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Lapping?

isnt it all flat right out of the box? and will sand paper maker the surface rough?
 
exe163 said:
isnt it all flat right out of the box? and will sand paper maker the surface rough?
Click to expand...

Well it is and it isnt, if you were about 20 times smaller and you stood on the heatsink base you would see large rough valleys and mountains. The idea is to use progressively finer sand paper (start at 400, then 600, 800, 1000, 1500, 2000) to smooth out the ridges, therefore you require less thermal paste. The paste is still required, but as it is an insulator as well as thermal conductor it abides by the less is more theory.

For example the base of my Scythe ninja is rough. To get an idea of the ideal smoothness look at any zalman hsf.
 
thx, good thing that I have one of the Zalman hsf, not planning to use.
 
mastercheeze said:
The paste is still required, but as it is an insulator as well as thermal conductor it abides by the less is more theory.

For example the base of my Scythe ninja is rough. To get an idea of the ideal smoothness look at any zalman hsf.
Click to expand...

So paste being an insulator as well as a conductor... is therefore a semi-conductor of heat? :p It's all relative - paste is a great conductor compared to air which would normally be filling the voids, and a great insulator compared to metal which would ideally be filling the voids (in a 100% contact situation). It's a compromise.
Flatness is also relative. You can have a marble that's smooth, but you wouldn't call it flat. The salt planes in Utah are pretty damn flat, but rub your finger on the ground and it won't feel smooth. Shrink yourself to the size of a bacteria, and the surface of that marble becomes the ground of Utah - flat enough over a practical distance and smooth enough to roll a wheel over.
Enough of my BS, the point is that lapping may improve flatness (on a large scale-visible concavity or convexity) as well as smoothness (small scale - microscopic imperfections).
 
zer0signal667 said:
So paste being an insulator as well as a conductor... is therefore a semi-conductor of heat? :p It's all relative - paste is a great conductor compared to air which would normally be filling the voids, and a great insulator compared to metal which would ideally be filling the voids (in a 100% contact situation). It's a compromise.
Flatness is also relative. You can have a marble that's smooth, but you wouldn't call it flat. The salt planes in Utah are pretty damn flat, but rub your finger on the ground and it won't feel smooth. Shrink yourself to the size of a bacteria, and the surface of that marble becomes the ground of Utah - flat enough over a practical distance and smooth enough to roll a wheel over.
Enough of my BS, the point is that lapping may improve flatness (on a large scale-visible concavity or convexity) as well as smoothness (small scale - microscopic imperfections).
Click to expand...


Yeah what he said :confused: :confused:
 
zer0signal667 said:
So paste being an insulator as well as a conductor... is therefore a semi-conductor of heat? :p It's all relative - paste is a great conductor compared to air which would normally be filling the voids, and a great insulator compared to metal which would ideally be filling the voids (in a 100% contact situation). It's a compromise.
Flatness is also relative. You can have a marble that's smooth, but you wouldn't call it flat. The salt planes in Utah are pretty damn flat, but rub your finger on the ground and it won't feel smooth. Shrink yourself to the size of a bacteria, and the surface of that marble becomes the ground of Utah - flat enough over a practical distance and smooth enough to roll a wheel over.
Enough of my BS, the point is that lapping may improve flatness (on a large scale-visible concavity or convexity) as well as smoothness (small scale - microscopic imperfections).
Click to expand...

Ah thanks for the clarification. I know the basics but thanks for filling us in on the difference between smoothness and flatness.

BTW, hello to another central ohio [H]'er!
 
exe163 said:
What is lapping that everyone is talking about in heatsink?


just time building a rig, want it to kool better, dont know what lapping is, looks like it's a spread out AS5 tool
http://www.easypckits.com/products/premiumlk/
Click to expand...
I recommend that website if you are going to get a kit. Very affordable and works great. Insulglass (site owner) used to post here, got a free kit from him. He's very nice and a great guy.

Good luck with the lapping. His kit comes with instructions, and there are tons of guides on the internet if you search for "heatsink lapping guide" or something. There are also many reviews on the kit you posted, if you want to know what to expect if you order from him.
 
If you've got a decent finish on your hsf/waterblock then lapping is more risk than benefit (unless the practice has improved significantly in the past few years).

It's more likely you'll warp the base of a perfectly adequately finished hsf by lapping than improve the contact, IMHO. A warped base removes entire sections of contact point.
 
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