Well, I've found the threads in this sub to be very helpful and inspiring so I decided I would join in and start a topic documenting my journey so far in keycap making!
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A few keycap making threads really grabbed my attention and inspired me to give keycap making a go!
I experimented with a couple designs- working mainly with sculpey and an exacto. I figured if I was going to make a cap, I wanted to design something and not just cast a cap exactly from an existing piece.
I did the initial design with sculpey which was built up on a PBT plastic keycap as PBT has a higher melting point and will hold up when you bake the clay.
anyway, I made a little design, baked him, then got to making the mold. I decided to go with a 2 part mold for my keycap.
I found a size-appropriate box and taped it up around the sides after removing the top and bottom of it. I then created a clay base where I placed the keycap model.
I've read that brushing the silicone mixture onto your model helps the silicone to not bubble and make it into all the small crevices. Also, it is suggested that you do a "high pour" with the silicone mixture so that you get a really thin stream which will help get rid of bubbles.
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I chose a silicone with a long pot life since I don't have a pressure pot or vacuum chamber to help in the process. This gives me more time to try and get the bubbles out by vibrating the piece.
After the cure time was up, I carefully pulled apart the box. I wanted to use it again for part 2 so I had to be sure and keep the box in tact.
I removed all the clay from the bottom side and cleaned up the edges of the mold.
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For the second half of the mold, I glued q-tip stems to opposing corners on the keys to create a sprue(?) for the excess plastic to flow through. I'm not sure if this is the best way to do this, but it seemed like a good place to put the holes..
I also forgot to make a key so that the 2 parts would line up so I carved some little holes in the the mold. I didn't have a mold release, so I used a bit of petroleum jelly instead. This seems to be a no-no technically, but it worked fine for me. I do plan on getting some release though! Once everything was prepped, and the box was re-taped in place, I poured the second piece of the mold, again taking care to paint the silicone onto the stem and other surface areas.
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After letting part 2 cure, I cracked this baby open! Waiting is the most difficult part.
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Not too bad for a first go! Now time to try and cast a keycap
I used a low viscosity 2 part plastic. I measured out my part A and part B and added the dye to part A. I then poured them together and stirred slowly keeping my stir stick touching the bottom of the cup. Supposedly this helps reduce bubbles... I used a small brush to try and get the plastic coated all over the mold and in the small spots - then poured the rest of my plastic mixture. I coated both pieces of my mold in plastic before pouring and took care to give the stem area a lot of attention so as not to trap bubbles. After that, I smooshed the 2 mold halves together and "secured" it with a hair band. I let it cure for about 4 hours and Ta da! - keycap!
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I had to clean up the flashing and sand the edges a bit, but I was surprised with how well it turned out! I can probably attribute that to all the awesome folks who have tried this before and posted their findings
Also, I got all my materials from Reynolds Advanced Materials. They are super helpful and knowledgable! I didn't know exactly what to buy to do all this so I basically told them what I was trying to accomplish and asked what they recommended for materials.
I've been able to make a few presentable keycaps, but more than half of them still come out with unacceptable bubbles. Now my next step to try and achieve bubble-freeness is to invest in a pressure pot/vacuum chamber. I'm also going to try a few other materials and additives!
Anyway, there's more to come eventually
I hope ya'll find this interesting/helpful!
