materials separating apparatus comprising an inclined drum rotatable about its longitudinal axis and having an inner surface comprised of an array of permanent magnets arranged in parallel strips extending circumferentially at an angle to the drum axis , and means for depositing commingled materials within the drum upon the magnet array whereby as the drum and magnet array rotate the magnetic field of the magnets will induce eddy currents in conductive items causing them to move progressively upward and out the upper end of the drum , while nonconductive items will slide downwardly out the lower end of the drum . in another embodiment of the invention a liner is provided over the magnet array to carry magnetic items upwardly to be deposited separately in a chute or the like .