Any tips on how to magnetize a socket so that it will hold bolts etc?

Magnetizing sockets
 

If you repeatedly bang it against something very solid you will gradually align the +- pairs in the steel with the earth's magnetic field thus creating a magnet. The Navy is very concerned about this process because they have to demagnetize ships and subs on a regular basis to avoid detection by magnetic anomaly detectors. BTW 15 minutes of banging against a vise might do the job.

You can rub it along the magnet of a car speaker as well...it is a bit easier and doesn't take that long.

greetingz,

It tried the magnet thing first because it sounded easier, it worked!

Just a thought..
was wondering if I took a huge coil of wire, hooked it up to a battery or something and put all my sockets near the coil, then left if overnight if that would work in magnetizing the hole bunch

The same way you magnetise a screwdriver. Wrap coiled insulated wire on the socket, leave enough excess to
touch a 12 volt battery on the positive and negative
posts just till you get a arc. This works on ferrus
metals only. Do not use the battery in your car for
this, and do it in a well ventilated area. You can also use a lantern battery for this also.

Gary

How to magnetize
 

I keep an old car speaker around for this. Got it stuck on the side of our freezer in the garage. Swipe a tool across it, magnatized. Reverse the procedure, demagnatized.

Alot of great ideas to try, thank you for the input