Pro/Forums - View Single Post

Neomoses · 02-10-2003, 03:00 PM

This is great guys, exactly what I was looking for. Here's a few questions for y'all. First to BillA: In an article at overclockers.com entitled "Waterblock Bench Testing" you note that you almost always saw an improvement in temperatures when you lapped blocks. What is your method for lapping? Is it just the standard sandpaper on a flat surface, or do you use a lapping machine? Since you now have an optical flat and a monochromatic light, I'm wondering how flat is "flat enough?" Over the die area, is it 1/1000"? 1/10,000"? 1/100,000"? 1/1,000,000"? Also, if you are lapping these blocks by hand, how flat can you reliably get them? Are your results repeatable within 15% each time, or is there a lot of variation?

Now comes a question for anybody. Where can I get an optical flat/monochromatic light for a good price? Keep in mind, I would like to accomplish this entire project for less than $500. I realize that the measuring equipment that I currently have is not even in the ballpark for measuring these tiny changes in elevation.

N8, you have a lot of good information. I'd love to hear more.

Basically, this is my situation. Since I live in the northern hemisphere, and there's now snow on the ground, my money trees have lost all their leaves. (AKA I don't have a lot of money) Buying a machine such as a lapmaster is out of the question.

I currently face mill my blocks to make them "flat" and then hand lap them on a granite surface plate to get what I deem a "good" surface finish. I would like to automate this task and (if possible) improve the flatness and surface finish on the blocks. In the process, I'm sure I'll invest in more inspection/measurement tools to ensure that my bases are actually improving. Thanks for all the input so far, and keep it coming!

02-10-2003, 03:00 PM	#10
Neomoses Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Rolla, MO Posts: 51	This is great guys, exactly what I was looking for. Here's a few questions for y'all. First to BillA: In an article at overclockers.com entitled "Waterblock Bench Testing" you note that you almost always saw an improvement in temperatures when you lapped blocks. What is your method for lapping? Is it just the standard sandpaper on a flat surface, or do you use a lapping machine? Since you now have an optical flat and a monochromatic light, I'm wondering how flat is "flat enough?" Over the die area, is it 1/1000"? 1/10,000"? 1/100,000"? 1/1,000,000"? Also, if you are lapping these blocks by hand, how flat can you reliably get them? Are your results repeatable within 15% each time, or is there a lot of variation? Now comes a question for anybody. Where can I get an optical flat/monochromatic light for a good price? Keep in mind, I would like to accomplish this entire project for less than $500. I realize that the measuring equipment that I currently have is not even in the ballpark for measuring these tiny changes in elevation. N8, you have a lot of good information. I'd love to hear more. Basically, this is my situation. Since I live in the northern hemisphere, and there's now snow on the ground, my money trees have lost all their leaves. (AKA I don't have a lot of money) Buying a machine such as a lapmaster is out of the question. I currently face mill my blocks to make them "flat" and then hand lap them on a granite surface plate to get what I deem a "good" surface finish. I would like to automate this task and (if possible) improve the flatness and surface finish on the blocks. In the process, I'm sure I'll invest in more inspection/measurement tools to ensure that my bases are actually improving. Thanks for all the input so far, and keep it coming!