# *P O L L* Liquid Metal damage ---> Integrated Heat Spreader, Copper & Nickel



## Nicholas Peyton (Dec 28, 2016)

Examples

-If you used it on your IHS with a Copper heatsink and it caused no damage then you would cast 2 votes (1 for each) so your selections would be:

*IHS (caused NO damage)*
*COPPER (caused NO damage)*



-If your Nickel Plated block was discoloured but your IHS was perfectly fine (with no permanent damage) then your selections would be:

*NICKEL *discoloured**
*IHS (caused NO damage)*


-If you've never used Liquid Metal or only use for delid select:

*Never used Liquid Metal or only used for delid*




Maximum of *6* votes per person

--------------------------



~If it caused damage to your IHS, Copper or Nickel what was that damage? How bad was it? Was it permanent? How did you correct it?

~How long did it take?

~Anyone out there who got more than a 5c difference compared to a decent regular paste?



P.S.

Not interested in what it did to your aluminium _(we all already know not to use Liquid Metal on Aluminium)_

Thanks,


Nick


----------



## ruff0r (Dec 28, 2016)

*COPPER (caused NO damage)*
Block was used directly on GPU DIE for 2 years the indents  are from me scraping the rests of the Liquid Metal Pro 
metal off.










*IHS (caused NO damage)*
*COPPER (caused NO damage)*
Used on An i5-2500k IHS and a ... i dont even know anymore direct heat pipe Air cooler Like this one 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



The only issue was that after a while The Liquid Metal makes a very good Bond like an alloy only way to get rid of ....Scrap it off with sandpaper.

Conclusion:
Used Liquid Metal PADS Instead of Liquid Metal ""paste"", 100% easier to remove, 50% harder to Apply .
Got around 3-5C° on Load. On Air it was Less.


----------



## dont whant to set it"' (Dec 28, 2016)

Did no damage to mine but the laser etchings were almoast all gone.(relative short usage timeframe ~6months)
Le: used inbetween ihs and hs as die was soldered to ihs.


----------



## biffzinker (Dec 28, 2016)

Used it on my R9 280, caused stubborn/hard to remove discoloration on the copper base, and the exposed die had a scuffed appearance.


----------



## Arctucas (Dec 28, 2016)

Delid.


----------



## Nicholas Peyton (Dec 28, 2016)

Someone just asked me for help determining if Liquid Metal would damage the GPU DIE on his GTX 1080. (or small shiny IHS)? Not sure which one it is as I've never de-lided so still a n00b in that respect.

But he wants to use his Corsair HG10 AOI to cool his GPU (its not compatible) but he can *make it compatible* by adding a 2mm copper shim between DIE and block.  He wants to use Liquid Metal. But is worried it will corrode or permanently discolour the top of DIE/small shiny IHS....?

Anyone have experience with that? I have given him the link to this forum and this thread I started yesterday.

Best I can do just now....

Thanks


----------



## dont whant to set it"' (Dec 28, 2016)

Dont is my answer for long term use of lyquid metal tim on chip die,chip die insolator is a glasslike mirror finished in that particular case.
Le:alltough doable if applyed first on waterblock and only.


----------



## phanbuey (Dec 28, 2016)

I'm about to use liquid ultra on my delid... I used Gelid Extreme but it dried up / leaked out in like 4 days


----------



## ruff0r (Dec 28, 2016)

The only thing that will happen to his SHINY Die is that what happened to my old i7-920 , You will scratch the shit out of it when you try to clean it off.
If he got an high quality flat Plane shim go for metal but he will need twice as much , otherwise i recommend good thermal past for shims along on the movement they will cause while installing the cooler, remember Liquid metal is conductive if he is a first time user and uses to much around the dies are components and short out If he uses to much, I used to much my first time.
Again i recommend Coollaboratory Liquid MetalPad  for such thing, since you can peel scratch it off after use with your fingernail only working with it is harder.
Edit: If you want a recommendation use Thermal Grizzly  i am using it as a replacement to my Liquid metal right now and its good it comes very close to Liquid metal.


----------



## Nicholas Peyton (Dec 28, 2016)

Okay thanks for all the info guys I'll forward the link for this thread to him so he can make his mind up


----------



## eidairaman1 (Dec 28, 2016)

Nicholas Peyton said:


> Someone just asked me for help determining if Liquid Metal would damage the GPU DIE on his GTX 1080. (or small shiny IHS)? Not sure which one it is as I've never de-lided so still a n00b in that respect.
> 
> But he wants to use his Corsair HG10 AOI to cool his GPU (its not compatible) but he can *make it compatible* by adding a 2mm copper shim between DIE and block.  He wants to use Liquid Metal. But is worried it will corrode or permanently discolour the top of DIE/small shiny IHS....?
> 
> ...



Use Akasa Shinetsu pads, AC MX2/MX4, AS5/ASC, Gelid. Do not use Aluminum based pads or compound on copper.


----------



## peche (Dec 28, 2016)

phanbuey said:


> I'm about to use liquid ultra on my delid... I used Gelid Extreme but it dried up / leaked out in like 4 days


use liquid metal between CPU die and IHS, between IHS and cooler use what ever you like,  thats the most popular delid



Nicholas Peyton said:


> Someone just asked me for help determining if Liquid Metal would damage the GPU DIE on his GTX 1080. (or small shiny IHS)? Not sure which one it is as I've never de-lided so still a n00b in that respect.


its better to use regular thermal paste there, for example arctic mx o thermal grizzly, liquid metal corrodes or destroys aluminium, coollaboratory advises that on their site, 



> Please notice that the Liquid Ultra is not suitable with the usage of aluminum surfaces.
> 
> info taken: http://www.coollaboratory.com/product/coollaboratory-liquid-ultra/



also i have delidded my current i7, no problems so far, did a repaste over IHS and cooler, take out IHS by mistake so had to re-apply liquid metal again, cleaned out CPU die with minor problems [liquid metal is little sticky due thermal cicles] and also over CPU IHS, no scratches or discoloration found...my i7 was running that pastes for moar than 6 months...

some people claims that conductnaut by Thermal grizzly is better solution than coollaboratory liquid ultra, easier to apply and remove mostly, 

Regards,


----------



## phanbuey (Dec 28, 2016)

peche said:


> use liquid metal between CPU die and IHS, between IHS and cooler use what ever you like,  thats the most popular delidit,



that's what i am doing - liquid metal between the ihs and die, and i have some thermal grizzly kryo for between the IHS and the block... my prior attempt to running it totally delidded ended in epic failure so i have to deal with ihs.

i tried using gelid extreme for between the ihs and core, but within a few days temps deteriorated from 75-80C to 95+ C


----------



## peche (Dec 28, 2016)

phanbuey said:


> that's what i am doing - liquid metal between the ihs and die, and i have some thermal grizzly kryo for between the IHS and the block... my prior attempt to running it totally delidded ended in epic failure so i have to deal with ihs.
> 
> i tried using gelid extreme for between the ihs and core, but within a few days temps deteriorated from 75-80C to 95+ C


my bad, got confused there, also y had a delid die guard somewhere there that came with an MSI board from a build i did, customer claimed no to need so he gifted me the guard, never used must be somewhere there, running it naked its pretty extreme and also so risky dude, i wont do it, 

what happened in your prior intent? =D got curious


----------



## phanbuey (Dec 28, 2016)

peche said:


> my bad, got confused there, also y had a delid die guard somewhere there that came with an MSI board from a build i did, customer claimed no to need so he gifted me the guard, never used must be somewhere there, running it naked its pretty extreme and also so risky dude, i wont do it,
> 
> what happened in your prior intent? =D got curious



Couldnt get the pressure right to get the mobo to post, and in my tooling around with it, the chip ended up bending some of the mobo pins... i was able to bend them back, and got it to post with the IHS, so I decided to try again (lol) thinking that the reason it didnt post the first time was because of the bent pins, and it would work now.

Yeah that didnt happen - the chip ended up splipping slightly and the cache bent some of the pins closest to the middle... and this time when i tried to bend (a different) area of pins back one of them snapped off... 

So now i have a new mobo and a science experiment to see if i can repair a 1151 socket.


----------



## peche (Dec 28, 2016)

phanbuey said:


> Couldnt get the pressure right to get the mobo to post, and in my tooling around with it, the chip ended up bending some of the mobo pins... i was able to bend them back, and got it to post with the IHS, so I decided to try again (lol) thinking that the reason it didnt post the first time was because of the bent pins, and it would work now.
> 
> Yeah that didnt happen - the chip ended up splipping slightly and the cache bent some of the pins closest to the middle... and this time when i tried to bend (a different) area of pins back one of them snapped off...
> 
> So now i have a new mobo and a science experiment to see if i can repair a 1151 socket.


i like that attitude, i guess i will never run a naked die ... my luck isn't enough for that


----------



## Nicholas Peyton (Jan 2, 2017)

Could *NOT* get all the Conductonaut Liquid Metal off my COPPER block (although the surface is still smooth):

Note: I tried a Citrus based TIM cleaner & alcohol based tim cleaner.
Even tried dipping the block in boiling water then scrubbing with a non-abrasive cloth.

I *did* manage to get most of it off my CPU (2nd picture)

Installation time was only 1-2 months.





If anyone knows how I could *get this off my copper block please share?*

*Also; will this affect temps? *_(the s*urface is still smooth* and there are no signs of "corrosion" as such._







*CPU was fine *(but it did take me AGES -- spent forever rubbing this weird 'black residue' that kept coming and coming) it was relentless. Even when the CPU looked clean I'd rub it again and the black residue would seem to magically re-appear.  Like as if I was using a dirty cloth (but it was clean).
Eventually an hour later, it stopped coming


----------



## qubit (Jan 2, 2017)

Sounds like LQ is more trouble than it's worth. I wouldn't bother.

Use a good quality regular paste instead. These don't damage and can be cleaned off easily with isopropyl alcohol.


----------



## Nicholas Peyton (Jan 2, 2017)

qubit said:


> Sounds like LQ is more trouble than it's worth. I wouldn't bother.
> 
> Use a good quality regular paste instead. These don't damage and can be cleaned off easily with isopropyl alcohol.



aye, it all seems to come down to if you want the extra trouble for 4c - 5c better temps.

Anyway if anyone knows how I can get this off my copper block, (as seen in 1st pic above) please share 

My temperature results comparing Kryonaut with Conductonaut LM is here: https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/...-vs-conductonaut-liquid-metal-73-w-mk.229167/


----------



## R-T-B (Jan 2, 2017)

Nicholas Peyton said:


> aye, it all seems to come down to if you want the extra trouble for 4c - 5c better temps.
> 
> Anyway if anyone knows how I can get this off my copper block, (as seen in 1st pic above) please share
> 
> My temperature results comparing Kryonaut with Conductonaut LM is here: https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/...-vs-conductonaut-liquid-metal-73-w-mk.229167/



I've been considering trying this and aren't really concerned with cleaning it off.

My main questions are how hard the application is, and longevity.  How long does it last?  I never want to have to pull it off again until I upgrade is my logic, lol.

PS:  Before someone pulls out a gun and says "away from the thermal paste froggie" based on my sig thread, remember I now recruit my brother to handle this particular kind of operation...  his arms work.


----------



## Nicholas Peyton (Jan 2, 2017)

R-T-B said:


> I've been considering trying this and aren't really concerned with cleaning it off.
> 
> My main questions are how hard the application is, and longevity.  How long does it last?  I never want to have to pull it off again until I upgrade is my logic, lol.
> 
> PS:  Before someone pulls out a gun and says "away from the thermal paste froggie" based on my sig thread, remember I now recruit my brother to handle this particular kind of operation...  his arms work.



Thats a good point actually.

After doing my temp comparison (link above) I'm strongly considering just re-applying the Conductonaut LM.

However I'm more inclined to leave it a few more days first to do a further comparison.  Thermal Grizzly claim there is *no* curing time for Kryonaut but I do faintly remember getting better results after a few days (regardless of their claim).

I'm going to do a few heat cycles and try and hurry the process up. I could be wrong; and I've not done any concrete testing on it.  But nows my chance I suppose. Of course, I'll share the results 

If the temps on the Kryonaut doesn't increase by tomorrow, I'm going back to the LM.... I can always replace the CPU block when ZEN comes out.


----------



## Arrakis9 (Jan 2, 2017)

R-T-B said:


> I've been considering trying this and aren't really concerned with cleaning it off.
> 
> My main questions are how hard the application is, and longevity.  How long does it last?  I never want to have to pull it off again until I upgrade is my logic, lol.
> 
> PS:  Before someone pulls out a gun and says "away from the thermal paste froggie" based on my sig thread, remember I now recruit my brother to handle this particular kind of operation...  his arms work.



you should never have to replace the TIM, in some other threads its mentioned that its best used between surfaces that are not going to be serviced often such as between the die of a processor and the IHS or the die of a GPU and its cooler. the application is not difficult you just have to be MUCH more careful and take your time applying it as it is liquid metal and will kill components if it is not were its supposed to be.



Nicholas Peyton said:


> Thats a good point actually.
> 
> After doing my temp comparison (link above) I'm strongly considering just re-applying the Conductonaut LM.
> 
> ...



the liquid metal is a better choice overall, as for removing it from blocks (staining) you can use metal polish to remove most of it and return the surface to very fine.  if you want to completely remove the LM from the surface of the block to resell or whatever you'll need to lap it with sand paper and re-polish the surface.

this is the stuff i use:


----------



## Mr.Scott (Jan 2, 2017)

> if you want to completely remove the LM from the surface of the block to resell or whatever you'll need to lap it with sand paper and re-polish the surface.


Exactly. It's the only way to completely remove it.


----------



## Nicholas Peyton (Jan 2, 2017)

Wouldn't that ruin the "convex" design shape of my block? giving worse temps? Might just be better to polish it with a metal polish as suggested then leave the rest of it.

My thoughts would be that if its impossible to remove most of it (without lapping) (the bits that are impossible to remove) have actually filled the "pores" in the copper creating in effect a better contact?

-The surface of the block is still smooth.

-The old LM paste was only installed for 1-2 months.

-I will probably be going back to LM soon.

-The *old* LM only seems to be present in the "pores" of the copper since the block is still smooth to touch. (I've scrubbed it and scrubbed it). So what ever residual layer must be very "fine"? Or just in the "pores"?

-Lapping / Sanding the block could reduce the "convex by design" shape worsening temps more than this very thin layer of old LM?

-I can probably get even *more* off by using some metal polish to smooth it even further?  (better than lapping and ruining shape)?


/\ that was my thoughts (to explain it a bit better).

If I'm still wrong; then you learn something new every day.. as I seem to have been doing a lot lately, lol ?

?


----------



## Vario (Jan 2, 2017)

Coollaboratory Liquid Ultra put a white crud rough alloy corrosion resembling bird shit on my H100i's copper block.  I had to lap it with sandpaper to get it level again, but the H100i's pump died shortly afterward for unrelated reasons, because it was a junk product.

I recommend you lap the product that is affected.  You can also lap the lid of the CPU.  If the lid of the CPU has already been made concave because of a convex waterblock, then this will correct it.  Use paste product in the future like Arctic Silver 5.


----------



## Nicholas Peyton (Jan 3, 2017)

wow that looks worse than mine; like a lot of "crud" or "bird shit" as you say lol.

on mine, you can still see spots of copper through the "crud" and its still smooth.

what kind of sand paper are we talking? I've got some old emery cloth laying around with 180R/R printed on the back.. it's smoothest out of everything I've got at home already .

I only want to do it enough to take off the bird shit, so minimal possible lapping

Hopefully also keep warranty intact on block.


----------



## Mr.Scott (Jan 3, 2017)

Nicholas Peyton said:


> Hopefully also keep warranty intact on block.



Nope. That warranty will be history. It probably already is just from the TIM.


----------



## Vario (Jan 3, 2017)

Probably could try some copper polish first such as Brasso on a rag.  If that doesn't work try this method:
http://www.overclockersclub.com/guides/lapping/

edit:

or this one
https://www.techpowerup.com/articles/cooling/39

Its not like sanding a piece of wood.

I'm not a lapping expert but I have done it a few times over the years
some tips:
1) use a flat surface like a sheet of glass or a counter that you check with a straight edge for flatness
2) tape the sandpaper down all sides
3) put a drop of soap or water on the paper
4) go one direction only and do 10 passes, rotate 90 degrees, 10 passes, and so on.
5) I don't sand back and forth, instead go one direction, like away from you, pick it up, return to center, push away, pick it up, return to center etc.  Might have to clean the paper too so the abrasive surface doesn't clog with small metal particles.
6) go up a grit after a set number of passes, might be 10 passes each 90 degree direction, up to you I guess.
7) try to slide it across, don't want to press it hard into the paper or you won't get a flat result.


----------



## Nicholas Peyton (Jan 3, 2017)

thanks, good article, but for just removing some old paste would be better to just go straight to the grit 2000? avoiding the harsher lower grades?


----------



## Vario (Jan 3, 2017)

Nicholas Peyton said:


> thanks, good article, but for just removing some old paste would be better to just go straight to the grit 2000? avoiding the harsher lower grades?


You could try it first yeah, might take the alloy off.  Sorry for ninja edits, I added some tips above.


----------



## Nicholas Peyton (Jan 3, 2017)

Vario said:


> You could try it first yeah, might take the alloy off.  Sorry for ninja edits, I added some tips above.



okay excellent thank you 


Edit:

Interesting results to the poll by the way:
For copper:
27.3% said it either corroded or discoloured.

But 13.6% said LM caused *no* permanent damage at all to their copper.

The highest % was those who only used for delid or never used at all.
The 2nd highest % people actually said it caused no damage to their IHS at 27.3% (which is good to hear) although 22.7% said it *did *indeed either corrode or discolour their IHS

The amount of time it took me to scrub it off my IHS (1hr+ with non-abrasive cloth) would indicate that it's quite possible that for the 13% who said it discoloured their IHS it may be possible to correct that with a little more patience.  _I could be wrong though as 9% *did* say it actually *corroded* their IHS.

Nickel seemed to be the least affected; although that could be in part more due to participation levels in the poll and fewer people actually owning nickel blocks...

Out of those who did use it on Nickel. 3/4 said it caused some corrosion or discolouration only 1/4 said it caused no damage at all._


----------



## jaggerwild (Jan 3, 2017)

Have you tired liquid nail polish remover to remove it?


----------



## Nicholas Peyton (Jan 3, 2017)

jaggerwild said:


> Have you tired liquid nail polish remover to remove it?



No. But thanks for suggestion; might give that a try


----------



## EntropyZ (Jan 3, 2017)

jaggerwild said:


> Have you tired liquid nail polish remover to remove it?


That has acetone in it doesn't it? Would liquid metal residue be affected by it? I know acetone is good for removing glue residue, but it does damage some plastics.

He should give it a try though. Just might be enough to get rid of the crap stuck to the copper.

Nail polish shouldn't be pure acetone though, which means it will be a mild cleaning solvent at best.

Liquid Metal paste is definitely not worth the gamble. Between IHS and heatsink it doesn't make much of of a difference between a high-end normal thermal paste, it's just not worth it.

If nothing else works, you'll just have to sand the surface off until it's clean. The copper might have corroded (very very slim chance, they couldn't really sell the thermal paste if it was harmful) or it's just that the non-smooth surface was completely filled up by the now dried up liquid metal.

Still this doesn't look as bad as a battery leakage.


----------



## Nicholas Peyton (Jan 3, 2017)

I'll certainly be doing a good scrub + rinse with hot water afterwards (when I do try it).. overly harsh chemicals can damage copper. (although it is resistant to alcohol and naturally acidic chemicals found in food like ketchup, citrus (lemon juice) or vinegar).

It was awfully late and I never tried anything apart from plain hot water and hard scrubbing.  So there's definitely still scope to try all these suggestions.  Thanks again to everyone who suggested something.  I'll let you know how I get on; judging from the results on this POLL I know the info could be valuable to many


----------



## OneMoar (Jan 3, 2017)

lquidpro not a fault here
really shotty copper plating on the H100 is to blame too high of a aluminium  content I would guess


----------



## Arrakis9 (Jan 3, 2017)

OneMoar said:


> lquidpro not a fault here
> really shotty copper plating on the H100 is to blame too high of a aluminium  content I would guess



its just how copper reacts to it, all copper not just low grade stuff. i have a danger den block that i used with LM that did the exact same thing.


----------



## OneMoar (Jan 3, 2017)

gallium and copper do not react gallium and aluminium do


----------



## Random Murderer (Jan 3, 2017)

I tried the pads a while back. While it was a bit difficult to remove after it had set, it left no damage or discolouration on either of the IHSs tested and didn't damage or discolour the nickel-plated cold plate, however it did discolour the exposed copper heatpipes on one of the heatsinks tested. Surprisingly, didn't discolour the plate of my H100i which is also bare copper. Different alloys, I suppose? Still, only saw a couple of degrees (<4C) difference over decent pastes and ended up just sticking with pastes out of convenience.
What _did_ discolour the copper plate of my H100i and the IHS it was mounted to was ICDiamond, plus it was a bitch to get an even spread and smelled like rotting fish when you removed it. Never again.


----------



## jsfitz54 (Jan 3, 2017)

When trying to clean the metal, try:  Jewlers Rouge or Cymbal Polish.

http://www.bing.com/search?q=jewelers+rouge+polish&FORM=HDRSC1

http://www.bing.com/search?q=cymbal+polish&FORM=HDRSC1


----------



## revin (Jan 3, 2017)

OneMoar said:


> too high of a aluminium content


The copper plating itself should not have aluminum in it, maybe a  zinc contamination or really really bad nickel substrate [if any used.]
I have not seen those base's but  Gallium would tarnish/corrode a crappy contaminated copper finish faster than a "good" copper finish, or if they skimped, tried to plate directly to the aluminum [worse] a reaction would start there depending on the purity of the copper and the stability of the Gallium [ie. which way on the ph scale it is at a given state]
Temp's from using it for TIM can change the properties of it to acidic or alkaline if it a crappy batch.
Back many years ago we had to remove thermometers from key part's[pretty much all] of the production area's and zero was allowed in the Q.C  area due to government contracts for satellites.
Our QC manager said Gallium in certain states can degrade most all metals but said tungsten was pretty much not effected.
I'd kinda like to break open a thermometer and stick a TIG tip in it to see what it would due.
This was our upgraded plating line from back in the 80's. nickel, yellow and clear zinc, phosphate, passivation, electro polish  ect. to have certification for those contracts and all the ISO classification's


----------



## phanbuey (Jan 3, 2017)

lap the block.

1000-1500 grit first then 2000.


----------



## Nicholas Peyton (Jan 3, 2017)

hmm interesting.. because I'm thinking of using it on my GPU and nickel-plated GPU block.

I only get 6-8c difference between water temp and load temp on GPU (or 9-10c with Furmark) between water & load.

So I am desperate to try it on my GPU.

I'm getting 11c load GPU temps with my chiller.... trying to figure out a way to get that down to 5c load GPU temp.  LM is what I'm *considering*.

Hoping it will give me better results on GPU than it did on CPU.

GPU's are all bare die these days aren't they? (it certainly doesn't have a big IHS if it is an IHS, it's small and perfectly shiny, looks a bit like a metallic glass).


----------



## Arrakis9 (Jan 3, 2017)

Nicholas Peyton said:


> hmm interesting.. because I'm thinking of using it on my GPU and nickel-plated GPU block.
> 
> I only get 6-8c difference between water temp and load temp on GPU (or 9-10c with Furmark) between water & load.
> 
> ...



yes, your gpu would probably benefit the most from it. just be very very careful applying it. if i were you i would put some clear nail polish or liquid electrical tape around the tiny resistors surrounding the gpu first so you make absolutely sure you wont kill the entire thing.


----------



## Random Murderer (Jan 3, 2017)

Arrakis+9 said:


> yes, your gpu would probably benefit the most from it. just be very very careful applying it. if i were you i would put some clear nail polish or liquid electrical tape around the tiny resistors surrounding the gpu first so you make absolutely sure you wont kill the entire thing.


I've always used blue-tack or kneaded eraser, but it could just be habit leftover from my days of subzero bench runs.
I agree with @Arrakis+9 though, you definitely need something to protect against accidental shorts if you're going to be applying liquid metal to your GPU die.


----------



## Nicholas Peyton (Jan 3, 2017)

Arrakis+9 said:


> yes, your gpu would probably benefit the most from it. just be very very careful applying it. if i were you i would put some clear nail polish or liquid electrical tape around the tiny resistors surrounding the gpu first so you make absolutely sure you wont kill the entire thing.





Random Murderer said:


> I've always used blue-tack or kneaded eraser, but it could just be habit leftover from my days of subzero bench runs.
> I agree with @Arrakis+9 though, you definitely need something to protect against accidental shorts if you're going to be applying liquid metal to your GPU die.



I always hear people saying "use *liquid* electrical tape".

Can I just use *normal* electrical insulating tape? Like this: _(the stuff I've got is 2cm wide & even listed as flame retardant)_



Because... *I know it will peel off easily *(without leaving residue) in case I ever need to make a warranty claim....?

Don't have any experience with _liquid_ electrical tape.. is it easy to get *all *of it off?

After all these reports of some batches of EVGA cards blowing up (3-5% I think it was) I always worry my card could be one of them.

And because I run with a water chiller and only use the card very "lightly"; it could take a lot longer for something to go wrong. I'm probably fine; but I don't want to risk not being able to make that warranty claim in case something _did_ happen.


----------



## Arrakis9 (Jan 4, 2017)

Nicholas Peyton said:


> I always hear people saying "use *liquid* electrical tape".
> 
> Can I just use *normal* electrical insulating tape? Like this: _(the stuff I've got is 2cm wide & even listed as flame retardant)_
> 
> ...



liquid electrical tape should come off easily with any sort of solvent such as acetone, same thing for removing clear nail polish. don't use electrical tape because it can leave gaps which completely negates what your trying to do in the first place.

clear nail polish would be the easiest to come by and would cost you around $1 at the local store.


----------



## phanbuey (Jan 4, 2017)

the point is to be airtight... so silicone, nailpolish, non-conductive grease, something airtight that will keep condensation out.
https://rog.asus.com/articles/overclocking/sub-zero-overclocking-motherboard-preparation/

my favorite one from that list has to be crazy putty


----------



## Nicholas Peyton (Jan 4, 2017)

Just read a very interesting article about Liquid Metal on Wikipedia.

The listed metals that it is able to dissolve is very interesting, as it mentions Nickel, but *doesn't* mention Copper:

Copy/Pasted quote reads:
_"Liquid metal can dissolve most metals; however, at moderate temperatures, only some are slightly soluble, such as __sodium__, __potassium__, __gold__, __magnesium__, __lead__, __nickel__ and interestingly __mercury__.__[5]__ Gallium is __corrosive__ to all metals except __tungsten__ and __tantalum__, which have a high resistance to corrosion, more so than __niobium__, __titanium__ and __molybdenum__.__[6]__"_

That is very interesting; because I think there may be a common misperception that Copper is more at risk than Nickel.  In a post I read today (while discussing this with someone at a different forum) a very experienced member even said that he's never had an issue with Nickel but has always had an issue with Copper) because the LM seeps into the pores of copper more easily.  Where as nickel is a harder, more shiny surface so the LM is not absorbed as much.

The results of this POLL would even agree with that too...

Don't know if anyone has any further thoughts; or if the discussion has already been exhausted. But on the back of topic; thought it was still worth sharing.


----------



## OneMoar (Jan 4, 2017)

yes but it isn't pure gallium its a alloy usually of gallium indium and tin


----------



## Vario (Jan 5, 2017)

Nicholas Peyton said:


> I always hear people saying "use *liquid* electrical tape".
> 
> Can I just use *normal* electrical insulating tape? Like this: _(the stuff I've got is 2cm wide & even listed as flame retardant)_
> 
> ...


If its really that big a deal, just run regular paste and not stress about it.  Is the stress worth the extra couple degrees?  Liquid electrical tape is a paint on stuff, it may be possible to peel it up.  Normal electrical insulating tape will probably lift from the temperatures possibly allowing the liquid metal to get underneath.


----------

