and is unlikely to have been experienced by you. To magnetize you either need another magnet or electrical induction. I tell you, somewhere in the cleaning process, they are using a magnet (a strong one in that!) to pick / sort these tableware and it is the root cause of all magnetism in restaurants.... This is what I think Hope you find the answer. Good luck

Answer 2

Depending on the price scale of a restaurant or food chain there are 2 types of magnets employed that can magnetize your utensils.  Many have a 3 phase disposal on there dish line behind an electromagnetic bar under the line that stops anything metal from going into the disposal.  They become deadly projectiles if they end up in the disposal.

secondly, there is another restaurant garbage compacting system that is used most often in cities where you do not have lots of room for garbage and table turnover can be huge there by increasing your ability to loose thousands of dollars per month in utensils.  The garbage is dumped in the font end, shredded by picking tools and again, there are electromagnetic bars that grab anything metal and dumps the found utensils, below or to the side depending on the model, after each dump.

Answer 3

It's probably because the silverware gets knocked around so much the atoms align to produce a magnet.  Much the same as you can beat a piece of metal with a hammer will cause it to magnetize.

Answer 4

Yeah I noticed the same thing. Usually I am the only one who has magnetized silverware at my table. I noticed that it is usually the knives that get magnetized. It must be because they are made out of thicker metal. There must be some high powered magnets in the motors used in the cleaning process.

I usually play around with mine so other tables can see and think I am some sort of magnetized freak!

Answer 5

did that last night