Pretty sure it's ABS so I don't think you will have any success in dye the stems. If you really want green you can buy 100 pack at mechanicalkeyboards for like $50.
They're made of god damn MAGIC is what...Show Image(http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/x/excitedblushplz.gif?1)
They're made of god damn MAGIC is what...Show Image(http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/e/x/excitedblushplz.gif?1)
Voodoo I tell you.
Why doesn't someone bring some stems into a lab and analyze it? :p (No clue what the cost of doing that is :rolleyes:)
Why doesn't someone bring some stems into a lab and analyze it? :p (No clue what the cost of doing that is :rolleyes:)
I've looked into it getting lab work done. The issue is that there are *tons* of formulations of different plastics, many of which could be proprietary blends or materials.
I think getting lab work done on that is around $100-200. I did a similar test in college with a metal sample. I'm not sure if plastics will cost more or less.
Edit: UL94HB is a Underwriter's Labratory test against flammability (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UL_94). Matweb spit out some results for UL94HB but the problem is a test doesn't narrow down the material field.
You're totally right dorkvader. I just gave a quick explanation and you're spot on about polymerization/other points. Plastics and polymers are also a weak point for me. I'm strongest in my metals material knowledge. Let us know what your father says :D.
Hardened alien plasma.Show Image(http://blog-imgs-69.fc2.com/w/a/t/watchmonoblog/Cherry_Slime_01.jpg)
Finger abrasion on keycaps can be quite a lot more than plastic on plastic or plastic on metal wear in a switch. Since the switch is more or less a sealed environment and is not exposed to the acidity, oils and dirt from human contact which tend to likely be the highest cause of keycap surface wear. That said I have encountered tactile switches which had seen high use that I couldn't distinguish from linear. Over time and use the tactile bumps will wear down, especially with browns.
MX stems are made of acetal aka delrin aka POM
MX stems are made of acetal aka delrin aka POM
MX stems are made of acetal aka delrin aka POM
I've read about POM before, sounds plausible. Test it FOR SCIENCE!
MX stems are made of acetal aka delrin aka POM
Mkawa, you sure? Does that mean the melting point is higher than water, ie I can dye blue stems in boiling dye?
Does that apply to the entire stem assembly or just the stem without the clicky moving part? The white moving part on a blue stem seems to be softer than the stem. I could always remove the moving part before dyeing, but it's quite a pain.
#forkeyboardscience
I'll throw a blue stem in bowling water for a couple mins in an old, unwanted pot.
Potato pics in a few.
#forkeyboardscience
I'll throw a blue stem in bowling water for a couple mins in an old, unwanted pot.
Potato pics in a few.
Yes, I needed someone to do this test.
I happen to have no unwanted pots right now. If a blue stem melted and got stuck at the bottom of a pot, I am in big big trouble with family.
Despite the prevailing notion here, ABS is actually a very good plastic. Lego are made from ABS and it's got some nice properties. It's just not always the best choice for keycaps. Most of the harder plastics (PBT especially) are too brittle to be used often in most applications.You're totally right dorkvader. I just gave a quick explanation and you're spot on about polymerization/other points. Plastics and polymers are also a weak point for me. I'm strongest in my metals material knowledge. Let us know what your father says :D.
If they're ABS, how come they're so lasting? aren't ABS supposed to be LESS lasting? If you can make them shine by typing on the keycaps, can't you totally wear down all tactile bumps in the same time?
Despite the prevailing notion here, ABS is actually a very good plastic. Lego are made from ABS and it's got some nice properties. It's just not always the best choice for keycaps. Most of the harder plastics (PBT especially) are too brittle to be used often in most applications.You're totally right dorkvader. I just gave a quick explanation and you're spot on about polymerization/other points. Plastics and polymers are also a weak point for me. I'm strongest in my metals material knowledge. Let us know what your father says :D.
If they're ABS, how come they're so lasting? aren't ABS supposed to be LESS lasting? If you can make them shine by typing on the keycaps, can't you totally wear down all tactile bumps in the same time?
I thought the cases were made from POM, but hadn't heard anything about the stems.
Thanks for the science, zeal.
looks like POM melts at 175c (or 162c for the copolymer) so I'm not sure what it's made from if it melted in that pot. It was probably more than 100c in there, but likely not 175c unless it touched the bottom for a white, hmm.
I don't have a thermometer (Asian families almost never use measuring cups/thermometers :p) to check the temp of the water unfortunately.
I don't have a thermometer (Asian families almost never use measuring cups/thermometers :p) to check the temp of the water unfortunately.
Truth. This 1000x
Zeal thanks for the keyboard science. You should do a comparison picture then try using it to see how it feels in a switch. Also, I'm glad you can use chopsticks but did you just make that post to show off your skills? :P
Correct answer is wood spoon, duh. And thanks for testing the stem out!
Correct answer is wood spoon, duh. And thanks for testing the stem out!
Chopsticks are useful for many things, but definitely not for eating rice.
And can we say that the Blue part is not affected at all by the boiling water? Only the white part? Didn't quite see any change to the blue.
That way anybody who wants to get Cherry greens can just pull off the white parts, boil the blue parts in yellow dye?
part? Didn't quite see any change to the blue.
That way anybody who wants to get Cherry greens can just pull off the white parts, boil the blue parts in yellow dye?
******* just posted some more of his keyboard science on reddit. He must be reading these threads. Anyway, here it is: http://imgur.com/a/Pezs5Well since there is a great deal of speculation of the quality of Kailh threads, it is not surprising that there is curiousity about the composition of Cherry stems.
******* just posted some more of his keyboard science on reddit. He must be reading these threads. Anyway, here it is: http://imgur.com/a/Pezs5Well since there is a great deal of speculation of the quality of Kailh threads, it is not surprising that there is curiousity about the composition of Cherry stems.
Ack. Wait one minute. You didn't! Looks like you did post the name of "he who must not be named"! Now Death Eaters will show up at your home and all the protections will come down. Plus the moderators are going to have to delete every post for the last two weeks to make sure there is no cross contamination.
******* just posted some more of his keyboard science on reddit. He must be reading these threads. Anyway, here it is: http://imgur.com/a/Pezs5Well since there is a great deal of speculation of the quality of Kailh threads, it is not surprising that there is curiousity about the composition of Cherry stems.
Ack. Wait one minute. You didn't! Looks like you did post the name of "he who must not be named"! Now Death Eaters will show up at your home and all the protections will come down. Plus the moderators are going to have to delete every post for the last two weeks to make sure there is no cross contamination.
I can never understand the hatred against Person X.
But if his article is correct, it seems fair to conclude the MX stems are made of POM.
It's further confirmation that I won't wind up with something melted and sticking to the bottom of a pot should I try to dye.
(As of now, no spare blue stems for dyeing, but I hope to change that with a swap for blue stems.)
there are like dozens of plastics it could be that pass all those tests.
One thing I don't like about some of the "keyboard science" being done.
Well first of all, it's not even science. But other than that (just a name)
There's not enough testing before some conclusion is reached. Even more often, a hypothesis (or bias) is made (or had) and when enough testing is done that seems to indicate that it might be correct, they just quit, call it confirmed and call it a day. Maybe I should call this "mythbusters" syndrome.
Another thing to note is that POM is a relatively "new" plastic, I'll have to check and see if it was even around in 1984.
there are like dozens of plastics it could be that pass all those tests.
One thing I don't like about some of the "keyboard science" being done.
Well first of all, it's not even science. But other than that (just a name)
There's not enough testing before some conclusion is reached. Even more often, a hypothesis (or bias) is made (or had) and when enough testing is done that seems to indicate that it might be correct, they just quit, call it confirmed and call it a day. Maybe I should call this "mythbusters" syndrome.
Another thing to note is that POM is a relatively "new" plastic, I'll have to check and see if it was even around in 1984.
Again, totally agree with dorkvader. This boiling test is a nice start but that doesn't mean that yes, it is POM based on this one test. Like dorkvader said, there are other plastics that will pass this test. And even if it is POM, there are also many different proprietary formulations of POM such as Acetal and Delrin. POM is like saying "That car is a Honda" instead of "That car is a 1998 Honda Civic produced in Japan". It's not very specific, but it's a start.
Acording to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyoxymethylene), the first type of POM, Celcon, was produced in Germany in 1962.
there are like dozens of plastics it could be that pass all those tests.
One thing I don't like about some of the "keyboard science" being done.
Well first of all, it's not even science. But other than that (just a name)
There's not enough testing before some conclusion is reached. Even more often, a hypothesis (or bias) is made (or had) and when enough testing is done that seems to indicate that it might be correct, they just quit, call it confirmed and call it a day. Maybe I should call this "mythbusters" syndrome.
Another thing to note is that POM is a relatively "new" plastic, I'll have to check and see if it was even around in 1984.
Again, totally agree with dorkvader. This boiling test is a nice start but that doesn't mean that yes, it is POM based on this one test. Like dorkvader said, there are other plastics that will pass this test. And even if it is POM, there are also many different proprietary formulations of POM such as Acetal and Delrin. POM is like saying "That car is a Honda" instead of "That car is a 1998 Honda Civic produced in Japan". It's not very specific, but it's a start.
Acording to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyoxymethylene), the first type of POM, Celcon, was produced in Germany in 1962.
Agreed. I didn't mean for anyone to take it as conclusive proof that cherry stems are POM, I just saw it and thought that it was pertinent to this conversation.
I'll adjust my conclusion then: whether it is POM or not does not matter for the purposes of trying a dyeing experiment. As long as the crucial ability to survive boiling water holds, I can risk dyeing it.I think that's the takeaway here. We may not know what they're made of for sure (I mean, a type of POM is a likely choice, but it can certainly be something else) but we do know some things that they're not. This helps a lot.
Knowing that stems are not made of PBT does make a difference. I have to be mentally prepared that they may not react the same way to dye as normal Model M keycaps.
It would be nice if we could make our own ghetto greens easily though. They're pretty.
Ripster just posted some more of his keyboard science on reddit. He must be reading these threads. Anyway, here it is: http://imgur.com/a/Pezs5
Ripster just posted some more of his keyboard science on reddit. He must be reading these threads. Anyway, here it is: http://imgur.com/a/Pezs5
Of course he's reading these threads! Why do you think there is always at least one guest in each thread?
Ripster just posted some more of his keyboard science on reddit. He must be reading these threads. Anyway, here it is: http://imgur.com/a/Pezs5
Of course he's reading these threads! Why do you think there is always at least one guest in each thread?
Ripster just posted some more of his keyboard science on reddit. He must be reading these threads. Anyway, here it is: http://imgur.com/a/Pezs5
Of course he's reading these threads! Why do you think there is always at least one guest in each thread?
No need for that. He could just post under another name.
Ripster just posted some more of his keyboard science on reddit. He must be reading these threads. Anyway, here it is: http://imgur.com/a/Pezs5
Of course he's reading these threads! Why do you think there is always at least one guest in each thread?
No need for that. He could just post under another name.
He is totally banned. And actively monitored. IP blocking ;)
He is totally banned. And actively monitored. IP blocking ;)
Ripster just posted some more of his keyboard science on reddit. He must be reading these threads. Anyway, here it is: http://imgur.com/a/Pezs5
Of course he's reading these threads! Why do you think there is always at least one guest in each thread?
No need for that. He could just post under another name.
He is totally banned. And actively monitored. IP blocking ;)
This is what I don't understand. Why so much hate against that guy and why do people go so far against him. No one will tell me. He didn't scam anyone.
He is totally banned. And actively monitored. IP blocking ;)
You do know that IP bans only work against static IPs and even then a person could use a proxy, or use Tor.
He is totally banned. And actively monitored. IP blocking ;)
You do know that IP bans only work against static IPs and even then a person could use a proxy, or use Tor.
MX stems are made of acetal aka delrin aka POM
He is totally banned. And actively monitored. IP blocking ;)
You do know that IP bans only work against static IPs and even then a person could use a proxy, or use Tor.
Except that proxys are automatically blocked/banned automatically on GH. Not sure about Tor.
Has it been confirmed that the stems are POM? What about Gateron?
Has it been confirmed that the stems are POM? What about Gateron?
That necro. romevi pls.
Pretty much every switch manufacturer uses POM. Nothing about it being softer or harder resulting in smoother or rougher feel. It's all about quality of mould.
Why is Ripster banned?
Why is Ripster banned?( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
MX stems are made of acetal aka delrin aka POMWhile similar, they are all a bit different.
MX stems are made of acetal aka delrin aka POMWhile similar, they are all a bit different.
None handle acids and oxidation well, however POM is very vulnerable to chlorine, which is why POM kitchen knives (and pocket knives) shouldn't be put in the dishwasher. Even the small amounts used in drinking water will cause stress fractures in it. This is made worse when the water is hot. Delrin and Acetal do not experience this, which is why some computer water cooling systems use it in their construction, if you were to make it from POM, your computer would soon be flooded.
In other words, don't clean your POM keycaps in the dishwasher like you can with IBM keycaps.
They may survive a couple times, but eventually they will break down.