2mm x 5mm PTFE Stir Bar Implant
Hey guys, after finding very little about stir bar webbing implants on this site and for that matter, anywhere else, I decided to go ahead and try it.
I opted to put the magnet in the webbing of my right hand, as my fingers are super skinny, making a regular implant hard for me to do. Not only that but the pain factor just complicates it even more. Before this came my two failed attempts at putting a gold plated 3x1mm N52 in my fingertip, one try with a scalpel and the other with a needle, I decided to try something else and see if it works. It took no time at all to do the actual implant, as all it took was marking the implant site, inserting the needle (leftover from tag injection), taking the needle out, and pushing the magnet in. A few minutes tops. To make sure I didn't get a nasty infection everything was soaked in hydrogen peroxide, I washed my hands with warm soapy water, and the site was sterilized with iodine after gloving up my needle hand. After the implant I cleaned up with alcohol pads, applied some triple antibiotic ointment to the site and put on the band-aid.
My biggest worry is sensitivity, since after all my fingertip is way more sensitive than my webbing, but I figured it was worth a shot and if it doesn't work I can just take it out. I'll give some updates on sensitivity as the healing process goes on. If I were to do this again I'd definitely opt for a bigger PTFE. Links to where I got the mag in case anyone's interested (looks to be out of stock): http://amzn.to/2pDFECl
Also have some pictures, a little bit of blood but if you're on this forum you should be fine with that :p
Edit: This thread will give a little more detail about PTFE implants: http://forum.biohack.me/discussion/219/group-buy-high-grade-ptfe-coated-cylindrical-magnets
Comments
Great ideal shape and composition...
I am interested in your results with this magnet and the implant position. If you can get any sensation at all it should work for the bottle nose device.
As far as the hydrogen peroxide, one of my hobbies is plant tissue culture. I recently attempted to clean a couple raspberry explants using hydrogen peroxide for 10 minutes and then I put it into the agar media. One still looks clean but the second one got contaminated. My explants were from outdoor grown bushes so your magnet should be easier to clean but bleach would have been a better choice.
I don't think any magnet is going to let you sense North by itself. I don't have an implant but @McSTUFF had a thread about his attempt at building a non powered device.
http://forum.biohack.me/discussion/496/low-tech-approach/p1
Does the magnet still look OK (assuming you removed it)?
Do you intend to try implanting it again?
Seeing how this was originally supposed to be a stir bar, I wonder if it could be autoclaved (pressure cooked) to sterilize it without weakening the magnetism?
I'm not sure what your needle is like but I have sterilized syringes and needles (not for actual human or animal injections) in a pressure cooker before and they survived and were completely sterilized. Everything still needs to be clean to start with but I'd trust the pressure cooker (15-30 minutes at full pressure) more than any chemical method.
How likely... idk! ;0;
I know for a fact autoclaiving an TiN NdFeB m31 compromises it. #_#
https://www.belart.com/bel-art-f37119-0007-micro-flea-spinbar-magnetic-alnico-stirring-bar-teflon-coated-7-x-2mm.html
I know the stronger NdFeB magnets are not autoclavable but it looks like this particular one is.
Still don't know if this type of magnet would give any sensation if implanted though.
Alright, just dropping by real quick with an update in case anyone comes along this thread. The injection has healed up perfectly and there has been no infection or signs of rejection. At this time there is no noticeable feeling. The closest I can get with this stir bar is by sticking a neodymium to it through the skin, and with that I can feel fields. But at that point you might as well inject a neodymium, which is the conclusion I came to from this project. While PTFE is safe, it's useless, especially in the spot I injected it in. It may be better in your fingers, but as I said just inject an N52. I'll probably end up removing this magnet and replacing it with another RFID sometime down the line.