Using toothpaste, vaseline, and Silver dust as thermal paste.

[xpeh]

I have an old laptop (1999) that's just lying around. It needs new thermal paste and I have nowhere to buy it. I read some stuff about using toothpaste and vaseline as thermal paste. Since silver is a great conductor of heat/electricity, I'm going to ground a new quarter into dust and mix it into the toothpaste/vaseline mix. I want to know if this is safe. I'll be trying it anyway, so I'll update when I do it.

 

[xpeh]

Buying on the internet is not an option

 

[Branden]

I'm going to ground a new quarter into dust and mix it into the toothpaste/vaseline mix. I want to know if this is safe. I'll be trying it anyway, so I'll update when I do it.

no comment on how "safe" this is, but grinding a quarter into dust is most certainly illegal.

 

[Max Collodi]

While it is illegal to alter or deface money, is is okay to destroy it completely. Unless the quarter was made before 1964, there is no silver in it. Quarters from 1964 to the present, are made of copper and nickel.

 

[HostileDonut]

That quarter won't have any silver. You need a silver dollar before 1964.

 

[4745454b]

Correct for Max and Hostile. Modern quarters don't have any silver in it. According to the wiki for quarters,

The current clad version is two layers of cupronickel (75% Copper, 25% Nickel) on a core of pure copper[2] giving a total composition of 8.33% Ni with the remainder Cu, weighs 5.670 grams (0.2000 avoirdupois oz, 0.1823 troy oz)

I also doubt you'd be able to grind it fine enough. Copper isn't to shabby in thermal transfer abilities, I don't know about nickel. Last, I doubt Vaseline or TP can handle the heat that a CPU can put out. I bet both would liquify and run out.

It isn't illegal to destroy silver dimes and quarters (I plan on selling mine soon.) but it is to melt down pennys and nickels. Its because the price of Copper has gone up so high, and it costs more then those coins are worth to make them. To stop people from simply taking a nickel and melting it down for the ~$.07 worth of metal in it, the mint has made it illegal to do just that.

http://coins.about.com/b/2006/12/14/new-law-it-is-illegal-to-melt-down-pennies-and-nickels.htm

 

[xpeh]

So I made a 40:40:20 ration of toothpaste to nickel dust to vaseline. My laptop runs better and it doesn't shut of randomly. I threw away the quarter when I was done grinding it.

 

[4745454b]

No before/after temps?

 

[Max Collodi]

There is almost no copper in pennies made since 1982. They are made from zinc blanks with a thin copper electroplating. I believe the ratio is 99.2 percent zinc and 0.8 percent copper.

 

[4745454b]

Read my link max. It costs us $.0112+ per penny. It's not just the price of copper but the zinc as well.

 

[englandr753]

That may work for now but that vaseline will dissipate in the near future and probably run out and short something out with the metal conductor flakes carried along with it.

I'd love to hear back on this if this fails later on...

 

[englandr753]

My thought on this is based on my wife and I accidentally leaving a canister of vaseline in a pack in play overnight in our van. I went out the next day mid day and when I pulled out the pack and play there was an awful messy liquid that ran everywhere and I had a freaking mess to clean up for an hour or so.

Vaseline will dissipate and dry out. Guaranteed...

 

[4Ryan6]

I have an old laptop (1999) that's just lying around. It needs new thermal paste and I have nowhere to buy it. I read some stuff about using toothpaste and vaseline as thermal paste. Since silver is a great conductor of heat/electricity, I'm going to ground a new quarter into dust and mix it into the toothpaste/vaseline mix. I want to know if this is safe. I'll be trying it anyway, so I'll update when I do it.

That's a bad idea, but everyone has to learn their life lessons, a new quarter has copper in it and copper conducts electricity very well, toothpaste dries out, and vaseline heated turns to oil.

You can buy Artic Silver 5 from Radio Shack, silicone compound from a Best Buy, but if you are determined to take this type route, you can use High Temperature Water Proof Axle Grease, it at least will stay where you put it and not dry out.

But no matter where you are on this planet you can order the proper Thermal Compound.

 

[Herr_Koos]

^Agreed, I don't understand how you can not have access to the stuff. Any PC shop worth the name should sell it over the counter.

 

[englandr753]

Hey Ryan! Great to see you! I hope all is well in the family. =D

 

[simon12]

I read something ages ago and someone used toothpaste and it ran around 10C hotter than cheap thermal paste

 

[Ripthruster]

Doesn't radioshack sell arctic silver? Radioshacks are all over the place.

 

[4745454b]

I guess not where he lives.

 

[englandr753]

Unless you live atop a mountain 2 blocks past the 3 witches, you should be able to have an item delivered to you. If you even asked, someone in this forum would've been happy to ship you some spare thermal paste.

What vicinity do you live that doesn't allow you to buy thermal paste and have it delivered?

 

[xpeh]

Best answer selected by XPEH.