Sanding paper for lapping?

[SkiFletch]

hey guys, is sand paper of fine 600 grit that you guys suggest for lapping available at Home Depot? or is it something too specialized

[Da Whip]

You want to get the Wet/Dry type of emery paper. Start w/ 400grit and work your way up to 1500 or higher. The best stuff is found at Auto parts or body shop stores.

[rogerdugans]

There is an Ace Hardware near me that carries up to 2000 wet/dry less than a mile from my house.

A lot of hardware store may carry it- just make sure its wet/dry.

[FDUSMC]

How much more of a difference will that make as far as temp drop?

[rogerdugans]

Originally posted by FDUSMC
How much more of a difference will that make as far as temp drop?

That depends on how bad the base of the heatsink is: most can use a bit of lapping and will get 2c or 3c cooler, but some of the best ones out there now may get little or no improvement.

Or if you are salvaging an old used one (like I often do :) ) it can help a great deal.

[Starfoxer]

600 grit wet dry is prob all you will need


in the words of the great hoot

"you are trying to make it flat, not create a laser defense system"

[Inept]

Don't waste your time with anything over 600 grit.

What I like to do is 150, 220, 320, 400 and 600, then a little 0000 (ultra fine) steel wool to give it a nice shine. That's all you need.

Mirror finishes don't improve (and in fact may hamper) performance, take a long time to make and get ruined as soon as you apply the heatsink, plus once the heatsink is on you'll never see it again!

[TonyMc]

Yep I agree with the last two posts. 600 grit is as far as you need to take it.

[rogerdugans]

Just a note- I have found an improvement going higher than 600.

Not by much, only 1c or so, but since I mostly use el cheapo heatsinks, I need every bit I can get. I start with 400, then 800 and finish with 1500 grit.

Most sinks take me less than 20 minutes.

[Emericana]

home depot does not have any higher than 600 grit.

auto zone or any other auto store has higher grit papers.

if your base is not that concave i recommend starting at 600 and working your way up to 1500.

600-800-1000-1500

[gone_fishin]

If you stop at 600, there may be imperfections too hard to notice that you could still get out, but as soon as you do a little 1000grit, they will show up and you can then go back to a lower grit to sand them out and work your way back up:) Do most of the work with the lower grit stuff.