Alright to use 70% Ethyl Alcohol in removing thermad pad.

[thejackal1]

Is it alright to use 70% Ethyl Alcohol in removing thermad pad on a old pentium socket processor? If not what is the right stuff to use and how to do it.

 

[xagent]

hey, i just removed a thermal pad (or what was left of it) from my tbird 1.4 and my Antec jet Cool heatsink. the part where the CPU core touched the heatsink, the thermal pad was nearly completely gone, except for a few thin remnants. and around that area it had turned to HARD yellow plastic. lightly trying to remove it with a putty knife, credit card, alcohol swab didn't do anything. Even putting some 90% alcohol didn't do anything. had to literally forcefully scrape it off with the putty knife (for the heatsink). For the CPU since there wasn't any really left on the core and just around the edges of the core, where it ahd probably dripped and hardened, just gently rubbed it with the 90% alcohol and a alcohol swab

 

[xagent]

so if your thermal pad looks like mine and has hardened into plastic, alcohol won't do much. just going to have to scrub and scrape it really hard with a putty knife or razor. But that's only for the heatsink. if you do that to the CPU it'll damage it

 

[AkumaX]

shouldn't scrape it, makes the part of the hsf where the cpu connects uneven

use goof off/goo gone/oven degreaser, works wonders

 

[thejackal1]

still looking to find out if i can use the 70% alcohol.

 

[gururu]

thejackal1,

that is so funny, xagent completely usurped your thread!

70% ethanol may not be a good enough solvent. you can try it, it shouldn't damage any electrical components, so long as you are careful.

people usually go with ipa because:
1) easier to get
2) cheaper
3) better solvent for hydrophobic materials

ethanol will also evaporate faster leaving residue, so clean thoroughly.

 

[CaptnKirk]

I've seen people asking if they can use "MOONSHINE" (95% Grain alcohol) and Isopropyl, and just about every other alcohol combonation.
Truth is: alcohol is a very poor solvent to use on the binders in the glues, greases, and tapes in the Electro-mechanical computer world. They usually just make the substance into a gummy mess. If you can get it, Naptha ( DANGEROUS AND FLAMMABLE ) lighter fluid wil break it down so you can remove the KLINGONS, and so will Trichloroethane ( Pint cans at hardware stores ) avoid Xylene, as it likes your liver too much. You should do a final clean up of the surface with the Isopropyl to remove
the oily residue that will be left by the lighter fluid or the Trich.
I think that the reference on the other post meant ' Hydroscopic ' - as alcohol will absorb water vapor directly out of the air and dilute the alcohol. I don't know of any alcohol that would lead to 'Hydrophobia', as RABIES is a disease you get from a bite from a rabid animal......Perhaps if you were drinking some of that grain alcohol and went outside in a stupor.....

Kirk out....

 

[JC]

I'd recommend goo-gone, or isopropyl alcohol.

CaptnKirk:

I think that the reference on the other post meant ' Hydroscopic ' - as alcohol will absorb water vapor

Actually, that term is 'hygroscopic'

JC

 

[gururu]

au contraire! alcohol isn't hygroscopic.

but thermal pastes are indeed very hydrophobic (or water insoluble)!

 

[thejackal1]

thanks for all your input people.