How to clean pure copper heatsink?

[Lopez0101]

Use an old toothbrush to get the caked on dust.

 

[fullinfusion]

All the salt is doing is acting like an aggjtator.. Like sand blasting. The boiling water with a few table spoons of silica sand will do the same thing but won't dissolve like the salt would.

Also I was serious about the can of coke.. Go Google it.

Brasso is just a polish to remove oxidation and a
Leaves a tiny barrier of wax to give it the gleam one so desires.

@erocker get the op to send the parts to you and run it through your hot tank

 

[PLAfiller]

Also I was serious about the can of coke.. Go Google it.

@erocker get the op to send the parts to you and run it through your hot tank

I don't know how, but I missed that post. I went back to check it out. Could give it a try, I am on a roll now . I will post what happens with the boiling when I do it in the weekend.

 

[redeye]

arctiClean... and paper towels. I always use the stuff before i install, remount, or change the HSF or CPU.

http://www.arcticsilver.com/arcticlean.htm

 

[Frag_Maniac]

By the looks of that Zalman, it appears there's a reason the salt/vinegar boil method is not recommended for alu.

I once had a Klein mt bike frame I ordered as bare alu so I could polish it vs having it powder coated or painted. The caveat was I could only get it sand blasted vs smooth. It took a LONG time to hand sand then polish it via various grits of emery cloth and steel wool. I eventually got it to a mirror finish though, with lots of hand soreness.

After that I had to find an alu polish that would keep the oxidization off. A local rider/Boeing employee recommended Never Dull, which is cotton wadding like they put in mattresses, impregnated with alu polish. I was told Boeing uses it to touch up polished alu because it both polishes and removes scratches in one step. Perfect for a mt bike, it did the trick quickly.

The problem with alu fin stacks though is obviously you can't hand buff in between the fins, and even if you had a rag thin enough to, it would be a hassle and potentially bend the fins. So if your alu fin stack is not nickle plated or otherwise finished, a good alu spray-and-hose polish from an auto detail shop is probably the way to go.

(I know OP's is copper. This is for anyone with a bare alu fin stack HS.)
http://www.autogeek.net/sonus-aluminum-restore.html

 

[The Von Matrices]

All the salt is doing is acting like an aggjtator.. Like sand blasting. The boiling water with a few table spoons of silica sand will do the same thing but won't dissolve like the salt would.

You're completely misunderstanding the chemistry. There is no abrasion involved. The salt plus the acetic acid in vinegar forms a weak solution of hydrochloric acid. The hydrochloric acid then attacks the copper oxide on the surface of the heatsink, removing what is the tarnish. All the boiling does is enhance the rate of reaction; if you left the heatsink in the solution for many weeks at room temperature, you would have the same effect. The ketchup solution works the same way, since it is essentially a paste of salt/vinegar, although the abrasion caused by rubbing the paste onto the heatsink helps slightly.

The problem is that many people recommend the salt/vinegar solution to improve the performance of the heatsink, but this argument is completely misguided. Unless the copper portion touching the processor is oxidized, the tarnishing/oxidation is cosmetic. It's the dust and grime that affects the performance of the heatsink, and the salt/vinegar solution won't remove this dirt and grime any more effectively than plain water. That's why I don't recommend the salt and vinegar solution for heatsinks; not because it doesn't remove the copper oxide but because the tarnish you are removing didn't affect heat transfer in the first place. The only reason you should use the salt/vinegar solution is if you want to restore the shiny copper aesthetic of the heatsink, and even then the restored luster is temporary; the heatsink will again tarnish within a few weeks or months.

A reminder, if you use the salt/vinegar solution, the heatsink must be pure copper and there must be no other metals in either the heatsink or the container holding the salt/vinegar solution. If you have any aluminum or zinc (like the bracket you left connected or the pot holding the solution) the reaction will not work. All that will occur in this case is that you would accelerate galvanic corrosion, dissolving the aluminum or zinc parts and depositing the aluminum or zinc on the copper. I'm relatively sure this is the reason why your attempt did not work out. The source @Frag Maniac cited had success only because he had no other metals in the solution. Even though the writer did not make the connection, the glass pot was key to his success.

 

[95Viper]

Look to your kitchen... try using ketchup to clean your copper parts.
You may need to do a couple of applications.
You can get it at a "Dollar Store" or discounted cheap no-name brands.
However, it does work on cleaning copper... I used some to clean some old copper shell casings and my old Revereware.

 

[erocker]

Brasso is just a polish to remove oxidation and a
Leaves a tiny barrier of wax to give it the gleam one so desires.

It contains no wax. Just cleaned my block with it today, looks good as new. This thread is turning a mole -hill into a mountain.

 

[INSTG8R]

I just use Acetone. It's cleans oxidization off just fine and leaves no residue either.

 

[PLAfiller]

You're completely misunderstanding the chemistry. There is no abrasion involved. The salt plus the acetic acid in vinegar forms a weak solution of hydrochloric acid. The hydrochloric acid then attacks the copper oxide on the surface of the heatsink, removing what is the tarnish. All the boiling does is enhance the rate of reaction; if you left the heatsink in the solution for many weeks at room temperature, you would have the same effect. The ketchup solution works the same way, since it is essentially a paste of salt/vinegar, although the abrasion caused by rubbing the paste onto the heatsink helps slightly.

The problem is that many people recommend the salt/vinegar solution to improve the performance of the heatsink, but this argument is completely misguided. Unless the copper portion touching the processor is oxidized, the tarnishing/oxidation is cosmetic. It's the dust and grime that affects the performance of the heatsink, and the salt/vinegar solution won't remove this dirt and grime any more effectively than plain water. That's why I don't recommend the salt and vinegar solution for heatsinks; not because it doesn't remove the copper oxide but because the tarnish you are removing didn't affect heat transfer in the first place. The only reason you should use the salt/vinegar solution is if you want to restore the shiny copper aesthetic of the heatsink, and even then the restored luster is temporary; the heatsink will again tarnish within a few weeks or months.

A reminder, if you use the salt/vinegar solution, the heatsink must be pure copper and there must be no other metals in either the heatsink or the container holding the salt/vinegar solution. If you have any aluminum or zinc (like the bracket you left connected or the pot holding the solution) the reaction will not work. All that will occur in this case is that you would accelerate galvanic corrosion, dissolving the aluminum or zinc parts and depositing the aluminum or zinc on the copper. I'm relatively sure this is the reason why your attempt did not work out. The source @Frag Maniac cited had success only because he had no other metals in the solution. Even though the writer did not make the connection, the glass pot was key to his success.

THIS. THANK U! It made it all clear to me now. Conclusion: the bottom is in top shape- nothing to do there. Dust- use an old toothbrush/old make up brush (just as OneMoar said, dust it off and forget it). I will just leave the rest of HS as is. I can't do anything about the Zync now. It has small specks from the vinegar, but I will leave it as is. And I am educated how to treat copper computer parts for life. It's best to just leave them be most of time.

This thread is turning a mole -hill into a mountain.

I second that. I got nothing to add to the discussion at this point, except big thank u for all involved.

 

[xvi]

Guys, you're all doing it wrong. Hold your heatsink with your left hand, grab something like a credit card with your right hand, put the card in the groove and slide it down quickly. With your left hand, throw the heatsink in the recycling and install your new heatsink. Boom. No more oxidation or dust and minimal effort.

(Joking aside, there's some nice tips in here)

 

[eidairaman1]

For dust take it outside and hose it down if youre that concerned

 

[v12dock]

Boil it in a pot of vinegar or CLR

 

[Lopez0101]

I don't know if I'd want to boil CLR. Maybe do that outside at least.

 

[mclaren85]

I know it is an old topic, but is it really going to help to cool down my laptop if I clean the copper pipes inside the laptop?

 

[eidairaman1]

I know it is an old topic, but is it really going to help to cool down my laptop if I clean the copper pipes inside the laptop?

Removing dust yes but overall it's minimal gains, make sure fins and fans are dust free, keep in cool room.

 

[mclaren85]

Removing dust yes but overall it's minimal gains, make sure fins and fans are dust free, keep in cool room.

It is rather a copper-oxide or something. I will try to clean that tiny gloss surface to see any temperature changes

 

[Deleted member 24505]

I use malt vinegar and toothpaste.

 

[mclaren85]

I use malt vinegar and toothpaste.

Do you think it helped?

 

[Deleted member 24505]

Look to your kitchen... try using ketchup to clean your copper parts.
You may need to do a couple of applications.
You can get it at a "Dollar Store" or discounted cheap no-name brands.
However, it does work on cleaning copper... I used some to clean some old copper shell casings and my old Revereware.

Yup, i have used tomato sauce in the past when i had no vinegar. Only on the pure copper base though.

Do you think it helped?

Yes, drop the copper part into a cup with malt vinegar, clans it up a treat. And toothpaste and a old fine brush if it needs a scrub first.

 

[mclaren85]

Yup, i have used tomato sauce in the past when i had no vinegar. Only on the pure copper base though.



Yes, drop the copper part into a cup with malt vinegar, clans it up a treat. And toothpaste and a old fine brush if it needs a scrub first.

No I mean the temps?

 

[Mussels]

I know it is an old topic, but is it really going to help to cool down my laptop if I clean the copper pipes inside the laptop?

the pipes? no.
It's going to help looks only, not temperatures.

The only time this would ever help, is by cleaning the contact area of a copper heatsink and the die generating the heat - which you'd do by lapping with sandpaper, not by polishing or boiling in vinegar and the other suggestions from this almost 10 year old thread

 

[delshay]

Orange or lemon juice and let sit for a bit. Its a low citric acid and it'll remove the oxidation for sure... But the key is to let it sit for a little while.

Does it work on heatsink going green. I have a few heatsink here & they are going green.

 

[Shrek]

I would tend to do the first clean with very fine sandpaper on a flat surface to make sure the block was level.

 

[Courier 6]

Water and vinegar, 50/50 mix, enough to cover it all, time depends on how bad it is, 24 hours should do the trick in most cases, hope it helps