Zalman Heatsink Oxidizing

[Bobendren]

Hi everyone,

My 7000Al-Cu has unfortunately started to oxidize - white flakes on the aluminium and green stuff on the copper. I tried scraping off the green but it just a left behind the orange-y pinky colour seen below.

Any ideas as to how i clean it?








And none of that stuff on the heatsink is dust...i cleaned that off.

[jaganath]

Do you live near the sea? I notice your heatsink screws are very rusty as well.

wiki: Passivation

Aluminum naturally forms an oxide almost immediately that protects it from further oxidation in many environments. Unfortunately, this naturally-occurring oxide provides no protection during exposure to any saltwater spray environments, such as occurs in areas near bodies of saltwater. In such coastal environments, unprotected aluminum will turn white, corrode, and largely vanish over periods of exposure as short as a few years. The only way to prevent this from occurring is to use a more robust conversion coating on aluminum surfaces that will not be affected by the saltwater atmosphere. Alodine, Iridite, and chem film coatings can provide varying amounts of protection for aluminum surfaces.

[Bobendren]

Yeah, I live a few kilometers from the beach/sea/harbour.

It came with spares screws so it isn't a problem.

Is there anything i can spray on the screws and bolts (they're rusting too) to prevent rust?

[gogos7]

A good spray to remove rust is WD-40.

Maybe it can help. You can find it in tool stores.