Author Topic: How to remove broken stem in keycap  (Read 10888 times)

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Offline phinix

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How to remove broken stem in keycap
« on: Fri, 28 June 2019, 08:35:55 »
I managed to brake a stabiliser stem inside a spacebar keycap stem/leg. :confused:
So basically stem left inside the cap.

What do you guys think I could do to pull it out? It broke off almost flash with the leg, so cannot grab it with anything.

Try a heated screw maybe? Like a really small one? Naah, that won't work...

It was that damn 3d printed topre to mx stems you can buy on Shapeways... Never again.. these are crap, very hard to push it in, then when breaks, you waste your cap... :'(
« Last Edit: Fri, 28 June 2019, 08:41:08 by phinix »
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Offline mountainblocks

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Re: How to remove broken stem in keycap
« Reply #1 on: Fri, 28 June 2019, 10:49:34 »
I was able to get one out by drilling into the broken stem with a tiny drill bit and then using a metal pick in that hole to pry the piece out.

Offline phinix

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Re: How to remove broken stem in keycap
« Reply #2 on: Fri, 28 June 2019, 10:50:55 »
I was able to get one out by drilling into the broken stem with a tiny drill bit and then using a metal pick in that hole to pry the piece out.
Sounds good. I just need a really small drill bit, will find one on ebay I guess.
How small should it be? Like...1mm?
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Offline mountainblocks

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Re: How to remove broken stem in keycap
« Reply #3 on: Fri, 28 June 2019, 11:27:53 »
I was able to get one out by drilling into the broken stem with a tiny drill bit and then using a metal pick in that hole to pry the piece out.
Sounds good. I just need a really small drill bit, will find one on ebay I guess.
How small should it be? Like...1mm?

Yeah that would be perfect. Anything larger and you'll drill into the keycap.

Offline derznation

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Re: How to remove broken stem in keycap
« Reply #4 on: Fri, 28 June 2019, 11:41:05 »
Never tried it, but you might be able to super glue something like a toothpick to the broken stem and once it's dried pull the toothpick (with attached stem) out of the keycap. 
Probably would depend on how tight the cap is sitting on the stem.

Offline rowdy

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Re: How to remove broken stem in keycap
« Reply #5 on: Wed, 03 July 2019, 22:07:29 »
I'd avoid superglue - there's a risk that you'd glue the stem fragment in there.

Also avoid lubricants, trying to east it out - they might not wash off completely and you'd have a loose keycap.

I'd go with drilling a hole - search for pin vise - mine came with a few tiny drill bits.

If you can find a tiny screw too, you can screw that into the tiny hole that you drill, then use needle-nosed pliers to pull it all out.
"Because keyboards are accessories to PC makers, they focus on minimizing the manufacturing costs. But that’s incorrect. It’s in HHKB’s slogan, but when America’s cowboys were in the middle of a trip and their horse died, they would leave the horse there. But even if they were in the middle of a desert, they would take their saddle with them. The horse was a consumable good, but the saddle was an interface that their bodies had gotten used to. In the same vein, PCs are consumable goods, while keyboards are important interfaces." - Eiiti Wada

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Offline phinix

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Re: How to remove broken stem in keycap
« Reply #6 on: Thu, 04 July 2019, 02:52:55 »
I ordered 1mm drill bit, as didn't have one at home.
Once comes in, I will try and drill through that thing...
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Offline phinix

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Re: How to remove broken stem in keycap
« Reply #7 on: Thu, 11 July 2019, 15:49:16 »
Result!
1mm drill bit came in (it was so small, that seller taped it to the invoice, I spent an hour looking for it in the envelope;) and I used it.
It went through the broken stem like knife through butter.
It crashed and came out in pieces, key cap is saved!!! :)

Thanks guys for support, I'm glad it is fixed now.
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Online tp4tissue

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Re: How to remove broken stem in keycap
« Reply #8 on: Thu, 11 July 2019, 21:01:36 »
Next time, xacto knife.  With drills it could easily bite into things you don't want bitten into.


Offline phinix

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Re: How to remove broken stem in keycap
« Reply #9 on: Fri, 12 July 2019, 02:46:32 »
Next time, xacto knife.  With drills it could easily bite into things you don't want bitten into.

I don't know if knife could cut that out so easily. It was very tight, it broke because it was sitting so hard in it.
But maybe you're right. I need to buy this xacto crafting knife just to have it, as it is very handy.
9100 | 3070 | 8TB SSD + 2x 1TB SSD | Z390 Aorus Pro ITX | 16GB RAM | SFX 600W | Sentry 2.0 | Ruark Audio MR1 Mark II | LG OLED 48CX
Realforce 87u55 | CM QuickFire Rapid MX Blacks | NCR-80 87g Gateron Oil Kings | Logitech Pro Superlight
SA: Retro Petscii, 7bit Round6 'Symbiosis', Filco, Carbon Bone Cherry: GMK Laser, OG double shot caps, CRP APL GSA: Retro High-light HSA: Hyperfuse

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Offline rowdy

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Re: How to remove broken stem in keycap
« Reply #10 on: Mon, 22 July 2019, 05:23:21 »
Result!
1mm drill bit came in (it was so small, that seller taped it to the invoice, I spent an hour looking for it in the envelope;) and I used it.
It went through the broken stem like knife through butter.
It crashed and came out in pieces, key cap is saved!!! :)

Thanks guys for support, I'm glad it is fixed now.

Great!

Thanks for providing a happy ending to the story :)
"Because keyboards are accessories to PC makers, they focus on minimizing the manufacturing costs. But that’s incorrect. It’s in HHKB’s slogan, but when America’s cowboys were in the middle of a trip and their horse died, they would leave the horse there. But even if they were in the middle of a desert, they would take their saddle with them. The horse was a consumable good, but the saddle was an interface that their bodies had gotten used to. In the same vein, PCs are consumable goods, while keyboards are important interfaces." - Eiiti Wada

NEC APC-H4100E | Ducky DK9008 Shine MX blue LED red | Ducky DK9008 Shine MX blue LED green | Link 900243-08 | CM QFR MX black | KeyCool 87 white MX reds | HHKB 2 Pro | Model M 02-Mar-1993 | Model M 29-Nov-1995 | CM Trigger (broken) | CM QFS MX green | Ducky DK9087 Shine 3 TKL Yellow Edition MX black | Lexmark SSK 21-Apr-1994 | IBM SSK 13-Oct-1987 | CODE TKL MX clear | Model M 122 01-Jun-1988

Ị̸͚̯̲́ͤ̃͑̇̑ͯ̊̂͟ͅs̞͚̩͉̝̪̲͗͊ͪ̽̚̚ ̭̦͖͕̑́͌ͬͩ͟t̷̻͔̙̑͟h̹̠̼͋ͤ͋i̤̜̣̦̱̫͈͔̞ͭ͑ͥ̌̔s̬͔͎̍̈ͥͫ̐̾ͣ̔̇͘ͅ ̩̘̼͆̐̕e̞̰͓̲̺̎͐̏ͬ̓̅̾͠͝ͅv̶̰͕̱̞̥̍ͣ̄̕e͕͙͖̬̜͓͎̤̊ͭ͐͝ṇ̰͎̱̤̟̭ͫ͌̌͢͠ͅ ̳̥̦ͮ̐ͤ̎̊ͣ͡͡n̤̜̙̺̪̒͜e̶̻̦̿ͮ̂̀c̝̘̝͖̠̖͐ͨͪ̈̐͌ͩ̀e̷̥͇̋ͦs̢̡̤ͤͤͯ͜s͈̠̉̑͘a̱͕̗͖̳̥̺ͬͦͧ͆̌̑͡r̶̟̖̈͘ỷ̮̦̩͙͔ͫ̾ͬ̔ͬͮ̌?̵̘͇͔͙ͥͪ͞ͅ

Offline WilliamsJace

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Re: How to remove broken stem in keycap
« Reply #11 on: Sat, 24 August 2019, 10:18:32 »
thanks