best way to remove orrible thermal pad?

[monkeyspank]

Hi.
when i installed my current HSF (thermoengine) i left the thermal pad on. I have noticed that my cpu has started to get hotter than it used to after i have played about with the fan on the heatsink. I guess i moved it about too much.

anyways, I got some AS3 and i want to use it. Can anyone tell me a good way of totally removing the thermal pad before i apply the paste?

I'd like to be able to use household substances if possible.

thanks.

-- There are no answers to find in the bottom of a glass. But you can have fun looking for them.

 

[HonestJhon]

scrape off what you can with an old credit card, or a straight razor, (but be careful if you use the razor, not to scratch the bottom of the heatsink)
then take the fan off the heatsink, and set the heatsink in a small dish of acetone, or rubbing alchohol, (preferrably acetone, because it will be more aggressive)
add more acetone as it evaporates.
take the heatsink out.
use some rubbing alchohol to finish cleaning the bottom of the heatsink.
rub it kinda hard...just dont bend any heatsink fins....that could get ugly.
after that, let the whole thing dry for a few minutes, BUT DONT TOUCH THE BOTTOM OF THE HEATSINK.
you will also need to clean the cpu core.
what i would do for that is to take off as much of the thermal pad that is left first with your finger.
then use rubbing alchohol, or acetone to rub out the rest...and finish up with rubbing alchohol.
get the 99.9% stuff as it is the purest household type, and will not leave anything behind...
once both pieces are clean, and dry (oh, try not to touch the pins of the processor when you are cleaning it...and use a small piece of anti static foam, or a piece of newspaper would work too(i think)).
then put the arctic silver on the cpu. DO NOT TOUCH THE arctic silver..as it will become contaminated.
put just enough to cover the cpu core with a layer about as thick as construction paper.
then put the cpu in the socket.
take the heatsink, and a cotton swab, and the arctic silver, and put a small ammount on the base of the heatsink, right in the middle, where the cpu core will contact.
then take the cotton swab, and rub it into the base of the heatsink.
once it is rubbed in, put the heatsink on like you normally would.
remember to wash your hands, and any surfaces that the arctic silver may have come in contact with, because it is microionized silver, with other compounds, and isnt something you would want to rub into your eyes, or ingest.
oh, and put the fan back on the heatsink before you put the heatsink in...or you will be screwed...sorta.
hook it all back up, and turn the comptuer on.
after about 24hrs, the temps will stabilize...
and then it will be working at full potential.
i hope that helps....


-DAvid

-Live, Learn, then build your own computer!-

 

[OldBear]

Very good Detail Man.
I would have said hammer and chisel.


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[HonestJhon]

well, that would work too....
hehehehe
or you could put it under the tire of your car, and then burn out, so that the spinning action of the tire, and the heat generated from the friction completely rubs the thermal pad off the bottom of the heatsink...
AHYUK!


-DAvid

-Live, Learn, then build your own computer!-

 

[10GHZ]

my advice ( i've done it myself ) would be to 2 simply clean off the remaining of the thermal pads and use 99% pure acetone which is really cheap and u can get it at your local hardware store. then use an old tooth brush and try 2 get rid of as much of wat's left behind as possible. now you fill a small bow with acetone (not 2 much ) then u sit your heatsink in that bow (make sure there;s enough acetone contacting the base ( so its better if u get a round bow, that way the 4 corner of your heatsink can rest on the side of the bow leaving your base suspended in acetone.. just leave that overnight and that's the best u can do 2 get rid of the thermal pad wax in the microscopic valley
but lapping your heatsink proves to be much better

 

[monkeyspank]

nice one guys. i was gonna take it in the bath with me

Are there any common products which contain a good amount of the mentioned chemicals, or can you just get them neat in bottles?

also, what type of sandpaper is a good allrounder for lapping sinks? I dont want to get too many different sorts but while im in the hardware shop i could probably pick some up.

Do you think I could get this stuff in a model shop? All the hardware shops round here mostly have gay lampshades and shelves, not the sort of thing that would help.

-- There are no answers to find in the bottom of a glass. But you can have fun looking for them.

 

[monkeyspank]

at work i've got some wipes that are used to clean fibre optic cables before terminating them. Reckon they would work? I cant remember whats in them but it's probably good.
They come in 2 wipe packs - one wet, one dry?

-- There are no answers to find in the bottom of a glass. But you can have fun looking for them.

 

[HonestJhon]

well, i would suggest getting the chemicals straight up in a bottle.
as for the lapping sandpaper...
i cant remember what to start out with, but you want to work up to the highest grit you can get, meaning that it has smaller pieces of abrasive material, which makes the base get nice n shiny.
and make sure that the sandpaper is wet/dry...because you should do this with a bit of water.
and when lapping, make sure you do it on a flat surface...dont learn the hard way!

-DAvid

-Live, Learn, then build your own computer!-

 

[OldBear]

Acetone is the main ingredient of finger nail polish remover.
You can get rubbing alcohol that has up to 95% isopropyl.

<pre>Please don't ask how I know about the polish remover.</pre><p>


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[HonestJhon]

i have a bottle of 99%isopropyl sitting on my desk, i just used it yesterday to clean my dads heatsink off. bought it at vons for cheap....
and yeah, i didnt think about it, but i do remember using nail polish remover to clean something off...i think it stripped paint off good..but then again, i think that is what it is made to do, right
but hey OldBear, you sure do use a lot of "NAIL PAINTING" euipment..first it was red nail polish to fill in the laser channels, then it was nail polish remover to clean the bottom of a heatsink, whats next my friend?

-DAvid

-Live, Learn, then build your own computer!-

 

[OldBear]

I knew you were going to remember. I just had to help though.

As to what's next? Have to ask my wife.



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[HonestJhon]

hehehehe...
i can think of some things..but they might not be appropriate...
man..thems feminine products can come in handy...AHYUK!

-DAvid

-Live, Learn, then build your own computer!-

 

[monkeyspank]

i've just blagged a 1 litre bottle of isopropyl. I just placed an order at work for £40K worth of fibre patch leads - part of the roll-out of the 3G mobile phone upgrade in the UK. a £10 bottle of alcohol from my suppliers was hardly out of the question..

It should arrive on thursday along with a few hundred singlemode fibre patch leads.

-- There are no answers to find in the bottom of a glass. But you can have fun looking for them.

 

[OldBear]

I hope that's enough.



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[HonestJhon]

yeah...my bottle is like 473ml...lol
and i have only used like a fourth of the bottle, yet i have cleaned 4 heatsinks and cpus.


-DAvid

-Live, Learn, then build your own computer!-

 

[OldBear]

He's probably going into the hsf & cpu cleaning business thanks to you "Detail Man".
Another missed opportunity.

Drat!

:frown:



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[HonestJhon]

dang..sorry bout that...AHYUK!


-DAvid

-Live, Learn, then build your own computer!-

 

[monkeyspank]

yeah, i'm gonna 'clean up' haha

-- There are no answers to find in the bottom of a glass. But you can have fun looking for them.

 

[HonestJhon]

hehehehhehe....NICE!

-DAvid

-Live, Learn, then build your own computer!-

 

[monkeyspank]

thanks guys.

Hey Oldbear, my girls nailpolish remover seems to contain some oily based substances as well. would that be a bad thing to use? i'm getting some ip alcohol too so i can use that to finish it off.
I thought that as you seem to be the resident expert in feminine cosmetics you could shed some light. hehehe

I really appreciate the help guys, + i'm only messing oldbear, not being cheeky

-- There are no answers to find in the bottom of a glass. But you can have fun looking for them.

 

[OldBear]

I just checked my wife's supply closet and she has both removers, one with added oils and one without.
You <b>DON'T</b> want to use one that has oil in it.


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[HonestJhon]

oh geeze..imagine thinking it was clean, when there really is a thin laer of oil on there?
that would suck.


-DAvid

-Live, Learn, then build your own computer!-

 

[HonestJhon]

oh, and did your wife know you were rummaging through her stuff?
lol


-DAvid

-Live, Learn, then build your own computer!-

 

[OldBear]

<pre>No! Please don't tell!</pre><p>



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[OldBear]

HonestJhon. I just dropped the CPU temp 1.5ºc by raising my fan approx. 5cm above the hs.
You probably already know that some fans blow in a funnel shaped pattern so by raising the
fan on my MCX-462, it made the air focus more to the center of the hs. I am using a Ultra
high speed 80mm Sunon instead of the Delta that came on it. I have it fastened to a rheostat
so I was able to turn it down even quieter. I used rubber washers to raise the fan so it also
dampened the vibration. Pretty "cool".





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