Make your own thermal epoxy

1. You can use materials that you probably already own - namely, a tube of TIM and some epoxy
resin - to make your own thermal epoxy. Any TIM will do, but the more viscous it is, the better,
although you should avoid electrically conductive TIM. We used Arctic Alumina.

2. You can use any epoxy, but some types will be easier to work with than others. We chose to
use Araldite Rapid, since we already had a tube. This sets quickly, though, which can be slightly
problematic, as the epoxy will quickly become more viscous and difficult to mix with the TIM if
you don't move quickly.
3. The mixing dish you use isn't particularly important, as long as it fills a couple of criteria: it must be
non-porous to prevent contamination to the resin, and it must be disposable, aluminium pie tin or
plastic lids are perfect candidates.

4. Mix the epoxy and TIM at a 1:1 weight ratio, going by weight rather than volume. The TIM weighs
two or three times as much as the epoxy, so you have to add two or three times as much epoxy as
TIM. Mix tiny amounts - just enough for one heat sink - at a time, or you'll waste a lot of TIM.
5. Place the TIM and epoxy into your mixing dish and mix thoroughly. Then remove all the streaks
from the epoxy as quickly as possible. If you've lost the mixing tool from the epoxy pack, make a new
one from an off-cut of plastic. Don't use metal, card or wood, as this will contaminate the resin.

6. Spread the thermal epoxy on your heat sink. TIM alters the fixing strength of the epoxy. The
more TIM you add, the weaker the bond will be, but the greater the thermal conductivity. If
you're gluing small memory heat sinks, adding a greater ratio of TIM and hardener will make it
set rapidly and allow easier removal.
7. Press the heat sink to the chip, and give it a wiggle. This will squeeze out excess epoxy, leaving a
much thinner layer between the heat sink and the chip. You then need to push down the heat sink
with your thumb, or weigh it down with a book.

8. Leave the thermal epoxy to set for twice as long as the epoxy's usual setting time before turning on
the computer. This will allow for any differences in setting time that were created by adding TIM to the
epoxy mix.
9. When the epoxy is set, reinstall the component in your computer. If you've added small memory
heat sinks, or a heat sink on your GPU, be extremely careful not to knock your newly installed heat
sink or you may damage the component to which it's attached.