Introduction
Arctic Silver, the manufacturer of Arctic Silver 5, Ceramique and Arctic Alumina thermal
compounds as well as Arctic Silver and Arctic Alumina thermal adhesives, recently sent
their latest product, ArctiClean, for testing. Unlike the other products mentioned above, ArctiClean
is not a thermal compound or adhesive but 2 separate liquids for preparing surfaces for thermal
compound or adhesive. ArctiClean consists of ArctiClean 1 Thermal Material
Remover and ArctiClean 2 Thermal Surface Purifier.
More specifically, ArctiClean is a two step process designed for removing previous applications
of thermal grease as well as thermal pads (the pink or grey material with a gum-like consistency
that is often found on factory installed heatsinks). ArctiClean 1 is a biodegradable, non-toxic
liquid made up of citrus and soy based solvents which emulsify thermal greases or thermal pads.
ArctiClean 2 contains cationic surfactants and flash corrosion inhibitors which remove
any residue left by ArctiClean 1 and minimize the corrosion layer on copper and aluminum.
Testing
That is enough on what it is supposed to do...time for the fun stuff. In order to really test
ArctiClean 1, I spent the better part of an afternoon digging though parts boxes looking for an old
heatsink that had a rather interesting thermal pad on its base. This was an old
heatsink that
was ran up to extremely high temperatures when the fan on the unit died and the overclocked
processor's heat had its way with the sink and the thermal material between the base of the sink
and the processor. As can be seen in the pictures, the thermal pad was charred and melted into
the not-so-smooth base on this old aluminum sink. Since most waterblocks and heatsinks are not
in this dire condition, I also decided to test ArctiClean's ability to remove Arctic Silver 5
on a copper waterblock that has an exceptionally smooth base.
Test Subjects
 
Upon taking the cap off of the ArctiClean 1, one of the first things I noticed was the citrus scent.
It has a very powerful orange scent that is much better than the solvents I have used to dissolve
thermal pads in the past. I have to admit, I was a little doubtful that something that did not
smell like a toxic chemical dump would be able to handle the charred-on thermal pad that I had
managed to dig up. A few seconds after applying 4-5 drops of ArctiClean 1 to the thermal pad
produced results indicating it was in fact up to the job as the edges of the thermal pad began to
melt into the liquid. After letting the thermal pad dissolve into the ArctiClean 1 for about 45
seconds, it wiped away easily with just a few passed with a cotton swab.
Continued on next page...
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