I am going to masking tape off the core/fin area, but want to paint the body of the RAD cause the very dull black finish looks terrible. Is it OK to paint the rad, I cant see it hurting performance at all do you?
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I am going to masking tape off the core/fin area, but want to paint the body of the RAD cause the very dull black finish looks terrible. Is it OK to paint the rad, I cant see it hurting performance at all do you?
As long as the fins aren't painted like you said you will be doing. It will be fine.
built-in shroud has nothing to do with performance so you can paint it
Thats what I figured, just wanted to double check first.
You won't lose any performance. Radical_53 (from Forumdeluxx) painted his one silver and it still performs great.
also, 1 last question: Those clear plastic barbs that come with it, they just need some teflon tape correct, and not an O-ring? Also, would it be worth it to buy aftermarket barbs like these (http://www.petrastechshop.com/aqhifig3th1o.html) as this uses an O-ring seal, is this better. I can't see the performance being any different from just changing barbs, but im looking for the best seal. Thanks
Teflon tape should not be used on plastic threads.
it depends on which plastic barbs you have, some plastic barbs comes with O-Ring if not then use PTFE tape to seal it. Plastic barbs will easy to be cracked if over tighten and pain in the neck to put tubing on and take it off so brass/nickel plated barbs will be a better choice since it is so much easier to put the tubing on and take it off
That isn't true ;) Swiftech rads come with plastic barbs with teflon tape on them.Quote:
Originally Posted by TheBigBunny
Well, if you want better looking barbs, ease of installation, and ease of sealing up, then get the aftermarket ones.
Quote:
Originally Posted by newls1
Oh, well if Swiftech includes it it must be ok:
http://www.lascofittings.com/support...dedPlastic.asp
They say not to use teflon tape on plastics to plastic, not plastic to metal.Quote:
Originally Posted by TheBigBunny
I would suggest using teflon tape on plastic to metal if the barb doesnt have an o-ring seal.
As far as plastic on plastic goes, I have had to use teflon tape before, especially when I had my Iwaki. Hell, even Iwaki said to use teflon tape.
The problem is that teflon tape doesn't have enough 'give', and the plastic threads are put under strain. Over time they get distorted, potentially allowing for leaks to develop. The thread compound on the other hand flows into gaps as water tries to work its way through the threads and actively stops any potential leaks.Quote:
Originally Posted by MaxxxRacer
I used PTFE tape without a problem on many plastic threads, but, it looks like it can cause problems over time, so why not do what the pros say is the proper way? Frankly, a leak that develops at some later time is far worse than one that happens right after initial installation.
I may not tear apart my loop to re do all of my fittings, but I will be removing the tape and applying plastic thread compound whenever I've got to take out a component or install a new one.
Get it painted !!
i painted mine... although its not a Pa i don't see how it would hurt performance:/
unless you wanna get onto matt surfaces Vs glossy ones lol
http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/6...120copyzx2.jpg
:slobber:
What he said!Quote:
Originally Posted by TheReds
Paint my Theromchills and now looking at getting them powdercoated
Ok, thanks for your help, I understand now, even ready your new post just for this;)Quote:
Originally Posted by TheBigBunny
Nice paint job, that is incredible:) I just finished painting mine, did mine in a silver metallic texture finish. Looks a hell of a lot better then the black "primer" looking finish that it came in.Quote:
Originally Posted by R B Customs
Hehe cheers lads
that one was done a while ago.
If i ever get 5 minutes where im not at work ill be starting another project for my self :)
i painted that rad as it was damaged... then it just got out of hand lol
If you get paint on the fins, can't you use acetone or lacquer thinner to get it off? It won't damage the tubes or anything...
It was to easy to tape off the fin area. I used the blue 3m painters tape that it 2 inches wide. Very easy to do, there is no excuss if you get paint on the fins :-o
These pictures dont give the paint finish any justice, but here they are anyways. In person the paint is glossy, and a nice silver metallic.
http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/2561/dscf0855kg7.jpg
http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/3014/dscf0854eo4.jpg
Don't. Simple as that. Can't be done. The rad will fall apart.Quote:
now looking at getting them powdercoated
Powdercoat bake is done at too high a temp. Even a Lo-Temp bake is too hot... and if it weren't too hot would result in a course finish instead of gloss... to get the gloss look it has to be fulltemp bake, and the oventemp is higher than the solder's melt temp.
(Hence ThermoChill rad's ain't powdercoated, and nor are anyone elses...)
If you want a high quality finish... electrostatic. If you just want a quality gloss finish, regular car 2 pak and lacquer.
So whats the max heat these rads can take then? Stove enamiling is out as thats backed in a oven tooQuote:
Originally Posted by Marci
About 120/130 deg C. The closer the baketemp is, the more it will structurally weaken any soldered joints.
None of the "gloss" radiators out there (Swiftechs, HWLabs, Coolingworks etc) are painted using any method that involves oven-baking.
So how they done then and are you going to change so we not only have a dam fine working bit of kitbut a dam good paint finish on the rads tooQuote:
Originally Posted by Marci
As per HWLabs website...
Dunno what they define as HighTemp for electrostatic...Quote:
Full electrostatic polyurethane painting finish for uniform coating with high temperature curing for increased finish durability.
When we find a way that doesn't put the price of each rad up by an unrealistic amount...
Then in the mean time ask that lass that sprays them to put more on or soemthing. Just had one out the box and it comes off on my nail. I'm happy to pay £45 for a rad that works but i kinda exopect it to have a better paint job. Or leave them raw so we can do out own. A £7 can of Plasticoat does a better job than your paint and sprayer. Sorry Marci just getting anyoed as 6 of them here are crap and total let downs on there paintjob
Send em back then.
And use what? Nothing out there is decent enough cooling wise.
I'd rather pay to have a working rad that came in a raw formatt for me to spray than it come working but with a jackass paint job.
Might of found a shop to spray these up now anyway
As I've said countless times, if folks want unpainted rads, order them by emailing Steve via tradesales@thermochill.com - ie: You'll have to order them direct from us. I said this ages ago when the whole paintjob issue first arose.
always new ppl getting on board Marci. Redundancy with patience is always part of marketing...in my experience.
Do a stick some place, stick on your website. I haven't heard anything about till now anyway.
Maybe the info about getting unpainted Thermochills needs to be easier to discover on the site. It never occurred to me to search for it, but had I known...
Same applies to the exact sizing info, unless you know it's there it's hard to come across.
While we're on the topic, the paint finish is pretty fragile. Black Ice, for their issues, do a good paint job and it stands a bit of bumping when you're trying to get a heavy radiator into an awkward position. The Thermochills don't.
The bleed screw is a nice idea, and provides some benefit, but because there isn't a slight raise in the tank where the screw is, you can't use it to get the last of the air out.
The neoprene foam seals are also hard work, as a fan can easily squash them 'the wrong way' and push them inwards so they fan fouls on them and either sticks or makes a noise, which can result in repeated fan fittings. A minor quibble, but never had the same issue with silicone rubber gaskets.
The self-tapper screws provided to fit fans etc, are scary. I'm always afraid that over-tightening could pop one through the rad. Not sure how you'd resolve that, but a little piece of plate bent and soldered in a _|-|_ shape under each screw hole might save a few unhappy people who didn't read the warnings.
Finally, PA140.X, sure, nice idea, there are several 14cm fans about now, but really, only extreme people could fit one. What I suspect a lot of people dream of from their Thermochill is for it to be smaller, not bigger - even if some performance was lost. e.g. a Mini-A120.2 that has the same fan spacing as BI, maybe 10 to 5mm thinner, and yes, slightly worse performance... but still better than a BI240GTX or whatever would be the same size.
That said, I've really really like a shroud for my PA160 that would fit a 14cm fan. :poke: must be lots of people with a 160 that would go to a 14cm fan if they could just buy a nice shroud that would fit.
I'm not surprised that a PA120.N outperforms other rads with the same fan-count, but it's not apples to apples when you consider the physical volume the PA requires to mount. Best cooling to noise ratio no question, but that doesn't help you if you can't fit one in.
If I want to get inside my case without a PSU relocation, I just can't use two PAs, one rad has to be a BI GTS ... and that thin GTS is a crappy rad, but at least it fits. Yeah, yeah, I know, should have bought a Mountain Mods and I could have 2x PA120.3 :hitself:
On each product's page at thermochill.com, in the Specs, where it says "DIM:" for Dimensions... *shrug*Quote:
Same applies to the exact sizing info, unless you know it's there it's hard to come across.
Equals a price rise.Quote:
While we're on the topic, the paint finish is pretty fragile. Black Ice, for their issues, do a good paint job and it stands a bit of bumping when you're trying to get a heavy radiator into an awkward position. The Thermochills don't.
Equals a price rise. If gasket is catching on fan, you've overtightened the screws, or not stretched the gasket across full width of the rad as you've fitted it.Quote:
The neoprene foam seals are also hard work, as a fan can easily squash them 'the wrong way' and push them inwards so they fan fouls on them and either sticks or makes a noise, which can result in repeated fan fittings. A minor quibble, but never had the same issue with silicone rubber gaskets.
Equals a price rise.Quote:
The self-tapper screws provided to fit fans etc, are scary. I'm always afraid that over-tightening could pop one through the rad. Not sure how you'd resolve that, but a little piece of plate bent and soldered in a _|-|_ shape under each screw hole might save a few unhappy people who didn't read the warnings.
Buy an MCR rad instead of the BI then... if we make it thinner it'll perform exactly the same as an MCR but still cost more. Why bother, other than for the sake of owning a specific brand name? We don't care about what brand is what, just what performs the best. We don't cater to the masses. We produce whatever offers the best performance. It's down to the endusers how they accomodate that product in their system. Everything is as it is out of necessity to achieve that performance whilst keeping the price as "reasonable" as we possibly can. The size is as it is due to performance. Why compete with other brands by shrinking into the same format directly when we KNOW that we'll always be double the price thanks to exchange rates? A pointless exercise in wasting money making stock that won't sell I'm afraid.Quote:
What I suspect a lot of people dream of from their Thermochill is for it to be smaller, not bigger - even if some performance was lost. e.g. a Mini-A120.2 that has the same fan spacing as BI, maybe 10 to 5mm thinner, and yes, slightly worse performance... but still better than a BI240GTX or whatever would be the same size.
We are in the process of looking into all the issues brought up... but none of the fixes for these issues will appear quickly. We're backed up trying to keep up with demand - we don't have time to break off to make changes, nor do we have time to take on any more business developing additional lines to the current rads. Any "new" designs released would mean the discontinuance of an existing line, or we can't keep on top of production to meet demand... already an issue as it is.
ALL the trade resellers are badgering for pricedrops to fall inline with competition, not pricehikes. If prices go up, expect availability to become an issue as the resellers drop them due to lack of confidence in end-users justifying the price and completing the sale.
Until we can meet current demand, we will be doing ZERO development work or changes... as at the moment we're at least a month behind on shipping schedules for orders, and no matter what we do, demand grows every month so we cannot keep on top of it... simple as that. We don't make enough profit to expand production further because we can't put the price up due to our products being expensive enough as it is in the international market.
I'm afraid it's a case of yer all gonna have to live with it as it is for the foreseeable future. Sorry.
Now listed in description at ThermoChill.com as "Dimensions:"Quote:
where it says "DIM:" for Dimensions...
It's ALWAYS been in the ThermoChill FAQ on the site, and is now also in the product descriptions under "Finish:"Quote:
Maybe the info about getting unpainted Thermochills needs to be easier to discover on the site.
Cheers Marci for making the changes.
Well no sod in the UK does the spraying i want...can get it done states side fine....gay!!!!!!!!
I'd pay the extra if the paint job was worth it.
let me know if you have a job going. I'm a fast worker and get my head down. Maybe invest in some more staff.
Heck i'd even come there for like a month for free to help as i'd love to see how these come togther