marking home keys

[gcb]

bought a beautiful penumbra set from binge and now i am going crazy because the keys do not have the little nubs on the home keys.

i'm using qwerty so i will put them on F and J as usual.

I'm considering options:

A) a drop of epoxy

B) saw a stripe like  jaymatter did



C) rape this beautiful set and use caps from another set that have nubs. or maybe even a metal cap for those two keys.

any better alternatives?

[NeedAFix]

Do what I did and use a dremel; Get one of the thin sand wheels and just etch your design into the top !

[gcb]

Do what I did and use a dremel; Get one of the thin sand wheels and just etch your design into the top !

that is almost option B above. i like the epoxy one better so far because i am pretty sure the mess i will make with a dremel

did you manage to make precise geometric shapes on yours?

[NeedAFix]

Nah I just took the paint off the sides, but if you use a thin enough sanding blade you could do something interesting.
I don't know about Advanced Geometry, that is more or less something for molds (laser etch detail is hard to do by hand).

You can see what I did in this thread: http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=64264.0

[gcb]

Nah I just took the paint off the sides, but if you use a thin enough sanding blade you could do something interesting.
I don't know about Advanced Geometry, that is more or less something for molds (laser etch detail is hard to do by hand).

You can see what I did in this thread: http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=64264.0

Ah ok, i finally understood what you meant.

i'm looking for something tactile. i don't have lights and the keyboard is almost under the desk at most times...

[NeedAFix]

Yeah, I'd still say use a dremel and figure out what kind of little icon you want on the keys (make it kind of simple) and just grind it in.

Why not?

Even easier to do when you have extra sets of keys laying around.

[yasuo]

i like dot 
http://www.wasdkeyboards.com/index.php/products/blank-keycap-singles/row-2-size-1x1-dot-cherry-mx-keycap.html

[NeedAFix]

Yeah, could use some kind of grip sticker or thing such as that.

Snowboarding / Hockey grip tape, maybe? The problem with using anything that has adhesive, though, is the residue it leaves and during hard gaming sessions tape wouldn't cut it.
How does the dot stick on; I guess instead of making a raised bump you could make holes via a dremel.

[Melvang]

I would use a drop of clear fingernail polish.

[bueller]

If fingernail polish doesn't last you could mix up some epoxy resin and then use a hypo needle to neatly put a drop on the key. Should last forever once it cures.

[Findecanor]

Drill a tiny hole. Insert a piece of plastic rod in it. A drop of glue on the inside.

[NeedAFix]

Drill a tiny hole. Insert a piece of plastic rod in it. A drop of glue on the inside.

That gave me the idea of Drilling a filling area (or creating a keycap with a recess on top) that you could put metals into, copper or some such -- gold leaf?

[gcb]

i'm busy with other stuff, but i think i will go with a compilation of the ideas here:

'drill' (more like scrap) a very small half sphere out of the top of the key.

drop with a toothpick a dab of epoxy.

the little recession would make for a better surface tension holder for the drop of epoxy to cure round instead of flattening all over the key. and also hopefully help it stay in place with time/use.

when i finally can get around to do it, i will post results.

[Melvang]

i'm busy with other stuff, but i think i will go with a compilation of the ideas here:

'drill' (more like scrap) a very small half sphere out of the top of the key.

drop with a toothpick a dab of epoxy.

the little recession would make for a better surface tension holder for the drop of epoxy to cure round instead of flattening all over the key. and also hopefully help it stay in place with time/use.

when i finally can get around to do it, i will post results.

When you do it, spin the drill bit with your fingers.  If you don't have a drill bit made fro plastics (acrylic and brass are horrible with this), you run the risk of the drill bit grabbing and essentially threading the cap at the same pitch as the flutes on the drill bit.

I have seen this happen with acrylic and it can actually pull the piece being drill out of the vise on the drill press.

[Oobly]

i'm busy with other stuff, but i think i will go with a compilation of the ideas here:

'drill' (more like scrap) a very small half sphere out of the top of the key.

drop with a toothpick a dab of epoxy.

the little recession would make for a better surface tension holder for the drop of epoxy to cure round instead of flattening all over the key. and also hopefully help it stay in place with time/use.

when i finally can get around to do it, i will post results.

This sounds like a very good plan. I would stay clear of nail polish since the acetone can melt ABS.

[jackalope]

Couldn't you flip the key around so you could find it by feel, and then you wouldn't have to destroy a key.

[noisyturtle]

Or, dermal a little crater and put a small bearing in it?

[gcb]

Couldn't you flip the key around so you could find it by feel, and then you wouldn't have to destroy a key.

lol i tried. im not very keen on naming key shapes and sizes... but this set is simetrical on the home row.

Or, dermal a little crater and put a small bearing in it?

that is interesting. and i have plenty... if the epoxy do not form a good round blob i will probably go that route

[Tiramisuu]

I've been thinking of using the was keycaps with a customer layout.   Sadly abs.    Can anyone confirm that was custom sets have home key bumps?

[Puddsy]

I've been thinking of using the was keycaps with a customer layout.   Sadly abs.    Can anyone confirm that was custom sets have home key bumps?

Most DCS sets do AFAIK