# Removal of CPU thermal grease



## goldmelts (Jun 22, 2010)

HI all,

What is the best way to remove thermal greese in bulk from CPU's.

I understand you can incinerate. I have tried ethanol and elbow grease. Seems to do the trick. Is there an easier way for the small refiner?


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## lazersteve (Jun 22, 2010)

I use alcohol and elbow grease. 

Some types of heat sink compound contain silver.

Steve


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## glorycloud (Jun 23, 2010)

To recover the silver possibly in the thermal grease would
you recommend wiping it off on a paper towel and incinerating?


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## lazersteve (Jun 23, 2010)

glorycloud said:


> To recover the silver possibly in the thermal grease would
> you recommend wiping it off on a paper towel and incinerating?



That sounds like it would work. 

Steve


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## Barren Realms 007 (Jun 23, 2010)

lazersteve said:


> glorycloud said:
> 
> 
> > To recover the silver possibly in the thermal grease would
> ...



Take a bowl of alcohol with a tooth brush, clean the grease off and let the alcohol evaporate and process the remains.


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## glorycloud (Jun 23, 2010)

Gee, I used my wife's toothbrush - thnk she'll mind? :shock: 

Just kidding folks! Just kidding!! :lol:


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## butcher (Jun 24, 2010)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_grease


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## goldmelts (Jun 24, 2010)

It was a hard job to clean the 100'ish processors.

Some were white thremal grease that came off easily with ethanol. Others were hard pruple stuff that needed to be scraped off with a razor. Hard work but most of them are all clean. Only a few to go.


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## Drewbie (Feb 21, 2011)

Thread bump.

I have a piece of copper plate (quite thick) that was attached to an aluminium heatsink on my old Apple Mac G3 (or G5, I forget). I was intending to use it to drop silver.

Sitting there peeling off the white thermal compound from one side (the side that goes against the aluminium), then I turn it over to remove it from the other side (the side that sits on the powerpc processor) and, woah - that stuff is silver coloured. 

Schwerter's solutions didn't change colour, so maybe this lot is aluminium based?

It would be interesting to find out the silver content of this stuff...

http://www.arcticsilver.com/as5.htm

With the price of silver bounding up daily right now, there might be some old stock sitting in a computer shop somewhere that lets you buy the silver in it below spot.


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## Bongstar420 (Oct 25, 2013)

Consider that it is common for Beryllium oxide to be included in these thermal compounds. Your other likely sources for Beryllium in electronics would be Beryllium oxide doped resistors and BeryllCopper (considered good for electronics). Washing hands of thermal compound is not very effective as degreasers and soaps have little effect unless the compound is mixed with dust. Oils dissolve the stuff which includes most oils in foods. I dont think Beryllium oxide will react with HCL or other acids you would use for PM's, but BeryllCopper will produce Beryllium chloride which I'm sure is quite absorbable.


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## jimdoc (Oct 25, 2013)

Bongstar420 said:


> Consider that it is common for Beryllium oxide to be included in these thermal compounds. Your other likely sources for Beryllium in electronics would be Beryllium oxide doped resistors and BeryllCopper (considered good for electronics). Washing hands of thermal compound is not very effective as degreasers and soaps have little effect unless the compound is mixed with dust. Oils dissolve the stuff which includes most oils in foods. I dont think Beryllium oxide will react with HCL or other acids you would use for PM's, but BeryllCopper will produce Beryllium chloride which I'm sure is quite absorbable.



Bongstar420?
Really?

Jim

Considering he has revisited the board and has not changed his name, he has been banned. 

Harold


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## Lou (Oct 25, 2013)

I've asked him to PM Noxx so that he can get his username changed.

Apparently he missed the read section of the forum before signing up:

http://goldrefiningforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=70&t=19242


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## jeneje (Oct 25, 2013)

jimdoc said:


> Bongstar420 said:
> 
> 
> > Consider that it is common for Beryllium oxide to be included in these thermal compounds. Your other likely sources for Beryllium in electronics would be Beryllium oxide doped resistors and BeryllCopper (considered good for electronics). Washing hands of thermal compound is not very effective as degreasers and soaps have little effect unless the compound is mixed with dust. Oils dissolve the stuff which includes most oils in foods. I dont think Beryllium oxide will react with HCL or other acids you would use for PM's, but BeryllCopper will produce Beryllium chloride which I'm sure is quite absorbable.
> ...


Very popular number. :roll: 
Ken


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## g_axelsson (Oct 25, 2013)

Drewbie said:


> It would be interesting to find out the silver content of this stuff...
> 
> http://www.arcticsilver.com/as5.htm
> 
> With the price of silver bounding up daily right now, there might be some old stock sitting in a computer shop somewhere that lets you buy the silver in it below spot.


Here is a good report on how much silver there is in thermal greases.
http://www.overclockers.com/silver-thermal-pastes-buyers-beware/

Göran


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## kkmonte (Oct 25, 2013)

Lou said:


> I've asked him to PM Noxx so that he can get his username changed.
> 
> Apparently he missed the read section of the forum before signing up:
> 
> http://goldrefiningforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=70&t=19242



With marijuana legal in many states now would that name still get him in trouble? I wonder if that rule was for federal or local/state laws.


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## Smack (Oct 25, 2013)

This is a forum not a State or Federal Governing Body and so Noxx can have what ever rules he wants in place.


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## kkmonte (Oct 25, 2013)

Smack said:


> This is a forum not a State or Federal Governing Body and so Noxx can have what ever rules he wants in place.



I never said he couldn't, but since _his_ rule is : 


```
It should not, in any way, reflect illegal or sexual activities,...
```

I was wondering if that name violated _his_ rule since it's no longer illegal in lots of states.


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## Smack (Oct 26, 2013)

It's not legal in many States. Your thinking of Medical Marijuana for which you would have to have a prescription. You must have missed the last time we discussed this issue.


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## niteliteone (Oct 26, 2013)

In case you guys missed the news "Pot" is Not legal in Canada, where this forum owner lives.
It has nothing to do with anything legal in the USA


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## niteliteone (Oct 26, 2013)

goldmelts said:


> HI all,
> 
> What is the best way to remove thermal greese in bulk from CPU's.
> 
> I understand you can incinerate. I have tried ethanol and elbow grease. Seems to do the trick. Is there an easier way for the small refiner?



409 cleaner takes it off quickly with a tooth brush. Might work in larger quantities with agitation.


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## kkmonte (Oct 26, 2013)

Hi Smack, yea I must have missed the last conversation. From my research, there are 17 states that allow medical marijuana and two that allow recreational (no prescription needed). And don't take my posts as "sticking' up for the name or the "pot", i can honestly say that i've never even tried it in once in my life.  I just like understanding the rules and asking for clarification when the rule seems vague. I also like playing devil's advocate when people can have civilized conversations. (Which can happen occasionally here).

Niteliteone, thanks for clarifying that Noxx lives in Canada. I wasn't aware of that. That throws in another whole range of arguments people could make!

Funny website showing the funniest canadian laws. Good thing there aren't any forum names called "Ipaywithpennies" since its illegal to pay for a 26 cent item in all pennies. The limit is 25 cents. 

http://www.worldissues360.com/index.php/dumbest-canadian-lawsstupidest-laws-in-canadacanadas-dumbest-laws-54339/


Back to the subject of the post... I use Clorox Disinfecting wipes and again, wiping them comes right off. Of course these aren't the cheapest things, but my company buys them for me since I set up all new and re-image all laptops received back from people who left so I have to wipe down everything when I get them back.

-Ken


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