Post your DIY keycap puller

[nilpt]

My keycap puller - simple and effective.
Pulled at least 10 full keyboards and still going strong 

Show us your ideas...

clothes-peg
paper clips
wired plastic (cookie plastic bag sealer)
epoxy

Pictures self explain it:

[SpAmRaY]

That's so ghetto! I love it!

[SeriouSSpotS]

 ) Good work

[funkymeeba]

That is MUCH fancier than my paper clip pullers!

[RabRhee]

Classic Could be the WASD v2 keypuller, maybe they will buy the design from you

[Smeagol_RP]

You're a genius! Just press it and release the cap!

Boas! 

[nilpt]

Glad you liked it

You can even do additional decorations.
Here's and idea for your girlfriend:

[fohat.digs]

Cost nothing:

[esoomenona]

You should change the title to Post Your DIY Keycap Puller, and then people can post their own and their method of building, and maybe their opinion on how well it works.

[nilpt]

Will do.
Thanks!

[Hyde]

lol I posted this in another thread too but maybe this thread is more relevant.  So here's my keycap puller compare to the stock Filco one. 

[Lu_e]

Repost but here's mine; (2 smaller sized, 1 larger sized paperclip)





Really solid... still have it.

[nubbinator]

Two of several wood handled cap pullers I've made:

[esoomenona]

nubbs, would it be possible to make one with a smaller handle and perhaps bigger wires (I'm not sure about the latter because I'm not sure what size they are in reference to other keypullers...)?

[Badwrench]

My version: 



Stainless tubing, compression fitting, and stainless wire.  Thought it would be good to have some heft to it.  Bad idea, too heavy to feel the caps give. 

[PointyFox]

Why would anyone use a wire puller when using a plastic puller is 10x faster?

[Badwrench]

Why would anyone use a wire puller when using a plastic puller is 10x faster?

I needed at wire one for my pure.  The stock caps have a painted(?) finish that gets scratched to heck with the plastic puller. 

[MOZ]

Plastic puller scratches and I find it them too thick.

I do have one and use it occasionally, albeit from folded metal, wire and plastic, I find wire the best.

[nubbinator]

nubbs, would it be possible to make one with a smaller handle and perhaps bigger wires (I'm not sure about the latter because I'm not sure what size they are in reference to other keypullers...)?

Smaller handle for sure.  Not sure what you mean by bigger wires though.  The diameter of the wire is the same as my techkeys wire puller which is about perfect for the gap between caps and it's roughly the same size.  I've got some Lignum, Zebrawood, and Palm that I was planning on turning and making smaller handles with.  I have one smaller handle made from an unknown wood, but I'm not 100% happy with it since there's a little chip out on it.

Plastic puller scratches and I find it them too thick.

I do have one and use it occasionally, albeit from folded metal, wire and plastic, I find wire the best.

Not to mention that plastic ones break incredibly easily and don't work with all cap profiles.  The plastic puller will not work with Qwerkeys K-series and I doubt they work with SP SA profile caps and some of their other less common profiles.

[Smeagol_RP]

Why would anyone use a wire puller when using a plastic puller is 10x faster?

Why would anyone use a wire puller when using a plastic puller is 10x faster?

I needed at wire one for my pure.  The stock caps have a painted(?) finish that gets scratched to heck with the plastic puller. 

You're both right! )

[esoomenona]

nubbs, would it be possible to make one with a smaller handle and perhaps bigger wires (I'm not sure about the latter because I'm not sure what size they are in reference to other keypullers...)?

Smaller handle for sure.  Not sure what you mean by bigger wires though.  The diameter of the wire is the same as my techkeys wire puller which is about perfect for the gap between caps and it's roughly the same size.  I've got some Lignum, Zebrawood, and Palm that I was planning on turning and making smaller handles with.  I have one smaller handle made from an unknown wood, but I'm not 100% happy with it since there's a little chip out on it.

Not larger diameter wire, but a bigger area for the puller. Personally, I don't like the techkeys puller because of the way the wire is shaped and spaced, whereas the Leopold puller is nigh on perfect.

[nubbinator]

Not larger diameter wire, but a bigger area for the puller. Personally, I don't like the techkeys puller because of the way the wire is shaped and spaced, whereas the Leopold puller is nigh on perfect.

So are you saying the width of the wire (the part that goes under the caps) is longer on the Leopold puller? I'll have to plead ignorance right now on what you're talking about.  It would be easy for me to make a slightly different jig for wire bending if there's a better design out there.

And if you want to see what mine is like, pay for shipping and I'll send it to you to play with for a little bit before sending it back.  The way mine is set up seems to work great for me, a little better than my TechKeys puller, but both are good.  I designed it so you'd be pulling up the caps from opposite corners of the cap and you can also slip it over the ends of some of the bigger caps like Shift and Caps.

[esoomenona]

Perhaps I could send you my Leopold one, and you could play with it and see what you think in comparison. I do those exact techniques with it as well, though I slip it over anything that isn't a spacebar.

[nubbinator]

Talking about home made key cap pullers made me want to turn some new handles.  I did one in Black Palm, which is a total pain and has chip outs no matter what you do since it's basically the consistency of a bunch of rock hard skewers held together with glue and fine sawdust, and did the other in Maple with a two tone dye job of black and red.  I was asked about dyeing in another thread and so I decided to give it a try.  I'll also be making myself a nice black and red curly maple wrist wrest for my Pure/GH60.





Now to get more wire and make them into pullers.

Perhaps I could send you my Leopold one, and you could play with it and see what you think in comparison. I do those exact techniques with it as well, though I slip it over anything that isn't a spacebar.

Maybe.  I'm all for improving the wire jig for my pullers.

[noisyturtle]

So much grip

[nubbinator]

Is that an off brand fleshlight?

[Xenderwind]

No, its a homemade keycap puller.

[noisyturtle]

Is that an off brand fleshlight?

No, its a homemade keycap puller.

Correction, it's a special edition keycap puller.

[esoomenona]

You don't have the gold Fleshlight? Plebe...

[nubbinator]

At first I was joking about it being a Fleshlight...then I zoomed in on the pic.

[Narcix]

Ok i'll try to make better ones
for now it works!!!

[rowdy]

Ok i'll try to make better ones
for now it works!!!

Show Image

As long as it gets the job done, that's the main thing!

[Thimplum]

Do wire keycap pullers hurt the keycaps? One might think that the wire might cut into ABS.

[MOZ]

Depends really on how hard you have to pull on particular key

[nilpt]

And don't forget to shake the keycap, don't try a straight pull or the switch top might come off.
It just happened to me, even with a lot of "shaking" 

[MOZ]

And don't forget to shake the keycap, don't try a straight pull or the switch top might come off.
It just happened to me, even with a lot of "shaking" 

From Pursuit of Happiness: "You have to jimmy the key"-cap puller

[lazerpointer]

I have this strip of velcro, and cut about an inch of the "soft side" and it's so sticky, it works just as good as any keycap puller. I just cover the top, and either side of any keycap, and pull up... it works very well.

Needless to say eventually the stickiness will wear off... But it will take forever.

I would post a pic, but I'll just link you the product;

http://www.amazon.com/Velcro-Sticky-Back-Fastener-Dispenser-VEK90081/dp/B00006RSWT/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1374532508&sr=8-11&keywords=velcro

[Thimplum]

And don't forget to shake the keycap, don't try a straight pull or the switch top might come off.
It just happened to me, even with a lot of "shaking" 

From Pursuit of Happiness: "You have to jimmy the key[cap puller]"

Fixed!

[megaxpop]

Repost but here's mine; (2 smaller sized, 1 larger sized paperclip)

Show Image

Show Image

Show Image

Really solid... still have it.

cool man! :D

[SpAmRaY]

I have this strip of velcro, and cut about an inch of the "soft side" and it's so sticky, it works just as good as any keycap puller. I just cover the top, and either side of any keycap, and pull up... it works very well.

Needless to say eventually the stickiness will wear off... But it will take forever.

I would post a pic, but I'll just link you the product;

http://www.amazon.com/Velcro-Sticky-Back-Fastener-Dispenser-VEK90081/dp/B00006RSWT/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1374532508&sr=8-11&keywords=velcro

I'd like to see an action pic! I'm not quite understanding how this works....

Do wire keycap pullers hurt the keycaps? One might think that the wire might cut into ABS.

There has been some discussion on this. I just swapped keycaps on a board last night and they were almost too easy to take off. I would say it depends on how thin the ABS is and also how tight they fit the switches. Also technique and patience play a large part in this.

[Thimplum]

It's cool to see that people make not only DIY keyboards here, but DIY keyboard accessories too!

[Hyde]

Is that an off brand fleshlight?

At first I was joking about it being a Fleshlight...then I zoomed in on the pic.

lol I got curious and decide to play detective, so I brought the picture in to Photoshop so I can read the letters.

So....... it's not an off brand....... it is the brand..... lol

[rowdy]

Having just received a NPKC Stainless Steel Keycap Puller, I thought this thread might like a little bump.

The NPKC is not a DIY puller, but has anyone recently (since mid-2013!) made their own keycap puller?