:~$ynth

[thefebruaryman]

where'd I get one of these. They got topre making bits?

[xondat]

where'd I get one of these. They got topre making bits?

techkeys.us

no, only mx for now

[IMBoddy]

Any news on Techkeys replacement stems?

[thefebruaryman]

where'd I get one of these. They got topre making bits?

techkeys.us

no, only mx for now

bummer I'm a topre only sorta guy . Hopefully soon

[apolotary]

Any news on shipping dates? It was Sep 12th when I preordered, now it's 28th...

[i3oilermaker]

Unfortunately there was a delay in the manufacturing followed by a holiday.  I was previously told they would ship last week, but now I'm told they will ship next week.

Sorry for the delay guys - rest assured I feel your frustration x100

[IMBoddy]

Unfortunately there was a delay in the manufacturing followed by a holiday.  I was previously told they would ship last week, but now I'm told they will ship next week.

Sorry for the delay guys - rest assured I feel your frustration x100

Thanks for the update! Cant wait for a fitted stem, btw was the only issue people having it not fitting in the slot? Mine I filed down (Very crudely) but got it in the slot, although the few blanks I made the actual insert part into the resin was big as well and any keys I made were way too big on the switch and wouldnt even sit on the switch?

[apolotary]

Unfortunately there was a delay in the manufacturing followed by a holiday.  I was previously told they would ship last week, but now I'm told they will ship next week.

Sorry for the delay guys - rest assured I feel your frustration x100

No problem at all, just can't wait to get into MX keycap making

[suicidal_orange]

Unfortunately there was a delay in the manufacturing followed by a holiday.  I was previously told they would ship last week, but now I'm told they will ship next week.

Sorry for the delay guys - rest assured I feel your frustration x100

Thanks for the update

btw was the only issue people having it not fitting in the slot? Mine I filed down (Very crudely) but got it in the slot, although the few blanks I made the actual insert part into the resin was big as well and any keys I made were way too big on the switch and wouldnt even sit on the switch?

Sounds right - if the machine was not cutting enough off the middle for whatever reason (too small cutting bit fitted?) it couldn't do the end properly.  I spent ages filing mine down very tidily to get it in but never used it after thinking this would happen - thanks for confirming.  Sorry to hear your first caps were duds though, they were good practice runs

Question is what do we do with the dodgy insert?  My only thoughts were it's kinda arrow shaped so should fly well, and could wear it as a pendant as it has a hole )

[Kenda]

Finally got some time to use the $ynth. The final product has a pretty loose stem. So maybe it's something to fix for the next version of the $ynth


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[dgneo]

Finally got some time to use the $ynth. The final product has a pretty loose stem. So maybe it's something to fix for the next version of the $ynth


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It could also be your casting process.

[Kenda]

Finally got some time to use the $ynth. The final product has a pretty loose stem. So maybe it's something to fix for the next version of the $ynth


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It could also be your casting process.

Can you please more specific on that?


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[Binge]

Finally got some time to use the $ynth. The final product has a pretty loose stem. So maybe it's something to fix for the next version of the $ynth


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It could also be your casting process.

Can you please more specific on that?


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Resins have material shrinkage issues.  A low tolerance resin will make a more loose stem.

[Kenda]

Finally got some time to use the $ynth. The final product has a pretty loose stem. So maybe it's something to fix for the next version of the $ynth


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It could also be your casting process.

Can you please more specific on that?


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Resins have material shrinkage issues.  A low tolerance resin will make a more loose stem.

Thank you I'll look into that problem then


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[monocletophat]

Quick question, do you cover the sprue holes when you make the silicone mold? does it matter if whether I'm doing a 2 part mold or just casting with the :~$ynth?

[rpeterclark]

Quick question, do you cover the sprue holes when you make the silicone mold? does it matter if whether I'm doing a 2 part mold or just casting with the :~$ynth?

When making the silicone mold, you'll want to have the sprue holes plugged somehow so that you can later inject resin through them. Q-tips sticks are the perfect diameter:

[dgneo]

Quick question, do you cover the sprue holes when you make the silicone mold? does it matter if whether I'm doing a 2 part mold or just casting with the :~$ynth?

When making the silicone mold, you'll want to have the sprue holes plugged somehow so that you can later inject resin through them. Q-tips sticks are the perfect diameter:

Show Image

FWIW I've yet to plug the holes and haven't had issues. I just trim the excess silicone away after the fact.

[Binge]

Quick question, do you cover the sprue holes when you make the silicone mold? does it matter if whether I'm doing a 2 part mold or just casting with the :~$ynth?

When making the silicone mold, you'll want to have the sprue holes plugged somehow so that you can later inject resin through them. Q-tips sticks are the perfect diameter:

Show Image

Correct!  We measured q-tips and set the holes to match the diameter for this very purpose.

[fendent]

Quick question, do you cover the sprue holes when you make the silicone mold? does it matter if whether I'm doing a 2 part mold or just casting with the :~$ynth?

When making the silicone mold, you'll want to have the sprue holes plugged somehow so that you can later inject resin through them. Q-tips sticks are the perfect diameter:

Show Image

Correct!  We measured q-tips and set the holes to match the diameter for this very purpose.

They didn't fit for me  :'( would probably have made the whole process slightly easier when getting started. Should retry that sometime. Polymer clay works just fine hah

[hkf]

Unfortunately there was a delay in the manufacturing followed by a holiday.  I was previously told they would ship last week, but now I'm told they will ship next week.

Sorry for the delay guys - rest assured I feel your frustration x100

Any ETA on replacement stems?

[SoftKeys]

Quick question, do you cover the sprue holes when you make the silicone mold? does it matter if whether I'm doing a 2 part mold or just casting with the :~$ynth?

When making the silicone mold, you'll want to have the sprue holes plugged somehow so that you can later inject resin through them. Q-tips sticks are the perfect diameter:

Show Image

Correct!  We measured q-tips and set the holes to match the diameter for this very purpose.

They didn't fit for me  :'( would probably have made the whole process slightly easier when getting started. Should retry that sometime. Polymer clay works just fine hah

Q-tips are a very tight fit for mine, not worth the effort to cut and use them. I just used clay to plug the holes too.

[Binge]

Quick question, do you cover the sprue holes when you make the silicone mold? does it matter if whether I'm doing a 2 part mold or just casting with the :~$ynth?

When making the silicone mold, you'll want to have the sprue holes plugged somehow so that you can later inject resin through them. Q-tips sticks are the perfect diameter:

Show Image

Correct!  We measured q-tips and set the holes to match the diameter for this very purpose.

They didn't fit for me  :'( would probably have made the whole process slightly easier when getting started. Should retry that sometime. Polymer clay works just fine hah

Q-tips are a very tight fit for mine, not worth the effort to cut and use them. I just used clay to plug the holes too.

f-king tolerances >.<

[Kenda]

Quick question, do you cover the sprue holes when you make the silicone mold? does it matter if whether I'm doing a 2 part mold or just casting with the :~$ynth?

When making the silicone mold, you'll want to have the sprue holes plugged somehow so that you can later inject resin through them. Q-tips sticks are the perfect diameter:

Show Image

Correct!  We measured q-tips and set the holes to match the diameter for this very purpose.

They didn't fit for me  :'( would probably have made the whole process slightly easier when getting started. Should retry that sometime. Polymer clay works just fine hah

Q-tips are a very tight fit for mine, not worth the effort to cut and use them. I just used clay to plug the holes too.

Q-tips work fine for me. They're a little bit tight so use little force. Just plug and use a nail clippers to cut it off. Super fast this way


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[danielucf]

Pressure pot idea. So I homebrew and keg all my beer, the maximum pressure I apply is normally 40, and only for about 24 hours to speed carbonate before dropping to 13-16 psi. Supposedly the Cornelius kegs I use can handle up to 100-135 PSI so they seem to be pretty tolerant. From my limited understanding artisan caps require considerably less pressure than this. So at $35-50 for a refurbished pin lock or ball lock keg they could work as inexpensive and relatively safe pressure pots. I don't cast or anything, but I imagine adapting an air compressor to pressurize one of these kegs also wouldn't be too expensive. My only concerns would be size of the opening, and I imagine making sure no one used the keg for any beverages in the future.

Thoughts?

[fendent]

Pressure pot idea. So I homebrew and keg all my beer, the maximum pressure I apply is normally 40, and only for about 24 hours to speed carbonate before dropping to 13-16 psi. Supposedly the Cornelius kegs I use can handle up to 100-135 PSI so they seem to be pretty tolerant. From my limited understanding artisan caps require considerably less pressure than this. So at $35-50 for a refurbished pin lock or ball lock keg they could work as inexpensive and relatively safe pressure pots. I don't cast or anything, but I imagine adapting an air compressor to pressurize one of these kegs also wouldn't be too expensive. My only concerns would be size of the opening, and I imagine making sure no one used the keg for any beverages in the future.

Thoughts?

Get an actual pressure pot designed for this use. How would you plan on getting materials in and out of the keg? And kegs have considerably more volume meaning your time to get to pressure would take longer. There's a host of reasons I can think of why it would probably be a bad idea.

[Binge]

Pressure pot idea. So I homebrew and keg all my beer, the maximum pressure I apply is normally 40, and only for about 24 hours to speed carbonate before dropping to 13-16 psi. Supposedly the Cornelius kegs I use can handle up to 100-135 PSI so they seem to be pretty tolerant. From my limited understanding artisan caps require considerably less pressure than this. So at $35-50 for a refurbished pin lock or ball lock keg they could work as inexpensive and relatively safe pressure pots. I don't cast or anything, but I imagine adapting an air compressor to pressurize one of these kegs also wouldn't be too expensive. My only concerns would be size of the opening, and I imagine making sure no one used the keg for any beverages in the future.

Thoughts?

It would still have to be assembled and tested by an ASME certified manufacturer.  The integrity of the keg may be compromised as soon as the keg is cut an opening.

[Nerdiary]

It would still have to be assembled and tested by an ASME certified manufacturer.  The integrity of the keg may be compromised as soon as the keg is cut an opening.

Why would we be cutting a hole in a keg? Cornelius kegs have a 3.5" opening. Big enough to get your arm through. All the specs line up, but it won't be as practical as a pressure pot. 5 gallon kegs are pretty deep, and the smaller kegs are pricey. You could lay a 5 gal on its side and place a flat surface inside to rest molds. Getting molds in and out will be more difficult than it needs to be, due to the depth of the container and small size of opening. I vote for pressure pot.

If you do go the keg route, just remember to be safe. Check for damage, test pressure release valves, accurate gauges, etc.

[Binge]

It would still have to be assembled and tested by an ASME certified manufacturer.  The integrity of the keg may be compromised as soon as the keg is cut an opening.

Why would we be cutting a hole in a keg? Cornelius kegs have a 3.5" opening. Big enough to get your arm through. All the specs line up, but it won't be as practical as a pressure pot. 5 gallon kegs are pretty deep, and the smaller kegs are pricey. You could lay a 5 gal on its side and place a flat surface inside to rest molds. Getting molds in and out will be more difficult than it needs to be, due to the depth of the container and small size of opening. I vote for pressure pot.

If you do go the keg route, just remember to be safe. Check for damage, test pressure release valves, accurate gauges, etc.

It's not large enough to get a proper sized mold in without warping the mold.

[Binge]

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[dgneo]

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[Kenda]

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I need more synth. Too many molds not enough synth


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[SoftKeys]

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 :eek:  I might have to pick this up too

[Sneaky Potato]

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Very interesting design! I'm assuming that the marks on the top will act as a wider anchor?

[Binge]

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Very interesting design! I'm assuming that the marks on the top will act as a wider anchor?

Exactly!  You have the eye of the tiger Mr. Potato

[Nerdiary]

Can't wait to see how the design revisions go. On a related note, finally got my $ynth. Mold release, that is all I need to say. Mold release the crap out of that thing. Resin is tenacious.

[drakeonyou]

You might be designing a 6.25 spacebar version of this, for all we know.

[Binge]

You might be designing a 6.25 spacebar version of this, for all we know.

That's an understatement.

[Fictiouz]

You might be designing a 6.25 spacebar version of this, for all we know.

That's an understatement.

6.25u = understatement. 7u Synth confirmed.

[suicidal_orange]

In addition to my awesome Otterophile I got my replacement Synth stem today and it seems very loose - is this normal or should I be worried the stem is also too small this time?



Possibly an easier question, should it fit in easily at 45 degrees like this?  My hand filed original which fits snugly does not ...

[Binge]

In addition to my awesome Otterophile I got my replacement Synth stem today and it seems very loose - is this normal or should I be worried the stem is also too small this time?

Show Image

Possibly an easier question, should it fit in easily at 45 degrees like this?  My hand filed original which fits snugly does not ...

Show Image

can it wiggle to a 45 or just be inserted at a 45?  If you can turn it to a 45, that is far too loose, but if you need to take it out and insert it at a 45 then you may just want to do what I do with my more loose stems and that is to make two shims to keep the stem from wobbling.  You can use thin tongue depressors or really anything rigid and flat.

The problem isn't if this part is loose, it's if this part does not give you the correct cruciform in the keycap.

[suicidal_orange]

N

In addition to my awesome Otterophile I got my replacement Synth stem today and it seems very loose - is this normal or should I be worried the stem is also too small this time?

Show Image

Possibly an easier question, should it fit in easily at 45 degrees like this?  My hand filed original which fits snugly does not ...

Show Image

can it wiggle to a 45 or just be inserted at a 45?  If you can turn it to a 45, that is far too loose, but if you need to take it out and insert it at a 45 then you may just want to do what I do with my more loose stems and that is to make two shims to keep the stem from wobbling.  You can use thin tongue depressors or really anything rigid and flat.

The problem isn't if this part is loose, it's if this part does not give you the correct cruciform in the keycap.

That sounds reassuring, it only rotates maybe 10 degrees as in the gif so guess I'm good to go - thanks!  Just took delivery of all the messy fun stuff too

[fendent]

You might be designing a 6.25 spacebar version of this, for all we know.

That's an understatement.

6.25u = understatement. 7u Synth confirmed.

I don't know what you read but I just read full keyset die confirmed

[Joey Quinn]

You might be designing a 6.25 spacebar version of this, for all we know.

That's an understatement.

6.25u = understatement. 7u Synth confirmed.

I don't know what you read but I just read full keyset die confirmed

You're both wrong, it's an 11u synth so everyone can make artisans for vintage boards with absurdly large spacebars.

[drakeonyou]

You might be designing a 6.25 spacebar version of this, for all we know.

That's an understatement.

6.25u = understatement. 7u Synth confirmed.

I don't know what you read but I just read full keyset die confirmed

You're both wrong, it's an 11u synth so everyone can make artisans for vintage boards with absurdly large spacebars.

I had to google the meaning of "understatement" just to know that we're on the same page.

I think he's going to make molds to create molds.

[fendent]

To create a keycap, you must first create the universe.

[jal]

Everyone's wrong. It is a mold for making tiny Bingelets, who will then create even smaller molds...

Got my replacement stem. A bit loose, it will rotate a few percent. Nothing a shim won't handle. Thanks!

[suicidal_orange]

Got my replacement stem. A bit loose, it will rotate a few percent. Nothing a shim won't handle. Thanks!

I found wrapping a thin strip of paper round it once was enough, it's amazing how such a small difference feels so loose!

[jal]

Got my replacement stem. A bit loose, it will rotate a few percent. Nothing a shim won't handle. Thanks!

I found wrapping a thin strip of paper round it once was enough, it's amazing how such a small difference feels so loose!

Yeah, haven't gotten the micrometer out, but it is a few thousandths off. Aluminum foil was my first thought.

Actually, my first thought was "don't use these machinists; I do a fine job of milling mistakes all by myself", but then I'm a jerk.

[Binge]

Got my replacement stem. A bit loose, it will rotate a few percent. Nothing a shim won't handle. Thanks!

I found wrapping a thin strip of paper round it once was enough, it's amazing how such a small difference feels so loose!

Yeah, haven't gotten the micrometer out, but it is a few thousandths off. Aluminum foil was my first thought.

Actually, my first thought was "don't use these machinists; I do a fine job of milling mistakes all by myself", but then I'm a jerk.

If you know of a good shop that will produce these at a higher quality at a reasonable cost please contact Techkeys, info@techkeys.us

[Jpecina]

has anyone tried casting blanks from GMK cherry profile? seems that the key doesn't sit all the way and silicon slips inside. OEM seems to sit perfect.