Any way to prolong or minimize ABS shine?

[mta]

Are there any well-known or proven tips for prolonging or minimizing ABS shine? I'd rather not have to resort to sandblasting the things down the line.

I know some people embrace the shine, but I'd like to "rage-against-the-birthing-of-the-light" if I can help it.

Is it mostly unavoidable / the result of erosion over time, or is it more a function of oil buildup and would imply that some kind of wipe / cleaning after each use would be appropriate?

[lolafineday]

Are there any well-known or proven tips for prolonging or minimizing ABS shine? I'd rather not have to resort to sandblasting the things down the line.

I know some people embrace the shine, but I'd like to "rage-against-the-birthing-of-the-light" if I can help it.

Is it mostly unavoidable / the result of erosion over time, or is it more a function of oil buildup and would imply that some kind of wipe / cleaning after each use would be appropriate?

Don’t use it as much, clean your fingers if they are oily,

[Puddsy]

Are there any well-known or proven tips for prolonging or minimizing ABS shine? I'd rather not have to resort to sandblasting the things down the line.

I know some people embrace the shine, but I'd like to "rage-against-the-birthing-of-the-light" if I can help it.

Is it mostly unavoidable / the result of erosion over time, or is it more a function of oil buildup and would imply that some kind of wipe / cleaning after each use would be appropriate?

Don’t use it as much, clean your fingers if they are oily,

thats about it

but it's inevitible

if you really hate it just use pbt

[LightningXI]

There is also a way to sandblast your keys to reacquire texture. Check wodan's work on deskthority. I don't have this link handy at the moment.

[_GMK_]

stop disinformation

ABS has excellent resistance to oil

I can't imagine how this lie about the oils that make abs shine has started. But we have antivax people, so yeah, we can make people believe anything.


Sebum on your skin is made of: triglycerides, free fatty acids, wax esters, squalene, cholesterol esters, and cholesterol. ABS has excellent resistance to all of these, and has resistance to olive and palm oil too. So you can eat all you want with your fingers.
fatty acid
EX = Excellent Resistance

http://www.kelco.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/abs-chemical-compatibility-guide.pdf

http://kmac-plastics.net/data/chemical/abs-chemical.htm
Oils, mineral    EX = Excellent Resistance
Oils, vegetable and animal    EX = Excellent Resistance

[fanpeople]

stop disinformation

ABS has excellent resistance to oil

I can't imagine how this lie about the oils that make abs shine has started. But we have antivax people, so yeah, we can make people believe anything.


Sebum on your skin is made of: triglycerides, free fatty acids, wax esters, squalene, cholesterol esters, and cholesterol. ABS has excellent resistance to all of these, and has resistance to olive and palm oil too. So you can eat all you want with your fingers.
fatty acid
EX = Excellent Resistance

http://www.kelco.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/abs-chemical-compatibility-guide.pdf

http://kmac-plastics.net/data/chemical/abs-chemical.htm
Oils, mineral    EX = Excellent Resistance
Oils, vegetable and animal    EX = Excellent Resistance

Did you just use teal text?

[_GMK_]

I show him the moon. He looks at the finger. 

[LightningXI]

While you were shining your ABS, I studied the sebum.

[HotRoderX]

best way to stop ABS shine is to lock the ABS caps away in a air tight container outside of direct sunlight. I mean by preserving them and never using them they will stay pristine. Why pay 120-180 dollar's for some bits of plastic that will look horrible and used in 2-3 months or sooner. Better to lock them away like gold coins then to risk the shine.

Also I hate hate shine thought I can't help but love some sets from GMK.

[xtrafrood]

mytwocents: The plastic grip pattern of the key caps wear down because of heat and friction.  Oil and minerals bridge the gap between fingerprints to increase thermal conductivity.

Like others have said there's not much that can be done other than switch to a plastic that is more resistant to heat (PBT).

ABS does not resist alcohols like it can other solvents.  I'd avoid any wipes or cleaning products with alcohol in them and use a mild detergent with citric acid instead.


That being said I bought a keyboard with white keycaps to hide the shine.  But now that I can see some shine after a year of use (in certain lighting conditions) I kinda like that I can see what keys I use the most.

[_GMK_]

Heat doesn't wear keycaps, do you really think that they become hotter while typing? You must be really fast :-)

As for the alcohol, I use isopropyl alcohol, which doesn't damage abs

[xtrafrood]

A simple ddg search later about ABS chemical resistance..



About the heat... FL summers.. smells like ABS so must be ABS right?  I don't use nail polish..  These caps are why I joined GH 3+ years ago



Btw, if someone else hasn't already welcomed you, let me be the first to welcome you to the forum

[_GMK_]

A simple ddg search later about ABS chemical resistance..

Show Image

About the heat... FL summers.. smells like ABS so must be ABS right?  I don't use nail polish..  These caps are why I joined GH 3+ years ago

Show Image

Btw, if someone else hasn't already welcomed you, let me be the first to welcome you to the forum

I talked about isopropyl because it is resistant to isopropyl, you know isopropyl. Not other kinds of alcohol, but isopropyl!    )

http://www.geotechenv.com/Reference_Pages/chemical_compatibility_table.pdf

Abs is resistant to Isopropyl Alcohol, which is the top value in a scale made of:

R = Resistant
A = Excellent – No effect
B = Good – Minor effect
C = Fair – Moderate effect

[xtrafrood]

A simple ddg search later about ABS chemical resistance..

Show Image

About the heat... FL summers.. smells like ABS so must be ABS right?  I don't use nail polish..  These caps are why I joined GH 3+ years ago

Show Image

Btw, if someone else hasn't already welcomed you, let me be the first to welcome you to the forum

I talked about isopropyl because it is resistant to isopropyl, you know isopropyl. Not other kinds of alcohol, but isopropyl!    )

http://www.geotechenv.com/Reference_Pages/chemical_compatibility_table.pdf

Abs is resistant to Isopropyl Alcohol, which is the top value in a scale made of:

R = Resistant
A = Excellent – No effect
B = Good – Minor effect
C = Fair – Moderate effect

Hey!  You actually have data!  Well done.   I would stay away from ANY alcohol based products as a precautionary. 

Different environments affect different chemicals, and different percentages present conflicting results.

Also, just because ABS is R (not Excellent) to Isopropyl Alcohol doesn't mean it'll be resistant to people that clean their keycaps 5-10+ times a day. 

In 6-60 months no one is going to look back at this thread and say, "golly, that Chris guy ruined my $xxx.xx keycaps."

I won't feel anything at all if you cause a color change in your keycaps (though the use of petrol over hemp bioplastics is a shame). 

So take my words with whatever grain of salt you prefer.

[mta]

Interesting data -- thanks