looks like on the second board he dyed the frame too?
This guy (http://www.jonlee.ca/how-to-diy-das-keyboard-using-a-model-m/) uses another dye. When I investigated this earlier, one guy said it was hard to get even coloring. Did you do anything special?The spray vinyl dye is crap. I tried that several times.
OK so RITT is?
I still want to make a brown board.
(with letters still showing if I can)
Has anyone tried something like Krylon fusion? Any reason why that wouldn't work? How about just for the frame?
This is easy as you simply dissolve it in hot water and let the pieces soak it up. Incredibly easy, looks awesome, and appears to be quite resilient.
Did you use powder or liquid? In the UK we have Dylon powder, I wonder if it will work.
That's the one I was thinking of!
I plan to get some tomorrow and chuck some old keys in.
I will post of course.
That's the one I was thinking of!
I plan to get some tomorrow and chuck some old keys in.
I will post of course.
It won't dye black keys. These keys were blank to start with. I'm pretty sure that black lettering would show through.
I have a couple of additional keys that I did with a darker blue that actually turned out near-black. I will see if I am successful in removing any of the color.
UPDATE:
It does not sit "on top" of the key. The dye soaks in pretty deep. I scrubbed with nail polish remover and that did nothing. I took several layers off with a knife and the dye is deep. I had to cut the key in half to see how far the dye went.
Very impressive. (and I only soaked these for less than 10 minutes...with the water at near-boiling)
I sense an great influx of dyed boards coming to geekhack!
I'm thinking to dye my AT101 a dark industrial gray-brown, like the industrial Model Ms.
Classy like a giant turd?.
lol, I was thinking "chocolate bar" actually ;)
Show Image(http://blog.epromos.com/archives/chocolate-keyboard.jpg)
classy is all in the context:Show Image(http://www.fashion-era.com/images/2006_7_trends_fall/partydresses/WomensGraemeBlackBrownDressAW06x.jpg)
She's hot, I'd pee on her.
She's hot, I'd pee on her.
man, that is just so wrong. : )
I don't think it's a real keyboard:
http://www.sholk.com/pd_02.html
I know, thats why I got hungry ;) It would make a terrific stocking stuffer for the keyboard lover in your life.
Thanks for the link!
It won't dye black keys. These keys were blank to start with. I'm pretty sure that black lettering would show through.
Has anyone tried something like Krylon fusion? Any reason why that wouldn't work? How about just for the frame?
You can get Rit dye from Ebay UK:
http://shop.ebay.co.uk/?_from=R40&_trksid=m38&_nkw=rit+dye&_sacat=See-All-Categories
Like this? I think it might be a bit too busy for me.
Not even if you try to dye it white, and then to another color?
That looks very, very nice, iMav. Were the HHKB caps the first ones you tried? :)
Did you add vinegar to the water? I have read that it helps when dyeing nylon so maybe it would work for other plastics too.
I vaguely remember reading somewhere that adding salt has the same effect. I think that was for dyeing clothes tho.
Nice find Chloe, thanks. I'm no artist so that will help me decide what to do.
I vaguely remember reading somewhere that adding salt has the same effect. I think that was for dyeing clothes tho.
For me the challenge will be to avoid having it wind up looking like a children's keyboard :)With a subdued blue keyboard, I'd go for a darker blue or yellow Esc key.
Trying to choose some classy colors. Charcoal keys with red or yellow escape key is the standby scheme, I guess. (A baby blue escape key might be neat and unusual too.)
As an alternative to basic charcoal, khaki green looks pretty cool for the main keys, maybe with a "camoflauge" scheme (khaki tan escape key?).
Forest green might be neat too.
Blue spruce would be unusual, a kind of "subdued" blue. Not sure what color escape key would go with that. Maybe we need a color wheel like they have to match colors on websites, lol.
Laurie, did you use the machine dye (box) or the little disc packet?
With a subdued blue keyboard, I'd go for a darker blue or yellow Esc key.
ok, here are the three schemes I'm thinking of for my three boards. On all three I'm dying the frame as well.Well, I'm thinking of:
1) smk85: charcoal: frame and all keys. baby blue: escape key.
2) dell at101w: "camouflage" scheme. chocolate brown: frame. khaki tan: auxiliary keys. khaki green: main letter keys.
3) ibm m: charcoal: frame. blue spruce: all keys. orange or yellow: escape key.
hmmm, I dont have a red escape key! maybe I'll do that on a fourth board.
IBM Model M (once I get the damn 5.5mm socket): All stealth black, red Esc key
wow, thats too bad. the color is *****in' though.
I take it the water was boiling? How long do the keys have to stay in for the color to take?
Hopefully, this was a sacrificial keyboard.
Some plastics are softer than others. Maybe it would be better to not use the hob? Or dye them in 5-10 minute stages?
OK I think, I think the temp might have been just a little too high. Im not sure I will let you judge.
Dose anyone think it will work if I dont keep the water heated and just do it in a large plastic basin?
The keyboard is unusable
It took about 20min to get to this colour
One has got some blotchy patches I'm not sure why.
put it up on ebay, see what happens ;D (kidding, but would be funny though!)
I might do.
I will do the Goldtouch tonight and post the results.
Plastic is very pale so I think will take the colour quicker.
Cross everything for me.
This is a part of a discussion I had with this guy (http://joshcarter.com/miscellany/how_to_paint_your_keyboard) a while back (for those interested), first his experience, then an overview of some of the stuff I researched. He tried it, and it wears/chips off after a while.
"In the blacksmith“s home, the knives are made from wood."
nice quote
I'm thinking to make a whole board charcoal with just "F" and "J" as mix of grey / red.
nice quote but I confess I dont get it!
Oh great, since I'm a writer, my kid won't be able to read?
Wow, don't take that keyboard to a LAN party or they'll think you're a frag!
I would try black dye. Any shade of grey would be better than that pink.
Oh great, since I'm a writer, my kid won't be able to read?
This might be my best bet.
I should have just done the one key for sure.
Stupid impulsive me!!!
This might be my best bet.
I should have just done the one key for sure.
Stupid impulsive me!!!
lol, salmon!
IIRC RIT sells a dye remover, dont they? (he asked hopefully)
The Gods of Vintage Keyboards are frowning from the clouds.
lol, seriously ;) Lam must have already offended one of the keyboard gods for all this to happen today
. It was almost an hour when I gave up, needed to put the dinner on.
Thinking about it I see no reason why another soaking would not double the depth of the colour.
I would however end up spending a fortune on dye as its £2.99 + £2.99 postage per pack from ebay.
So basically the only difference was the temperature of the water?
another experiment to try (if you have another board to sacrifice, lol ;) would be to "flash dye" them in very hot water (ie, leave them in for maybe a minute or less, but in very hot water), not long enough for them to melt. I guess timing will be everything, but that might save you the laborious "layering" process and its expense.
Its going to depend a lot on the plastic.
The MX caps I think would have been fine and not needed the water to be so hot.
The ones from the Goldtouch just don't seem to take the dye so well.
The heat softens the plastic allowing the dye to penetrate. The caps on a Model M feel very soft to me and should take the dye well.
I'm not even sure if black would take to the Goldtouch keys without melting them all in to one big blob.
I'm not sure about this link (http://www.chocolatemilkjuggs.info/images/crystal-chocolate-milk-juggs.jpg) (nsfw) that Google returned while searching for that last pic. This (http://i.ehow.com/images/GlobalPhoto/Articles/2110521/61b3-main_Full.jpg) seems to be wrong as well (sfw).
Will xphat's wife please not use his computer while he is away? ;)
They look even more chocolatey against the white. I like it. :)
The picture shows that it is the plastic that is the issue in this case.
Just look how dark the MX cap is on the end!
mother****er.
For some unknown reason the last lot of keys melted like the first lot.
I kept an eye and never let it boil.
I just ****ed my goldtouch as well.
Personally I do not recommend doing this unless you have a spare set of keys.
You could end up ****ed like me.
Hey man, take it easy. Just fricking stop with the fricking dye, ok?
You are killing me with this. : ( Stop hosing your keyboard collection. : (
Done.
Done.
Hob is on an electric oven.
It was only on it to keep the water warm. Never boiling.
I don't know just bad luck I guess.
Well the Goldtouch was as I have rsi and I got it at a bargain £35.
Ive asked the manufacturers if they could sell some keys to me.
Thanks for the commiserations.
Like Ella said if it had worked it would have been great.
At least I gave it a go.
Just wish I had quit before ruining the Goldtouch is all.
Ah well.
At least it wasn't my M :) (the only one with easily replaceable keys)
Today has been crap.
Found out that Das will not be able to supply any keys. So thats a bit useless.
Also I sold my Microsoft keyboard on ebay weeks ago and it never arrived.
Buyer picked first class (not insured) and now wants his money back (understandably)
I have no proof of shipping other than a till receipt.
Wont even go into my health. Needless to say I have to see the Dr tomorrow about things I really don't want to.
Its a funny rubber dome board.
Thanks for the thought but nothing will fit but the Goldtouch keys.
WTF?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/New-Goldtouch-306788-071-Ergonomic-Split-Spanish-k_W0QQitemZ120118196533QQcmdZViewItemQQptZPCA_Mice_Trackballs?hash=item120118196533&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1301|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318
this is the exact layout!
He wants $46 to ship to the uk! I have asked if wellington would mind acting as a middle man.
this is nuts!
http://itwinkle.stores.yahoo.net/golerkeyspan1.html
in this country the UK version cant be had for less than £120 thats UKP!!!
The only difference is the printing on some keys.
Hey, today is your lucky day, well, sort of : )
this is nuts!
http://itwinkle.stores.yahoo.net/golerkeyspan1.html
in this country the UK version cant be had for less than £120 thats UKP!!!
The only difference is the printing on some keys.
Would someone mind ordering me one from here (or 2 even)
http://itwinkle.stores.yahoo.net/golerkeyspan1.html
I will send money for the boards via paypal and then some more for shipping when I get paid.
Just want to know I have one secured if you know what Im saying.
Although they do have 75 available lol.
Still the shipping is high.
If anyone can help me out here I would appreciate it.
somebody mentioned skateboarding earlier in this thread, inline skaters have been doing it for quite a while now, those wood pushers are always behind the times ;) lol
dyed skate parts (https://www.aggressivemall.com/Articles.asp?ID=143)
What kind of dye do they use?
How much dye is needed? I'm going to have to order from the UK and have shipped since I cant find any closer. So if I want to do 5 boards, can I just reuse the same dyed water or will I need multiple packets? Im also trying to figure out what to do this in, boards are pretty big and I definitely don't have a pan big enough to fit a fullsize board into... I think I wont risk the bathtub, I'd hate to have that turn black!
if I screw up does anyone know where to get ALPS keycaps?
Thanks for the info sandy. I like the title, a harvester of keycaps :D
So this (http://cgi.ebay.com/Apple-Extended-Keyboard-II-M3501_W0QQitemZ120351598860QQcmdZViewItemQQptZApple_Input_Devices?hash=item120351598860&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1234|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A0|293%3A1|294%3A50#ebayphotohosting) has compatible keycaps? Supposedly there are 2 versions of the AEKII, one with ALPS Whites (with dampers) and one with Mitsumi switches. Do both take the same keycaps?
To date I have RIT dyed a couple of batches of Model M keycaps with no problems. In fact, the results have been outstanding if the dye is keep just below simmer for an hour. After dying, rinse multiple times in cold water.An hour? Really that long? I was thinking it would be just a matter of 15 minutes.
Wow, I wouldn't have the heart to dye (thus, making permanent changes to) such an expensive piece of equipment.
What do you do with the dye-soup when you are done? Down the drain?
I'm no environmentalist...I was more worried about staining my ceramic white sink. :-D
I'm no environmentalist...I was more worried about staining my ceramic white sink. :-D
I will try to explain how I can tell. It is not the texture of the plastic but the hardness. Even thick ABS casing has a softness compared to thin PBT. The Compaq are easy to tell because they are labelled PBT but once you have typed on both it is easy to tell them apart. Also two more clues, ABS is more prone to yellowing and shine spots from wear. I have seen old Cherry keyboards with yellowed cases (ABS) and their keycaps have no yellowing at all.
The space bar on my Apple Extended II is very shiny but the keycaps are only mildly so. This keyboard is nearly twenty years old. If they had UV coating this would have long worn off (see Filco Majestouch) and keycaps if not PBT would have started to yellow.
Most keycaps are made of ABS because it is a cheaper plastic. My boiling tests have confirmed what I already suspected. ABS is too soft and has a lower melting point, and possibly won't take dye as well as PBT judging by Laurie's tests. After ten minutes the colour of ABS keycaps also becomes blotchy and inconsistent, but PBT is unaffected even after twenty minutes. Based on this I suspect IBM Model M and Topre do not have ABS keycaps.
From what I understand, yellowing is a sign of degradation of plastic caused by a combination of UV, heat and flame-retardant added to the plastic during manufacture.
Compaq MX 11800 have PBT keycaps. They are not UV coated ABS.
Thank you. I think I know what you are talking about. I am so hessetnet to try this on my Topre because a new set of keys is like $70 and generally suck at doing this sort of thing.
These ones took the dye fine.
Did anyone ever end up dying any AT101W keys? I'm thinking of dying some black AT101W keys completely black (so the legends are not visible - or barely visible).
I'm also having a bit of trouble deciphering the best method from this thread, but it seems like these are the basic ways to get the best results:
1.) Use an entire pack of RIT dye for each "session." (do not reuse, obviously)
2.) Do not boil water - heat to steaming (not sure about what exactly is right temp)
3.) Leave keys in until they have desired color (do not change temp)
4.) Stir keys regular and watch for any signs of melting
5.) Different keys take the dye differently
Thoughts? Those are pretty vague, but it's what I've picked up on so far, from the thread.
Thanks!
What do you think red as well or black for the case?
What do you think red as well or black for the case?
Did anyone try dying Unicomp "metallic grey" keys?
I could see using a dark grey dying to kill the sparkle.
How come the navy blue didn't work out?
For reference, melting point of ABS is 105?C, PBT is 221?C.
imoShow Image(http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/3691/kb01.jpg)Show Image(http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/7255/kb02.jpg)
I have attempted to dye two IBM Model M cases to a black color, and in both attempts the cases severely warped before the dyd color absorbed much at all.
In the second attempt, I spent about a day slowly raising the water temperature. In the end, the second case warped with minimal dye absorbed.
In contrast, I have successfully dyed Model M keycaps to black and red.
I would strongly discourage any attempt to Rit dye an IBM Model M case.
Has anyone tried dying the entire IBM Model M case yet?
Very nice. Perhaps the best case paint job I've seen.
I did oven tests on the M and Unicomp keys (http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=Island:6671&do=comments&page=5) and they can take up to 100 deg C it appears. I think they are ABS (as well as the Topres) and the Filco/Logitech keys are polystyrene or PVC.
So I think you need to do it at higher temps - the warm tap water probably brought it down too low.
Megarat and Laurie appear to be the current experts on this whole thing.
I did oven tests on the M and Unicomp keys (http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=Island:6671&do=comments&page=5) and they can take up to 100 deg C it appears. I think they are ABS (as well as the Topres) and the Filco/Logitech keys are polystyrene or PVC.
(true believers wouldn't be satisfied with anything less than sandblasting).
very impressive results. could you please also reveal how long and how hot you cooked these?
Did I get that right? You dye each key twice?
Speaking of double shot ... Vcheez did you Rit dye the red lettering on that Black ESC key or did it just come that way? I'm thinking dying black doubleshots should result in just a different color key lettering. The white in my NeXT keys was a tad yellow so I used some Softscrub with Bleach and it came right out. Might have been yellow though from other substances I'd rather not think about.
Does anybody have any results to show for Dylon dyes (UK brand)? Particularly on dual-shot Cherry? I may have finally found something to do with that second dual-shot Cherry G80 I found, but might experiment with the non dual-shot G80 if its caps are made of a similar beige plastic to the dual-shot ones, just to see how things go - I would hate to ruin any of these gorgeous dual-shot caps (ripster might kill me too!).
IIRC someone already looked into this at some point. The result pretty much was that the dye goes in pretty deep and is not likely to come off or wear much... think dye sublimated lettering.
Now I really want to dye some of my HHKB keys. I know we use Rit Dye here but what do people use on kbdmania? They seem to create some nice colors on their keys.
Yea but I still have questions about where they get them. I've seen some of the keys they have and some I like and some I don't but still I would love to know where they are getting Topre keys from.
Oh did anyone also notice Leopold also sales a case mod for the 87U it's a metal case instead of plastic with built in rest basically turns it into a wedge shape.
No, it's a cheap Cherry business keyboard. I got it specifically to test out the dying process.
what a strange keyboard
that space bar is HUGE... no dedicated numbers, but only a few keys on top row? among other stuff i cant even identify
what a strange keyboard
that space bar is HUGE... no dedicated numbers, but only a few keys on top row? among other stuff i cant even identify
Show Image(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2785/4112219203_7aa486c3ef_b.jpg)
This is my new bluetooth mini hack, made from a zenith and a igo keyboard. As you can see the main keys from the zenith, especially the space key is extremely yellowed. I'm going to try to dye them. I've read through a lot of this thread, but it's really long. Any suggestions or pointing me to some clear directions? A lot of what I've read seems to be trial and error of what works.
Should I go red, or black for the yellowed keys? :)
Show Image(http://geekhack.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=5712&stc=1&d=1258289397)
I think I should try Rit Dye instead..
Although other (http://www.rc-racing.at/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=19&Itemid=57) people (http://forums.watchuseek.com/showthread.php?t=212853) had better results when dyeing plastics with Simplicol, it doesn't seem to work with Cherry PBT keys. :-/
Something else, which I don't think was mentioned. Yo-yo dyers don't heat their RIT at all, they just put in a little acetone to help push the dye in. Worth a thought, anyways.
So, don't know if this was mentioned or not, but doing dye on the stove=baaaad idea. The water is one temp near the top and hotter on the bottom. And the pot itself gets very hot. One idea would be to have a grid in the bottom to hold the keys off the bottom of the hot pot to avoid melting them in the dye.
Something else, which I don't think was mentioned. Yo-yo dyers don't heat their RIT at all, they just put in a little acetone to help push the dye in. Worth a thought, anyways.
So, don't know if this was mentioned or not, but doing dye on the stove=baaaad idea. The water is one temp near the top and hotter on the bottom. And the pot itself gets very hot. One idea would be to have a grid in the bottom to hold the keys off the bottom of the hot pot to avoid melting them in the dye.
Something else, which I don't think was mentioned. Yo-yo dyers don't heat their RIT at all, they just put in a little acetone to help push the dye in. Worth a thought, anyways.
Now that would be cool if it will work because then you would not have to worry about warping the keys or a case for that matter. Do you have any links to the process they use for this. For instance how much acetone are they adding to the water. Warm or cold water? ect...
You could try retrobrite if you just wanted to remove the yellowing.
http://www.psfk.com/2009/03/retrobrite-open-source-problem-solving.html
I kind of want to see if I can dye them for future projects as well. Those red and black keyboards looked awesome. Kind of worried about the spacebar now though...
I think the key might be to double dip them so they don't get so hot.
>[/youtube]
lol They proved on mythbusters that there's more bacteria and junk in the dip already, that double dipping is basically meaningless. lol
My wife bought me red RIT for Valentine's day. It is a good day to dye.
Can anyone hazard a guess as to how well the Chicony 5181 keys would take to boiling?
There appears to be a difference in strength between liquid RIT and powder RIT. The following picture displays a dark purple, dyed from the dregs (maybe 1/4 inch) of a bottle of purple liquid dye. It's so dark the keys are (easy to read in photos but) illegible to the eye at most angles.
What was your water to liquid dye ratio?
I think with PBT you have a margin of error. So IBM, some Cherry, Topre you're good to go even with a rolling boil.
All other plastics BEWARE!
I think with PBT you have a margin of error. So IBM, some Cherry, Topre you're good to go even with a rolling boil.
All other plastics BEWARE!
this is nuts!
http://itwinkle.stores.yahoo.net/golerkeyspan1.html
in this country the UK version cant be had for less than £120 thats UKP!!!
The only difference is the printing on some keys.
Measure your pubic hair before putting it in the pic(pluck the hair first please). Average is about 25-50 microns.
what typeface is that on your new avatar, ricer?
Show Image(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs198.snc4/38227_1556852920257_1203240051_31547607_7886569_n.jpg)
UPDATE!Show Image(http://imgur.com/04Wqhl.jpg)Show Image(http://imgur.com/t0saMl.jpg)
except for the other dell at101w, which ill try the keys and hopefully i can keep the temp better than last timeWhy not buy one?
Get a cheap meat thermometer, they are handy for all kinds of things.
Uh. I would never RitDye expensive keyboards where keys would be difficult to replace.
Also, Rit Dye does not last forever you know.
Another guy did it on Cherry Double Shots. Works fine. Watch the temperatures carefully since many double shots seem to be ABS.
Sorry, had to plug it in anyway and makes sure it worked....
And it pulses!
I'd like color suggestions too. I'm bad at designing, though I can recognize a great design when I see one :)I would love to see a model M in an all black case with a combination of colored keys. I think having the number pad done in red while the rest of the "white: keys in yellow would be striking.
What colors are you guys thinking of dying (those of you who are thinking of dying (dye-ing?)). So far I know I'll do one as charcoal black with either a red or yellow escape key, but I have at least 3 boards could dye, lol.
(Omg, I just realized that I could color-code my entire autohotkey profile and shortcuts onto my keyboard! Lol, thats awesome)
I would love to see a model M in an all black case with a combination of colored keys. I think having the number pad done in red while the rest of the "white: keys in yellow would be striking.
Might do that when my one arrives, but here in the uk I can't get rit dye that quick, does any powder dye work? Or any liquid dye? thanks!
I would love to see a model M in an all black case with a combination of colored keys. I think having the number pad done in red while the rest of the "white: keys in yellow would be striking.
I dare you to try.
That's pretty impressive. You make it sound so easy, and it looks so great! I'm curious how the case and spacebar will hold up. You say the paint "absorbs" into the plastic?
All I got was a "terracotta" (reddish brown) colour.
What could I have done wrong? Too little dye? Too high temperature?
Just ordered 2 packs of black, and 1 purple. Also found somewhere in the UK which does vinyl based spray paint. Going to go with a dark gray (or black, depends on what the gray looks like) case, black keys, and purple modifiers. Then all I need to do is get a decepticon keycap from either feng or qtan, and I'm set for my decepticon-tastic keyboard.
ok, wow. I spent hours reading almost all of this and a little bit elsewhere online.
Then I wasted the last 2 hours of my life trying to dye model M keys with liquid "sunshine orange" rit dye. I kept going to progressively hotter temps and kept getting no effect. At the end I went 10 min at a rolling boil and they only have a slight tint. Maybe it wasn't long enough or maybe I need the powder like a few people mentioned. Or maybe I should just give up and buy colored keys :)
I haven't tried Rit (yet) but Dylon is easily available where I live. For my red Esc, I added vinegar and salt to the solution - the result was certainly better than expected. Although I can reproduce the result, some people haven't been able to do the same. I have yet to work out exactly what I'm doing differently.
Here are some pics of my red Esc key on an IBM Model M keyboard (http://epiguru.com/2011/10/hot-red-esc-keycap-for-ibm-model-m-keyboard/).
If the color you want is available from Unicomp, it will be a lot easier for you to buy the keys from them. But if they don't have your color, you'll need a lot of patience (more than 2 hours). On my first attempt, it took me something like half a day of "cooking" the keycap to get the color right.
how do i get a dark grey from white pbt caps? get black dye, submerge the keys and take them out quickly before it turns full black?
ok, wow. I spent hours reading almost all of this and a little bit elsewhere online.
Then I wasted the last 2 hours of my life trying to dye model M keys with liquid "sunshine orange" rit dye. I kept going to progressively hotter temps and kept getting no effect. At the end I went 10 min at a rolling boil and they only have a slight tint. Maybe it wasn't long enough or maybe I need the powder like a few people mentioned. Or maybe I should just give up and buy colored keys :)