Easy PC Kits Premium Heatsink Lapping Kit - Beginning the lapping process
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The base has been leveled out with 400 grit paper, which has left a very rough finish. You could make this finish more attractive by sanding in a circular motion.
Now that you are ready to begin lapping the heatsink, you must work your way from 400grit up to 1000grit. The glass backing plate must be placed on a hard surface while lapping. To prevent the sand paper from moving around while lapping, drop a small puddle of water in each corner of the glass and in the center, and place the paper on top.
Depending on the size of the heatsink you are lapping, you may want to try to lap the heatsinks in one of the corners or on half of the paper; this will save the other side of the paper for multiple lapping jobs. When you are sanding through the first group of papers, you want to ensure a flat surface. The easiest way to do this is by letting the weight of the heatsink do all of the work. This means you should not force the heatsink down onto the paper. Simply guide the heatsink in a random pattern. This way no side will be sanded down more than any other, leaving you with a nice flat finish.
The heatsink is finished to 1000grit. A few minor scratches remain and can easily be removed if you are trying to make the base absolutely perfect.
Once you reach 1000 grit in the random pattern, you may want to lap the heatsink in a circular pattern. This motion will provide and nice shiny finish, which may take some time to achieve.
Now that you are finished with the first stage of papers you may want to spray off the sheets really well to clean out all of the materials built up in the paper. This will also allow the paper to last longer. While we're at it, why don’t we check to see if the base is smoothed out?
One easy way to see if the base is flat is to place the base of the heatsink near a square screen. All of the boxes should be square if the base is flat. If the boxes are warped, the base is not flat. A piece of graph paper will work as well.
Now that we're sure that the base is flat, and we have a nice shiny finish, we can switch over to the finer micron grit papers to remove even more imperfections.
Next: Beginning the Finishing process >>
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