Thanks everybody (except tufty, of course), for the positive reviews. I'm happy with the look but even happier with the feel of the switch action.
I spent a lot of time trying to get the effect I was after. I was shooting for a fairly light feel with a very short throw (under 3mm) and a fast response. The alpha switches meet those requirements quite well and I haven't even applied the teflon strips yet. There is a very slight metallic sound that I think I like but will probably go away with the teflon. The Cerakote seemed to make the egg crate channels slippery, making the teflon unnecessary now but will eventually wear off. The teflon will also allow me to tune in the amount of "slop" in the caps. It's not bad but I think there is still room for improvement.
The keyring switches feel buttery smooth and are quiet. I added rubber o-rings to quiet the upstroke landing and to add length to the brass pushrod assembly (pictures to follow). The lubed brass tubing eliminated any sticking common to the ML's with off-center presses.
The thumb keys action feels slow by comparison. I may raise the keys 1/16" to 1/8" to improve clearance. When my palms are touching the rests, my thumbs just touch the keyboard body below the thumb key caps at the bottom of the down stroke. I'm not sure if I will be typing that way but I don't want to limit my options.
Ideally I would have wanted them all to feel the same but so it goes.
That looks rubbish. For starters, it's back to front. Send it to me and I'll dispose of it properly. Will it blend?
I assume the scar in the cerakote came out, I don't see it in the photos. What's with that totally flat ring cap, though? Trying out new shapes? To my eye they all look a bit high, I'd probably have gone for putting the start of the bevel flush with the case, but that all depends what you're going for with the new ring caps. Something a little more "organic" might be more comfortable in the long run, maybe something like a slight dish with rounded over edges. Would look less "industrial" though...
The palm rests look lush.
Ahh! I knew something wasn't right. Next time I'll try typing with the palm rests in the front. The toe-in seemed all wrong that way.
Yes, the flaws came out but it took two more tries to do so. I think it was oil in the aluminum. The first time, I re-sandblasted then dipped in acetone for 30 minutes but neglected to bake it at 350º for 30 minutes to draw out any additional oils. I think that was the mistake because the re-spraying yielded even more blemishes. The third try (with baking) came out flawless. Any inconsistencies you see in the picture are from dust and smudges that I left on before photographing. I don't spend much time staging my pictures.
I never found the missing ring cap. I had that one laying around from earlier experiments. The caps are just slightly pushed into the rods; that explains the extra height. They hold so well I was afraid to push them down all the way yet, knowing I'd be disassembling soon for final detailing. Funny thing is, the flat cap feels better than the others in operation! I think I will make new ones with a very slight dome shape in the top. I could easily modify the existing ones but I'd have to make a new one from scratch anyways and a new set would guarantee uniformity. I agree with the industrial look; I wish I could keep the shape but it doesn't feel as good when pressed from the variety of angles and digits I intend to employ.
The palm rests: The walnut looks pretty good but I was out shopping for alternatives and came home with some bocote and cocobolo to try out. They are both interesting looking pieces. The bocote has an almost black summer growth ring pattern which would play off the black keyboard well The cocobolo more nearly resembles the walnut but has finer grain and a slightly better color. As a plus, it would be a delight to tell people "...and of course the rests are made out of cocobolo, anything less wouldn't do".
Mistakes that ended in improvements: The redesign of the alpha clusters as well as the keyring ended up not just working better but created a look that is better than the original design. The fitted egg crates and keyring give a subtle but more detailed look to the case with the slightly raised bevels.