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geekhack Community => Keyboard Keycaps => Topic started by: Meistershank on Tue, 21 May 2013, 16:08:35
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Hello, everyone, newbie here :). I am seriously interested in making some Cherry MX key caps out of bone (or possibly antler). So far, it seems like the mid-shaft of a deer humerus would be the best bone to use for this, seeing that the diameter is slightly larger than a standard key and would be easy to polish down to size. I also have a very large stock of excess bones from the past years building my university's zooarchaeological comparative sample. Has anyone that you know of tried to do something like this before? I have not been able to find any previous posts related to this, but I have some experience in the past with working with bone and antler, so I thought this may be a fun, new project to try out. I am also going to fiddle around with some scrap mahogany left overs, but this will not be nearly as challenging.
These would almost certainly require bonding multiple sections together, so I was also wondering if anyone knows of any strong bonding agent that would be ideal for this use. If anyone has any suggestions or pointers, let me know :D.
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I will take one! Very interesting. I've not seen one, but why not?
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I will take one! Very interesting. I've not seen one, but why not?
me too
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It would be quiet a project to process the bones... very expensive I will perdict
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It would be quiet a project to process the bones... very expensive I will perdict
I've seen guys make some pretty interesting things out of bone and its not necessarily expensive all depends on supply and demand probably.
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Hello, everyone, newbie here :). I am seriously interested in making some Cherry MX key caps out of bone (or possibly antler). So far, it seems like the mid-shaft of a deer humerus would be the best bone to use for this, seeing that the diameter is slightly larger than a standard key and would be easy to polish down to size. I also have a very large stock of excess bones from the past years building my university's zooarchaeological comparative sample. Has anyone that you know of tried to do something like this before? I have not been able to find any previous posts related to this, but I have some experience in the past with working with bone and antler, so I thought this may be a fun, new project to try out. I am also going to fiddle around with some scrap mahogany left overs, but this will not be nearly as challenging.
These would almost certainly require bonding multiple sections together, so I was also wondering if anyone knows of any strong bonding agent that would be ideal for this use. If anyone has any suggestions or pointers, let me know :D.
Hi Meistershank,
I have a few bone keys and some inlays (along with shell and antler) Perhaps I can give you some advice?
-Porosity: is a big factor in what goes where. Having the keytop as the porous side you will lose detail. Or if it's just a flat or dished design you wont have that clean bone look. If you have the backside as the porous side then that affects how you make the stem. It's much easier to just sacrifice a keycap and glue in the stem for this purpose.
-Antler will almost certainly give you a better result than bone if you had a more finished/polished look that you were going for. Especially if you had small detail in the work.
-Aw crud! I forgot what I was going to write here. =(
-Glue: I would use an epoxy and slightly wet(apply to both sides and let sit a moment) both sides before adhering/joining. It might behoove you to rough up the surface on some pieces for additional tooth when bonding. You can add in either porcelain powder, silica, or ground bone for the base of the epoxy if you want to keep some of the bone color or have a more seemless join or transition. It's also much easier to sand if you do this (should you need to).
-Sealant: I would varnish, urethane, or similarly coat them to protect the bone after fabrication because it loves dirt and it's a pita to clean. Unless of course you have mutant dermestid beetles living under your nails (Ack! What a horrible thought).
-Wear a good particle mask (don't knock it, your sinuses will hate you less) if you are sanding or using a rotary tool of some nature.
-Don't measure passively if you can help it. Try to make a jig that fits the dimensions that you want and either work on it in there or constantly test fit it. This may not really be needed if you are going for a more natural look. It will help though if you choose to do the key stem insert later though (for alignment).
-Have fun!
If I think of anything else and actually remember to check this thread I will add it in.
peace
-cc =)
p.s. Welcome to gh btw.
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Amazing! Is it possible for us to see some pictures?
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May 21st, 2013: The day hundreds of "WTB: Bone CC" posts flooded the classifieds :P
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Thanks for the interest, everyone! Clickclack, thank you especially for your advice. I've been working all day on some preliminary steps and trials for these key caps, but my antler supply is less than sufficient at the moment. I've already ordered some materials from one of my bone vendors, but it'll be a while before it all gets here. Antler appears to be a much better medium than bone for this purpose, especially considering I have been working with dense midshaft portions of long bones. I'm still going to give the bone a try, none the less while I wait for my antler to arrive; hopefully the result will be nice.
I'm also going to get a mask that is more sufficient for my needs; bone dust is rather dangerous...
I don't want to get everyone's hopes/expectations up to thinking I can make a production grade product/quantity anytime soon, but I'll keep you all posted as work through some dry runs of this little project and I appreciate the interest.
Best,
Meistershank.
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CC Skull made from actual bone. Full of win.
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Production grade quality isn't all that important to me. I'm appreciative of the work and beauty of things.
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Right forum at the right time - CC is definitely a huge asset on Geekhack :)
Apart from being a superb artist :D
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Thanks for the interest, everyone! Clickclack, thank you especially for your advice. I've been working all day on some preliminary steps and trials for these key caps, but my antler supply is less than sufficient at the moment. I've already ordered some materials from one of my bone vendors, but it'll be a while before it all gets here. Antler appears to be a much better medium than bone for this purpose, especially considering I have been working with dense midshaft portions of long bones. I'm still going to give the bone a try, none the less while I wait for my antler to arrive; hopefully the result will be nice.
I'm also going to get a mask that is more sufficient for my needs; bone dust is rather dangerous...
I don't want to get everyone's hopes/expectations up to thinking I can make a production grade product/quantity anytime soon, but I'll keep you all posted as work through some dry runs of this little project and I appreciate the interest.
Best,
Meistershank.
How about Whale bone or walrus tusk carved like scrimshaw style if available. Like the Eskimo' or Inuits do!
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Thanks for the interest, everyone! Clickclack, thank you especially for your advice. I've been working all day on some preliminary steps and trials for these key caps, but my antler supply is less than sufficient at the moment. I've already ordered some materials from one of my bone vendors, but it'll be a while before it all gets here. Antler appears to be a much better medium than bone for this purpose, especially considering I have been working with dense midshaft portions of long bones. I'm still going to give the bone a try, none the less while I wait for my antler to arrive; hopefully the result will be nice.
I'm also going to get a mask that is more sufficient for my needs; bone dust is rather dangerous...
I don't want to get everyone's hopes/expectations up to thinking I can make a production grade product/quantity anytime soon, but I'll keep you all posted as work through some dry runs of this little project and I appreciate the interest.
Best,
Meistershank.
How about Whale bone or walrus tusk carved like scrimshaw style if available. Like the Eskimo' or Inuits do!
I would love to, but that medium would be very hard to get a hold of :P. If anyone finds some cool materials to work with, keep me posted hehe.
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i know it's not what you had in mind but a bone china key cap set would be amazing. porcelain's ability to be cast, its strength, resistance to chipping and high level of whiteness would make for a pretty amazing set. not to mention if it was hand lettered in a delft style! but woe, the cost. :(
(http://becauseweliketo.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/CharlesKraft_Grenade.jpg)
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Nothing, but the purest whale penis bone for my keyboards.
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I have a few bone keys and some inlays (along with shell and antler) Perhaps I can give you some advice?
Are there pictures of these somewhere?