Keep in mind that most decent COBs are about 50% efficient at their “sweet spot”, so when you deliver 40 watts of power to a COB, only half (~20w) is dissipated into the heat sink, which is really not a lot of heat energy. The vast majority of DIY COB builders go way past overkill on their heat sinks.
Having said that, thermal interface material is never a bad idea.
If you can raise an infant you can build anything bro 
check out some of the threads on here, there are quite a few including the one from that daft old git i linked to in my last reply 
also have a good read through all the info on the solstrip.com site cos it’ll keep you right too. Good luck with the build and the kid 
Yeh spot on bro, that’s the stuff cos it can take 20A especially if the length is kept to less than 4 meters.
My head is fried talking about metric wire sizes AND AWG in the same sentences so i’m off to have a very fat joint now 
one last thing for now - how do i safely break apart the paired solstrips? im guessing bend them but i dont want to break anything… they look fragile
also- can you recommend me a junction box so i can start wrapping my head around how this will all converge before going into the driver? 8 wires seems like a lot to converge in one box but i am probably off on my thinking… maybe there is some splicing done on the wires that come off the strips before they hit a junction box?
just trying to get a visual so i have some sort of base to start from.
thanks a lot for the responses.
I don’t blame you. Enjoy 
If you would like to see how I did my last build you can check Here and read down.
Also, wagos could make the junction shown instead of soldering as shown in my cab build thread Here
Okkk… so you basically cut each wire and reconnect it after each solstrip for the parallel circuit - nice that is exactly what i needed…how many slots to those wagos have? can’t quite tell.
Also- the solstrips are paired together (4 items, 8 strips) out of the mail - do you bend them to break them apart?
Yes
First you take the strips to the top of Mount Everest, Find a sharp ledge, place strips on edge and sharply chop downward with all your chi. Focus, young grasshopper. Too little and you will just damage your hand. Too much and you will break the traces on the PCB.
Don’t forget to dress warm enough 
Yep, what @ReikoX said lol.
lol - hey i dont know how fragile these things are!
I used some of the thermal paste, but didn’t buy enough to spread evenly across all of the heat sinks. Instead of buying more (I would have needed a lot more for all 12) I decided to put a little on each. Haven’t had any issues and don’t feel enough heat to worry about it.
I used the nylon screws that were included to attach the strips to the sinks, but one thing I did have to buy was slightly longer screws to attach the sinks to the frame, which is 1/16” aluminum angle. I riveted the frame together, but nuts and bolts work just as well. Here’s a couple early pics of the build.
When it comes to TIM, less is more. A paper-thin layer is plenty.
thanks man, i have a bit to learn so seeing all of these different builds help.
did you use a hacksaw to cut the frame?
Yep. Aluminum frame is super soft and easy to cut. I also drilled the holes to mount the sinks a little bigger than the screw diameter but smaller than the washer. It will give you some flexibility if your hole is a little off the mark.
@ReikoX 's got it right. I don’t recommend using TIM grease or paste to mount SolStix, because I don’t believe its necessary if you use the nylon mounting screws supplied with the 'stix. And that’s mainly, because of the distributed diode design and enormous, relative to COB designs, copper tracing and aluminum backing area that does such a better job removing heat from the diodes in the first place that a little inefficiency at the heatsink interface is easily tolerated.
SolSinks are manufactured to close tolerances as to twist and bend, and then machined flat before adding an anodized black or red coating. The anodization is not only cosmetic, it enhances heat dissipation both at the PCB and atmospheric interfaces, and creates an even more efficient surface for direct thermal transfer from the aluminum strip backing.
But if you’re a belt-and-suspenders type you can certainly add a TIM. If you decide to do so, I’d recommend using thermal grease rather than paste, so that the SolStrips can be removed easily at a later date. Apply as with COBs, as thin and even a layer as possible. If you choose to permanently adhere the strips, I’d recommend considering TIM tape, the tests I’ve seen suggest it is just as effective as paste, and far less messy:
Makes a lot of sense.
One thing to note; at least half the people who refer to “thermal paste” are really talking about “thermal grease”. 
That article you linked to is a perfect example. He calls Arctic Silver 5 “thermal paste”, but it is not a paste (adhesive), it is thermal compound (“grease”). http://www.arcticsilver.com/as5.htm
That’s why I like to use the term "thermal compound’ when being specific or “TIM” when talking about these materials in general.
You’re right! I called it paste when in fact it was the Artic Silver grease that I used. Thanks for clarifying. I learn something new here every day!
so shouldn’t toothpaste be called tooth compound? 
Technically, yes, although I think it depends which “version” of English you speak. Certainly not “tooth grease”, however. 
Here in Canada, we don’t typically use the word “paste” to refer to adhesives (“glue” is much more common), but I know our U.K. friends do say “paste” when talking about glue - so it’s all a bit… uncertain. It makes me wonder if it seems weird to people of the U.K. to hear or say “tooth paste” - which to you folks must literally mean “tooth glue”.
I think this is the crux of the “thermal paste” conundrum. When I read this combination of words, I force myself to assume they do not mean “thermal adhesive”, but rather they are simply incorrectly referring to thermal grease/compound as “thermal paste”. However, sometimes people really do mean “thermal adhesive” when they say “thermal paste” so I am probably fucked one way or they other.
Which is why I love the terms “thermal compound” and “thermal adhesive”. There’s just no doubt what they mean, regardless of what version of English one speaks.
(There’s a joke about Brits’ teeth in there somewhere, but I held back the effort to find it.)
