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geekhack Projects => Making Stuff Together! => DIY Discussions ARCHIVE => Topic started by: YetAnotherDeveloper on Fri, 18 March 2011, 18:57:44

Title: The WhiteWidow
Post by: YetAnotherDeveloper on Fri, 18 March 2011, 18:57:44: To pick up where this post (http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?t=15651) left off...

Sanding Down the Case
   This has been only hit with 600 wet for a few seconds. This is still the coating on the case; which will hold onto the finger prints almost as bad as the stock coating.
   (https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_AcUP9NR8k1M/TYOlrNMjMiI/AAAAAAAAB28/sj70h7iiPjM/s800/IMG_7675.JPG)

   Time to remove the coating... the light color is the plastic under the coating.
   (https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_AcUP9NR8k1M/TYOloBG7MhI/AAAAAAAAB2Y/w5fDLc-kkmk/s800/IMG_7666.JPG)

Coating all gone (with 600 grit). Note that at this point if you were to polish the plastic back smooth you would be left with a smoky clear plastic... this might be cool to play around with; there are also 100+ LED connections on the board if you wanted to play with some back lighting under the clear case/frame.
   (https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_AcUP9NR8k1M/TYOlqxPB-AI/AAAAAAAAB24/-YCdAgoo2js/s800/IMG_7674.JPG)

Pulling Switches
   I found that using the desoldering bulb is the easiest way to remove the solder from the switch. I did find that the solder used by the factory was most likely lead-free and therefore a little harder to heat up and remove. What i did was take a quick run at all of them, probably only fully clearing about 30% of them; then i when back over each one that was still soldered and applied some new solder to it (64/40) and then let it site for a quick count to 5. After this it was good enough to use the bulb again to remove the rest. After the 2nd pass with this i had about 90% of the switches clear and free of solder. The rest just required one more pass. If you have some of the other guides they talk about being able to wiggle the switch from the top and you should be able to see all pins move freely. If when you wiggle the switch the pins to not move then do NOT try to remove the switch, this can damage the board, switch or both. I was able to do mine without any damage. Once the solder is all removed then you will just need to "pop" out the switches, I used a screwdriver the same size as the peg in the switch; I would just line it up and with one or two quick knocks it would break free.
   (https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_AcUP9NR8k1M/TYOl1C-liKI/AAAAAAAAB5U/7w5ljcRVVs8/s800/IMG_7711.JPG)
   (https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_AcUP9NR8k1M/TYOl6Ny3CEI/AAAAAAAAB6E/YKsW225DImQ/s800/IMG_7722.JPG)
   (https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_AcUP9NR8k1M/TYOl9TboATI/AAAAAAAAB60/T0YrLpF3VKY/s800/IMG_7734.JPG)

Installing MX whites/clears
   Before I could install the switches I needed to swap the tops of the blue and clears switches; the clears are board mounted and the blues are plate so it took almost 3 hours to pull apart all the switches blue and clear and then rebuild the clears on the blue bottoms. There is no real trick to this that I know of... I just used a small flat head screwdriver to pop the sides of the switches.
   (https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_AcUP9NR8k1M/TYOl-ELya0I/AAAAAAAAB7A/v7uIocNOaK8/s800/IMG_7737.JPG)
   (https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_AcUP9NR8k1M/TYOl_mqgHuI/AAAAAAAAB7U/rFkuNHiTYG8/s800/IMG_7742.JPG)
   (https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_AcUP9NR8k1M/TYOmAT7MZuI/AAAAAAAAB7g/zqpai45ouOE/s800/IMG_7745.JPG)
   (https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_AcUP9NR8k1M/TYOmBLSjguI/AAAAAAAAB7s/9j23nUf2BIg/s800/IMG_7748.JPG)

First Coat with problems in the finish
   I used the Rustoleum Auto Gloss Paint from Lowes Hardware store. This finish is NOT hard enough of a finish to last on your keyboard, mine is currently in the auto body shop down the street getting a shot of clear on it. On this first coat you can see some trash in the paint. I started off with two thin coats and then i wet sanded the whole thing down for the 3rd and 4th coats. The first three coats where done in the first hour of the project but the final coat i waited for 3 days to fully cure and then wet sanded it with 600grit.
   (https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_AcUP9NR8k1M/TYOlrX0tRmI/AAAAAAAAB3A/m6RZMbh8Vqs/s800/IMG_7676.JPG)
   (https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_AcUP9NR8k1M/TYOlsvIMuUI/AAAAAAAAB3Y/uKkSUX3AEZc/s800/IMG_7681.JPG)
   (https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_AcUP9NR8k1M/TYOltDsSkWI/AAAAAAAAB3c/T2cigbPpJlY/s800/IMG_7682.JPG)
   (https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_AcUP9NR8k1M/TYOltAKTB_I/AAAAAAAAB3g/2rqoZjodcn4/s800/IMG_7683.JPG)
   (https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_AcUP9NR8k1M/TYOltmhtlKI/AAAAAAAAB3k/l3QvZYM0PuQ/s800/IMG_7684.JPG)

After Final Coat and no Keys
   (https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_AcUP9NR8k1M/TYOmCWySpQI/AAAAAAAAB8A/vau7L0cusaA/s800/IMG_7753.JPG)
   (https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_AcUP9NR8k1M/TYOmFIVSa1I/AAAAAAAAB8o/tKJ8Upx1JB0/s800/IMG_7762.JPG)
   (https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_AcUP9NR8k1M/TYOmF5bXI3I/AAAAAAAAB8w/K4tdL6UNH2Q/s800/IMG_7764.JPG)


After a wetsand and a new coating of white + Keys
   (https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_AcUP9NR8k1M/TYOluB6pkoI/AAAAAAAAB3s/fnXvx37BegQ/s800/IMG_7686.JPG)
   (https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_AcUP9NR8k1M/TYOluYA6s-I/AAAAAAAAB3w/5EcRpZPr_vg/s800/IMG_7687.JPG)
   (https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_AcUP9NR8k1M/TYOlu4EjZcI/AAAAAAAAB34/T6ch3k34IO8/s800/IMG_7689.JPG)
   (https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_AcUP9NR8k1M/TYOlvYw66-I/AAAAAAAAB4E/xTBl6H3XPms/s800/IMG_7692.JPG)
   (https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_AcUP9NR8k1M/TYOlv2YGa2I/AAAAAAAAB4I/7uAYdbREZcA/s800/IMG_7693.JPG)
Title: The WhiteWidow
Post by: noodles256 on Fri, 18 March 2011, 19:01:03: Was that my blackwidow?

Sick job man
Title: The WhiteWidow
Post by: YetAnotherDeveloper on Fri, 18 March 2011, 19:02:30: Quote from: noodles256;314125
Was that my blackwidow?

Sick job man

it was, thanks for the board!
Title: The WhiteWidow
Post by: YetAnotherDeveloper on Fri, 18 March 2011, 19:06:40: Also i noticed after i got this new blackwidow that they changed the font on the keys at some point. I will get some photos to show the differences in the two but my keyboard has mixed case keys and a really dark key markings where the one you sent has all upper case and the marking are much brighter.
Title: The WhiteWidow
Post by: guilleguillaume on Fri, 18 March 2011, 19:37:15: Awesome JOB! :D

Fantastic, actually like this more than the original.
Title: The WhiteWidow
Post by: celery on Fri, 18 March 2011, 19:37:58: Looks awesome! Black keycaps on a white shell is my favorite combination.
Title: The WhiteWidow
Post by: YetAnotherDeveloper on Fri, 18 March 2011, 19:41:01: Quote from: celery;314134
Looks awesome! Black keycaps on a white shell is my favorite combination.

Yeah i wasnt sure i was going to like it, but it looks really good! I'm a fan.
Title: The WhiteWidow
Post by: nanu on Fri, 18 March 2011, 20:09:33: Looks great! It never even registered in my memory that the original case was shaped like that, with the corners and all.

The sequence of pictures seems out of order. You put another coat of white over the final clear coat? Or does having an auto shop put on a clear coat result in an orange-peel texture?
Title: The WhiteWidow
Post by: YetAnotherDeveloper on Fri, 18 March 2011, 20:20:03: Quote from: nanu;314145
Looks great! It never even registered in my memory that the original case was shaped like that, with the corners and all.

The sequence of pictures seems out of order. You put another coat of white over the final clear coat? Or does having an auto shop put on a clear coat result in an orange-peel texture?

Sorry if my wording is a little unclear. The first section of photos showing the paint and its flaws are the first two coats of paint. I then wet sanded the whole things again with 600grit and applied my final coat(s). The photos of just the case it self are of the first two pre-wet sanding and the photos with the case installed on the keyboard are after the my final coat.

After all of the photos were taken i remove the case and took it to the auto body shop for a shot of clear. i will get it back when i get back in town next week.
Title: The WhiteWidow
Post by: keyboardlover on Fri, 18 March 2011, 22:52:48: Great job! Well done.
Title: The WhiteWidow
Post by: CephalicCarnage on Sat, 19 March 2011, 01:36:33: Fantastic job. It looks amazing!
Title: The WhiteWidow
Post by: DanishDevil on Sat, 19 March 2011, 03:02:11: Thanks for the full-blown follow-up! Looks very clean. I think I'm going to give this a shot with a color similar to my Deathadder Black Edition once I grab another mechanical keyboard to play with.
Title: The WhiteWidow
Post by: n12 on Sat, 19 March 2011, 04:29:27: Looks great. Stormtrooper keyboard.
Title: The WhiteWidow
Post by: db_Iodine on Sat, 19 March 2011, 05:45:26: Great job! Definitely looks better than the original.
Title: The WhiteWidow
Post by: Human on Sat, 19 March 2011, 09:11:41: Quote from: db_Iodine;314281
Great job! Definitely looks better than the original.

Wonder if changing the whole switch will solve the quality issues of BW?

BTW, just realise that the profile of the keyboard also changed?
Title: The WhiteWidow
Post by: ironman31 on Sat, 19 March 2011, 10:44:31: Looks pretty awesome
Title: The WhiteWidow
Post by: YetAnotherDeveloper on Sat, 19 March 2011, 11:19:29: Quote from: Human;314336
Wonder if changing the whole switch will solve the quality issues of BW?

BTW, just realise that the profile of the keyboard also changed?

i know that some have had issues with this keyboard but i have two of them now with no quality issues. I don't have a lot to compare them to but i find them to be a very nice well built keyboard.

The only thing i can think of that this could fix might be the uneven keys issue. Because when you remove the keys you have a chance to reset them to the proper height.
Title: The WhiteWidow
Post by: YetAnotherDeveloper on Sat, 19 March 2011, 11:53:20: This is my first try of the white/clear switches and they are nice. they are heavier than i was thinking they would be but i really like them for gaming and i think i could really like them for general use as well.
Title: The WhiteWidow
Post by: DanishDevil on Sat, 19 March 2011, 14:39:14: Quote from: Human;314336
Wonder if changing the whole switch will solve the quality issues of BW?

BTW, just realise that the profile of the keyboard also changed?

Pardon my ignorance, but what issues? If there's already a thread, a link would be appreciated. I've noticed keys getting stuck on mine every now and then, but other than that it's been pretty good.
Title: The WhiteWidow
Post by: YetAnotherDeveloper on Sat, 19 March 2011, 14:53:20: Quote from: DanishDevil;314439
Pardon my ignorance, but what issues? If there's already a thread, a link would be appreciated. I've noticed keys getting stuck on mine every now and then, but other than that it's been pretty good.

there is a lot of talk about it and its build quality. I have been using it for months and i still like the boards and have none of the issues that others are having. But just because i have had goodluck with them doesnt mean that you will.

i got both of mine for ~50$ each and for that price i'm very happy with what i got.

some issues (http://www.google.com/search?forid=1&ie=ISO-8859-1&oe=ISO-8859-1&cof=http%3A%2F%2Fgeekhack.org%2Fimages%2Fautosportnc-yellow%2Flogo.gif%3BS%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fgeekhack.org%3BFORID%3A1&domains=geekhack.org&hl=en&q=black+widow+issues&sitesearch=http%3A%2F%2Fgeekhack.org) If i find the post that i'm thinking about i will edit this post with a link.
Title: The WhiteWidow
Post by: Human on Sun, 20 March 2011, 05:12:39: Quote from: DanishDevil;314439
Pardon my ignorance, but what issues? If there's already a thread, a link would be appreciated. I've noticed keys getting stuck on mine every now and then, but other than that it's been pretty good.

Tags my post and you will find out 70% of the issue i posted(with picture). Another 30% of issue i post it at another forum, lazy to dig it out...
Title: The WhiteWidow
Post by: keyb_gr on Mon, 21 March 2011, 09:49:30: Quote from: n12;314274
Looks great. Stormtrooper keyboard.

Some poor nail needs an aspirin right now...
Title: The WhiteWidow
Post by: cometbus on Mon, 28 March 2011, 20:20:22: That looks amazing! I love the black keys on white look. Very nice work. :D
Title: The WhiteWidow
Post by: Tony on Wed, 11 January 2012, 20:29:22: Wow it's a very impressive mod.
Title: The WhiteWidow
Post by: Kibibit on Thu, 12 January 2012, 18:38:45: Hmm, so what exactly would you ask of an auto body shop if you wanted this done to get the said "Shot of clears". I very much want to do a similar mod on my Das with some masking tape over the Logo and LED indicator areas. Also, would you have a list of tools or tips for properly sanding down and repainting glossy plastic like this?
Title: The WhiteWidow
Post by: jellowiggler on Thu, 12 January 2012, 19:25:39: He just means that he had it clear coated to seal the paint and protect it.

This is probably a good idea for something that you are going to touch and potentially scratch a lot.

Most auto places will do this for you no problem for a small fee.
Title: The WhiteWidow
Post by: YetAnotherDeveloper on Thu, 12 January 2012, 19:53:28: Yep! just tell them that you want a coat of clear on it.

Quote from: jellowiggler;489088
He just means that he had it clear coated to seal the paint and protect it.

This is probably a good idea for something that you are going to touch and potentially scratch a lot.

Most auto places will do this for you no problem for a small fee.
Title: The WhiteWidow
Post by: zirb on Fri, 10 February 2012, 03:18:18: Wow this looks beautiful! Oo
Title: The WhiteWidow
Post by: notnay on Fri, 10 February 2012, 18:04:13: I dig this.

Might undertake a similar venture for my blackwidow.

Granted purplewidow doesn't sound as badass.
Title: The WhiteWidow
Post by: YetAnotherDeveloper on Fri, 10 February 2012, 18:07:03: Quote from: notnay;511329
I dig this.

Might undertake a similar venture for my blackwidow.

Granted purplewidow doesn't sound as badass.

you should do it one of the mx switch colors... like the brownWidow or the RedWidow
Title: The WhiteWidow
Post by: Gabo on Thu, 16 February 2012, 13:29:11: Insane! Looks awesome :)
Title: The WhiteWidow
Post by: notnay on Fri, 17 February 2012, 00:58:57: Considered doing this to my blackwidow, shame I'm too lazy to desolder all the switches to swap them out for browns.

Kudos on the very clean paintjob.
Title: The WhiteWidow
Post by: CreeperGriefer on Mon, 27 February 2012, 13:04:31: yeah it looks sick i want to do this and get a corsair 600t white i reckon the two together will looks sick as,but im to scared im gonna mess it up.
and it looks like the keys have sunk in the final photos?
Title: The WhiteWidow
Post by: YetAnotherDeveloper on Mon, 27 February 2012, 15:24:05: Quote from: CreeperGriefer;528206
... it looks like the keys have sunk in the final photos?

The reason it looks like that is that the top of the case is just sitting on the keyboard, i hadn't screwed it in place yet; other than the color it looks stock.
Title: The WhiteWidow
Post by: huttala on Tue, 28 February 2012, 16:05:59: omfg, didn't think anyone would do a thing like this as good as you did, cudos to you man, this is amazing.