Polishing water block surface

[steers]

Hey everyone,

First of all, I just want to say I love the site. I've been reading the reviews on Hardware Canucks for some time now, and the community here looks rich, smart and interesting, so I look forward to spending some time here.

I plan on building a new i7 rig in the fall, and I plan on making it my first foray into water cooling as well. I've done quite a bit of research on the subject, and I've since started gathering the components I'll need to put it all together. I've got a TFC X-Changer 360 on the way here from DazMode's store, and my water block actually came last week.

And that brings me to the topic of this post. I bought myself a nice shiny Heatkiller 3.0 from Sidewinder (don't ship UPS cross-border if you can help it, btw ), and when it arrived I could hardly contain myself. I tenderly ravaged the packaging until I revealed my prize, proceeding then to examine it thoroughly. My enthusiasm took a turn towards disappointment as I flipped over my water block to see that the base was covered with what looked like scratches and residue. I will attach a couple of pictures to illustrate this.

Is there any way I can clean up the base of my water block? I just won't feel right installing it as-is...

[3.0charlie]

I'll wait for the pics, but could it be that there is a protective backing, to be removed?

Welcome to the Forums,
John

ps. Sidewinders can ship USPS too, much cheaper; 3 days to Montreal...

[steers]

Sorry for the double post, but the forum does not let you post images with a zero-post count.

[3.0charlie]

I know it sucks to see such a surface on a new product, but I've seen surfaces / used wc blocks far more scratched than yours. If you use a straight edge (a razor blade for ex.), is the surface flat? That's what counts, much more than what you're seeing.

[Sadasius]

I don't think that surface is supposed to be absolutely flat. I know someone who ruined their HK 3.0 by lapping it and taking the curve out. Do not lap that block! It has a curve to get better clamping force when bolted down to give better temps. Who cares about the scratches on the bottom. That's what TIM is for. On the top however should not be scratched but you can take some polish to it or better yet have it nickel plated like a few I have seen. Looks damn awesome!

[steers]

Using a credit card, it seems there is some slight convex curvature to the surface (<1mm variation between middle and edges, eyeballing it). Not perfect, but I'd say it's well within my tolerance levels.

[3.0charlie]

More than acceptable. Don't worry about it.

[SugarJ]

That curvature is there to give you more mounting pressure. Ever heard of "bowing" a block? That's what it does, gives it a slight curve to maximize contact pressure.

[steers]

Of course I'm not really talking about the scratches left by the machining process, I'm a little more concerned with what looks like some sort of residue left behind on my block's base. Is there any way that I can just clean up the base of my block without necessarily resorting to abrasive polishing?

[Sadasius]

Residue of what? Maybe just use a cloth and wipe it off!