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Water Block Design / Construction Building your own block? Need info on designing one? Heres where to do it

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Unread 11-15-2002, 06:46 AM   #1
Can O' Beans
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Default My WB prototype

As posted on my case mod worklog on Pheaton.com, this is my prototype waterblock I've been working on.

I took a Thermaltake 1U skived copper heatsink and turned it into a waterblock. I figured the thin fins and straight thru design would give a good waterflow combined with good surface area - and it was cheap. $16 for the heatsink and I had everything else laying around the house. The fins have a rough texture to them due to the skiving process.

The original:

The Transformation:






I removed 5/8" of fins on each side, then the remaining copper was milled out by hand with a 1/8" carbide Dremel bit on a Drill press :shrug: The base is 1/10" - a bit on the thick side, but I had nothing to mill it any thinner with and I didn't want to spend days trying to lap it with coarser sandpaper

The plexi, well.. I had a bunch of 1/4" plexy laying around, and I didn't want to spend any more money on a prototype. It's 4 laminations of 1/4" plexiglass I tweaked the hell out of it when tapping the pipe thread, and it held up with no stress cracks, etc...

It will have 2 1/2" hose x 1/4" NPT hose barbs on each side. Water will be split down one end, thru the fins and out the other end.

If I don't screw it up, I might actually sand down the sides & flame polish it for a final production piece. I have a 2nd heatsink that, if it fits, will be adapted into a GPU block. It's currently cooling my P4 1.6A @ 2.13Ghz until I slap this thing on it.

I've been planning this for a while. Someone else found this HS before I did and started a waterblock, but I don't know who(and haven't been able to find), so I can't give the props due.
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Unread 11-15-2002, 06:53 AM   #2
Volenti
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I did a similar thing a while back with the exact same heatsink, works quite well even with very low flow rates, though mines been through quite a few changes...

[edit], found my old thread here
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Unread 11-15-2002, 06:58 AM   #3
Can O' Beans
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Ah yes, THATS the thread I was trying to find - lol



Would probably get better results if the base was milled down a bit more. With all the vert fins, it should be pretty strong with a very thin base.
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Unread 11-15-2002, 08:20 AM   #4
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I'd like to see a centred inlet version, I think that'd be excellent for TEC cooling with its large footprint. comparing it to Cathars block with a small footprint...

A wicked heatsink made for H2o conversion for sure, surprised more peeple hav'nt done it...

Anyone know of a UK supplier? ...
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Unread 11-15-2002, 08:28 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally posted by MadDogMe


Anyone know of a UK supplier? ...
Try http://www.theoverclockingstore.co.u...&codeid=800938
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Unread 11-15-2002, 09:52 AM   #6
BillA
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Volenti

I thought yours had soldered fins ??
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Unread 11-15-2002, 09:55 AM   #7
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Cheers Les! ...
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Unread 11-15-2002, 06:13 PM   #8
Volenti
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Volenti

I thought yours had soldered fins ??
No I used the exact same heatsink as Can O' beans, skivved.
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Unread 11-15-2002, 08:31 PM   #9
Can O' Beans
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I was considering making a center inlet. Had 1/2" of plexi to work with and figured I could make a wide & thin slot for the water to enter through.

For $16 US (Newegg), you could easily get a few of them & test with different numbers fins and if you had access to a mill, thin the baseplate out more.

If my uncle gets another machining job, I'm going to try to incorporate the 2nd one I have into a GF4 block - IF it will fit (don't have GF4 GPU & RAM dimensions)
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Unread 11-30-2002, 10:59 PM   #10
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Well, I used Plumber's GOOP to seal the block, but that was a VERY BAD idea

The GOOP's fumes caused cracks "sunbursting" around every single drilled hole in the plexi. Nothing was tightened down fully yet, and it cracked on the yet non-used P4 holes, so it wasn't due to me over-tightening anything.

It was a prototype, but it still sucks. I cleaned the GOOP from the barbs and put them back in sealed with Weld-On #16 (thicker) to try to seal the cracks. So far, it doesn't leak with full-on house tap water flowing through it, but the cracks are slowly getting bigger.

Since I might have to junk the top, I added a little "flare" for the hell of it... (with some internal condensation from the leak testing)

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Unread 12-01-2002, 12:12 AM   #11
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You should use the same stuff that D-Tek uses on the barbs of the spir@l. I don't know what it is, but it never dries like glue and never turns rubbery(is that a word?) like silicon. Seems to be some sort of clear grease.:shrug:
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Unread 12-01-2002, 04:22 PM   #12
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Just use a gasket. You have enough screw mounts. I recently (as of yesterday) had to change my waterpump on my vehicle, what a pain in the ass to put it mildly. Anyway, the only thing keeping that sucker from leaking is a 1/16" paperlike gasket and it is not recommended to use any gasket sealer goop or it will cause the gasket to travel. If it is good enough for a vehicle waterpump then there should not be any worries about using such an application on a tiny copper waterblock.
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Unread 12-01-2002, 07:46 PM   #13
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What about using a belt sander like you use on flooring to grind down the base until close to the final thickness desired?
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Unread 12-01-2002, 08:56 PM   #14
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From my experience with belt sanders, it would:
A. Have a tendency to yank the WB right out of your hand (and pitch it across the workshop at high velocity, if it doesn't hit you first)
B. Take material off too quickly
C. Take material off unevenly, b/c of A & B

Then again, I've only worked with two oversized belt sanders (8"x~80" belt...), and one palm sander.


<off-topic>IBDA: http://www.beltsander-races.com/</off-topic>
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Unread 12-01-2002, 11:25 PM   #15
Can O' Beans
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Well, I did it the way I did due to having most of that stuff on hand

I did try a gasket. It was neoprene foam rubber (kids placemat) but it ended up being open cell foam (although very tiny cells). I was going to order 1/32" Neoprene rubber (not foam) but never got around to it. Also, if I put in a gasket, it leaves a space between the fins and top of the inside, which wouldn't be ideal.

I can always build a new top. I'll just have to find out who sells Lexan around here. Home Depot only has 1/8"

I used to "lap" (sand ) many various pieces of metal at a previous employer. It was an 8" wide belt sander and they modified it & put a metal bar across the sand paper, and one down each side. You could literally just place something on the moving sandpaper & it would just sit there, getting sanded away.

But, at home, all I have in that category is a Dewalt 1/4 sheet random orbital palm sander. I tried it, I'd be there for HOURS.

This block still seems salvageable for now, until I pay off some bills & get more $$ on hand. If I didn't have the bills, I would already have a CNC mill
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Unread 12-02-2002, 12:45 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally posted by Arcturius




<off-topic>IBDA: http://www.beltsander-races.com/</off-topic>
[off-topic] I may have just discovered a second hobby Look at the little wheelie bar on that thing[/off-topic]
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Unread 12-02-2002, 08:11 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally posted by Can O' Beans
I can always build a new top. I'll just have to find out who sells Lexan around here. Home Depot only has 1/8"
Where I live, only 1/8" lexan is readily available as well. You might be pleased to know that I have had great luck building it up in layers using cyanoacrylate ( super glue ).
Just put a big blob in and press two pieces of lexan together until the glue squirts out the sides (think 'microscope slide'), and keep good pressure on it until it dries (about 5m in this instance).

I have found that it is basically impossible to tell that the plastic was ever two separate pieces, especially after working the plastic with a dremel and file.
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Unread 12-02-2002, 08:37 PM   #18
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If it's any help...

You can purchase a polycarbonate sheet sample from McMaster. It's 6" by 6", 1/4 thick.

$1.97

I'm about to place an order, so if you want to dodge their shipping charge, let me know!

The thing is, CyanoAcrylate probably won't work so well. I haven't found a clear adhesive, but I have this 2 part beige stuff that someone else here tested and tried. From my research, the solution is either a 2 part epoxy, or something called MethaAcrylate.
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Unread 12-02-2002, 11:18 PM   #19
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I was debating wether the Weld-On adhesive would work with lexan or not...

I'd prefer a copper top, but don't have a mill, so I'll come up with something
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Unread 12-02-2002, 11:57 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally posted by bigben2k
The thing is, CyanoAcrylate probably won't work so well.
Are you talking about joining pieces of lexan, or the lexan top to the copper sink? I've been more than pleased with the results of bonding lexan...
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Unread 12-03-2002, 08:34 AM   #21
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Quote:
Originally posted by Arcturius
Are you talking about joining pieces of lexan, or the lexan top to the copper sink? I've been more than pleased with the results of bonding lexan...
No, I was referring to polycarbonate.
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Unread 12-03-2002, 01:32 PM   #22
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WELD-ON 16 is a clear thick cement ideal for laminating acrylic and lexan sheets.
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Unread 12-03-2002, 01:47 PM   #23
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Nice, but it's an industrial product. Can it be bought pretty much anywhere?

I also found their (new) polycarbonate section, but they have no specs
http://www.ipscorp.com/ind_html/polycarb.html
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Unread 12-03-2002, 02:17 PM   #24
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Quote:
Originally posted by bigben2k
Nice, but it's an industrial product. Can it be bought pretty much anywhere?

I also found their (new) polycarbonate section, but they have no specs
http://www.ipscorp.com/ind_html/polycarb.html
It can be bought at plastic supply stores (look in the Yellow Pages) or on the web. I am lucky enough to have one a few miles from me. This place also sells "scraps" which can be small to quite large pieces usually less than 1" thick. Lexan is $4.00 per pound. They even have teflon etc.
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Unread 12-03-2002, 03:03 PM   #25
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BTW Bigben2k Lexan and polycarbonate are the same thing, Lexan is just a trademark name for polycarbonate.
Using a glue especially for acrylic, you won't see the difference except if there are any bubbles between the sheets
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