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Materials
All pieces in the cooling circuit are mad of aluminum (except the pies, the tank and probably the radiator), I chose aluminum because is very easy to work with it, it's cheap, it's a good thermal conductor and you can find it very different shapes and sizes (I bough it in Servicio Estación).
The waterblock is also made of aluminum. Many webs suggest to make it of copper because is a better heat conductor, but it's much more difficult to make one of copper tha adapting an aluminum cooler, I don't think copper's better thermal properties are worth the effort (and money).
Another reason to make the whole circuit of aluminum is to avoid corrosion, if two different metals are put in contact (and cooling water does it) you get corrosion. Copper tends to corrode most metals, that's why I had a lot of interest in the radiator being made of aluminum, but most of them are made of copper. To reduce corrosion I added a car anti corrosive to the water.
All bindings between alumium pieces are made of epoxy glue, they are working very well, I could use epoxy as if it was a welding.
Pipes are made of plastic branded Eheim (aquarium material), their inside diameter is 9 mm, they are more flexible than standard PVC and tend to stick to the aluminum pipes where they are fitted. They retain water very well.
The thinner pipes that go to the video card are standard PVC, 6mm inside diameter, they are inserted in 8 mm aluminum tubes.
The union between the different elements of the circuit with the plastic pipes are smooth and anyway they don't leak. Aluminum pipes are 10 mm outer diameter and they fit with the 9 mm inner diameter of the Eheim pipes.
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Plastic pipes can be stretched a lot to make them fit bigger inserts. This can be done very easily: you have to put the end of the pipe into boiling water, when it's soft you put inside something big enough wetted with soap so as to strecht it as needed, the you put it under cold water and there you have it.
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