Best thing to polish copper block?

More important than the compound you use is the surface you do it on - if you end up with an uneven block then you're worse off than when you started!
 
Sorted your trust also mate :)

If you have Brasso, use Brasso, if not as above, ketchup should also be fine.
 
Every time i reapply TIM i clean the block with Articlean 2 step TIM remover. I use to brasso the blocks to keep them shiny but i find that if i give them a bit of a shining and a clean all over with the TIM remover, it works just as well.
 
OptimaLnrg said:
You mean the outside of the block right?

You need stardust to keep it shiny. Copper is for central heating pipes.
Click to expand...

I meant the cooling plate that touches the cpu.

I got some brasso and this is the result

Before
539172_10151630332890864_1110503083_n.jpg



After

533273_10151630333415864_835670669_n.jpg
 
The block is in very good condition, just need to find my allen keys and ill take a look inside, looks very clean through the ports, could almost mistake it for brand new!

Also I have the aluminium bracket for it instead of the plexi one, Prefer the look and the plexi one got distorted over time.

60613_10151630368755864_354282729_n.jpg
 
Last edited:
oooh while I remember, I found another backplate for the block, the 775 plate, do you want me to send it out to you or just bin it?

Block surface looks brand new!! Alu clamp plate looks sooo much better too.
 
pgi947 said:
oooh while I remember, I found another backplate for the block, the 775 plate, do you want me to send it out to you or just bin it?

Block surface looks brand new!! Alu clamp plate looks sooo much better too.
Click to expand...

I dont need it mate, you can bin it or sell it on if you like.

just need a Res, D5 vario and a reference 7970 block and backplate and im ready to go!
 
I heard not to use brasso because it leaves a coating which is a heat barrier compared to bare metal. Just use ketchup or vinegar.
 
I can't see it leaving much (I'm no brasso expert :p).

Surely after you've wiped off the brasso residue to leave it shiny you'd have taken any excess residue with it?
 
Somthing Else said:
Whether it leaves behind a coating that impairs heat transfer I wont know until I install it. Im just it will be fine.
Click to expand...

It shouldn't make a difference if it has been wiped away. Brasso is essentially just ammonia and sometimes an alcohol or a mild acid, these are just to clear the gunk off the top of the metal. The rest of it is a non reactive superfine powder to help buff the metal when you polish it. I would still give it a clean with TIM remover or anything of the like, just to prep it for the TIM.

I wouldn't use brasso on cheap plated or lacquered things because it can strip the surface when you buff it for the shine, the vast majority of water blocks would be unaffected, cant say the same about coloured/painted fittings. So if anyone ever decides to brasso their fittings, be gentle.
 
Brasso also contains fatty acids which fill the cracks that aren't removed when polishing, which is part of the way they things look shiny - oil basically

The whole point of TIM is to fill cracks and convey heat... if you fill the cracks with something else, like an oil, then you're possibly preventing the TIM from doing it's job properly

I would go over the block again a few times with IPA to get rid of any residue the brasso might have left behind, if it can
Sand paper might be the only option though
 
Last edited:
In which case it would be a good idea to use something like the arctic surface purifier that comes in articlean kits?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom