Guide: lapping your HS/F

[2gigs]

I took this from a article i wrote over at Xtreme Systems



So you’re looking to shave off a few degrees, and have a good cooler already, but do not want to spend more money on a bigger cooler, than you should lap your HS/F.


Most coolers say they are lapped from the factory, but if they are lapped, they are most likely not lapped well. I have seen a few coolers and waterblocks that are an exception.




Anyway, I am going to lap a HS/F for fewer than 7 dollars using a few household items and a few things that you can pick up at a local hardware store.

What you will need


Sandpaper:
600 grit 1.00
800 grit 1.00
1000 grit 1.00
1500 grit 1.00
2000 grit 1.00


Things you need from around the house

Dish Soap
Paper towels
and the soft drink of your choice




Ok,

To get started you need to take your HS/F and take the fan off of it

Next you need to take and fill a cup with water

After this, you need to dip the sandpaper in water. You should start off with 600 grit. Take and add a tiny bit of soap on the sandpaper. Start to lightly and gently sand the HS/F surface down. Do not go in one direction. You need to go ahead and sand in all different directions.

After this, repeat the process with a higher grit of sandpaper. Keep on doing this up to 2000 grit. When you are working with the 2000 grit, you should take about 15 minutes, and go against the groove of the HS/F. You will need to go ahead and sand it till it becomes somewhat mirror like, enough to where you can see your nose somewhat. You do not want it to be 100% mirror like. This is a rumor. Just because it is mirror like, does not mean that it is smoother.



If you want it to be shiny, you can get some brasso, and rub that on there. I am warning you, that will not affect temperatures, could possibly make it worse.


Your HS/F should look like this when done.

Now you need to wash off your HS/F in water. Wash all of the dirt off that got on it from the lapping.

After it dries wipe the HS/F off with alcohol, and it should look like this

 

[best [486]]

no brasso it wrecks it and use a piece of mirror glass to hold the sandpaper flat, flat>shiny, by extremely far

 

[2gigs]

I Said Brasso Will Make It Worse,

Read The Whole Sentence, I Said It Will Make It Shiny

Also


The Glass Way Is Incorrect, It Is The Fast And Incorrect Way


That Allows Particles To Be Scratched Against It Again That Were Taken Off

 

[best [486]]

when youre sanding youre taking material off and flat>scratched
and you should tell people how you sanded it, remember lapping is to make it flat

 

[Topher]

Your first pic was nice but almost all the rest are out of foucs

Nice guide nonetheless

 

[Daravon]

Lapping should be done on a flat surface to maintain flatness. I used the stone bench in the physics lab.

 

[2gigs]

sojny cams suck for it, but i like my photos that way, slightly unfocused

 

[Asian Dub Foundation]

nice work

 

[m3ta1head]

excellent guide!

 

[noobtech]

Where do you get the sandpaper in single sheets like that? I thought you can only get them in multi packs... I always figure you can use glass to make sure it's flat as well... great write up man.

 

[2gigs]

ace hardware

 

[modding_JunKy]

lol 2gigs is wrong and thinks he knows everything... lmao hes jsut a little kid..

what wou are supost to do when lapping is get a flat leval serface, than get a pice of sand paper start out with the lowest grit per inch. lay it flat on the serface and applie water to the paper than clean your heatsink off {aka thermal paste/goo} what aply equal pressusre to the heatsink as you go in a figure 8 patern on the sand paper

the figure 8 pattern prevents and high or low spots to form and spen about 4 min on each catagory of paper

and you want a merrior finish i know from past lapping ive had better cooling with a mirror finish than a slightly mirrored lapping job


sorry people im not felling so well so thats why my typeing is a little messy!

 

[Susquehannock]

Plenty of lapping guides out there, some better than others. Sorry to say this is definitely not one of the better ones.

lol 2gigs is wrong and thinks he knows everything... lmao hes jsut a little kid..

Not how I would have put it JunKy, but sorry to say I'd have to agree. Soap? Brasso? No mention of a flat surface?

A piece of glass or mirror might not be the absolute best surface, that is good as it's going to get for most people.
Not everyone has access to a Machinists' surface block.

edit ...........

Just noticed 2gigs = Banned. Guess that is a good thing since this thread could easily become a flame war.