Permanent magnets:

Any ferromagnetic material, or substance the atoms of which can be permanently aligned and can be made into a permanent magnet. These are those magnets you played with as a child. Some of the alloys can be made into stronger magnets than the others.

One alloy which is suited for making strong magnets is alnico. This word derives from metals which made of it: aluminum, nickel and cobalt. Other elements are added frequently, including copper and titanium. However, any piece of iron or steel can be magnetized, to the some extent. You might have used a screwdriver, for instance, which was magnetized, so that it could hold on to screws when installing or removing them from hard to reach places.

Permanent magnets are best made from materials with high retentivity. Magnets are constructed by using a high retentivity ferromagnetic material as the core of an electromagnet for the extended period of time. This experiment is not advised to do at home with the battery, as there is a risk of battery explosion.

If you want to magnetize the screwdriver such that it will hold onto screws, just stroke the shaft of screwdriver with end of a bar magnet many times. But bear in mind that once you have magnetized a tool, it is difficult to fully demagnetize it.