Rare earth magnet, is there no end to your usefulness?
This walnut mailbox with bloodwood flag has seen better days. But considering it's weathered the elements (though under a covered porch) for the last 9 years, it's not too shabby.
When I built it, I was going for a mission style—simple and sturdy—something nice to greet the mailman. And I came up with all kinds of elaborate ways to attach a flag that would tell him when we had outgoing mail.
Then it occurred to me that rare earth magnets might function as a pivoting mechanism. It worked, and still
works perfectly. In fact it has just as strong a pull as ever.The wooden flag cracked, the mailbox cracked. But the magnet is a real crackerjack.