Failed Leopold Space-Bar.... (Not anymore it's not!)

[PixelVandalism]

I attempted to mod the space-bar that came with my keycap set from wasd.

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It looks like it should work, it holds onto the stabilizers perfectly.
But it gets stuck on the way back up, and feels sticky and rough when you push the sides down.
I realized after about an hour of filing, then checking it, and repeating, that I should have cut off the original stems before I stuck the new ones in.

It looks brown and dirty because of the rusty file

[BiNiaRiS]

so cut/drill them out now?

[WhiteFireDragon]

Well that's not really "failed" yet, because all you have to do now is cut the original side stems off.

[PixelVandalism]

Do you have any suggestions on how to do that without damaging the top surface of my spacebar?

[dorkvader]

I've never tried it, but clamp it in cloth and use a dremel (or be careful with a drill sideways)?

[BiNiaRiS]

Do you have any suggestions on how to do that without damaging the top surface of my spacebar?

it's plastic. just use some wire cutters and start snipping away. or a dremel would work as well.

[WhiteFireDragon]

Do you have any suggestions on how to do that without damaging the top surface of my spacebar?

Use a small dremel bit to just shave off the original stems.

http://www.amazon.com/Dremel-9901-Tungsten-Carbide-Cutter/dp/B00004UDJJ/ref=sr_1_11?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1329108147&sr=1-11

[PixelVandalism]

Would something like this work? (the pink conical one)
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[WhiteFireDragon]

Yeah the ones with the pink heads will work, although those are more meant to carve styrofoam or other soft wood. It might wear faster on plastic, but since it's just a small amount, I think it should be ok. The heads with brown sandpaper looks too thick to fit in the spacebar crack.

[Awful]

Just wanted to add, you've done a stellar job so far. Looks really clean!

[PixelVandalism]

Yeah the ones with the pink heads will work, although those are more meant to carve styrofoam or other soft wood. It might wear faster on plastic, but since it's just a small amount, I think it should be ok. The heads with brown sandpaper looks too thick to fit in the spacebar crack.

I don't have the brown sandpaper heads, I was just using the that picture as an example.
I will try that later tonight.

Just wanted to add, you've done a stellar job so far. Looks really clean!

Thanks, I felt like I hadn't used enough epoxy when I glued them in, after it dried I was pleasantly surprised with the result.

[PixelVandalism]

I would have used a jig and the glue recommended in my Gallons of Glue thread.

http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?24783-The-HUFFington-Post-Gallons-of-Glue-MOAR-Keyboard-Science

But I'm a bit of a perfectionist.  It's a #1 thing.

I never said I didn't use a jig.
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Edit**

I've dremeled out the original stems from the spacebar.
It's still a little sticky and strange feeling compared to the original.
I'm not really sure what I should do now?
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Edit 2.0**

I put o-rings on the space-bar, and it has almost entirely fixed the problem, there is still a slight stick if I push it slowly, but I'm hoping that it will stop over time.

[VladeK]

May be you should wait for it to dry then apply some decal inside that spacebar.

[PixelVandalism]

May be you should wait for it to dry then apply some decal inside that spacebar.

I don't know what you mean?

[VladeK]

You said your spacebar is "slight stick". So I think a paper decal inside that keycap may help.

[PixelVandalism]

You said your spacebar is "slight stick". So I think a paper decal inside that keycap may help.

I don't mean sticky to the touch.
After a keypress it can have some difficulty coming back up, it feels sticky.

[Glukos]

This IS vandalism. Indeed.