Guide: lapping your HS/F

[2gigs]

This lapping guide is incorrect, and thare are many diffrent ways that it can be done, but the people here at XS believe that this is not the right way. I hearby do not reccommend folowing this lapping guide. If you wish to follow it, you may not have as good of results from lapping it on a flat surface, such as glass

So you’re looking to shave off a few degrees, and have a good cooler already, but do not want to spend more money on a bigger cooler, than you should lap your HS/F.


Most coolers say they are lapped from the factory, but if they are lapped, they are most likely not lapped well. I have seen a few coolers and waterblocks that are an exception.




Anyway, I am going to lap a HS/F for fewer than 7 dollars using a few household items and a few things that you can pick up at a local hardware store.

What you will need


Sandpaper:
600 grit 1.00
800 grit 1.00
1000 grit 1.00
1500 grit 1.00
2000 grit 1.00


Things you need from around the house

Dish Soap
Paper towels
and the soft drink of your choice




Ok,

To get started you need to take your HS/F and take the fan off of it


Next you need to take and fill a cup with water



After this, you need to dip the sandpaper in water. You should start off with 600 grit. Take and add a tiny bit of soap on the sandpaper. Start to lightly and gently sand the HS/F surface down. Do not go in one direction. You need to go ahead and sand in all different directions.

After this, repeat the process with a higher grit of sandpaper. Keep on doing this up to 2000 grit. When you are working with the 2000 grit, you should take about 15 minutes, and go against the groove of the HS/F. You will need to go ahead and sand it till it becomes somewhat mirror like, enough to where you can see your nose somewhat. You do not want it to be 100% mirror like. This is a rumor. Just because it is mirror like, does not mean that it is smoother.




Your HS/F should look like this when done.



Now you need to wash off your HS/F in water. Wash all of the dirt off that got on it from the lapping.



After it dries wipe the HS/F off with alcohol, and it should look like this

[nomad3700]

most ppl suggest using glass as a flat surface and taping ur sandpaper against it to maintin the flatness in ur CPU for best contact.... honestly i dont think sanding at a light pace will loose the flatness....

another thing im not sure u need the dish washing soap.

and for those who didnt get the soda of ur choice, this will be a long experiment, i am thinkin of lapping my 64 freezer pro since i just got it and i dont have to go throw the hassle of cleaning it twice but i dont know yet will see.(its still in the box)


Nomad.

[2gigs]

i disagree, use your hand, nad do it by hand

dish soap helps it not get deep scratched by the particles that are taken off,


and last, take your time and do it the right way, the glass way is a fast and incorrect way

[Weedsqueezer]

most ppl suggest using glass as a flat surface and taping ur sandpaper against it to maintin the flatness in ur CPU for best contact.... honestly i dont think sanding at a light pace will loose the flatness....

another thing im not sure u need the dish washing soap.

and for those who didnt get the soda of ur choice, this will be a long experiment, i am thinkin of lapping my 64 freezer pro since i just got it and i dont have to go throw the hassle of cleaning it twice but i dont know yet will see.(its still in the box)


Nomad.

After lapping mine up to 1600 grit only using water, the "mirrorlike" finish wasn't nearly as swirly as yours. Before I started lapping i colored the bottom of the hsf with a black permanent marker, to insure even lapping as the process wore on. I used the wet sandpaper (water only) on glass with firm pressure and rinsing often (like everyother pass). IMO it produced a better finish than in your pics of doing it by hand. I will apologize early because like most all pics posted to the forum. It most likely looks way better in person than in the pic.

[mad mikee]

Nothing except swifty stuff touches my HW unlapped

If you can find a piece of leftover granite countertop - GOOD stuff.
I found a couple of pieces in an alley when I was walking home
Find somewhere that makes them and ask for their 'leftovers'.

Get some 220 and 400 grit also since you never know how bad the surface is to start, had some REAL bad thermalrights over the years.

My way is to start w/ 400, then if I find spots are NOT getting sanded and they are LARGE, 220 to the RESCUE . Once you are flat, you can move up rather quickly since copper or AL is relatively soft.

Soap - No you don't NEED it, but it helps IMMENSELY, by keeping stuff in suspension when sanding so that it doesn't clog up the paper.

1 tiny drop is more than you need

I use ceramique in a solvent (alcohol, etc) and a paper towel for a final finish (smooooottthhhhh)

another thing im not sure u need the dish washing soap.

[Uncle_Mojo]

Jeez, fellas! Take it easy on the poor guy. While I don't necessarily agree with everything in his guide, 2gigs took the time to do this because he was asked. Give him a little respect.

On the other hand, 2gigs should expect to see some critical responses and be objective about suggestions to make the guide better.

JM2C

[WeStSiDePLaYa]

sorry, but when its a guide that in all reality will probably cause worse perfomance, im not to gratefull. especially when he wont take advice from consesus, and experience.

[cantankerous]

Thank you 2gigs, I greatly appreciate this, have bookmarked it and will surely keep it for when I am going to try my first lap. Again, thanks.

[ROcHE]

Are XP-90s known to gain from a lapping?

[2gigs]

yes,


also, the look of the finish does not matter


when will you guys learm

[dinos22]

600-grit finish provides best results...........already tested so no need for mirror finishes

[2gigs]

acutally the higer smoothness makes a bit of a result

[dinos22]

nope Cathar's done all the testing.......he was surprised himself but 600-grit finish definately gave the best results....by 0.5C consistently so go figure

[Delirious]

yes,


also, the look of the finish does not matter


when will you guys learm

I think he knows the look means nothing. If you lap with your hand how do u get a flat surface, which is the whole point.

Using glass or something else that is known to be very flat is the only way to go.

[2gigs]

I think he knows the look means nothing. If you lap with your hand how do u get a flat surface, which is the whole point.

Using glass or something else that is known to be very flat is the only way to go.

you will, its just you cant just go ahead and lap in one place, lap evenly. When you lap that way, it tends to cause problems. It does not come out as smooth.

[Delirious]

you will, its just you cant just go ahead and lap in one place, lap evenly. When you lap that way, it tends to cause problems. It does not come out as smooth.

there is no way in you can lap anything and get good flatness just using your hand.

[Weedsqueezer]

yes,


also, the look of the finish does not matter


when will you guys learm

[2gigs]

what its true

[Weedsqueezer]

I think you left something out of your guide, what's the soft drink for? Did I miss this step somewhere?

[2gigs]

you dont get it, when you see it thare, you will drink it

[Dave_Sz]

god, why are you so stubborn. Glass=flat, hand= not flat. In order for the sink to be perfectly flat while lapping with your hand you'd have to apply the same pressure the whole time, you can't control that, you have to go over every spot the same number of times while using the same amount of pressure, you can't do that.

[[XC] 4X4N]

I recently did my big typhoon. I was a little disappointed with the big typhoon because it only dropped my temps about 1-2 degrees from the xp-90 I was using. I don't think I spent more than a half hour on it. Used a sanding block with 400, then went to 600. Didn't end up with the mirror finish, but it definitely felt and looked smoother, and my temps dropped another 3-4 degrees. In a fully closed case with temp around 25-26, idle is 29-30 and load is 43-44. I didn't think that lapping would make that much difference, but the big typhoon has a pretty poor surface.

[Bail_w]

I recently did my big typhoon. I was a little disappointed with the big typhoon because it only dropped my temps about 1-2 degrees from the xp-90 I was using. I don't think I spent more than a half hour on it. Used a sanding block with 400, then went to 600. Didn't end up with the mirror finish, but it definitely felt and looked smoother, and my temps dropped another 3-4 degrees. In a fully closed case with temp around 25-26, idle is 29-30 and load is 43-44. I didn't think that lapping would make that much difference, but the big typhoon has a pretty poor surface.

What else you expect with air cooling.

[WeStSiDePLaYa]

LOL!!!

dude, this is the WORST lapping guide ever. i wouldnt be suprised to see temperatures increase if someone followed your guide. thick glass is the only way to go.

unless you can show me how to make your hand flatter than glass. noob.

[Overconfidence]

LOL!!!

dude, this is the WORST lapping guide ever. i wouldnt be suprised to see temperatures increase if someone followed your guide. thick glass is the only way to go.

unless you can show me how to make your hand flatter than glass. noob.

Lap

5 a : to dress, smooth, or polish (as a metal surface) to a high degree of refinement or accuracy b : to shape or fit by working two surfaces together with or without abrasives until a very close fit is produced

Obviously there is some misconception in what we are aiming for in lapping.

Most people take 5a as the general definition of lapping.

However, the better way is 5b. In fact, if you could, lapping your CPU's IHS against the heatsink would produce the best result.

The method with glass is a little bit of both, and probably the best way. In fact, anything that has a flat surface (And that you can work back and forth fairly easily, such as a piece of relatively flat wood or plastic) will work fine. Granite and glass are great suggestions.