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geekhack Community => Keyboards => Topic started by: tp4tissue on Fri, 01 February 2013, 15:01:15

Title: How to make "clear plastic" opaque?
Post by: tp4tissue on Fri, 01 February 2013, 15:01:15

any experts on this?

dip in acetone?  :-X

Title: Re: How to make "clear plastic" opaque?
Post by: alaricljs on Fri, 01 February 2013, 15:05:08

Cyanoacrylate fogs many plastics.

Title: Re: How to make "clear plastic" opaque?
Post by: sth on Fri, 01 February 2013, 15:13:10

fine steel wool on the 'inside' would work too.

Title: Re: How to make "clear plastic" opaque?
Post by: inteli722 on Fri, 01 February 2013, 15:41:36

Or, if you want to have a odd-looking keyboard and/or you're on the kind of budget where you should've never bought a mechanical keyboard in the first place, cut-and-tape paper/fiberboard/whatever.

It would work. May not be pretty, but it works.

Title: Re: How to make "clear plastic" opaque?
Post by: tp4tissue on Fri, 01 February 2013, 15:47:36

Quote from: alaricljs on Fri, 01 February 2013, 15:05:08

Cyanoacrylate fogs many plastics.

is this glue?

Title: Re: How to make "clear plastic" opaque?
Post by: alaricljs on Fri, 01 February 2013, 15:49:05

craaaaaaazy glue, often the fumes are enough.

Title: Re: How to make "clear plastic" opaque?
Post by: clickclack on Fri, 01 February 2013, 15:55:08

Quote from: tp4tissue on Fri, 01 February 2013, 15:01:15

any experts on this?
dip in acetone?  :-X

LoL, this must be some part of another conversation that I was not privy to. So my answer might be overly simplistic
as the complicated one is well... complicated.

Paint it.

With you know, opaque paint.

Title: Re: How to make "clear plastic" opaque?
Post by: inteli722 on Fri, 01 February 2013, 16:04:03

Well, I suppose that DOES work, and probably better than my suggestion :))

Title: Re: How to make "clear plastic" opaque?
Post by: TotalChaos on Fri, 01 February 2013, 17:57:25

Replace the clear plastic with a piece of opaque plastic.  Voila!  ;)

Title: Re: How to make "clear plastic" opaque?
Post by: x2o on Fri, 01 February 2013, 18:59:37

Would dying the plastic do the trick maybe?

I've never toyed with clear plastic too much, but RIT Dye does wonders on most plastics I've used it on.

note : it can get messy!

Title: Re: How to make "clear plastic" opaque?
Post by: BucklingSpring on Sat, 02 February 2013, 10:42:40

Do you really mean opaque?
vs translucent...

Some of the solutions above will fog... But light will still go through. ie not opaque.

Title: Re: How to make "clear plastic" opaque?
Post by: fohat.digs on Sat, 02 February 2013, 11:14:55

Use paint - on the inside.

It gives you whatever you want, with a nice, bright, well-protected exterior.

Any paint on the outside will wear and chip, no matter what.

Title: Re: How to make "clear plastic" opaque?
Post by: davkol on Sat, 02 February 2013, 14:28:18

What about sanding?

edit: I meant nail polish + sanding

Title: Re: How to make "clear plastic" opaque?
Post by: hoggy on Sat, 02 February 2013, 14:57:38

Or just nail varnish, but that's a different story...
Are we talking about key caps, or something else?

Title: Re: How to make "clear plastic" opaque?
Post by: tp4tissue on Sat, 02 February 2013, 15:05:01

Quote from: hoggy on Sat, 02 February 2013, 14:57:38

Or just nail varnish, but that's a different story...
Are we talking about key caps, or something else?

I have these acrylic plates that I'd like to become Opaque for lighting purposes..

Also Some of these LEDS I have are "clear lenses" I'd like them to be opaque too, and no i checked, they don't make opaque diffused versions of these.