Although we are somewhat saddened when the irreplaceable stock of Model M keyboards is drawn upon for steampunk modifications, I don't think anyone is annoyed here when this is done to a keyboard in current production. So don't worry about torches and pitchforks.
While I agree the M15 mod was more than a bit disturbing, despite the artistry of Datamancer's work, I'm still not sure where the sadness about a run-of-the-mill M being used comes from. I mean, it's not as if the case design of a stock M is a work of art or anything. At best it could be described as rugged and utilitarian.
The F case has much more pleasing lines, and the M15 is a whole other level of cool from a form and function perspective (plus the fact they are so rare).
To me, for a common M at least, as long as the result is a usable buckling spring board then it's at worst a wash, while if the result is something esthetically pleasing then it's actually an improvement. It's nothing like the abhorrent practice of typewriter key harvesting where you keep the keys and throw away the main mechanism (understandable exception being when the writer's a total loss due to rust and wear).
