reclaimer

[omnipotentduo]

So I haven't done a case mod in some time (years) so I thought I would figure a budget out and get settled on what the scope would be. Feeling the money sink into metal I found flies in my wallet. So, I realized I wasn't going to make as awesome of a computer as I thought. Or I was thinking about it all wrong. Turns out after brainstorming I was. I hit up my local scrap yard and started working on a case made from nothing but reused materials. With the exception if a few things like fittings and couplings. And unless I can find copper and blueprints I can't machine water blocks for my CPU and GPU.

So as I make progress between work and this project I though you all might find some entertainment and hopefully a new thought on case mods and cutting edge tech with an old school twist. Literally. My radiator I am finishing comes from a design that I haven't seen in industrial use since, as best I can tell 70s or 80s they are extruted spiral wound copper heat exchangers this is the center piece of the build.

I will be reusing my motherboard (asus x79 deluxe) with i7 4930k (4.9Ghz oc) and my Asus GTX 770.

When I get back to my desktop I will be uploading pictures.

This is a ******* child mod, and its big (for most builds)

[omnipotentduo]

So, I thought about steampunk, but I'm too pragmatic for that. I need function, so I'm thinking about going with a 50s or 60s monaster/mad scientist look.
Every thing not tied to a component will be modular and easy to get replacements at a hardware store.

The cooling loops will come off a manifold to the component to a collector, where i will be able to read the temp of each component. Each component will have flow control so I can slow/speed water depending on how much is needed.

The heat exchanger I had to remove corrosion from but i still have a good 3/16 of an inch of wall. I leak and pressure tested it, and it can still meet osha requirements, but I still need to go back and clean my solder up. I tested the cooling capacity with boiling water and by the time it reached the return in ambient air i could put my hand in it.

Looking forward to seeing what i get out of my build.

[omnipotentduo]

so it will fit 140mm nicely a 120mm fan can easily work, but something about 140mm sounds nice.

[omnipotentduo]

So this is the case I will be modding to fit the heat exchanger I'm going to build the housing for that once I determine the best set up and balance out of the case.

I have decided to paint the case and the housing Rustoleum Hammered Pewter, which I think will really make the copper stand out.

The case was an office server case, and i found it on craigslist. I'm hoping to find a ticket to Quakecon and show it off there. I will have it complete by then but the hard part is tickets...

[omnipotentduo]

Question, Does anyone know where to get copper fittings that are water block compatable or will that be something I have to fabricate?

I have decided on how I am going to plumb the system its just a matter of me deciding on when to take my desktop down and take measurements and start the sweating process.

[Ntwlf]

Hi omnipotentduo,
I'm guessing what your asking is a copper sweat fitting adapter that has one end threaded with an o-ring seal (male) or it's mate (female) to connect copper sweat pipe to water blocks & etc? Any of the standard water block fittings (chromed or nickel plated) should be solid brass. Brass & copper is very compatible together. Older vehicle radiators are constructed with these 2 metals as well as steel for the frame and all of it is soldered together. (You probably already know this). So you could get those fittings and sand the plating off and solder it into copper sweat pipe fittings. If there's a problem with the copper pipe inside diameter being to small, heat the end of the copper pipe with a torch until it barely starts to glow, and then let it cool slowly. After it has cooled down, with this technique the copper will be as soft as rolled copper tubing (easy to bend), this will allow you to use a socket (the ones that are tapered lengthwise) from your toolbox and put it into the end of the copper pipe and tap it down with a hammer to expand the pipe diameter to the size you need without splitting unless your trying to expand it a lot. Hope this helps.

[omnipotentduo]

I apriciate that, I'll take a closer look at the fittings I can use. But you have the right idea, I want to sweat all the fittings for the piping I'm using, or as many as I can rather. I know brass and copper do really well, I think i have a tubing bender but i'll have to look.

[Ntwlf]

On your mention of a tubing bender, the best ones are the long coil spring design. Like what's used to hold a screen door closed. The loops of the spring touch one another until you stretch the spring. This type of tubing bender makes the best bends as it doesn't allow the tubing to flatten out and kink. They are made in different diameters. You can get by with steel wire (copper stretches to easily), about the diameter of clothes hanger wire or slightly larger, and wrap it tightly around the tubing starting at least an inch before the bend to at least an inch past the bend, more is always better. Now to make this even easier to use, wrap the steel wire around a rod of a slightly smaller diameter than the tubing you intend to bend. Clamp the rod into a bench vise with the tail of the wire clamped in there too or use vise grips. Make it as long as possible, say about 12". When you have finished wrapping the wire around the rod, when you release it, it will unwind a little and be loose on the rod. Now it should slip near perfectly onto the copper tubing. 🙂

[omnipotentduo]

I have a conduct bender for control panels but I think I'm going to stick with standard fittings to maintain the concept of easily accessible parts, however I do have the issue of not being able to make my own water blocks. So I might pick up a couple of posidens and get a CPU water block. Kind of bummed I can't mill my own water blocks because I can't find copper blocks. But I still have to figure out how to make the plumbing look clean with so much copper pipe lol.

[Ntwlf]

I'm enjoying this as much as you are. Fabricating & re-purposing different stuff together is something I have done a lot of. There isn't very many things I haven't bought that wasn't modified out of the box. Or bought something just to take it apart and use components of it in something else.:rolleyes:
Anyways, possible solution for custom water blocks http://www.ebay.com/itm/SNK-P0018-Socket-771-Passive-Heatsink-for-2U-Rack-Server-Chassis-Copper-/181... (search for server heat sinks). This one is all copper with a 1/4 inch thick base (this seems standard). Just basically need to encase the fin structure for water flow, including notching crossports in the fins to direct water flow from the port to all fin channels. You can remove the fins and your left with a copper plate 1/4" x 2 1/2" x 3 1/2", at least the measurements on a couple that I have for a peltier configuration for a custom automotive refrigerator, which looks identical to the one I linked. Or copper "busbars" for electric panels used in commercial applications http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=busbar&_from=R40&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l263.... I know you want to keep expenses down, hence if the "busbars" are useful you might now someone whom works at a manufacturing plant of some sort, who knows someone in electrical maintenance that can get scrap pieces, as "busbars" are cut to length for the application being applied, thus scraps left over. Or you can contact a "Commercial Electrical Contractor or Business", to ask about scrap pieces to purchase (probably get it for free with an actual visit to them). This suggestion is about hollowing out (2) plates then mating them together with solder or small bolts with a gasket for a complete block (easy to make a gasket from scratch ... for example, I've made the main bowl/body gaskets for a GM 4 barrel quadrajet Carburetor or case halve gaskets on motorcycle engine/transmission assemblies).
As far as keeping it clean in regards to space within the case and possibly complex bends, have you considered 3/8" or 1/2" copper tubing then sizing up where it presumably exits the case to mate with what is to be the radiator? You could even manifold 2 or more of the smaller tubing into the larger much like the collector on the end of racing headers.
Don't rush it, the ideas will come to you. Always remember, if there's a will, there's a way.:D