Guide Diy waterblock -Guide

Having been deeply interested in watercooling ever since I discovered Bladerunners zerofanzone, I thought I should give it a go. Then I saw the prices, and decided to make my own kit!


Some things you will need:
Bench drill with big vice
Various drill bits and/or milling bits
Copper bar ? ideally 10mm or greater
Hacksaw
Solder and blowlamp
Brass hose connectors
Threading taps, if threaded hose connectors are used
Various grades of wet/dry sandpaper
Brasso



After the size of the block was determined, I made a template for the holes for the inside of the block, attaatched it to the block, and punched through with a hammer and screw (a centrepunch would be better, but I don't have one!)



Next job was to mount the copper in the drilling machine and get those holes drilled! I was careful to drill down about 2mm from the base of the copper, that should leave enough thickness for a good lapping later on.



Now here's where the milling bits come in handy, they can now be used to remove the rest of the material from the centre, joining all the holes together, and leaving a nicely dimpled surface to the inside of the block. As I had a round-nose bit, I used this to curve the inside edges of the block, which should aid water flow within.If you cannot get/use these type of bits, then I would suggest big drill bits to join the holes up, being very careful not to go deper than the original holes, and go slow so the drill doesn't wonder too much.



As you can see, the blocks were cut from the copper slab (using the hacksaw), and the top was drilled and tapped to accept the 1/2" BSP centre inlet connector, and the two 3/8" BSP outlets. For info on the hole sizes for tapping, try this site. And for the taps themselves, try here, but be warned, they ain't cheap!
Of course there are other types of connectors you could try if you don't fancy shelling out for the taps.
Next job, sticking the two halves together! I chose to solder mine, but you will need a fairly hefty blowtorch for it to work. If not, you could drill, tap, then screw the two pieces together using silicone, liquid gasket, or a rubber seal. Just so long as it's water tight! Anyway, on with the soldering.



It was a case of heat it up until it discolours, then wipe over a section with some plumbers flux, apply the solder (I used a standard 60/40 electrical solder), and repeat until they are both covered. Once the blocks were cool enough, they were placed on top of each other, lined up, then re-heated. After about five minutes the solder melted and oozed from the sides. Once it had cooled, I was left with this:



Clean up time! Using wet and dry paper, on a flat surface, go down the grades until you get a good finnish. This may take an hour or so, but is well worth it. Once you are happy all the scratches are gone, switch to brasso with a lint-free cloth, and buff until it shines.
You can then seal it with some clear laquer if you wish, but don't get any on the bottom or inside as this will reduce the blocks effectiveness.
Last job, screw in those barbs. A little plumbers PTFE tape will ensure a water tight seal. Now it's ready for testing!
As a watercooling noob, I don't really know what is the best block design, this is just one I came up with after visiting a few sites, and reading about other peoples ideas. Hopefully it will push you into having a go. After all, the scrap copper only cost me about £7, compared to £50 for a retail block.

 

nice guide !!!

nice block too!

tho, not everyone has the material/skillz to build his own waterblock

 

man Kong, the finished product is a piece of art!...

 

Very very impressive maybe you should go intro business

 

Really really nice

Rob.

 

the block looks really great!!

I think you made a very nice guide

so... how it performed?

 

thats rubbish. should have takin you half the time and only cost aroud 2 bucks.

only kidding thats the best diy thing ive ever seen. apart from the extention me dad built on the kitchen

looks like a professional job.

shove it in the case and lets get our games server up and runnig

once again good work.

perhaps you could shove it on ebay?

 

Good try Jam, unfortunately the block is not for you!
Tribal, I was waiting for someone to ask that! You see, I don't anything to test it on yet, I'm currently building a case, then I have to make the rest of the WC gear! But watch this space!
Relix, I realise it is not going to be available for everyone, but hey, I got bored of dremelling! Oops, no offence eddie!

 

That's a really nice block. I had considered making one myself for my home server (full tower) as I wanted a custom w/c setup. Only problem is I don't have access to a pillar drill and I wouldn't want to do a half-assed job. If I get one, I may make one. Nice finish on that block though. Just as shiny as my shuttle

 

Glad to see watercooling in here first!

Extreme Cooling > Modding

As i said nice block Kong...../me continues to plan his block

 

I'm a bit confused. You did this with a drill press? I always thought this sort of manufacturing required...

crap, forgot the name. Its a machine made for milling metal...with a thick blade on it that you move the material across as it spins.

How did you do the actual carving out of the center? The bits sound like they are similiar to rotary bits, the type used in dremels and similiar tools for drywall and such? Just made for metal, obviously.

Did you move the piece across the bit by hand or did you have some sort of device other than the vice for this?

Are my questions making sense?

 

Shadowspawn: You mean a CNC milling machine? My moms friend just ordered a milling machine for work. Mmmm. I get to use it to, whever I get around to getting money to build my rig.

I've heard that by doing this sort of stuff on a drill press you'll end up burning out the motor quick quickly, because it isn't designed to take side loads. Any damage to your press?

 

drill press's can have a setup to let them mill side ways as well as up and down. basicly its a cheap man's cnc machine....

Ex:
http://www.zerofanzone.co.uk/pictures/jpg/sip1.jpg

 

For anyone after a tap and die set, just get one from ebay dirt cheap.

You can get HSS which is basically good quality, and carbon steel which isn't as good but for softer metals like copper and ally, or plastics for eg it'll be fine.

Dear me, Haddy. Leeching bandwidth?

 

phantastik: Yeah, thats it. Most drill presses I've seen use a belt drive system, so the pressure isn't being put on the motor itself. Now, I could see the bearings on the bit side wearing down faster if you were abusive, but I would think it could take some punishment.

Haddy: "Cheap mans CNC..." Yep, thats me, cheap. (or poor)

Kong: Is that what you did, because I didn't see the tool listed.

 

Uhhh... Haddy, you might not want to get your graphics card too close to the drill press..... You know, power + drill bits + expensive graphics card = .

AstrumPreliator
" "

 

Don't mind me

 

Cheep mans...Poor man all have more money than me atm =/

As for the hotlink, my fault...

Btw thats not my drill press that bladerunners new one...

 

Shadowspawn, the second photo gives it away! It's a cross-sliding vice and two milling bits. The vice is clamped to the bench drill's table, and then with two handles it can be moved left, right, back and forth. Obviously this is not the ideal setup as the bench drill at only 350w, did struggle at times. The biggest problem is vibration. If you try to go too fast, that big vice jumps around and so does the drill head. You can of course get smaller milling bits, about 4-5mm which wouldn't put as much strain on the machine. i must get some! If you are gonna have a go, try using a milling bit, but use it like a drill bit, going straight down. It will end up giving you the nice flat base, just leaves a few curves on the inside edges though. Hope this helps.

 

It's nice to see folks getting the creative urge from reading my builds

One thing I'll clarify is the mill I have now is just that a mill and not a pillar drill. It may look like a pillar drill in shape but it is physically much beefier in construction and the mill table is specifically designed for use with it, along with other features a pillar drill doesn't have.

Using this, (obviously much more expensive tool), you don't get the vibration or jumping issues when milling and can mill accurate clean channels and block shapes. It's not however a requirement unless you are wanting to make a batch as you can make simple looped channel blocks from very basic equipment as shown in my earlier project builds like the GF3. If you mill with a pillar drill you will sooner or later damage the head bearings as they are not designed for side loadings.

I'm now getting the hang of the mill and have made some more complex stuff with it, but that's under wraps for the moment