Lead Heatsink

[SwearBear]

I hope this is the right place for posts like this, but I need to make a heatsink, and while I do have some aluminum and copper pieces of roughly the right size, it's gonna take a hell of a lot of work to get 'em to the right shape with the tools I currently have. I also have quite a few fishing lead weights. Now I figure since lead is so malleable and can be melted over a stove (~350 degrees celcius melting point) it might also be a good option for a custom heatsink. It seems to be a halfway descent heat conductor. So far I've found nothing on the subject by using the search, so am I wrong?

 

[Flaminpyro]

Give it a try you may have found something new !
start with a cheap diode out of a DVD burner or a PHR

 

[Jufran88]

You might want to be careful handling lead because it's poisonous. What are you trying to heatsink?

 

[Jimmymcjimthejim]

It does seem doable, but take a look at this table: Heat capacity - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
As you can see, the volumetric heat capacity for lead is about half that of aluminum. It should work, but don't expect to keep a 1W 445nm cool in there. An added benefit of lead though is that you can directly cast your heatsink around the aixiz module, since it is made of brass. Take a look at this thread for more ideas on that: http://laserpointerforums.com/f51/presenting-mokume-heatsink-43427.html

 

[SwearBear]

Thanks for responses. I'm trying to heatsink a 150mw PHR. I'm not even sure if it really needs a heatsink other than the AixiZ module. And especially thanks for the links, Jimmymcjimthejim. I'll try to make something out of some old PC heatsinks I've got laying around and leave my lead weights as "plan B". :yh:

 

[Bionic-Badger]

Lead's thermal conductivity is terrible (~36 W/mK compared to aluminum's 237, copper's 401). While SHC is good if the heatsink is the final destination of the heat, most heatsinks are designed so that the heat gets conducted to the air efficiently, and this is the real purpose of the heatsink.