What a BlackIce should look like

Diggrr · 01-20-2004, 10:45 PM

I needed a better radiator than I could find to make a stealth (well nearly so) system for the Mrs.
She'll be getting an Antec Sonata soon, and watercooling but not overclocking is a must.

Well, I had this BlackIce version 1 sitting in my desk, and it'd been a while since I did something cool, so I desoldered the 5 endtanks and replaced them with what I feel is a much better solution than what's offered. I also "re-engineered" the tubes that were FAR too long inside those low-profile tanks it had.

I made a mold of wood, and covered it with silicone and let it harden. Then I overlayed wetted fiberglass cloth and layed on a piece of plastic baggie to smooth it out (removed when cured). Then I brushed on a layer of resin, wetsanded, and layed on two more successive layers of fiberglass after each had hardened.
The tanks are thinly siliconed down, then JBWeld was layed around the seams 'till level.
I soldered .090" brass plate to the tank lip to give it some strength around the 1/4" NPT X 1/2" barbs. Those too are backfilled with JBWeld after I tapped them and screwed in the barbs.
Then each tank was brushed and cured 6 more times with wetsanding in between assuring a waterproof and sturdy finish.

Over that, it's primed and spatter painted to give it a satin finish.

So whatcha think of my single-pass BlackIce?

pHaestus · 01-21-2004, 10:08 AM

that is excellent work! I am very impressed. Since the barbs are on the same side rather than at diagonals do you think you might get some preferential flow paths only through the closer channels?

Groth · 01-21-2004, 12:35 PM

And when can we expect the full length article, complete with pictures at each step?

BillA · 01-21-2004, 02:15 PM

purdy, but far from effective
the bulk of the flow will be straight across, inlet to outlet
next time go corner to opposite corner to equalize the flow through ALL the tubes

Diggrr · 01-21-2004, 05:33 PM

Yeah, I would have gone corner to corner with the barbs, but that would make that tube near impossible to keep from kinking without some butt-ugly (IMHO) zipties or some such. Abit likes to place the socket right behind the backplane. All things considered, it's still a better option than a kinking hose. Moving the bottom one over would have struck the case's backplane where it zigs and zags from the I/O to the cards. (the bottom barb is on the left in the pic)

The water paths are quite narrow when looking down through them, much smaller than a heater core, so I shouldn't think that preferential flow would be as much a problem as with a more more open heatercore. And even if it were, it's off center from the fan hub, and not burried behind the fan mounts.

In any event, it's much better than the origional 4 pass design, and since I shortened those tubes inside the endtank by at least 1/4", and the tanks are much higher than the origionals, there's hope.

A tad more planning here than meets the eye.

I have pics of each step, but just can't find time to sit and write until the weekend.

Have a great one, all!

01-20-2004, 10:45 PM	#1
Diggrr Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Michigan, USA Posts: 5	What a BlackIce should look like I needed a better radiator than I could find to make a stealth (well nearly so) system for the Mrs. She'll be getting an Antec Sonata soon, and watercooling but not overclocking is a must. Well, I had this BlackIce version 1 sitting in my desk, and it'd been a while since I did something cool, so I desoldered the 5 endtanks and replaced them with what I feel is a much better solution than what's offered. I also "re-engineered" the tubes that were FAR too long inside those low-profile tanks it had. I made a mold of wood, and covered it with silicone and let it harden. Then I overlayed wetted fiberglass cloth and layed on a piece of plastic baggie to smooth it out (removed when cured). Then I brushed on a layer of resin, wetsanded, and layed on two more successive layers of fiberglass after each had hardened. The tanks are thinly siliconed down, then JBWeld was layed around the seams 'till level. I soldered .090" brass plate to the tank lip to give it some strength around the 1/4" NPT X 1/2" barbs. Those too are backfilled with JBWeld after I tapped them and screwed in the barbs. Then each tank was brushed and cured 6 more times with wetsanding in between assuring a waterproof and sturdy finish. Over that, it's primed and spatter painted to give it a satin finish. So whatcha think of my single-pass BlackIce?

01-21-2004, 10:08 AM	#2
pHaestus Big Player Making Big Money Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: irc.lostgeek.com #procooling.com Posts: 4,782	that is excellent work! I am very impressed. Since the barbs are on the same side rather than at diagonals do you think you might get some preferential flow paths only through the closer channels? __________________ Getting paid like a biker with the best crank... -MF DOOM

01-21-2004, 12:35 PM	#3
Groth Cooling Savant Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: MO Posts: 781	And when can we expect the full length article, complete with pictures at each step?

01-21-2004, 02:15 PM	#4
BillA CoolingWorks Tech Guy Formerly "Unregistered" Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Posts: 2,371.493,106 Posts: 4,440	purdy, but far from effective the bulk of the flow will be straight across, inlet to outlet next time go corner to opposite corner to equalize the flow through ALL the tubes

01-21-2004, 05:33 PM	#5
Diggrr Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Michigan, USA Posts: 5	Yeah, I would have gone corner to corner with the barbs, but that would make that tube near impossible to keep from kinking without some butt-ugly (IMHO) zipties or some such. Abit likes to place the socket right behind the backplane. All things considered, it's still a better option than a kinking hose. Moving the bottom one over would have struck the case's backplane where it zigs and zags from the I/O to the cards. (the bottom barb is on the left in the pic) The water paths are quite narrow when looking down through them, much smaller than a heater core, so I shouldn't think that preferential flow would be as much a problem as with a more more open heatercore. And even if it were, it's off center from the fan hub, and not burried behind the fan mounts. In any event, it's much better than the origional 4 pass design, and since I shortened those tubes inside the endtank by at least 1/4", and the tanks are much higher than the origionals, there's hope. A tad more planning here than meets the eye. I have pics of each step, but just can't find time to sit and write until the weekend. Have a great one, all!

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