My home made Copper Waterblocks

gclg2000 · Jul 16, 2004

Ok guys, got another update.

These are the photos of how im making my copper blocks for my P4 and 9800pro.

This time i'm almost done with the Copper blocks. Got pics below of the blocks and pics with all the channels drilled. Going to plug the side holes with brass plugs with sauder. I'm also going to be saudering the top barbs into the blocks where the tubes will connect. We used a lathe machine to construct the plugs and cut down the barbs. Enjoy!!!

Tell me what you think fellas...

Lord of Shadows · Jul 16, 2004

Very [H]ard, but im not so sure how efficient those water channels will be, how far are you from testing? I wanna see some temps =)

gclg2000 · Jul 17, 2004

Im finishing the blocks on Saturday morning. My pump was delivered today also. It will run in my bathtub for 2 days for leak testing then Ill strap it up. And as far as the temps go, i dont see why they won't be great. That's 5/8 thick solids copper with 3/8 channels and water coming directly in over the middle of the P4 block. Look at the center of my "blueprint" picture(s) below red arrows of course are water flow and blue is the area completely surrounding the CPU and GPU (not including the outside part of the blocks with channels by it), the shaded area is surrounded by water channels (3/8 ID channels) with a decent flow rate water will be circulating around that loop very quickly. Plus the block is 5/8 thick itself allowing for more metal area for the heat to spread around once again allowing the outside of the channels to absorb heat. In my amateur opinion, all those MAZE 4 designs are over rated. No doubt the new design of the channels is probably a little more efficient but they now have plastic "see through" tops, not copper which takes away the amount of copper being used to displace heat. Plus the shear amount of copper Im using is ridiculous; the P4 block is the size of the mounting holes.

I think he MAZE 4 blocks are the best looking blocks out, its cool how you can see the water inside it. But I feel like all that is just mostly cosmetic with some improvement in cooling.

So the size of the block in combination with the big channels all surrounded by copper, my bet is it will cool very well. But here's hoping. Will have temps up in a few days!!!

And who likes my mad paint shop skillz?!?!?

CookiePuss · Jul 17, 2004

from many a post i have read from cathar, he has done testing and shown that having the water hit the middle of the block is the best thing to do, which you are doing. However, all the straight turns your water will be flowing in the channel path, will most likely kill alot of your pumps head flow. Might be better off having the center chamber dumping right to the out channel. The only thing that matters is the center of the cpu.

But awesome work man, cant wait to see how this turns out

rogue_jedi · Jul 17, 2004

looks pretty good. i built my own waterblocks (so far only cpu, i NEED to do a vga block to get back my 4 pci slots - literally, the fan i have on my video card right now covers 3 plus 1 for airflow... and my 5th slot has my tv tuner in it)

be careful lapping. keep the sandpaper clean or you will get a nice scratch on it. that happens to me every single time i go to lap something - i get up to 1000 or 2000 grit and then hear that sickening scraping sound. usually i just give up at that point and finish up without going back down to get the scratch all the way out. but it doesn't hurt performance that much.

good luck.

gclg2000 · Jul 18, 2004

system is 95% done. Got to cut out the front exhaust hole for my dual 120mm radiator. Sand down a side of the 9800pro block just a hair. All the blocks are channeled, plugged and leak tested. I am currently just running the P4 block on my 2.4c @ 3.4 (284 fsb) ghz with 1.63v core. Temps are 33 idle and 38 load. Still need to trim out about 1 ft of extra tubbing, add Artic silver 5 and add the radeon block. But at first impression, i'm very pleased with the temps on the P4 block.

My mother board is an Abit Is7. Seen alot of people say abit boards read a little high? Any one with an Is7 have evidence of this?

More pics to come soon.

also i know i have too...but do i HAVE to cut the shim off my 9800pro?

NewBlackDak · Jul 18, 2004

gclg2000 said:
system is 95% done. Got to cut out the front exhaust hole for my dual 120mm radiator. Sand down a side of the 9800pro block just a hair. All the blocks are channeled, plugged and leak tested. I am currently just running the P4 block on my 2.4c @ 3.4 (284 fsb) ghz with 1.63v core. Temps are 33 idle and 38 load. Still need to trim out about 1 ft of extra tubbing, add Artic silver 5 and add the radeon block. But at first impression, i'm very pleased with the temps on the P4 block.

My mother board is an Abit Is7. Seen alot of people say abit boards read a little high? Any one with an Is7 have evidence of this?

More pics to come soon.

also i know i have too...but do i HAVE to cut the shim off my 9800pro?

You coule machine the bottom of your GPU block to fit inside the shim, and have the rest lay on the shim.

gclg2000 · Jul 18, 2004

yeah, dont really have access to a great machine to do that. Could use a mull bit i guess on the drill press which has an X/Y table....but be alot easier to just remove the shim i suppose.

rogue_jedi · Jul 18, 2004

you do not absolutely have to remove the shim. you can take a dremel or the like (or even sandpaper or something) and cut the block to clear the shim. that's the only method i can think of to take care of that.

oh - where do you get milling bits for a drill press? i'd really like to get some, but nowhere i called (lowes, home depot, some other hardware stores) seemed to know what i was talking about. i'd like to be able to use some for the vga block i wanna make, especially because my dremel broke (dammit) and i haven't gotten a new one yet.

gclg2000 · Jul 18, 2004

Man any more specialized hardware store i guess. Stuff like that is hard to talk to people with over the phone. Try back at Lowes or the Home Depot. To get the bottom of my "in port center channel" i still used a normal slightly tappered drill bit. Got it as low as i could (leaving a "V" tapor) then just mulled out the angles easily with the bit. That will help save your mulling. Oh and btw, i used 1/2 inlet/out holes. If you have access to a lathe machine thats how i made the plugs. Using a micrometer to get a tight hammer fit with the metal to metal holes plus sealent of course. Baked in oven to 250 F for 25 min, and they were done.

KoZLop · Jul 18, 2004

wow nice work

gclg2000 · Jul 21, 2004

ok guys, they are all done. Here's a few pics posted below of the finished assembled pieces and tower.

Full load temps are 37 C. My P4 2.4c @ 3.4 ghz and my 9800pro core is 475 (no volt mod)

Once again, everythign is "Do it yourself" homemade cept the pump.

Tell me what yall think.

Deadlierchair · Jul 21, 2004

Mmmm, nice job with everything.

What kind of pump is that?

gclg2000 · Jul 21, 2004

Via Aqua 1300

I also did a "flow rate" test if you will by timing the gallon fill up. Did about 1.3 gallons in a minute at minimum.

gclg2000 · Jul 21, 2004

any suggestions on teh arrangement or idea's to improve it would be welcomed.

thx guys.

stumpy · Jul 21, 2004

Looks pretty good, and those are nice temps for a homemade solution like that...

THE JEW (RaVeN) · Jul 23, 2004

Fans pushing the cold air through the rad I'm guessing?

RickyJ · Jul 23, 2004

THE JEW (RaVeN) said:
Fans pushing the cold air through the rad I'm guessing?

Fans pulling air like they're supposed to be, judging by the fan orientation. With good case flow, it shouldn't make too much of a difference how he has it set up. Personally, I'd put the fans on the other side of the rad, so they're pulling colder air through.

Nice stuff, man! I was gonna make my own, but then I had to move for a job. My copper slab is still sitting at my parent's place.

Lord of Shadows · Jul 23, 2004

Heck im impressed, just wish I had the balls to do it.

Morphes · Jul 23, 2004

very nice work, how hard was it to close the holes off?

gclg2000 · Jul 24, 2004

was not very [H]ard at all...I was going to use a pipe tap, but we didnt have one that big. So what we used was similar to PVC pipe glue except its designed for this type of metal work, specifically for copper tubing joints i believe. Anyways, we turn down soem tight fitting plugs from a brass bar and then applied the "glue" to the block and the plugs, then baked in the oven @ 250 F for 25 mintues, take them out let them cool down and those babies are not coming out. Cool thing about the stuff i used though, you can heat it back up to 300 F and it will break down the bond. I ended up doing that to adjust one of the inlets to be perpindicular with the other on the radeon block. We stuck a 90psi hose in the inlet and blew it threw to help cool it down and pressure test it. The glue stuff worked great.

Anyways, if you want to know more about the glue or anything let me know, i can find out what i used.

Suntar · Jul 24, 2004

*bowing*

Amazing!! And the satisfaction you must have for doing it your self, I am very impressed, great job man! Wish I had the skills to do it.

gclg2000 · Jul 25, 2004

Thanks, the only really hard thing is to have access to a good drill press.

1. Use metal cutting bits.
2. Start with pilot holes
3. Drill 1/4" holes first.
4. Drill 3/8" holes second.
5. Make sure you get out all the "barbs" where the channels connect
6. Drilled the 1/2" inlet/outlet holes as deep (but very safely not to come through).
7. Used a square ended (mulling bit) to make the inlet channel flat as i could at the base.

**USE cutting oil and go SLOW, didnt take to long. Because of this not a single mistake was made, and this was my first time doing this.
**Best i could measure it was abotu 1.5mm thick copper for the inlet channel over the CPU.

Shorty · Jul 25, 2004

Excellent job... I was wondering though, can you get a mirror finish on copper? I've never really thought about it and haven't seen any polish for a mirror finish on copper. That'd would just make the blocks look so much better. Again, great job!

gclg2000 · Jul 25, 2004

Yes you can, i barely used some 600grit paper on it for now. I'm going to be taking it apart here in a couple of weeks to do a "top secret" case mod and thats when imma take them on down to 1500 grit and then get my brother to polish them down (gg ROTC medals)...hehehe

I'm going to try to combat that very awesome HL2 mod with its rival game. Anyways thanx again.

Suntar · Jul 26, 2004

Shorty said:
Excellent job... I was wondering though, can you get a mirror finish on copper? I've never really thought about it and haven't seen any polish for a mirror finish on copper. That'd would just make the blocks look so much better. Again, great job!

you bet you can, check out this picture its the PolarFLO CPU water block. They took a picture, of the base, and ended up taking a picture of the camer, now thats what I call a great finish!

Suntar · Jul 26, 2004

gclg2000 said:
Yes you can, i barely used some 600grit paper on it for now. I'm going to be taking it apart here in a couple of weeks to do a "top secret" case mod and thats when imma take them on down to 1500 grit and then get my brother to polish them down (gg ROTC medals)...hehehe

I'm going to try to combat that very awesome HL2 mod with its rival game. Anyways thanx again.

DOOM 3!!!!!!

CANT WAIT TO SEE IT!

s10010001 · Jul 26, 2004

that is what its all about, this not offen you seem homebrew anymore with all this premade crap and neon lights...

i may just make my a64 water block after all....

thats [H]ard dude..

gclg2000 · Jul 26, 2004

{H]ell yeah, thx.

compslckr · Jul 26, 2004

i dont think i would trust anything that i make to carry water over my pc's components. lol

very nice work on that setup

gclg2000 · Jul 26, 2004

man you could do it. It's not really that hard. Just go slow with the drill press and use cutting oil. The glue i used held the plugs no problm under a 90lb psi air hose going in the intlet port. But thx for checking it out.

TFR · Jul 26, 2004

Very nice job! The blocks have that industrial look to them, which is to say it might not look as snazzy as a danger den or swiftech, but they do perform well and even more rewarding, they're homemade

It looks like you have a couple of evercool fans cooling the radiator. Are they loud? Do they push good air? I wonder if you can get even better cooling with better fans. I've played with the via aqua 1300 pump and although it pushes a good amount of water, it was louder and vibrated more than my eheim 1250 pump. I was wondering what your thoughts on your pump were.

-TFR

gclg2000 · Jul 26, 2004

I believe the fans are actually StarTech, i'll have to check when i get home from Lab today, but yes they do move a good amount of air. As far as loudness, i would say they are not bad, the backside of the radiator sucks up pieces of paper that were near by when i was teting the whole loop, and now that its in my case it will blow off any papers in its breeze path, so as far as air movement, yes they get it done. I've stuck my finger in the reservoir and the water is cool and my sure fire guess is its room temperature water. On a scale of 1 - 10, 10 being your 60mm 10K rpm fan, i would give these a 5. I'll get a mic and record for a while on and then while off. It's not disturbing, i can tolerate it in my sleep, but overall im still willing to suffer sound for performance gains.

As far as the pump mine is quiet and just sitting on bare metal, i dont have the suction cups on because my TV tuner card wont fit with the cups mounted to the pump. But i can't even begin to hear the pump over the fans, barely hear the pump when the fans are off. Do a search for the "super glue" impellar mod for the via aqua pump, its around this and other forums somewhere....

Let me know if ya need some more help....

---Will

Mad Machinist · Jul 27, 2004

rogue_jedi said:
oh - where do you get milling bits for a drill press? i'd really like to get some, but nowhere i called (lowes, home depot, some other hardware stores) seemed to know what i was talking about. i'd like to be able to use some for the vga block i wanna make, especially because my dremel broke (dammit) and i haven't gotten a new one yet.

This is ASKING/BEGGING for trouble.......drill chucks were not designed to:
1. handle the sideload generated by an end mill (milling cutter)
2. run with the concentricity required to employ an end mill
3. and with the X Y table you have on that drill press.....you will manage to damage the spindle and probably shatter a cutter and a chuck..... Trust me...I made the mistakes early on in my career........and have the scars to prove it.

Drill presses are drill presses...designed to only handle compressive load on the spindle. for the stuff ya'll are doing get a table top sherline mill.......or better yet...I have a Bridgeport I'll sell ya.......

If you can draw a decent blue print......can be hand or autocad......and give me accurate dimensions +/- .015 at least....I'll mill it out for you on a saturday at the shop for a nominal fee.......or for parts trade

rogue_jedi · Jul 27, 2004

well, i already know a guy with access to a mill (CNC i think, but w/e... better than what i've got) so i can get him to do it probably. i gathered that drill presses weren't really meant to stand up to this long-term, but it'd still be interesting. i can't really afford a mill ATM, otherwise i'd make an offer on the one you've got

anyway... back on topic, any more updates with the blocks? they leak yet? (some of my custom ones didn't leak until they'd been running a few days... oops. don't think that they really BROKE anything, just some stability problems now... hehe)

Sobek · Jul 28, 2004

gclg2000, Do you think that the Via 1300 would work well enough outside my PC for my project? It will be external along with my Heater Core and Resevior and would be no more than 3ft. at the most from my PC. I need a good pump that can push a lot of water from that far away.

Mad Machinist · Jul 28, 2004

rogue_jedi said:
well, i already know a guy with access to a mill (CNC i think, but w/e... better than what i've got) so i can get him to do it probably.

Probably better to find a manual machine....the setup time with CNC would make a 15 min job with a manual take a couple of hours.....unless you want to make a bunch of 'em.

gclg2000 · Jul 28, 2004

I hear what yall are saying. I just had some good metal drill bits and had variable speed controls for the press. That copper is super soft.

Pilot holes
1/4 holes
3/8 holes

And for the Via Aqua 1300, i think it would work decently. It's when you go vertical of the pump tha tyou really start to suffer. You may want to go to the next step up in the ViaAqua series to be safe ****(keep in mind, that next step up is starting to get powerful)****

gclg2000 · Jul 28, 2004

Oh and as far as the blocks, i couldn't be happier. It's 5/8 thick and that glue i used is holding up like a champ. I need to get the name of it for you for future reference. The plugs were like 0.015" bigger and with the glue (and a soft hammer) they plugged perfectly and will NOT come out (unless they get to 300 C)

I making a "how to" guide that will be up very shortly. With tones of pics and references stuff.

guilTy · Aug 12, 2004

i plan on doing much the same thing, only i want/have-to-have

a lucite top, so im gonna get a guy at work to machine me a piece alot like the TDX but i never liked the way there was alot of it as just a block, so im gonna mod the design pretty hard, well at least to where i like it

, but im not gonna go overboard on the fins like Corsair did <shudders>

My home made Copper Waterblocks

Gawd

2[H]4U

Gawd

Limp Gawd

Supreme [H]ardness

Gawd

[H]ard|Gawd

Gawd

Supreme [H]ardness

Gawd

[H]ard|Gawd

Gawd

[H]ard|Gawd

Gawd

Gawd

2[H]4U

Limp Gawd

Gawd

2[H]4U

Supreme [H]ardness

Gawd

Limp Gawd

Gawd

Gawd

Gawd

Limp Gawd

Limp Gawd

Supreme [H]ardness

Gawd

[H]F Junkie

Gawd

Limp Gawd

Gawd

[H]ard|Gawd

Supreme [H]ardness

2[H]4U

[H]ard|Gawd

Gawd

Gawd

Limp Gawd