I accidentally got Artic Silver on the socket pins on my machine today trying to do pm with only one hand. How can I remove it without messing up the pins? I do have the Artic Silver Cleaner kit.

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I don't buy computers, I build them!!

Those pins can be easy to bend and break off.

I might try a soft tooth brush and a very light touch.

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Be very very careful - those pins are much too easily damaged - I know, I've had to "unbend" a few in my time, and it is very tricky. But it is doable. Just take your time.

I hope the AS was rather more in the liquid than in the gooey state. If the latter, I'm afraid you are upgefurglet, as they say in Austrian.

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if its just a little bit try using canned air to blow it off. I've done it myself a time or 2.

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In a rich man's house there is no place to spit but his face.
Diogenes Of Sinope

I accidentally got Artic Silver on the socket pins on my machine today trying to do pm with only one hand. How can I remove it without messing up the pins? I do have the Artic Silver Cleaner kit.

Flush with Isopropyl Alchohol (Isopropanol), copious amounts applied with a small (very) soft bristled brush, like an artist's of hobby/ modelmaking sort. Let the fluid wash all the contaminants down into an open area where they can be safely dabbed off with a clean white tissue.

You're done when the fluid runs clear, shining a bright light in & looking though a magnifying glass you see no silver particles or other contamination.

No wiping or rubbing around the pins, only (very) gently dabbing on the fluid with the soft brush to let it run off carrying the contaminants away gradually.

Jason

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"Living by the wisdom of computer science doesn't sound so bad after all. And unlike most advice, it's backed up by proofs." -- Algorithms to live by: The computer science of human decisions.

My suggestion would be to try to avoid a brush or any mechanical contact with the socket.
I would try some electronic grade aerosol contact cleaner (or flux remover, many are mostly isopropyl alchohol) to soften the material and blast it out of the socket.
Let it soak a bit and then give it another shot. The aerosol pressure should help remove the compound without wrecking the socket.

Those sockets are so very easy to damage.
I once trashed a brand new mobo trying to remove some excess thermal past with a soft tissue....snagged a couple of the contacts and that was the end of that installation.

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"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

http://www.crcind.com.au/co-contact-cleaner1

Try this, and by the way if you have a problem with roaches one hit and they are dead. "INSTANTLY"

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I want to thank everyone for their suggestions. I ended up sending my stepson to get a couple of camel hair brushes, which in combination with alcohol and a can of air I was able to remove most of it. Awfully awkward using only the left hand since the right is in a sling due to shoulder surgery. DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS AT HOME.

For those of you that might be wingmen with tasks on my B-SYS, I apologize in advance for that machine is down for the moment and I don't know when it will be back up. It just stopped recognizing the ram sticks, and I don't have the strength to tackle it right now.

I am going to take a couple of pain pills now, so if you don't hear from this old man for a couple, don't worry!

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I don't buy computers, I build them!!

It's good how all of the people help each other on here wish the rest of the world was like this unfortunitly we can.t kick the bad one's out lol

Ouch....
I DO so hope not recognizing the RAM does not mean a socket problem, as I believe memory controllers are on the i7 rather than the mobo.

Might try squirting the socket out again and making sure you allow time for it to fully dry...as isopropyl contains water. Might coax it along with a hair dryer until sure, and then reseat the CPU.

Hope it sorts for you.

(And I hope the shoulder heals quickly for you too.)

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"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

I sure do miss my good old Tri-chlor. :) Sorry, showing my age again. Used to use spray cans of it for electronics and 55 gal drums to clean just about anything else.

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PROUD MEMBER OF Team Starfire World BOINC

+1

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I want to thank everyone for their suggestions. I ended up sending my stepson to get a couple of camel hair brushes, which in combination with alcohol and a can of air I was able to remove most of it. Awfully awkward using only the left hand since the right is in a sling due to shoulder surgery. DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS AT HOME.

For those of you that might be wingmen with tasks on my B-SYS, I apologize in advance for that machine is down for the moment and I don't know when it will be back up. It just stopped recognizing the ram sticks, and I don't have the strength to tackle it right now.

I am going to take a couple of pain pills now, so if you don't hear from this old man for a couple, don't worry!

I hope that the shoulder heals quickly and the pain goes away immediately.

Camel's hair brush, eh? I'd never have thought of that.

I've never dealt with one of those sockets, but if you need to clean it up again, that Arctic Silver thermal compound remover (Step 1) is pretty amazing stuff. I put some on a CPU, got distracted for maybe ten minutes, and when I went back to it the really old and nasty compound on the CPU had completely liquified.

(that sent me into a little terror since the CPU was still in a socket and I wasn't sure that I hadn't let this new solution run over the edge and into the socket; fortunately, I hadn't)

I'll bet you could use that and flush it with 90% alcohol (if you can find any for sale anywhere) and blow it out, if you feel like the RAM problem is a socket problem.

But don't listen to me because I've never done what you're doing. I'm trying to guess what I would do.

Again, I hope the shoulder feels better soon.

I sure do miss my good old Tri-chlor. :) Sorry, showing my age again. Used to use spray cans of it for electronics and 55 gal drums to clean just about anything else.

tri chlorolacetic acid? they use that to remove genital warts. Not sure what you were using it for.

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In a rich man's house there is no place to spit but his face.
Diogenes Of Sinope

I sure do miss my good old Tri-chlor. :) Sorry, showing my age again. Used to use spray cans of it for electronics and 55 gal drums to clean just about anything else.

tri chlorolacetic acid? they use that to remove genital warts. Not sure what you were using it for.

Sounds like he's referring to Trichloroethane (TCE) electrical contact cleaner. When I was on the boats, we could only use it in port with lots of extra ventilation. Using it underway set off the atmosphere control monitors, and got you a special interview with the Chief Engineer, the Corpsman, and either the XO or the Captain. Strong stuff.

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Donald
Infernal Optimist / Submariner, retired

Thanks for the info guys, now I know something in case I ever need it.

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#resist

tri chlorolacetic acid? they use that to remove genital warts. Not sure what you were using it for.

You know...

I don't think I'd have admitted to knowing that.

Working in the medical field gets you full of knowledge you wish you didn't have

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In a rich man's house there is no place to spit but his face.
Diogenes Of Sinope

Working in the medical field gets you full of knowledge you wish you didn't have

Having worked in electronic parts distribution for 17 years, I knew what he meant from the get-go.
I used to use a wonderful cleaning solvent called T-P35. It was a blend of 35% isopropyl alcohol and 65% Freon TF. It went away when many of the old Freon variations were banned due to ozone depletion.

I still have a case of it in the garage, but many of the cans have lost their propellant over the years.

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"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

I sure do miss my good old Tri-chlor. :) Sorry, showing my age again. Used to use spray cans of it for electronics and 55 gal drums to clean just about anything else.

tri chlorolacetic acid? they use that to remove genital warts. Not sure what you were using it for.

Sounds like he's referring to Trichloroethane (TCE) electrical contact cleaner. When I was on the boats, we could only use it in port with lots of extra ventilation. Using it underway set off the atmosphere control monitors, and got you a special interview with the Chief Engineer, the Corpsman, and either the XO or the Captain. Strong stuff.

We used to use that when I worked for Carrier Corp. Back when I first worked there (1981) they would spill 55 gallon drums of it inside the building. Man that stuff would stink up the whole building. Fast forward 24 years, even with a minor spill they would evacuate the building.
Also we used to clean with benzene. Im glad OSHA started to crack down on chemicals. Hopefully the young folks working now have a safe environent.

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Old James