Uggh, good info but I have to give some quick responses.
Most people do not want to, nor should they lap their IHS or use their IHS as a 'tool.' The common computer user just wants a flat(ter) heatsink/coldplate/waterblock. Anytime you start using or modifying the CPU you void the warranty of one of the more expensive and important parts of your system. A heatsink is usually much cheaper and hence, modifiable (heh, is that word?)
The gist of the article is to get the best mating surfaces between the base of the heatsink and the cpu by lapping and polishing the two surfaces together, similar to valve seat lapping in a automobile cylinder head when you put some lapping compound on a valve and spin it in the valve seat to match the valve surface to the seat surface for the best seal.
"Theoretically," if you do this correctly, it wont matter if the surfaces are flat or not as they will be matched to each other.
This process described does NOT describe how to get a heatsink surface "flat," it describes how to get them to "mate" the best to each other.
In conclusion to this quick note, I have lapped and polished quite a few IHS and CPU surfaces, and this is not trivial, nor recommended for the common user. The article in question does have its merits, but I think for the extreme user only.
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