if you get a 1/64" bit, you have to promise me you will make a block like this.

if you did, and it performed well, you're under contract to make me two for socket a and one for socket 478 ;)

Hmmmm, what type of sealing method did you have in mind to need that much side wall? Remember included in that 2" is a 67.5mil side wall. Also don't forget that this is at the thinnest point of the side wall, where the center axis of the spiral is. That would increase as you moved away from the center axis, steadily increasing until in the "corners" of the 2x2 spiral area you would have about 350mils per side. You could also put a raised edge on it and then put a raised center section in the lid to insure a good seal.

Attached is a modified version of Scythe's block idea to show what I am trying to communicate. (Note that the exit fittings would be moved inside of the recessed area, just didn't take that much time with the pic modification, lol).

<attached image>

that'd be cool, you could solder the top of the top without too much of a problem, and make sure it had a very good seal.

or you could have the side of the cap stepped in, like [ and have the o-ring in the step area

I can only go with 2"wide material on my setup. Every block I make will have a removable top so I need 1/4" minumum on the sides for an O ring as it takes a 1/8" pass for that. That leaves 1/16" on both sides of the O ring which is as little as I want to get.

or I can go 1/8" on the sides and hope the silicone hold with only 1/8". Which it did for a couple weeks on waterblock #2 on my website but that was only 2 weeks and I didn't test it any longer.

Jaydee:

I understand the 2" restriction you have :)

To be able to use an O-ring, then increase the size of the raised area on the block and the step on the lid. The attached modified picture shows what I mean (and what Brad mentioned too).

With the O-ring being on the side of the step, sealing should be even better than an O-ring on top. It only adds 1/4" to the block height (with your minimum 1/4" needed for doing the O-ring).

Brad:

You could make the top out of 2 flat pieces, but I was thinking of simply making it out of one piece and milling the "rim" around the edge ;) You could use the same sealing method for your max'd out block you have attached a few posts above too.

I think we are looking at this from a different perspective. I will try and come up with a basic drawing of what I am saying.

The inside square is pretty much the area I will work with.

jaydee, what do you think of my top left design on that block? Is it doable with your mill?

Also, I'm not worried about length, my iwill will have room for a 100mm x 50mm block.....

The mill can do it but I am not sure I am capable of coming up with the code to do it. That will be a nightmare to try and get to work right. It would take several hours to mill as the bit is so small not even the bigger mills would be able to go any faster do to the fragile bit. I am having no luck finding a endmill that will mill Al under 1/8" so far. I have a few other places to check yet.

Very nice design though, maybe a more capable code writer can figure that one out.

ok, well it could be simplified a bit of course, but I wouldn't like it to be too much simpler

it wouldnt be to hard to bring the outlet and inlets inside the 2" area just curve them around more and snug.

I think you are right :) The problem is mine, didn't convey what I meant very well in the quicky picture previously posted.

Maybe this new pic will help show what I mean better. Note that the block fits completely within the overall size envelope you define with your last diagram, difference is the o-ring seal isn't done on the top surface ;) (but it is only 2" across the smaller dimension)

looks nice

Oh, almost forgot...

Brad :
The top actually could be 2 pieces, one the larger flat piece and the other the smaller piece with the o-ring groove around it. They shouldn't even need to be soldered together since the pressure seal is created on the side face, meaning no water would reach the interface between the two lid pieces. For just about totally fail safe protection, you could even put a groove in the bottom of the top plate that was centered on the the edge of the bottom lid piece and end up with a double seal ;)

That is sweet and very well done!!! But I am not going to do it. Way to much work for to little. It would take days to figure all that code out and another day to make.

I like that pic too, using screws to fasten the plate down as well as the oring would be really cool imho

Here is this block right after sealing up. I am going to test it like this first and then i will put a middle inlet in and test it that way. Going to let the seal dry over night .

ok, cool. those barbs are 3/8" aren't they?

1/4"ID 3/8"OD. Thats what the rest of my system is setup for.

so is the central inlet going to be 1/2?

Nope the outsides will be 3/16"ID and the middle 1/4"ID. Don't have the right setup to go any bigger.

is that block the one you posted earlier in this post with a top on it?

yes

NP Jaydee :) Was just trying to help show a fairly simple way that Scythe or Brad's blocks could be sealed and remain within your milling limits ;)

I can definitely understand how hard the spirals would be doing the g-code by hand. As far as the top part, you do realize it is only an end-mill cut around the bottom of the lid to create the step, a straight groove cut around the outer edge of the top, and a square recess in the top of the block? (and you wouldn't even have the end-mill cut if the lid were made from two pieces)


Brad - LOL, I sure would hope that there would be screws holding that top on! ;) I didn't put the screw holes, inlet/outlet openings, m/b mounting holes, or spirals in the pic since I was a) just trying to explain the lid concept to Jaydee and b) was too lazy to bother with adding them and the spiral to that pic :o

Yes I understand the lid. One problem though is I cannot make corners square( perfect sharp 90 degree because the end mill is round) so it would have to have perfectly rounded corners for the lid to fit in perfect and still have the O ring fit in the groove. It is hard to mill a groove in a corner the same depth as the rest of the groove. Not sure my mill can do that because I don't have a 4th axis that rotates the material. I do like the idea though. Just out of my range at the moment.