Brasso and Mounting

I know you're supposed to clean your waterblock before mounting. I usually clean my core with alcohol. Should I do the same to my waterblock, or is it ok to just polish with something like Brasso and then mount? Or does it really matter? I just know Brasso has some protective agents for the copper (against corossion and oxidation, etc.) and I'd rather not remove them with alcohol.

I woontn't, my guess would be that brasso would impeade heat transfer, and you dont really need it anyway.

Like 9mm said, by putting polish on the block you will only be make it so that heat has to go through another layer before hitting the waterblock, plus brasso isn't good at thermal transfer.

Well, in regards to needing brasso, it takes off all that oxidation, dirt, etc. that gets on my waterblock...so I'd say I need it. It also prevents flash corossion - once after lapping my block and leaving it over night it completely oxidized...it was gross. That was after cleaning it with alcohol too, so I wasn't sure.

I'll clean the area that the socket touches with alcohol when I remount tomorrow.

why not try a quick acid bath?

why not try a quick acid bath?

Click to expand...

??

Brasso is fine. just clean it off with acetone afterwards to make sure you remove any oil or cloth fiber from the buffing.

brasso is not fine. if you fill in the microscopic holes in the surface of the copper with brasso, then how exactly do you expect as3 or another thermal paste to fill those gaps? There is no way that a lint-free cloth is going to be able to remove all the brasso. By adding brasso, you just negate the whole idea of lapping a block .

Don't people usually use Brasso on their blocks to clean up and give the sides/top of the block a polished look purely for aesthetics?

Yes they do. Brasso actually helps polish and smoothe the "microscopic" pores that lapping and subsequent smoothing produces since the particulates are smaller. Hence removing the not much larger than microscopic pores that remain after lapping. How exactly does one arrive at the photo quality reflective finish on a water block or heatsink with out using an abrasive that is small enough to produce said finish. If you aren't using Brasso to achieve said finish then your finish is either incomplete or you are using something else that contains an abrasive that is the same or smaller diameter to achieve said finish. Sure some will remain but I'll take the photo quality reflective finish that Brasso leaves after a proper lapping and smoothing every time. The Brasso only makes it smoother aiding in thermal heat transfer which is what we want I think. Then use the acetone to remove as much of the remaining abrasive and lint from the "lint free cloth" as possible. 6 to 1. Half a dozen to the other.

The other alternative is to purchase one that already comes that way thus making it a moot point.

And acid will actually dull the finished product some. Just like it does to humans.

LoL. Thanks for the humorous and informative post jhl3. That's what I thought - it contains abrasives and would help to remove those microscopic valleys that everyone is so concerned about.

Cheers.