Magnetic pick-up tool for Petanque balls

A convenient lifter - not just for seniors

Submitted by: Carel Stoltz, Maarssen, Netherlands

Online since: 29/11/2007, Number of visits: 455372

A lift for steel petanque balls

Picking up petanque ball with magnet

I am a passionate petanque player. During each game, it means to repeatedly aim, throw, compare, and heatedly discuss the outcome of each turn, then - whether satisfied or not - bend to retrieve the steel balls for the next round. All that is fun but, well, for the somewhat older petanque players, it can be rather tiring.

To make it physically less tiring, I ordered a magnet with eyelet BD-OTN-40 and then tied a rope to the eyelet. This homemade magnetic pick-up tool allows me to retrieve the petanque balls without having to bend over.

We, at supermagnete.de, only hope that the similarity to certain battle weapons of the Middle Ages does not lead to out-of-control discussions as to the winner of each turn!

Note from the supermagnete team:

The mentioned magnet with eyelet might be too strong for your purposes. In most cases, the smaller eyelet magnets BD-OTN-20 or BD-OTN-25 are sufficient to pick up a standard ball.
The used magnet is very strong. Magnet and petanque ball are coming together hard, which can damage or break the magnet.
Using the magnetic hook outside will cause it to rust over time. Please review our safety tips when you try this application.

Feedback from a customer who tried this idea (2025):
I opted for the BD-OTN-25 magnets. However, those are still too strong. The magnet hits the petanque ball so hard, it sounds like a thunderclap. Petanque balls must weigh between 650 and 800 grams; mine weigh 720 grams. Hence, one or two sizes smaller would actually be sufficient.

So, just to be on the safe side, I also ordered matching rubber caps. That was the right thing to do, and I recommend it as an addition to this customer project. To cushion the impact and securely attach the rubber cap, I applied double-sided adhesive tape (such as the type used to affix carpets) under the pot magnet and then slipped the rubber cap over it. This way, I could be sure that they would stay securely in place. The rubber cap and adhesive tape cushion the impact of the pot magnet on the petanque ball, so you don't have to worry about damaging the magnet. The adhesive force is still strong enough to prevent accidental detachment. You can't simply pull the magnet off; you have to tilt it. I am sure that even with a rubber cap, the eyelet magnet BD-OTN-20 would be sufficient.

Magnetic petanque picker-upper made with 3D printer

U. Bär, author of the project Adhesive force reducer made of PET, designed a petanque picker-upper on the 3D printer, so you don't get dirty when you pick one up. The model can be produced by anyone with a 3D printer. PLA is a suitable material.

Just like the petanque picker-upper described above, this model can be attached to a rope or chain.

Original instructions & download STL files

This is how it works

The movable part (outer ring) carries a R-15-06-06-N ring magnet that picks up the petanque ball from the ground. The picker-upper works well on curved surfaces. Since the plastic support point is in the middle, the magnet does not get damaged by hard contact with the ball.

If you grab the picker-upper on the ring and press the button in the middle, the ball is released (see below). A very elegant and effort-saving solution, since the ball does not have to be torn off the magnet.