this post was submitted on 01 May 2026
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Do-It-Yourself, Repairs and Fixes
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Share tips and tricks to keep people from throwing out that broken item. Repair before replace!
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I'm happy to say it works great and now that I installed the new cooler it works better than ever. Thank you for helping me overcome my doubts! Is the cooper okay being exposed though? I couldn't find clear polish.
It’s not the end of the world but sealing it at some point is probably a good idea. Uv mask is the best option and is online even at places like amazon/ebay for like $8, often comes with a (shitty but workable uv lamp to cure it
Clear nail polish might work too but I don’t know longevity, like if it would get hard and flake off after awhile especially with heat cycling inherent to that section of the motherboard
Another cheap and easy option is kapton/polyimide tape, a roll of this is dirt cheap (unless you get a crazy amount), it’s non conductive, and it can withstand far more heat than your cpu will ever make. It’s just tape so you just stick it on there. But that’s the stuff I use to mask off sections of the board that I don’t want to get hot when I’m doing hot air rework soldering so it can easily withstand like 4-500F
exposed copper will oxide. Oxidation on a mechanical piece, i wouldn't care. On a board, you better cover it.