Lapping Questions

Does anyone have a recommendation for lapping techniques? I've read about figure 8 stuff, thumb and index finger holding, grinding stones, wet sanding...etc. What's all this about? And which one(s) are better?

put a piece of glass or mirror down on a table and use a clamp to hold it down. put the sandpaper on the glass and in circular motion rub the heatsink on the sandpaper starting at course grit all the way down to fine- a little mineral oil will help keep the dust under control.

start with a 400 grit paper and work your way to 1500 or higher. use several pieces of the same grit before going to the next finer grit especially the 400 this will decrease the time you spend getting that mirror finish

a piece of glass 12"x12" duct taped to a table will give you a nice stable sanding surface to work on tape the paper to the glass the end goal is flat and smooth

make sure to clean the HS before going to the next higher grit so none of the lower grit gets on the finer paper

you should not use a finer grit until the surface of the HS has a uniform look under a good light

I found wet sanding is a lot more difficult and doesn't produce any better results

I finish with an automotive polishing compound

one other thing i use light pressure and a circular motion rotating 90* every 10- 15 pass`s

How would you go about lapping a Pentium III heatsink (Golden Orb). The four pins get in the way of the contact area.

This should do it.

well im not sure ...i gave up on thermaltake a long time ago are the pin`s removable? and if not is the entire clip removable? as it is with my old full size blue orb ? there seems to be no way to remove the clip on the chrome orb i have