Phantom Plates are in BUT...

[ShakeR]

They are scratchy as all heck. 

I know everyone has been waiting on these for a while, so I wanted to check with you and see if this is normal before we send them back.  We've never carried plates before and maybe scratches are just part of the deal.  You can't really see behind the caps anyway, so maybe this is OK?  Let us know what you think.  Sales price is $25 shipped if we keep them.

Please see pics below and let us know your thoughts.  Thanks!

[Pacifist]

They are scratchy as all heck. 

I know everyone has been waiting on these for a while, so I wanted to check with you and see if this is normal before we send them back.  We've never carried plates before and maybe scratches are just part of the deal.  You can't really see behind the caps anyway, so maybe this is OK?  Let us know what you think.  Sales price is $25 shipped if we keep them.

Please see pics below and let us know your thoughts.  Thanks!

Sweet!

But that's a bit ugly

Don't think that's right....

[Moosecraft]

I wasn't planning on buying one right now but the ss phantom plate I own is not scratchy like that at all. Still I wouldn't consider it a dealbreaker if I was in the market for one.

[SpAmRaY]

I didn't even take mine out of the box, guess I need to see if it looks like this 

I guess the question is do they all look like this?
 

[ShakeR]

I didn't even take mine out of the box, guess I need to see if it looks like this 

Where did you buy it from?

[SpAmRaY]

I didn't even take mine out of the box, guess I need to see if it looks like this 

Where did you buy it from?

I think the same guy that sold you yours

[ShakeR]

I didn't even take mine out of the box, guess I need to see if it looks like this 

Where did you buy it from?

I think the same guy that sold you yours

Haha, well be sure to let me know.  We were thrown for a loop when we opened the box.  Didn't think it was right, but wanted to check here first.

[SpAmRaY]

I didn't even take mine out of the box, guess I need to see if it looks like this 

Where did you buy it from?

I think the same guy that sold you yours

Haha, well be sure to let me know.  We were thrown for a loop when we opened the box.  Didn't think it was right, but wanted to check here first.

I sent you a PM

[whiskytango]

are those aluminum or SS?

Also, I think they look terrible. but if the switch cutouts are clean, they should be functional. However, if I paid for a nice finish and they looked like that, I might be unhappy. You also apparently got them at a really good price though, so maybe that's a consideration. I was recently quoted about $27 a plate (SS) by a local place for quantity over 50, and that's before shipping.

Edit: For $25 shipped, I'd probably paint it and use it.

[Photoelectric]

I can totally see polishing these up and painting them   I would if I'd gotten one like that. 

[SpAmRaY]

I can totally see polishing these up and painting them   I would if I'd gotten one like that. 

Those edges though....

[Pacifist]

So now we can buy switches, PCB, plate, and case, and have a new custom keyboard

Get GH60 PCBs too!

[SpAmRaY]

So now we can buy switches, PCB, plate, and case, and have a new custom keyboard

Get GH60 PCBs too!

And teensy, and a few other various electronic components.

[Photoelectric]

I can totally see polishing these up and painting them   I would if I'd gotten one like that. 

Those edges though....

Quality sandpaper or files should smooth those out.  I agree though--should hold the manufacturer responsible for the poor quality work.

[SpAmRaY]

are those aluminum or SS?

should be 5052 aluminum

[Computer-Lab in Basement]

Yeah, that manufacturer should be ashamed... very shoddy work.

[riotonthebay]

Even though you don't necessarily see the plate once you have switches/keycaps on, I'd be very disappointed if I received one of these. The edges especially would be a deal-breaker – I'd be afraid to scratch the anodizing of any case I put it in .

[Findecanor]

I have done a few smaller things in aluminium, and I would say that most of these scratches are pretty normal to get for raw aluminium from my metals supplier. One or two layers of primer should hide the small scratches.
The only thing I would really wink my nose at are those scratches near the Space Bar's left stabiliser.

I would send them back for the rough edges though. They look uneven, and that would not be to spec. That is inexcusable.

[JayKthnx]

it looks like they cut some of the edges with a butter knife. xD

[strict]

I would also make sure people are aware this is V1 of the phantom plate which has a design flaw. Unless you file down a small piece of metal you cannot remove the switch tops on the four smaller stabilized keys (LShift, RShift, Bkspace, Enter). Source

[SpAmRaY]

I would also make sure people are aware this is V1 of the phantom plate which has a design flaw. Unless you file down a small piece of metal you cannot remove the switch tops on the four smaller stabilized keys (LShift, RShift, Bkspace, Enter). Source

Here is a picture jdcarpe provided me a while back to illustrate the difference.



It's really easy to file down those little nubs.

[jdcarpe]

It's really easy to file down those little nubs on an aluminum plate. On a steel plate, well, have fun!

FTFY.

[SpAmRaY]

It's really easy to file down those little nubs on an aluminum plate. On a steel plate, well, have fun!

FTFY.

Was the plate I got from you a while back not stainless steel? I thought it was. 

[Melvang]

Those cuts and jagged edges are totally unacceptable for any material.  I would def be getting a hold of the company that made these for you guys.  Small surface scratches are going to happen unless you are paying for a certain surface finish.  The sheets they are cut from probably have scratches on them when the manufacturer receives the raw stock.  Aluminum works very easy as far as surface prep, polishing and brushed finish.  Some of those edges look like the aluminum got way to hot and just melted out of the way.

Can I ask why 5052?  Also what temper is it?  I would think you guys are going to be wanting T-6 to get as much stiffness out of them as you can.  It won't be as stiff as stainless plates but T-3 temper is still pretty soft.

[Findecanor]

Can I ask why 5052?

I think that most sheet aluminium is in the 5000 series. The 6000 series is mostly used for structural parts and easy machining, while the 7000 series is high-strength.

[Wildcard]

I can totally see polishing these up and painting them   I would if I'd gotten one like that. 

Those edges though....

If you have any plates with edges like that I would send them back as it looks like they started with damaged sheets before they were cut.

They definitely need to work on their QC, but past that the small scratches I don't see these as a big issue. Usually they need to be polished or brushed, perhaps you can have them do this after they're done cutting in any future orders?

[Ishamael]

I agree, definitely need improved QC, but so long as they are functional (aside from needing to file the bit down for stabs), I'd still buy one and clean it up myself.

[mkawa]

send those back, and do not work with that shop again. also, anyone who tells you 5052 can be used in a load bearing position is lying through their teeth. 6061 sheet definitely exists and is hilariously inexpensive at 16ga. also, while small surface defects are normal, that photo shows completely inexcusable defects. if the sheet edges are that damaged, they should be chopped off as kerf.

finally, you cannot willy nilly paint plates because if you add a couple mils of paint to a 16ga sheet, it will become too thick to fit switches. if making plates with aluminum, grind parallel, finish to 30uin, WJ cut and then anodize. otherwise, the best option for making plates is mild steel. grind to something like a 60 finish, but grind a couple mils under 16ga. then, you can either laser and deburr or wj. finally, powdercoat, as oxidization is pretty uncool.

if given a choice between 6061-t6 or t651 and a mild carbon steel though, i would go with the steel. aluminum is light, but at 16ga, cut for switches, what you care about is rigidity; young's modulus, yield strength and ultimate tensile of steel is about 3x 6061 sheet, regardless of temper.

stainless is obviously an option as well, and we have a great source of stainless plates on the forum. however, the list of shops that can grind and cut stainless is short, to say the least, and it's going to cost way more than dealing with mild steel

[geniekid]

send those back, and do not work with that shop again. also, anyone who tells you 5052 can be used in a load bearing position is lying through their teeth. 6061 sheet definitely exists and is hilariously inexpensive at 16ga. also, while small surface defects are normal, that photo shows completely inexcusable defects. if the sheet edges are that damaged, they should be chopped off as kerf.

finally, you cannot willy nilly paint plates because if you add a couple mils of paint to a 16ga sheet, it will become too thick to fit switches. if making plates with aluminum, grind parallel, finish to 30uin, WJ cut and then anodize. otherwise, the best option for making plates is mild steel. grind to something like a 60 finish, but grind a couple mils under 16ga. then, you can either laser and deburr or wj. finally, powdercoat, as oxidization is pretty uncool.

if given a choice between 6061-t6 or t651 and a mild carbon steel though, i would go with the steel. aluminum is light, but at 16ga, cut for switches, what you care about is rigidity; young's modulus, yield strength and ultimate tensile of steel is about 3x 6061 sheet, regardless of temper.

stainless is obviously an option as well, and we have a great source of stainless plates on the forum. however, the list of shops that can grind and cut stainless is short, to say the least, and it's going to cost way more than dealing with mild steel

Somebody give this man a cookie!  ...but one tailored to his exact specifications, so help you god.

[damorgue]

Those look BADLY damaged. My thoughts are that they used some stock meant to be discarded and are trying to pass it off. Some of those edges in particular are not cosmetic flaws but might even interfere with certain case design.

[ShakeR]

Thanks for everyone's feedback on this! We've returned the plates and are hoping round 2 will come with drastic improvement.

[mkawa]

Those look BADLY damaged. My thoughts are that they used some stock meant to be discarded and are trying to pass it off. Some of those edges in particular are not cosmetic flaws but might even interfere with certain case design.

my guess as well. 5000 series sheet is the cheapest of the cheap basically, and if you shop on the spot market you can get it for pennies on the dollar, but it looks like that when you get it because it's passed through so many hands.

[geniekid]

How is this going?

[00zeRO]

How is this going?

Not a blip. We will do our best to keep you informed.