Hey All,
I have been really grateful to receive help from community posts, so I want to journal my progress learning to make key caps and hopefully help others along the way too. This post is going to be on what I’ve learned sculpting a key cap with Kneadatite "Green Stuff" using a ~:$ynth as a base as well as my attempts to cast them into functional key caps.
Without further ado, I am proud to share my first cap! Introducing,
The Tiki
Here’s a list of the materials I used to make The Tiki:
(I am still learning what works best, so this list will continue to update.)
Materials:Sculpting Medium- Kneadatite (“Green Stuff”)
Tools- X-ACTO Knife
-My go-to tool hands down. Great for making small details and cutting the Green Stuff - Dental Wax Carving Set
-Really good place to start to see what tools work for making details. The most useful I find are the needle tip and small rounded spoon tools - Rubber Smoothing Tools
-Not 100% necessary since Green Stuff is already smooth and holds its form very well, but still useful
Base- Blank keycap or ~:$ynth ($ynth)
-Really anything will do - a plank of wood, a sheet of metal, whatever forms a flat platform
Miscellaneous- Impermeable gloves
-Per the manufacturer’s recommendations, use impermeable gloves when handling the uncured material to protect your skin from damage - Water/Cooking Oil
-Lubricant to prevent Green Stuff from sticking - Brush/Paper towel to apply water/oil
Green Stuff - General Overview. Green Stuff comes separated into two strips, one blue and one yellow. Green Stuff is pre-measured to a 50-50 mix ratio, which worked just fine for my purposes. However, varying the amount of blue:yellow parts affects the consistency, working life, and ultimate hardness of the material. In short, a blue-dominant mix is harder, faster curing, and is stronger once cured. On the other hand, a yellow-dominant mix is stickier, longer curing, and is more flexible once cured. See The Battleforge’s guide (
http://www.thebattleforge.co.uk/green-stuff-12-w.asp) with much more info on the Green Stuff. The guide dives into more specifics and gives great tips like the cooking oil trick!)
Once mixed, Green Stuff becomes very sticky and has a firm feel similar to putty or “chewed bubble gum” as The Battleforge states. This consistency means Green Stuff holds its form well and still allows for shaping and molding. As a result, it can create smooth finishes and more intricate details. However, its malleable texture makes it difficult to form sharp 90 degree edges, which may limit design options.
I can’t emphasize enough how sticky Green Stuff is In fact, its stickiness alone may be the hardest part about working with this material. Because of this, keep materials, tools, and hands wet or oiled. I initially used water, but found it annoying to constantly dip my fingers and tools in the water and would sometimes not have my Green Stuff wet enough, causing it to stick and deform. I switched to canola oil and did not a problem of sticking. However, it makes it difficult to add additional layers of Green Stuff on top of an oiled layer, so it is necessary to completely wash or clean off the oil before adding more.
Green Stuff has a rough working life of 1.5 - 2 hours. Thus, it maintains its sticky consistency until it hardens after 4 - 5 hours and finally reaches its ultimate hardness around 20 - 24 hours.
When it comes to sculpting caps with Green Stuff, the process can be broken down to 3 steps:
1. Mixing
2. Making the Base
3. Adding Detail
1. Mixing First, mix the green stuff. This is as simple as cutting off a portion of the roll and twisting the two parts together until you get a uniform green color. I found the pre-measured 50:50 ratio worked for this cap. Two things to note when mixing:
- Stay lubricated! - Use enough water/oil to prevent sticking, but be careful not to add too much.
Excess can keep the Green Stuff from mixing. - A little at a time - Once mixed, the countdown starts. Green Stuff begins to harden, so avoid mixing more than needed.
2. Making the BaseThe first time I tried sculpting a key cap, I began adding Green Stuff directly to a blank key cap. Though it worked (with mixed results), it was a huge pain. My hand cramped from holding the small key, which caused me to drop it several times while I was sculpting, more often than not messing up my sculpt… It was also hard to keep the Green Stuff in place when I sculpted on the front of blanks, since it would not be anchored to the key and would slide around. I did manage to make a few drafts, but it was annoying having to struggle with the blank.
I was ecstatic when my brother gifted me a synth. It was game changing!
The $ynth has many advantages. It provides me with something bigger to hold and also has grooves to anchor the base of your sculpture. A
huge benefit of working with Green Stuff on a $ynth is the design of the $ynth allows one to create sculpts that can be
removed and reused in the future. This feature is amazing, since you can then sculpt multiple designs and cast with only one $ynth!
Since I am using a $ynth as a base, I began exactly a Binge describes in his comprehensive guide on working with a $ynth (
https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=78551.0).
Binge is very clear and covers exactly what to do. Unfortunately, I don't know how to follow directions... I'd love to say I purposely demonstrated what NOT to do for the benefit of others... but that's not the case. Below are a few examples of what to avoid when sculpting on a $ynth:
• After oiling the $ynth, I rolled up some Green Stuff into a thin cylinder and used my tools to shape the base. I was quick to add detail; however, this was a mistake. Well, maybe more of a waste of time because I ended up adding more green stuff over the base. I made a second mistake in adding green stuff past the outer edge of the $ynth’s boundaries. It is
CRUCIAL that the sculpt stays within the limits of the $ynth because it allows your key caps to fit snugly next to each other. (HINT: Binge explicitly says to avoid doing both of these…)
• Notice I added extra green stuff down the sprue holes to anchor the sculpt to the $ynth. ALERT ALERT!!! Make sure to NOT do this. Per Binge’s guide, my sculpt’s base shouldn’t fill the entire sprue hole. Doing so would’ve allowed me to cleanly remove and save my sculpture. Instead, I’ll have to force my sculpt off and pray it doesn’t break...
If only I had read the user manual...
3. Adding DetailNow that I made my base, I began adding detail to rest of my key cap. As I added new layers, I washed off any oil on the Green Stuff, all the while keeping my base lubricated to prevent sticking.
For each detail I waited for the material to harden to a point where I could then add another layer without deforming the initial sculpture. This tested my patience. Since green stuff has a 1.5 - 2 hour working life, it proved enough time to sculpt but it required me to wait for the material to cure.
I began by sculpting from the bottom-most detail and ended with the topmost.
Looking back on this sculpt, I wish I had considered how the layering would affect the final key cap’s coloring. The height of each layer affects the depth of the mold, with the topmost layer forming the bottom of the mold. Deeper pockets in the mold (caused by taller details) are easier to pour resin in to. This means if I wanted to make a multicolored cap, I would have more control over the final coloring.
Finished sculpt:
In short, here's a list of the pros and cons I found working with Kneadatite "Green Stuff"
• Pros- Organic shapes and form
- Holds details well when sculpting
- Cures very strong
- Removable and reusable sculpts (with a $ynth)!!!
• Cons- Difficult to make sharp/clean edges
- Very sticky consistency
- Cannot easily alter details once cured (good and bad)
Closing ThoughtsOverall, working with green stuff was new and challenging. After several botched attempts, I can say I am mostly satisfied with my final design. Through this process, I learned which of the dental tools I liked and realized how awesome the X-ACTO blade is for creating detail. Even though I am not able to achieve hard edges with green stuff, I do like the organic aesthetic of the more rounded features on my cap. However, the fact that my final sculpt extends past the limits of the $ynth boundaries means that no two of these babies will ever be able to rest snugly next to another... Sad day. In the future, I plan on using this design to practice my mold making and casting, but I am hesitant to release it due to the excessive size. I hope I was able to provide some insight into the process of sculpting key caps with Green Stuff. I want to emphasize the importance of sculpting with whatever medium works best for you. It takes a lot of trial and error through practice to make progress. Going forward, I am eager to sculpt more with green stuff, and I am also very interested in messing around with more clay-like material such as Super Sculpey. But no matter what material you use, find one you like and get sculpting!
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Updates----------------
First Cast - 2017.08.27
Using non degassed Oomoo 30 molds and Alumilite resin, I hand poured several caps using my synth and oil based dyes. I also spread vaseline on the synth to prevent the resin from sticking.
Second Cast - 2017.12.01
Messed around with some new powdered colors I got as well as Mann Ease Release 200 for a nonstick synth. The sickly green one mistakenly turned out looking good, with the powder not completely dissolving and leaving speckles. Some of the others were not what I expected, but overall I was satisfied with the results.
Of the total caps, only three had good stems... still dealing with those pesky bubbles... Leaning towards getting a pressure pot to try and get a perfect cap.
Third Cast - 2018.01.19-21Burgundy:
Light Lime Green:
Neon Green:
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