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Author Topic: Fixing gritty keycaps.  (Read 3589 times)

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Offline Jixr

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Fixing gritty keycaps.
« on: Thu, 18 December 2014, 10:43:15 »
Hey guys, I'm a big fan of smooth keycaps,and some of the cheaper sets I have are really gritty feeling with an almost sand like texture.

So I tried a little experiment by using a 3000 grit sanding foam pad on the keys, and you can get them baby smooth without damaging the keycaps.

I figured I would pass along the info if anyone else was picky over keycap texture.

( I'm also going to experiment sanding the sliders to see if that can increase the smoothness of the switch. I just built a keyboard with new switches, and they feel horrible )
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Offline SpAmRaY

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Re: Fixing gritty keycaps.
« Reply #1 on: Thu, 18 December 2014, 10:44:14 »
Don't think I've seen anyone sanding switch sliders, this should be interesting.
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Offline Jixr

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Re: Fixing gritty keycaps.
« Reply #2 on: Thu, 18 December 2014, 10:50:26 »
yeah, i have tons of switches laying around, so i'm going to test it out.

All my boards have switches that are well over 2 years old, and going from vintage blacks to new blacks, it just feels absolutely horrible, which sucks since the keyboard is super nice. I've been using it both at work and home to try to get the sucker broken in as fast as I can.
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Offline rowdy

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Re: Fixing gritty keycaps.
« Reply #3 on: Thu, 18 December 2014, 15:49:34 »
I'm not sure how long pad-printed keycaps would last :eek:

Besides, most people would just switch out to a different set.
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Offline Smasher816

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Re: Fixing gritty keycaps.
« Reply #4 on: Thu, 18 December 2014, 16:11:04 »
Sounds like you might like POM or some ABS sets.

Personally I hate super smooth keys and love the slight texture on most PBT keycaps. To each their own.
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Offline rowdy

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Re: Fixing gritty keycaps.
« Reply #5 on: Thu, 18 December 2014, 18:28:56 »
I am currently using the Nuclear Data Green SA set.  They are as smooth and shiny as, which I had my doubts about.

Doubts erased - the feel is fantastic!
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"Because keyboards are accessories to PC makers, they focus on minimizing the manufacturing costs. But that’s incorrect. It’s in HHKB’s slogan, but when America’s cowboys were in the middle of a trip and their horse died, they would leave the horse there. But even if they were in the middle of a desert, they would take their saddle with them. The horse was a consumable good, but the saddle was an interface that their bodies had gotten used to. In the same vein, PCs are consumable goods, while keyboards are important interfaces." - Eiiti Wada

NEC APC-H4100E | Ducky DK9008 Shine MX blue LED red | Ducky DK9008 Shine MX blue LED green | Link 900243-08 | CM QFR MX black | KeyCool 87 white MX reds | HHKB 2 Pro | Model M 02-Mar-1993 | Model M 29-Nov-1995 | CM Trigger (broken) | CM QFS MX green | Ducky DK9087 Shine 3 TKL Yellow Edition MX black | Lexmark SSK 21-Apr-1994 | IBM SSK 13-Oct-1987 | CODE TKL MX clear | Model M 122 01-Jun-1988

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Offline fohat.digs

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Re: Fixing gritty keycaps.
« Reply #6 on: Fri, 19 December 2014, 07:52:40 »
Quote from: Jixr on Thu, 18 December 2014, 10:43:15

I'm also going to experiment sanding the sliders to see if that can increase the smoothness of the switch.


I love texture and hate shiny keycaps, but that is just me. I would love rubberized caps for certain keys, if it weren't for the durability issue.

However, for anything internal, I would start with a complete detailed lube job before I started grinding anything.
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Offline Jixr

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Re: Fixing gritty keycaps.
« Reply #7 on: Fri, 19 December 2014, 10:31:28 »
Yeah, obviously it won't work on pad printed caps, but lazered it works well.

I recently got a rainbow keycap set, and its really gritty.

(I'd been wanting to build a pink/rainbow keyboard forever, and finally got around to it. )
But on my other keyboards, I have nice BSP sets.
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