geekhack
geekhack Community => Keyboard Keycaps => Topic started by: ju6ju8Oo on Sun, 18 March 2018, 10:15:00
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Keycaps made with Pottery Clay, anyone tried?
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No, but i do make quite a bit with clay. The problem i forsee is the uneven 5 to to 10% shrinkage you get when firing. It would probably be best to make a large enough hole on the underside of the ceramic key to be able to take a stem cut off a plastic key. That way you could glue the plastic stem into the ceramic key and make sure you get a good fit to the switch.
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a plastic stem sounds like a good plan!
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I haven't personally tried that, I use super sculpy medium for all the stuff I work on. I think pottery clay would run into a bunch of issues with detailing and drying out and everything. It might be worth a try, but it could end up just being a pain.
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No, but i do make quite a bit with clay. The problem i forsee is the uneven 5 to to 10% shrinkage you get when firing. It would probably be best to make a large enough hole on the underside of the ceramic key to be able to take a stem cut off a plastic key. That way you could glue the plastic stem into the ceramic key and make sure you get a good fit to the switch.
Wouldn't the plastic melt in the kiln
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No, but i do make quite a bit with clay. The problem i forsee is the uneven 5 to to 10% shrinkage you get when firing. It would probably be best to make a large enough hole on the underside of the ceramic key to be able to take a stem cut off a plastic key. That way you could glue the plastic stem into the ceramic key and make sure you get a good fit to the switch.
Wouldn't the plastic melt in the kiln
I suspect the idea is to fire the keycap first, and glue the stem in when it has cooled.
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I seem to remember a thread a few years ago where someone said they attempted it and their keycap exploded in the kiln and destroyed a bunch of peoples stuff so they gave up.
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I seem to remember a thread a few years ago where someone said they attempted it and their keycap exploded in the kiln and destroyed a bunch of peoples stuff so they gave up.
lmao
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To my knowledge, creating anything to such a precise degree out of pottery clay will be a massive challenge, if it is at all possible. Perhaps it would be more feasible to create a solid butt and separately mill the stem.
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Instead of pottery clay I think air dry sculpting clay would be better for the job. but even that I have not tried. Still new to the Keyboard Hobby, and just slowly easing my way in.
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I was thinking this exact thing earlier. I think porcelain caps would be totally rad.
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I was thinking this exact thing earlier. I think porcelain caps would be totally rad.
Ceramic caps exist. Porcelain caps would certainly be possible.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ceramic-Backlit-Keycap-Artisan-R4-OEM-Key-Caps-For-Cherry-MX-Mechanical-Keyboard/152717937998