making water block

[rayhanm]

i want to build my own waterblock and was wondering what is the best thickness to use for the bottem. i have 14, 16, and 18 guage sheets of copper 14 is the thickest 18 is the thinest. the top of the block is going to be plexiglass what should i use to seal it? is marine goop good to use

also to cool the water even more you could get a ziplock bag and throw in ice and salt, seal it and put it in a reservoir. the salt lowers the freezing point of the water making it cooler will this work? will the salt corrode the metal if it leaks?
thanks

[cjtune]

Not familiar with sheet metal gauges but no less than 3mm but no more than 5mm either. Epoxy should be a good all-round adhesive and sealant for your project. Silicone sealant is OK but don't trust it to hold under pressure alone! Use it as an outer seal. Nah, salt won't corrode aluminium but not sure about copper tho (never mix copper and aluminium components unless you use water watter or some additive). If you want to use ice cubes beware of condensation all along the tube from the reservoir to the waterblock and on the waterblock itself! If you manage to build your waterblock properly, leaks should not exist except maybe at the hose connections.

[Monaco]

whoa rayhanm that is a good idea- a bag full of salted ice. The salt should make the ice last longer right? When it melts you can just thrwo it in the freezer. I bet the salt wouldn't hurt too much if it leaked, as long as it was all dissolved.

How about chunks of dry ice in a bag? heh of course it would explode if u didn't vent it.....

[rayhanm]

i had that in thought about dry ice it is -78c
i saw this
http://www.amdmb.com/article-display.php?ArticleID=105&PageID=3

and was think of using silver as the bottom
this place has it

http://www.overclock-watercool.com/

would silver make much difference
thanks for the replys

[Fjeld]

Originally posted by rayhanm
i want to build my own waterblock and was wondering what is the best thickness to use for the bottem. i have 14, 16, and 18 guage sheets of copper 14 is the thickest 18 is the thinest. the top of the block is going to be plexiglass what should i use to seal it? is marine goop good to use

also to cool the water even more you could get a ziplock bag and throw in ice and salt, seal it and put it in a reservoir. the salt lowers the freezing point of the water making it cooler will this work? will the salt corrode the metal if it leaks?
thanks

Please, DON´T use marine goop (silicone?) to seal the w-block! The stuff attaches wery badly to plexi when hardened, unless u use some screws to secure the whole thing!

And salt will definately corrode the metals!! (Sorry cjtune!) And will also make your fluid conductive! So take care; keep the salt well away from your parts!
Btw, good idea for cooling! But try it another way: Submerge your reservoir in the ice-salt solution instead! No prob with leaks! Exept for your desktop of course :)
:)

[cjtune]

No, brine doesn't corrode an all-aluminium setup. Tap water already has other minerals dissolved in it, you know. But it your pump impeller shaft (probably made out of chromed, stainless steel) might still rust in salt water. Some pumps are not meat for salt water pumping -read the included user guide. Don't trust silicone sealant 100%!

[Jig]

cjtune, I don't know what extent your experience w/ salt water is, but salt water will in fact corrode aluminum. If it's anodized it will take longer, but will still corrode. Turns it into a nice gray powder over time.