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Lapping HDT Heatsinks?

3905 Views 12 Replies 7 Participants Last post by  Ledge68, 
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I keep hearing conflicting information from OCN users about this subject...

Half of you will say its a bad idea because "it exposes the pipes" and the other half will say its a great idea.

I want to know the truth!

Is it really a good idea to lap a HDT, like mine for example (Check Rig)
if yes, I would like to see a tutorial or something because I will do it and post results here


Thanks
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meticadpa
Hello.


Well, there's two sides to this argument: You heatsink's base might be unflat, but if you sand too much, you can sand through the heatsink's heatpipes as they're very thin.

You should test if your heatsink's base is unflat with a razor blade first (Holy a razor blade across the surface, then see if any light can pass through it).

Usually though, it's a bad idea to do so. The risks outweigh the benefits.
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cathode
I would say that the folks who say "it exposes the pipes" don't realize that heatpipes are actually quite thick (otherwise they would not be able to support the weight of all the aluminum fins and fans attached to them. You would have to do a great deal of sanding indeed to lap all the way through the heatpipe.

EDIT: Here's a picture of a common heatpipe:
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Quote:

Originally Posted by meticadpa View Post
Hello.


Well, there's two sides to this argument: You heatsink's base might be unflat, but if you sand too much, you can sand through the heatsink's heatpipes as they're very thin.

You should test if your heatsink's base is unflat with a razor blade first (Holy a razor blade across the surface, then see if any light can pass through it).

Usually though, it's a bad idea to do so. The risks outweigh the benefits.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cathode View Post
I would say that the folks who say "it exposes the pipes" don't realize that heatpipes are actually quite thick (otherwise they would not be able to support the weight of all the aluminum fins and fans attached to them. You would have to do a great deal of sanding indeed to lap all the way through the heatpipe.

See, conflicting data from users
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dominique120
It is a good idea but you have to be cautions about it, that's why many people say not to do it
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I would really like to see a tutorial on how to properly do it
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cathode
When lapping you shouldn't be taking off more than a few thousandths of an inch. Any more and you're doing it wrong (or your cooler's base is HORRIBLY warped)
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Quote:

Originally Posted by cathode View Post
When lapping you shouldn't be taking off more than a few thousandths of an inch. Any more and you're doing it wrong (or your cooler's base is HORRIBLY warped)
The main reason i want to lap it is because the surface is extremely rough, if you look close enough you can actually see grooves and ridges
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D3FiN3 SiN
You can probably do it, but I wouldn't do it till it is perfectly shiny, that might be too much.
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meticadpa
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Quote:

Originally Posted by ArchCorsair View Post
The main reason i want to lap it is because the surface is extremely rough, if you look close enough you can actually see grooves and ridges

The TIM will fill in those grooves and ridges.
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Quote:

Originally Posted by meticadpa View Post
The TIM will fill in those grooves and ridges.

One can only use so much AS5! lolol
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L
You can do it a little bit... It's fairly pointless though. Lapping only makes a big difference for the TRUE because the base is crooked and coarse... Not so much for other coolers.
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L
In the case of the Dark Knight there is a Nickel plating and in some tests the DK does not perform as well as the non DK 1283's. And yes I thought that the surface on the DK was a bit rougher then I would like or have seen on other HSF's.

Soo, I lapped mine and the the results were great! I started out with 600 grit about 4 sheets (wet paper and HS) I went through and then went to 1500 grit and 3-4 sheets (wet paper and HS). Once I got close to the finish I wanted I ran warm water over the HS while I sanded it to a polish! You will get down to the copper heat pipes before you will reach this finish.
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