Alps Appreciation Thread

[chyros]

@Chyros: Yes, indeed, the test I ran would "negatively favor" lubricated sliders. I should have made it clearer that I thoroughly removed the lubricant from the sliders before running the test.

Ah, yeah, see, that's good. We already postulated that Alps switches to a slipperier plastic after their first-generation switches (presumably POM) to eliminate the need for lubricant. Your data would seem to corroborate this, so this is excellent.

Measuring actual smoothness is a bit hard though. Even with a force meter I don't think this is possible.

[E3E]

@Chyros: Yes, indeed, the test I ran would "negatively favor" lubricated sliders. I should have made it clearer that I thoroughly removed the lubricant from the sliders before running the test.

Ah, yeah, see, that's good. We already postulated that Alps switches to a slipperier plastic after their first-generation switches (presumably POM) to eliminate the need for lubricant. Your data would seem to corroborate this, so this is excellent.

Measuring actual smoothness is a bit hard though. Even with a force meter I don't think this is possible.

I'm sure others have tried this already, but I have tested the older sliders with acetone and they don't react to it at all. I wonder what plastic was used.

[Mattr567]

Looks like the server's over at Deskthority are on fire.

Also anyone got any SKCM Amber? Figure it would be better to buy/trade my way to a (mostly) full Amber Focus rather than use SKCM Blue.

[MandrewDavis]

Looks like the server's over at Deskthority are on fire.

Also anyone got any SKCM Amber? Figure it would be better to buy/trade my way to a (mostly) full Amber Focus rather than use SKCM Blue.

I may be able to get you about ten once I am done with one of my builds.

[Mattr567]

Cool. I need about 54 more lol. Posted in the classifieds.

[y11971alex]

I was about to x-post something from DT, but it seems down for some reason

[Hypersphere]

@Chyros: Yes, indeed, the test I ran would "negatively favor" lubricated sliders. I should have made it clearer that I thoroughly removed the lubricant from the sliders before running the test.

Ah, yeah, see, that's good. We already postulated that Alps switches to a slipperier plastic after their first-generation switches (presumably POM) to eliminate the need for lubricant. Your data would seem to corroborate this, so this is excellent.

Measuring actual smoothness is a bit hard though. Even with a force meter I don't think this is possible.

I'm sure others have tried this already, but I have tested the older sliders with acetone and they don't react to it at all. I wonder what plastic was used.

If we were able to choose a polymer for keyboard switch sliders today, there are several excellent candidates, including nylon, teflon, Delrin, and ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene. Dupont makes some excellent low-friction plastics:

http://www.dupont.com/products-and-services/plastics-polymers-resins/articles/low-friction-plastic.html

It would indeed be interesting to know which plastics were used in the first-generation Alps sliders and which ones are used currently in Alps and/or Matias sliders.

Polymers are getting better and better, increasingly replacing metals in various moving parts.

[chyros]

@Chyros: Yes, indeed, the test I ran would "negatively favor" lubricated sliders. I should have made it clearer that I thoroughly removed the lubricant from the sliders before running the test.

Ah, yeah, see, that's good. We already postulated that Alps switches to a slipperier plastic after their first-generation switches (presumably POM) to eliminate the need for lubricant. Your data would seem to corroborate this, so this is excellent.

Measuring actual smoothness is a bit hard though. Even with a force meter I don't think this is possible.

I'm sure others have tried this already, but I have tested the older sliders with acetone and they don't react to it at all. I wonder what plastic was used.

If we were able to choose a polymer for keyboard switch sliders today, there are several excellent candidates, including nylon, teflon, Delrin, and ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene. Dupont makes some excellent low-friction plastics:

http://www.dupont.com/products-and-services/plastics-polymers-resins/articles/low-friction-plastic.html

It would indeed be interesting to know which plastics were used in the first-generation Alps sliders and which ones are used currently in Alps and/or Matias sliders.

Polymers are getting better and better, increasingly replacing metals in various moving parts.

One Alps employee I talked to did mention that the sliders were "probably nylon" but he couldn't remember for sure because it had been so long ago.

[Hypersphere]

In order to improve the sound and feel of my Northgate Omnikey 101 with SKCM White ("Bamboo" -- no slits) Alps switches, I decided to swap out not only the top switch housings, but also the sliders and return springs from SKCM Orange Alps switches, which have "Pine" (with slits) top switch housings. The bottom housings, switchplates, and click leaves from the White Alps switches were retained.

This White-Orange hybridization resulted in an improved sound and feel of the former Bamboo White Alps switches. The transformed board no longer has the rattly quality of Bamboo White Alps switches. It is quieter overall and a bit more like typing on Blue Alps.

For comparison, here is my Leading Edge DC-3014 with SKCM Blue Alps:





And here is a waveform from an audio recording of the following keystrokes: -09 poi lkj ,mn Backspace x 3 Enter x 3 Spacebar x3



Here is my Omnikey 101 being transformed into a White-Orange hybrid:




And a waveform from an audio recording of the Omnikey 101 with White-Orange hybrid switches (same keystrokes as those recorded on the Blue Alps board):



Finally, here is a video comparison:

Of course, I should have done a before and after comparison of the Omnikey 101, but true to my usual habit, I didn't think of doing any documentation until the transformation was well underway. Nevertheless, I can say that the keyboard sounds and feels better than it did before. However, I also changed too many variables at once, so I cannot say which one or which combination of changes did the trick. Suffice it to say that it is a delight to type on with a more solid sound and feel than the DC-3014 with Blue Alps.

[PollandAkuma]

Soooooo... I decided to get an old board with green alps, since I want to try linears, costing about $60... Is it worth it over cherry blacks?

[alienman82]

removed.

[chyros]

Soooooo... I decided to get an old board with green alps, since I want to try linears, costing about $60... Is it worth it over cherry blacks?

Whatever you do, make sure it's clean. If it is, then sure! It was green Alps that got me into linear switches .

[Hypersphere]

I'm in the process of cleaning up a Zenith 163-73 with linear Yellow Alps switches. The layout is not my favorite, but it's not too bad. The oversized Right Bracket can be remapped as Backspace and the split Right Shift makes for an ideal location for a Fn key. The keycaps on this model are nice -- dye-subbed PBT.

What do folks here think of click-modding a Yellow Alps board? (Note that although the procedure is rather laborious, it is straightforward to reverse the mod -- no desoldering/resoldering required).

[chyros]

I'm in the process of cleaning up a Zenith 163-73 with linear Yellow Alps switches. The layout is not my favorite, but it's not too bad. The oversized Right Bracket can be remapped as Backspace and the split Right Shift makes for an ideal location for a Fn key. The keycaps on this model are nice -- dye-subbed PBT.

What do folks here think of click-modding a Yellow Alps board? (Note that although the procedure is rather laborious, it is straightforward to reverse the mod -- no desoldering/resoldering required).

Yeah, why not? You'll have to switch the top housings though.

[Hypersphere]

Thanks, Chyros. Yes, I know about the top housings -- the LED cutouts in the Yellow Alps would be in the way of the click leaves.

mike52787 is kindly sending me some Pine White Alps switches, and I might use these for the click mod.

In the meantime, I tried out the mod on one of the Yellow Alps switches using a top housing from an Orange Alps switch and a click leaf from a Matias Click switch. I kept the slider and spring from the Yellow Alps, and of course the bottom housing and switchplate are retained. The result is very nice indeed.

BTW, as far as I can tell, the click leaves from a Matias Click and a SKCM White Alps are identical. Does anyone know of any differences?

[alienman82]

removed.

[mike52787]

mike52787 is kindly sending me some Pine White Alps switches, and I might use these for the click mod.

You should be getting those tomorrow or monday

[Hypersphere]

More

One of my newest and most pristine Northgate Omnikey 101 ANSI SKCM White Alps keyboards doesn't sound and feel quite as good as my older Omni 101s. The only difference in construction that I can find is that the newer board has "bamboo" (no slits) switches, whereas the older boards have "pine" switches (with slits in the top housings).

Therefore, I've  decided to mod the bamboo switches by replacing at least the top housings with pine housings from an Orange Alps board. I am going to keep the White click leaves, but I am undecided about the other swappable components (slider and return spring).

Sliders from Orange Alps are factory-lubricated, but because the switches are old, I decided to give them a thorough cleaning in an ultrasonic cleaner, which of course removes the lubricant. After doing this and looking for similarities and differences among different types of sliders that I have at hand (Blue Alps, Orange Alps, White Alps, and Matias-Click), I noticed a subjective difference in slipperiness among the sliders. By pressing a finder against the slider and pulling my finger across it, I felt more friction with the Orange and Blue sliders than with the White and Matias sliders.

However, I wanted to get some quantitative indicator of slipperiness, so I rigged up a simple experiment to measure the coefficient of static friction. This consisted of a smooth plastic ruler as an inclined plane and a second ruler clamped perpendicular to the desk. I placed the slider at a fixed spot on the plastic ruler and slowly tilted the ruler until the slider slid down the ruler. I measured the distance on the vertical ruler corresponding to when the slider broke free of friction and slid down the incline. Thus knowing two sides of a right triangle, I could calculate the angle of tilt and its tangent, which is the coefficient of static friction. I did this 5 times for each slider, calculated the mean and standard error of the friction coefficients, and plotted the results:

(Attachment Link)

I also ran one-way ANOVA and the Tukey post-hoc test to find statistically significant (p < 0.05) differences. In the above chart, if two values are significantly different from each other, they have different small letters above the bar. A lower mean value corresponds to a lower coefficient of static friction (more slippery).

The results show that Blue and Orange sliders do not differ significantly in static friction. White sliders are more slippery than either Blue or Orange, and Matias-Click sliders are the most slippery.

This was a very crude experiment and YMMV, but it showed me that my subjective qualitative impressions were validated by this rough quantitative measurement.

I am not quite sure how to interpret the results, but they might provide an explanation for why Blue and Orange Alps switches were apparently factory-lubricated.

So what do they look like when lubed? or is the lube only on the bottom of the slider, near the contact points of the leaf springs (ie, where the little black lube squares are on the slider)

If there really any difference between pine and bamboo tops other than the slits? The slits just serve to provide a bit of padding on the return stroke, no, so you'd expect the difference to be just in the return stroke.

Or is the opening any different? I think that Matias case tops have an expanded opening, but can't confirm.

The lube on Orange and Blue sliders is dry, but when I sonicated the sliders, I got an "oil slick" on the surface of the water bath.

The only visible difference between Pine and Bamboo switch tops is the slits, as far as I can tell. Yes, I think you are correct about the slits damping the return stroke.

Matias switch tops are incompatible with SKCM Alps -- the switch plate / contact leaf bits are entirely different between the two types of switches. However, the sliders and click / tactile leaves are compatible.

[menuhin]

What are some of the common 'dry' lube (molybdenum disulfide lubricants?) on the market?
I'm tired of the Krytox shortage problem in Europe, but wet lube should be irrelevant to Alps.

[Norman_the_Owl]

Just went from using dampened white alps and cream alps in an SGI granite and AEK 2 respectively to an omnikey 101 (My second, it's in mostly perfect shape) with undampened white alps and i think i'm about to go deaf. Not even my MX blues assault my ears like this.

It's not unpleasant, just over the top and shockingly loud

[mike52787]

Just went from using dampened white alps and cream alps in an SGI granite and AEK 2 respectively to an omnikey 101 (My second, it's in mostly perfect shape) with undampened white alps and i think i'm about to go deaf. Not even my MX blues assault my ears like this.

It's not unpleasant, just over the top and shockingly loud

If you dont like the loudness of white alps, never try capacitive buckling spring

[Hypersphere]

What are some of the common 'dry' lube in the market? I'm tired of the Krytox shortage problem in Europe.

I have not yet tried any of the dry lubricants. A popular one is Dupont teflon non-stick dry-film lubricant, available from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/DuPont-Teflon-Non-Stick-Dry-Film-Lubricant/dp/B018FTA5WA

It is a spray that dries to a powdery teflon-containing coating.

My own non-dry lubricant method is rather tedious but it works for me: I apply Superlube 51010 oil with a small paintbrush.

[menuhin]

This post: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=75785.msg1885894#msg1885894 and the Alps party post convinced me to try dry lube and totally forget about Krytox (if for my MX, I just have Gateron linear and Zealios).

[E3E]

This post: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=75785.msg1885894#msg1885894 and the Alps party post convinced me to try dry lube and totally forget about Krytox (if for my MX, I just have Gateron linear and Zealios).

Yep, nubbinator's post is what convinced me to try molybdenum disulfide powder for Alps. The stuff looks practically just like the dry lube found on Alps sliders. Not sure if a moly dry film grease would be better, but it already sticks quite well as a powder.

[Hypersphere]

Has anyone here tried mixing a dry lube such as MoS₂ with a solvent so that it could be applied evenly? The solvent would evaporate, leaving a film of the dry lube.

[E3E]

Has anyone here tried mixing a dry lube such as MoS₂ with a solvent so that it could be applied evenly? The solvent would evaporate, leaving a film of the dry lube.

I was thinking of this, but I'm no chemist like you or Chyros seem to be (you at least seem to have a good knowledge of chemistry ). What would be a good option for molybdenum disulfide?

[chyros]

Has anyone here tried mixing a dry lube such as MoS₂ with a solvent so that it could be applied evenly? The solvent would evaporate, leaving a film of the dry lube.

I was thinking of this, but I'm no chemist like you or Chyros seem to be (you at least seem to have a good knowledge of chemistry ). What would be a good option for molybdenum disulfide?

Thing is, I'm not sure that those tiny patches of greyish stuff at the base of the slider is the actual lubricant. I think it's the transparent stuff that the whole slider is coated in. So not "dry" lubricant, more like "dried" lubricant.

[Hypersphere]

Thanks for the compliment. I would definitely include Chyros as a card-carrying chemist as well as an expert in "keyboard science".

I haven't worked with molybdenum disulfide, but I understand that it is a black powder that tends to stain everything it touches black. Have you found this to be the case?

The lubricant residue that I have seen on blue and orange Alps does not look black to me, but I have not experimented with molybdenum to see if a thin film looks black on an Alps slider.

After some Googling, I found that both molybdenum disulfide and PTFE ("Teflon") powder can be suspended in isopropyl alcohol for application to the parts to be lubricated. The alcohol evaporates leaving a thin film of the lubricant that tends to bond to the surface of the part.

I've ordered some PTFE powder to give the procedure a try.

[alienman82]

removed.

[Hypersphere]

PTFE does not dissolve in any solvent that I know of, but it is possible to make a suspension or dispersion of PTFE in various solvents, including water. However, for use as a dry lubricant, you want the solvent to evaporate relatively quickly, so if using isopropyl alcohol, it would make sense to use a high concentration of the alcohol. Isopropyl alcohol forms a constant-boiling mixture (azeotrope) with water at 91% isopropyl alcohol by volume, so this would be my choice.

[E3E]

Thanks Hypersphere, that's fantastic as I have a lot of 99% isopropyl alcohol around to use for this. I might give it a go then! Yes, I, at one point, did question whether or not the black marks on older sliders were due to dry lubricant or were just from dirt, leaning against the idea that it was lubricant at first, but then going the opposite route.

I guess maybe my original feeling about those marks was more in the right direction. Hmm.

Overall though, I still feel that the switch top housing plays the largest part in the feel of the switch, including smoothness, over the slider. I guess the slider would be more important when it comes to feeling any friction in the downward and upward strokes, but the top definitely seems to cause the binding and stickiness issues when it's dirty. I find cleaning just the tops and just dusting the sliders off restores a lot of the feel of the switches.

[tomboy]

I'm typing on my very first ALPS board right now, orange switches from an AEK.
My question is, are these switches supposed to feel super dry?

[menuhin]

There's also Molybdenum Disulfide Grease - I wonder how it compares to Krytox 205, or after all is Krytox just kind of a 'cult lube' despite having many high performance alternatives?
http://www.ebay.de/itm/361071499602?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649

@Tomboy
Many people like orange Alps.
What do you mean by "super dry"? Does it mean scratchy? Or rough?

[Hypersphere]

@E3E: Regarding the top housings, I was amazed at how much of a difference these made when comparing Pine (with slits) vs. Bamboo (no slits) SKCM White Alps switches. When it comes to friction or smoothness, it is difficult to separate the effect of the slider from that of the top housing, because the friction is generated by interaction of the slider and the top housing, with some additional contribution by the tactile or click leaf rubbing against the slider.

@tomboy: Could you elaborate on what you mean by the Orange Alps from an AEK feeling super dry? If you are experiencing a sensation of friction, i.e., a lack of smoothness, the switches might be dirty and could benefit from cleaning and possibly by lubrication as well.

[tomboy]

@tomboy: Could you elaborate on what you mean by the Orange Alps from an AEK feeling super dry? If you are experiencing a sensation of friction, i.e., a lack of smoothness, the switches might be dirty and could benefit from cleaning and possibly by lubrication as well.

It's kinda hard to describe 'cause I don't have much experience with different switches. They feel a bit like mx clears until actuation but less smooth (not smooth at all), but maybe it's just because I was using gateron yellows for a long time now? I'll definitely clean them, if they are supposed to feel somewhat smooth
What kind of lube do you recommend? The only thing I have at hand is silicon lube used for twisty puzzles (https://thecubicle.us/cubicle-silicone-lube-c-35_64.html) would that work here as well?

[mike52787]

@tomboy: Could you elaborate on what you mean by the Orange Alps from an AEK feeling super dry? If you are experiencing a sensation of friction, i.e., a lack of smoothness, the switches might be dirty and could benefit from cleaning and possibly by lubrication as well.

It's kinda hard to describe 'cause I don't have much experience with different switches. They feel a bit like mx clears until actuation but less smooth (not smooth at all), but maybe it's just because I was using gateron yellows for a long time now? I'll definitely clean them, if they are supposed to feel somewhat smooth
What kind of lube do you recommend? The only thing I have at hand is silicon lube used for twisty puzzles (https://thecubicle.us/cubicle-silicone-lube-c-35_64.html) would that work here as well?

Yup, sounds like a classic case of dirty alps. What condition was the board in that you took them out of? Dirty alps are never nice. Alps are very susceptible to dirt.

[tomboy]

@tomboy: Could you elaborate on what you mean by the Orange Alps from an AEK feeling super dry? If you are experiencing a sensation of friction, i.e., a lack of smoothness, the switches might be dirty and could benefit from cleaning and possibly by lubrication as well.

It's kinda hard to describe 'cause I don't have much experience with different switches. They feel a bit like mx clears until actuation but less smooth (not smooth at all), but maybe it's just because I was using gateron yellows for a long time now? I'll definitely clean them, if they are supposed to feel somewhat smooth
What kind of lube do you recommend? The only thing I have at hand is silicon lube used for twisty puzzles (https://thecubicle.us/cubicle-silicone-lube-c-35_64.html) would that work here as well?

Yup, sounds like a classic case of dirty alps. What condition was the board in that you took them out of? Dirty alps are never nice. Alps are very susceptible to dirt.

The board wasn't built by me, so I have little to no idea (build log: http://imgur.com/account/favorites/sTV8q), I only changed the caps so far. It was it the mail for more than a month, that could have also contributed.



So disassembling the switches and cleaning them out with compressed air would be a good first step I presume?

[Hypersphere]

@tomboy: If you are accustomed to Gateron Yellows, those switches are very smooth indeed. SKCL Green or Yellow Alps in excellent condition are also extremely smooth.

Good luck with cleaning and possibly lubing your Orange Alps.

Opinions vary widely over whether or not to lube and, if you lube, which lube to use. My own (current) preference is to clean the switch tops, springs, tactile leaves, and sliders in an ultrasonic cleaner, rinse with distilled water and/or 70% isopropyl alcohol, allow to dry completely, and lube the slider rails and tactile leaf side of the slider with Superlube 51010 oil applied sparingly with a small paintbrush.

Before reassembly, I blow out the bottom switch housings with canned air and visually inspect to be sure there is no visible dirt in the bottom of the switch. If any of the switches were unresponsive or exhibiting chatter, I clean the switchplate with a contact cleaner and allow the switch to dry completely before reassembly.

[E3E]

@E3E: Regarding the top housings, I was amazed at how much of a difference these made when comparing Pine (with slits) vs. Bamboo (no slits) SKCM White Alps switches. When it comes to friction or smoothness, it is difficult to separate the effect of the slider from that of the top housing, because the friction is generated by interaction of the slider and the top housing, with some additional contribution by the tactile or click leaf rubbing against the slider.

Very true, very true. I've noticed immense improvement just from the top housings being swapped for newer ones and even from ultra sonic cleaned tops. I don't think I've encountered any sliders that have needed more than a blast of air to clean them off, but I'm sure that might simply be because I haven't encountered the worst of the worst yet.

[Applet]

I'm generally not a huge fan of clicky switches (due to the loudness), but I just click-modded one of my unused orange alps, and it  SO crisp and smooth! I did not expect it to be such a difference in feel, not sure if I can go back to normal oranges after this (I just needed to vent my feelings )

[tomboy]

I cleaned the switches with some compressed air and I ended up removing the tactile leafs, I really like the feel/sound without them. I guess I'm starting to realise I prefer linears... 

Thanks for all the good advice!

[menuhin]

There's a list of older keyboards that I don't want to just harvest Alps switches from them, but I want to try them out from time to time.
My idea is to do some hot-swap mod on their PCBs, e.g. SGI Granite or an Apple keyboard, say an AEK or AEKII. I'm still wondering how feasible such an idea is.

I've also read E3E's report on GH that the 60% infinity's PCB (not the Eagle PCB from Duck) fits the pins of Alps switches so snugly that soldering is plausibly not required. So, I hope to be optimistic.

[alienman82]

removed.

[Hypersphere]

Lately, I've been "top-modding" various Alps switches, mainly in an effort to convert them to the sound and feel I enjoy with Pine White Alps or Blue Alps.

Today, I tried swapping out the tactile leaves and return springs on some of the SKCM Brown Alps switches in my 60% custom board. I love the solid feel of the Brown Alps, but I find them a bit too heavy for long-term use. I also thought I'd like to convert them from tactile to tactile+clicky.

It has been a while since I consulted the DT wiki on these switches, and I had forgotten about the unusual tactile leaf -- it is a two-piece construction that fits very snugly against the slider. It seems to be mainly the tight fit of the tactile leaf that gives Brown Alps their solid and heavy feel.

https://deskthority.net/wiki/Alps_SKCM_Brown

I tried various combinations of Brown tactile leaf vs Matias Click leaf, Brown spring vs Matias Click spring vs White Alps spring vs custom 55g spring. There was something to like about each combination, but substituting the Brown tactile leaf with a Matias Click leaf removed the solid feel that I like about Brown Alps. I ended up restoring the altered switches to their original state, at least for now.

@menuhin: Check out E3E's build log, "Hammer Time: Backlit Hotswappable Complicated Alps 60% Build Log":

Hammer Time: Backlit Hotswappable Complicated Alps 60% Build Log

https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=77497.0

[chyros]

Lately, I've been "top-modding" various Alps switches, mainly in an effort to convert them to the sound and feel I enjoy with Pine White Alps or Blue Alps.

Today, I tried swapping out the tactile leaves and return springs on some of the SKCM Brown Alps switches in my 60% custom board. I love the solid feel of the Brown Alps, but I find them a bit too heavy for long-term use. I also thought I'd like to convert them from tactile to tactile+clicky.

It has been a while since I consulted the DT wiki on these switches, and I had forgotten about the unusual tactile leaf -- it is a two-piece construction that fits very snugly against the slider. It seems to be mainly the tight fit of the tactile leaf that gives Brown Alps their solid and heavy feel.

Several people have suggested the heaviness comes from the thicker metal used for the fake contact leaf in brown Alps, which is apparently thicker than that of the more usual tactile leaves.

[Hypersphere]

The tight tolerances of the SKCM Brown Alps switch are satisfying when dismantling and reassembling the switches. The tactile assembly slides into the housing-slider like the bolt into the receiver of a well-made bolt-action rifle or the piston into the cylinder of a new internal combustion engine. Other Alps switches seem rattly in comparison.

I'm typing this on my 60% Brown Alps board. With its taut switches, stainless steel plate, PBT caps, and TEX CNC aluminum case, it feels like a serious writing machine.

[chyros]

I really want to try out browns, I think they would be very interesting. I'm intrigued to see if I will like them more than SKCM orange, too, although the feeling should be quite different; heavier and more rounded. Maybe one day I'll stumble into an SKCM brown board in excellent condition .

[E3E]

There's a list of older keyboards that I don't want to just harvest Alps switches from them, but I want to try them out from time to time.
My idea is to do some hot-swap mod on their PCBs, e.g. SGI Granite or an Apple keyboard, say an AEK or AEKII. I'm still wondering how feasible such an idea is.

I've also read E3E's report on GH that the 60% infinity's PCB (not the Eagle PCB from Duck) fits the pins of Alps switches so snugly that soldering is plausibly not required. So, I hope to be optimistic.

Okay, so the Infinity PCB does indeed support Alps switches without solder because the tolerances must be tighter than usual on the vias and so the pins make contact with them. Haata was even pleasantly surprised to hear this. There were a few naysayers when I reported that little unintended feature, but it never had any real issues when I used it that way. Beats drilling a PCB for hot swapping, even if it's not as "elegant" in the end. 
 
I should clarify that the Eagle uses Alps and Cherry MX. You need to drill the PCB anyway because the holtite sockets that fit Alps pins are too wide for the vias used on all Alps PCBs I've come across. This includes the Leeku Alphas L3 PCB, the MXAlps 3000 PCB, Infinity, Eagle/Viper, etc.

A PCB would have to be designed with the sockets in mind for them to be more "plug n play" friendly. You need to take a drill to the pads to widen them and prepare to repair broken connections and have a lot of frustration while troubleshooting. 

The Leeku Alphas PCB was very very tedious to drill and modify with sockets because of Leeku's design in the way it routes traces.

I wouldn't suggest doing this on vintage PCBs. I don't think they can handle the insertion of sockets and the sockets also seem to work directly with the via itself to create contact. The single-sided PCBs don't have vias.

I'd look for something solderable like mill max sockets, but you would still need to drill the PCB to allow those sockets to fit. Their flanges would also add a slight amount of height to the switches and plate too.

[Hypersphere]

As you no doubt know, there are a couple of good sources for SKCM Brown Alps switches: keyboards from the IBM 5140 convertible computer and from the Magnavox Videowriter 250. Note, however, that the Magnavox 250 sometimes had inverted rubber dome keyboards like those in the Videowriter 350. The IBM 5140 keyboards also have lovely dye-sublimated PBT keycaps.

[E3E]

The tight tolerances of the SKCM Brown Alps switch are satisfying when dismantling and reassembling the switches. The tactile assembly slides into the housing-slider like the bolt into the receiver of a well-made bolt-action rifle or the piston into the cylinder of a new internal combustion engine. Other Alps switches seem rattly in comparison.

I'm typing this on my 60% Brown Alps board. With its taut switches, stainless steel plate, PBT caps, and TEX CNC aluminum case, it feels like a serious writing machine.

This is quote worthy. Very good description of SKCM Brown, Hypersphere.