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geekhack Projects => Making Stuff Together! => Topic started by: keyfairy on Fri, 06 October 2023, 03:16:36

Title: New keyboard, how to protect the letters from wearing off?
Post by: keyfairy on Fri, 06 October 2023, 03:16:36: Hi all,

You'll probably laugh at me on this one, but I'm a fan of a very cheap keyboard, the wired Microsoft Keyboard 600 😂

I'm trying to find a quick and easy way to protect the letters from wearing off. It typically happens every year or so, as I'm typing quite a lot every day.
After some little research, I found there are different options, like clear nail polish, but also Clear Epoxy Resin, Clear Polyurethane, or Clear Spray Paint or Lacquer.

Anyone has any experience with this idea?
Would clear coating work? If yes, which would be the best for that kind of plastic? Would it last longer than a year?
How about using some strong clear stickers or even some strong clear tape?

Another aspect is regarding safety. With a clear coating, I'm thinking about the effect of having my fingers touching those chemicals every day, touching my face, eyes, etc.

Thanks!
Title: Re: New keyboard, how to protect the letters from wearing off?
Post by: Leslieann on Fri, 06 October 2023, 05:57:30: Lots of companies put a dab or paint over the letters, it won't stop the wear.
You could try clear stickers but really they're just cheap caps, that keyboard isn't meant for a heavy duty cycle.
Title: Re: New keyboard, how to protect the letters from wearing off?
Post by: keyfairy on Fri, 06 October 2023, 07:13:27: Thanks for your reply. Surprisingly, the keys on this Microsoft 600 keyboard hold just fine. I have it for at least 2 years and it seems OK.

I wonder if there is some less corrosive glue I could use to really make the clear stickers stick without a problem 😀
Title: Re: New keyboard, how to protect the letters from wearing off?
Post by: Findecanor on Fri, 06 October 2023, 07:30:44: Many consumer keyboards already have its legends printed with a top layer of clear UV-cured resin to protect the white paint underneath. You can often see it as a thin black border around the white legend.

I couldn't find a good-enough close-up image of this keyboard to confirm it but chances are that it was already printed that way, because the method is very common.
Title: Re: New keyboard, how to protect the letters from wearing off?
Post by: ItIsWritten on Fri, 06 October 2023, 13:19:41: Chances are that anything you add will make the caps look worse as it would be hard to get the smooth finish they can put on in a factory.

Verstuurd vanaf mijn SM-G986B met Tapatalk
Title: Re: New keyboard, how to protect the letters from wearing off?
Post by: keyfairy on Sun, 08 October 2023, 07:49:18: I'm not concerned about how the caps would look like, I don't care about the aesthetics much, as long as it does the job.