What is this and where did it come from!?

[evilrad]

I took my Apogee water block off, cleaned the AS5 off with isopropyl alcohol (91%), and placed it on a box on its side in my room. I took it off to modify my water cooling setup. I've been pressed for time lately, so I still haven't had a chance to put everything back together. Well, after 2 days I glanced down and noticed what appeared to be some substance on the copper plate on the block. Here are a couple of crappy pics of what it looks like (upper left hand corner).


http://mywebpages.comcast.net/radwilliams/water_block1.jpg


http://mywebpages.comcast.net/radwilliams/water_block2.jpg


I want to know what happened to the block. I tried getting what ever it is off with alcohol, but that didn't phase it. It seems to be that the copper itself has changed to this color. If anyone has any idea of what happened, please let me know. Also, should I put this block back in my loop with it like this? Any info would be appreciated.

[Icedfire101]

umm it might be tarnish; this might sound crazy but get some ketchup and put it on the spot for 5-10 minutes then clean it off

[SolidxSnake]

I think you mean top-left. To me, it looks like oxidation, but not sure from the blurry pics.

It's fine to put on the CPU if it's just oxidation. If you wanna get rid of it, get a little tupperware half-full of vinegar and put in a pinch or two of salt. Put the oxidized portion into the vinegar/salt mixture and let it soak in there for a few minutes and see if it will rub away after. Agitate it in the vinegar as well (move it back and forth).

[evilrad]

Thanks for the replies. As long as it doesn't affect the performance of the block, I really don't care what color it is :)

[Froggy]

It looks like your W/B is turning a new leaf! :)

[Alien1099]

I have the same discoloration on my Maze4 GPU and Storm CPU blocks. It doesn't hurt anything except for looks when you are looking at it while dismounted. I think mine got that way from water and anti-freeze in the bathtub when I was draining the loop while leaktesting.

[Dragoon42]

try the vinegar like the above poster suggested. I wish you had taken some better pics ^^

[damarble]

As everyone else has said, it's harmless. I've got a block that looks worse than that, but it performs awesome, so no worries.

[Senater_Cache]

tarnish....comes from your fingerprint because thats where you touched it.
Good luck with the ketchup...didnt work for me. BTW the location makes this have zero impact on anything...its not even visible bc its on th ebaseplate.

[nikhsub1]

Tarn-X pwns all.