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Guide to CPU/HSF Lapping?

F

faxon

Platinum Member
im looking to do some modifications to several pieces of cooling hardware and i need advice on what to get for polishing copper and silver base heatsinks to a mirror finish. i have a vendetta2 that im planning on modifying with either silver or copper sheet using a butane torch to fill in the gaps between the heat pipes and the retaining block the pipes are mounted in, and once im done i would like to lap the surface to a mirror finish so it isnt uneven. i have looked around online for wet/dry sanding material but im not really sure what to get. does anyone have any recommendations? also, i have seen several recommended methods for sanding metal surfaces to a mirror finish, but what is the recommended method for CPU ISH/Heatsinks?
 
wow dude thx a bunch. that pretty much covers everything i need to know other than where to get the sandpaper. i was going to check a local hardware store to see what they have but i wanted to see if there is a chain store you guys recommend? the nearest store to where i currently live is ace hardware, but there is an OSH and a home depot not far from here as well.

edit: also, if i cant get the lapping job vacuum perfect (where the cpu cooler lifts the cpu up by itself), should i worry about using AS5 with copper heatsinks? someone mentioned in one of the comments for another vid that copper coolers come with a special coating on them which makes them resistant to oxidation when used with silver based thermal compounds, and that lapping one will take this coating off. if this is an issue i can always get IC Diamond from www.frozencpu.com, which is diamond based and shouldnt have this issue
 
1. Auto parts store,
2. You must use TIM,
3. AS5 is fine w/ bare copper.

BTW, IMO if you put a torch to those heat pipes you will cause damage.
 
Never lap anything before testing it first to see how it performs before being lapped.

Otherwise, you will never know how much you improved it through lapping.
 
Does it matter how much you improved through lapping??? Either you are satisfied with current cooling and don't need lapping, or you want to get the most out of cooling and lapp it. Whether you test it or not makes no difference on the decision or the final cooling result,.. only bragging and satisfaction results.
 
Lapping requires skill.

You can always end up with a shiny surface that reflects.
But, how flat the surface becomes depends on your skill, and you cannot tell by just looking at your image in it.

If you are experienced, you can minimize the amount you remove from edges, which is impossible to avoid completely. But, is possible to minimize, which maximizes the contact area, the whole purpose of lapping.

Experience is gained by practice and learning from one's mistakes.

Imagine an athlete practicing for the Olympics but not recording his time/performance, because he believes it will not make any difference on the final results!
 
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