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Lapping question...

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The masterless newbie

Registered
Joined
Apr 5, 2001
Greetings....
I read a post earlier about people heatsink lapping being a MUST, especially for the globalwin heatsinks. I can see why. I own one and now i'm tempted to go through the trouble removing it from my setup so I can lap the sucker. I was just wondering if lapping is required for heatsinks w/ already smooth bottoms, like the alpha PAL6035. I have one of these too and I can almost see my reflection in it. Any opinions??

-RoninX74
 
the alpha's don't really need it but will probabally benefit, what I would do is take a high'ish grit like 600-800 and lap for a short period of time and see if it is all scratched, if it is just take a higher grit (1200-2000) and polish it again, if it isn't and there are still shiny patches then lap until it is all scratched and then move up though to the higher grits, with the alpha even if it does need lapping you won't need to start with as low a grit as the global wins as they will be almost flat if not flat
 
The masterless newbie (Apr 11, 2001 04:14 p.m.):
Greetings....
I read a post earlier about people heatsink lapping being a MUST, especially for the globalwin heatsinks. I can see why. I own one and now i'm tempted to go through the trouble removing it from my setup so I can lap the sucker. I was just wondering if lapping is required for heatsinks w/ already smooth bottoms, like the alpha PAL6035. I have one of these too and I can almost see my reflection in it. Any opinions??

-RoninX74

I would suggest lapping a heatsink no matter WHAT brand it is. It can't hurt, really. Hell, I just re-did mine today (GW FOP38 ) and got a 2 C reduction in load temp. But if you do lap it, I would suggest using about 400 - 600 grit wet sandpaper. You'll get a better finish, trust me.
 
I'm with Phil on this one. On my FOP, I started out with 600, then moved to 800, then 1000, then 1200... perfect! If you only use 400-600 grit, it's still too rough. Stopping at 1000 grit is ok though.
 
I also agree, i go 240,600,800,1200. I know the 240 is a little rough but it works for me. Id finish with 1600 or 2000 but the local store dosent sell nething higher than 1200. If i take a good half hour she shines real purdy.
 
When I do it, I usually go something like 400 wet, 600 wet, 1200 wet. You can also use Oil w/ wet paper, but the finish isn't quite as nice. Oh, an alternate way to using a sanding block, is to tape your paper down to a nice, flat surface (like a piece of glass or marble), wet or oil it, and then rub your hs on it for a while. Switch paper when you need to. It'll come out nice and purdy, trust me :)
 
DON’T use oil! You don’t want any residue on your HS. If you have a nice flat piece of glass, simply wetting the back of your emery paper will hold it flat. Try a fresh sheet of 2000 grit using Artic Silver as the final lapping lube. This will combine Artic Silver with the traces of abrasive and aluminum in the microscopic surface imperfections of your HS. Your temps will drop.
 
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