So I have 2 3 inch, .5 inch diameter rods of 1018 steel that I’m trying to turn into electromagnets. I know it’s permeability isn’t that great but I couldn’t find any soft iron. What gauge wire is best for making rather powerful electromagnets? What type of batteries should I use? Is there anything important I should know before making the electromagnets?

 

Is there anything important I should know before making the electromagnets?

If you want to be successful, yes:
Ohm's law.
Maxwell's equations.
Lorenetz force law.
The resistance of copper wire of different gauges.
Properties of different magnetic materials

 

This article might help get you started on more rigorous design. It’s focused on practicality so it’s not very arcane. Once oyu have a general framework you might want to pursue things further but at least you will have a roadmap to navigate the vast landscape of possibilities.

 

Steel may become permanently magnetised. Is that going to be a problem for you?

 

Steel may become permanently magnetised. Is that going to be a problem for you?

When I was working at the university a local manufacturer of scrapyard electromagnets contacted us (the EE department) about seeing if we could help them put their design process on a more EE and physics based path. The technology is very old and very empirical they depend on the long history of having built them for knowledge and occasional evolution to improve them

I got to learn some interesting things, one of them was that the magnets tend to magnetize their own cores. The solution is to run some AC through them when it happens, and degass everything.

 

Steel may become permanently magnetised. Is that going to be a problem for you?

That shouldn’t be an issue but if it is what other materials could I use?