How to clean pure copper heatsink?

PLAfiller · Oct 21, 2014

En taro Adun,

I need a bit of help. I want to clean Thermaltake Extreme Spirit 2 and Zalman Vf 900 . Once I remove the moving parts they are pure copper thingies. They need cleaning. I read different recepies. I tried putting the Spirit in water and vinegar (50/50%) - some people suggested lemon juice. It might be a placebo effect, but it looked a bit shinier. So how do you clean a pure copper heatsink? It has to be something I have access to. If any of you had tried before, I'd be grateful for the info.

Cheers :toast:

fullinfusion · Oct 21, 2014

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.

erocker · Oct 21, 2014

Brasso. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BILDIU4/?tag=tec06d-20

PLAfiller · Oct 21, 2014

fullinfusion said:
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.

I already did a small mistake with the vinegar. I left the Spirit to lay flat on the bottom of the cup for an hour and then it had small rainbow spot. But nothing too major. Now I know I have ti use a small wire to suspend it "floating" in the liquid, not to touch anything if possible.

erocker said:
Brasso. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BILDIU4/?tag=tec06d-20

That looks good, but it's faster to buy a pair of lemons from the shop next to me. Although shipping from UK typically takes a working week to my place. But I might ask around for a local substitute.

Raw · Oct 21, 2014

lZKoce said:
En taro Adun,

I need a bit of help. I want to clean Thermaltake Extreme Spirit 2 and Zalman Vf 900 . Once I remove the moving parts they are pure copper thingies. They need cleaning. I read different recepies. I tried putting the Spirit in water and vinegar (50/50%) - some people suggested lemon juice. It might be a placebo effect, but it looked a bit shinier. So how do you clean a pure copper heatsink? It has to be something I have access to. If any of you had tried before, I'd be grateful for the info.

Cheers

This stuff is pretty good. Just wipe it on with a damp sponge and let dry.
I use it on everything.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000ROIG6Y/?tag=tec06d-20

AsRock · Oct 21, 2014

erocker said:
Brasso. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BILDIU4/?tag=tec06d-20

i like the tinned stuff, although just noticed it costs more though but still http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004G8YNIM/?tag=tec06d-20

AN walmart sell that one you posted for $3 but it's out of stock atm

.

Lopez0101 · Oct 21, 2014

erocker said:
Brasso. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BILDIU4/?tag=tec06d-20

Wouldn't that leave behind a residue though?

natr0n · Oct 21, 2014

Brasso is messy messy stuff very oily lol.

Try this I'm sure we all have these in kitchen.

AsRock · Oct 21, 2014

natr0n said:
Brasso is messy messy stuff very oily lol.

Try this I'm sure we all have these in kitchen.

Tasted lol, and brasso in a tin is not messy at all.

PLAfiller · Oct 21, 2014

I think I will go with something this guys suggests: http://www.overclock.net/t/704190/how-to-cleaning-copper-heatsinks-with-minimal-elbow-grease . Basically, water+ teaspoon of salt+ vinegar. And then the hard part, I wonder whether I should boil it, like he did, or just soak it for an hour or so. I will post pictures before and after when I am done.

erocker · Oct 21, 2014

Lopez0101 said:
Wouldn't that leave behind a residue though?

Yeah, just wipe it down with a bit of alcohol or something.

GorbazTheDragon · Oct 21, 2014

Emm, I've used steel wool >.>

Silas Woodruff · Oct 21, 2014

GorbazTheDragon said:
Emm, I've used steel wool >.>

That might work with other cooper based objects but I am pretty sure if you use something like that on a heat sink it will reduce it's effectiveness due to scratches and who knows what.

GorbazTheDragon · Oct 21, 2014

Scratches=more surface area <.< /s

Silas Woodruff · Oct 21, 2014

I though Scratches = place where air can accumulate + uneven heat distribution ?

I actually dont understand your logic, how can scratches make anything better, actually why do I bother clearly you are not worth my time anymore.

64K · Oct 21, 2014

It seems like scratches would also catch dust easier making the heat sink less effective but who knows. I've never used a scratched up heat sink to find out.

GorbazTheDragon · Oct 21, 2014

Ughh, why doesn't anyone on the internet understand sarcasm...

OneMoar · Oct 21, 2014

just dust it off and put it back in no need to use chemicals jesus people common sense

xvi · Oct 21, 2014

Silas Woodruff said:
I though Scratches = place where air can accumulate + uneven heat distribution ?

I actually dont understand your logic, how can scratches make anything better, actually why do I bother clearly you are not worth my time anymore.

edit:

OneMoar · Oct 21, 2014

there is something to be said for turbulence's effect on thermal transfer many coolers already take advantage of this
slower air heats up more then faster moving air thats pretty basic

GorbazTheDragon · Oct 21, 2014

In all seriousness I don't really see the point in using the chemicals and such, you are probably also going to end up inducing either unevenness in the surface anyway. Maybe it would just be a good idea to not expose the copper to the air. I mean seriously, most people don't leave their heatsinks lying around, they buy them, install them, and done...

Either way, make sure it is impossible to induce galvanic corrosion, so DO NOT PUT DIFFERENT METALS TOGETHER.

fullinfusion · Oct 21, 2014

Lol how about a couple cans of coke? Put a bit in a beer cap and drop a copper penny in it and let it soak all night. End result: a new shiney penny

Frag_Maniac · Oct 21, 2014

Here ya go. Easy peasy:

http://www.overclock.net/t/704190/how-to-cleaning-copper-heatsinks-with-minimal-elbow-grease

erocker · Oct 21, 2014

GorbazTheDragon said:
In all seriousness I don't really see the point in using the chemicals and such, you are probably also going to end up inducing either unevenness in the surface anyway. Maybe it would just be a good idea to not expose the copper to the air. I mean seriously, most people don't leave their heatsinks lying around, they buy them, install them, and done...

Either way, make sure it is impossible to induce galvanic corrosion, so DO NOT PUT DIFFERENT METALS TOGETHER.

No more, if not less than steel wool. All you're using Brasso for is to get the tarnish/corrosion and light scratches out. It leaves a nice shine too.

PLAfiller · Oct 22, 2014

Frag Maniac said:
Here ya go. Easy peasy:

http://www.overclock.net/t/704190/how-to-cleaning-copper-heatsinks-with-minimal-elbow-grease

- yep, I posted this a bit up. However, there's other than copper elements. Is it ok to boil them too?

Here's the victim: (picture taken: Galaxy SIII mini), after a quick (15 min) bath of salt+vinegar. Not much change.

1.

2.

3.

4.

It's pretty beat up, but still serving duty. Honestly said I kinda lost steam to try and clean it. I don't really think it's gonna make a huge difference. And the dust is SO stuck on these tiny fins. I might still try with the boiling, but what about that bracket which is not copper?

System Name	PLAHI
Processor	I5-13500
Motherboard	ASROCK B760M PRO RS/D4
Cooling	120 AIO IWONGOU
Memory	1x32GB Kingston BEAST DDR4 @ 3200Mhz
Video Card(s)	RX 6800XT
Storage	Kingston Renegade GEN4 nVME 512GB
Display(s)	Philips 288E2A 28" 4K + 22" LG 1080p
Case	TT URBAN R31
Audio Device(s)	Creative Soundblaster Z
Power Supply	Fractal Design IntegraM 650W
Mouse	Logitech Triathlon
Keyboard	REDRAGON MITRA
Software	Windows 11 Home x 64

Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
Motherboard	ASUS TUF x670e-Plus Wifi
Cooling	EK AIO 360. Phantek T30 fans.
Memory	64GB G.Skill 6000Mhz
Video Card(s)	Asus RTX 4090
Storage	WD/Samsung m.2's
Display(s)	LG C2 Evo OLED 42"
Case	Fractal Design North
Audio Device(s)	Topping E70 DAC, SMSL SP200 Amp, Adam Audio T5V's, Hifiman Sundara's.
Power Supply	FSP Hydro Ti PRO 1000W
Mouse	Razer Basilisk V3 Pro
Keyboard	Epomaker 84 key
Software	Windows 11 Pro

System Name	PLAHI
Processor	I5-13500
Motherboard	ASROCK B760M PRO RS/D4
Cooling	120 AIO IWONGOU
Memory	1x32GB Kingston BEAST DDR4 @ 3200Mhz
Video Card(s)	RX 6800XT
Storage	Kingston Renegade GEN4 nVME 512GB
Display(s)	Philips 288E2A 28" 4K + 22" LG 1080p
Case	TT URBAN R31
Audio Device(s)	Creative Soundblaster Z
Power Supply	Fractal Design IntegraM 650W
Mouse	Logitech Triathlon
Keyboard	REDRAGON MITRA
Software	Windows 11 Home x 64

System Name	it's a computer
Processor	INTEL i5-2500K OC'ed @ 4.5GHz
Motherboard	ASUS Z68-V DELUXE Gen3
Cooling	NOCTURA NH-C14
Memory	16 GB CORSAIR Vengeance (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
Video Card(s)	EVGA GTX 970 SSC 4GB
Storage	Intel® Solid-State Drive 730 Series SSDSC2BP240G4R5 2.5" 240GB SATA 6Gb/s MLC
Display(s)	SAMSUNG 24HD Model # 2494 Sync Master
Case	CM HAF 922
Audio Device(s)	onboard
Power Supply	CORSAIR Gold AX850 Full Modular
Software	Windows 10

Processor	AMD 3900X \ AMD 7700X
Motherboard	ASRock AM4 X570 Pro 4 \ ASUS X670Xe TUF
Cooling	D15
Memory	Patriot 2x16GB PVS432G320C6K \ G.Skill Flare X5 F5-6000J3238F 2x16GB
Video Card(s)	eVga GTX1060 SSC \ XFX RX 6950XT RX-695XATBD9
Storage	Sammy 860, MX500, Sabrent Rocket 4 Sammy Evo 980 \ 1xSabrent Rocket 4+, Sammy 2x990 Pro
Display(s)	Samsung 1080P \ LG 43UN700
Case	Fractal Design Pop Air 2x140mm fans from Torrent \ Fractal Design Torrent 2 SilverStone FHP141x2
Audio Device(s)	Yamaha RX-V677 \ Yamaha CX-830+Yamaha MX-630 \Paradigm 7se MKII, Paradigm 5SE MK1 , Blue Yeti
Power Supply	Seasonic Prime TX-750 \ Corsair RM1000X Shift
Mouse	Steelseries Sensei wireless \ Steelseries Sensei wireless
Keyboard	Logitech K120 \ Wooting Two HE
Benchmark Scores	Meh benchmarks.

How to clean pure copper heatsink?

PLAfiller

fullinfusion

Vanguard Beta Tester

erocker

*

PLAfiller

Raw

AsRock

TPU addict

Lopez0101

natr0n

AsRock

TPU addict

PLAfiller

erocker

*

GorbazTheDragon

Silas Woodruff

GorbazTheDragon

Silas Woodruff

64K

GorbazTheDragon

OneMoar

There is Always Moar

xvi

OneMoar

There is Always Moar

GorbazTheDragon

fullinfusion

Vanguard Beta Tester

Frag_Maniac

erocker

*

PLAfiller

System Name	natr0n-PC
Processor	Ryzen 5950x-5600x \| 9600k
Motherboard	B450 AORUS M \| Z390 UD
Cooling	EK AIO 360 - 6 fan action \| AIO
Memory	Patriot - Viper Steel DDR4 (B-Die)(4x8GB) \| Samsung DDR4 (4x8GB)
Video Card(s)	EVGA 3070ti FTW
Storage	Various
Display(s)	Pixio PX279 Prime
Case	Thermaltake Level 20 VT \| Black bench
Audio Device(s)	LOXJIE D10 + Kinter Amp + 6 Bookshelf Speakers Sony+JVC+Sony
Power Supply	Super Flower Leadex III ARGB 80+ Gold 650W \| EVGA 700 Gold
Software	XP/7/8.1/10
Benchmark Scores	http://valid.x86.fr/79kuh6

System Name	Indis the Fair (cursed edition)
Processor	11900k 5.1/4.9 undervolted.
Motherboard	MSI Z590 Unify-X
Cooling	Heatkiller VI Pro, VPP755 V.3, XSPC TX360 slim radiator, 3xA12x25, 4x Arctic P14 case fans
Memory	G.Skill Ripjaws V 2x16GB 4000 16-19-19 (b-die@3600 14-14-14 1.45v)
Video Card(s)	EVGA 2080 Super Hybrid (T30-120 fan)
Storage	970EVO 1TB, 660p 1TB, WD Blue 3D 1TB, Sandisk Ultra 3D 2TB
Display(s)	BenQ XL2546K, Dell P2417H
Case	FD Define 7
Audio Device(s)	DT770 Pro, Topping A50, Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, Røde VXLR+, Modmic 5
Power Supply	Seasonic 860w Platinum
Mouse	Razer Viper Mini, Odin Infinity mousepad
Keyboard	GMMK Fullsize v2 (Boba U4Ts)
Software	Win10 x64/Win7 x64/Ubuntu

System Name	Echo
Processor	Intel Core I5-6500
Motherboard	Asrock H170-PRO4S
Cooling	Stock cooler
Memory	2x8 GB Crucial DDR4 2133MHz CL16 (CT2K8G4DFD8213)
Video Card(s)	Integrated (For the moment)
Storage	SSD A-DATA Premier Pro SP920 (2.5, SATA3, 256GB MLC,) (ASP920SS3-256GM-C)
Display(s)	Philips Brilliance 220SW
Case	Zalman Z3 Plus
Audio Device(s)	Integrated
Power Supply	CoolerMaster V550S (550w, 80+Gold)
Software	Windows 10 Pro 64bit

Processor	i7 7700k
Motherboard	MSI Z270 SLI Plus
Cooling	CM Hyper 212 EVO
Memory	2 x 8 GB Corsair Vengeance
Video Card(s)	Temporary MSI RTX 4070 Super
Storage	Samsung 850 EVO 250 GB and WD Black 4TB
Display(s)	Temporary Viewsonic 4K 60 Hz
Case	Corsair Obsidian 750D Airflow Edition
Audio Device(s)	Onboard
Power Supply	EVGA SuperNova 850 W Gold
Mouse	Logitech G502
Keyboard	Logitech G105
Software	Windows 10

System Name	RPC MK2.5
Processor	Ryzen 5800x
Motherboard	Gigabyte Aorus Pro V2
Cooling	Thermalright Phantom Spirit SE
Memory	CL16 BL2K16G36C16U4RL 3600 1:1 micron e-die
Video Card(s)	GIGABYTE RTX 3070 Ti GAMING OC
Storage	Nextorage NE1N 2TB ADATA SX8200PRO NVME 512GB, Intel 545s 500GBSSD, ADATA SU800 SSD, 3TB Spinner
Display(s)	LG Ultra Gear 32 1440p 165hz Dell 1440p 75hz
Case	Phanteks P300 /w 300A front panel conversion
Audio Device(s)	onboard
Power Supply	SeaSonic Focus+ Platinum 750W
Mouse	Kone burst Pro
Keyboard	SteelSeries Apex 7
Software	Windows 11 +startisallback

System Name	Rainbow
Processor	Intel Core i7 8700k
Motherboard	MSI MPG Z390M GAMING EDGE AC
Cooling	Corsair H115i, 2x Noctua NF-A14 industrialPPC-3000 PWM
Memory	G. Skill TridentZ RGB 4x8GB (F4-3600C16Q-32GTZR)
Video Card(s)	ZOTAC GeForce RTX 3090 Trinity
Storage	2x Samsung 950 Pro 256GB \| 2xHGST Deskstar 4TB 7.2K
Display(s)	Samsung C27HG70
Case	Xigmatek Aquila
Power Supply	Seasonic 760W SS-760XP
Mouse	Razer Deathadder 2013
Keyboard	Corsair Vengeance K95
Software	Windows 10 Pro
Benchmark Scores	4 trillion points in GmailMark, over 144 FPS 2K Facebook Scrolling (Extreme Quality preset)

System Name	Space Station
Processor	Intel 13700K
Motherboard	ASRock Z790 PG Riptide
Cooling	Arctic Liquid Freezer II 420
Memory	Corsair Vengeance 6400 2x16GB @ CL34
Video Card(s)	PNY RTX 4080
Storage	SSDs - Nextorage 4TB, Samsung EVO 970 500GB, Plextor M5Pro 128GB, HDDs - WD Black 6TB, 2x 1TB
Display(s)	LG C3 OLED 42"
Case	Corsair 7000D Airflow
Audio Device(s)	Yamaha RX-V371
Power Supply	SeaSonic Vertex 1200w Gold
Mouse	Razer Basilisk V3
Keyboard	Bloody B840-LK
Software	Windows 11 Pro 23H2