This is one of my favorite threads.
You just made my day.
Also Kurplop's hands are some of the least geeky looking. They look like construction worker hands. Quite interesting.
My spouse thinks that my rough, burly hands are a turn-on. By the way, I'm a woman. (Just kidding)
Actually, I
am a construction worker. I hope that my GH membership isn't revoked, now that this info is out.
That said, using ML switches... very sad.
I know. I seem to be always bucking the trend. I also like caps lock and will make sure it is in a prominent spot on my keyboard.
I chose ML switches for their compact size. I wanted to remove as much bulk from the keyboard as possible. I wasn't willing to part with the big trackball however, in spite of the compact size goal. I tried using a smaller one in my last keyboard and it just wasn't working well for me.
I don't mind the ML experience. In fact I prefer their shorter throw. The only real reservation I have with them is that they seem fragile. I have found that on several occasions, I have accidentally removed the stem and switch top with the cap I'm trying to remove.
This might be a silly idea, but irons are designed to stretch fabric as part of the crease removal process. Perhaps a stream press would be the solution?
I think your summary is right on. I wonder what is available in a compact size?
Regular iron with the steam turned up high, with a sheet or two of (t-shirt?) material between iron and paper to reduce friction?
That might help but I'm already having trouble getting enough heat to transfer the toner with an iron directly applied to the paper. It seems to take a long time to complete the transfer.
By the way. Welcome to GeekHack!
Now for the new business.
I mentioned earlier that I was having trouble with broken stems. Some of you offered good solutions but I came up with something that was free and readily available to strengthen the stems.
Notice the trimmed paper clip in the corner of the mold.
It fits nicely in the stem recesses in the mold.
Here it is in the keycap. These are really tough stems! I tried to pulling one apart with pliers and couldn't break it without completely destroying the entire cap.
Here they are nestled in the keyboard. They are pretty rough looking compared to the caps I made for the PortaPlop. I was more concerned with getting something in place so I could move on . I'm going to remake the mold soon but first things first.
I have pictures of the caps I glued up to make the master for the new thumb keys but whenever I upload more than 4 pictures I tend to lose everything. I'll post them soon.