Lubing tips for HHKB.

[Simplicity]

Hello, so after lurking various mechanical keyboards for a month or so I finally pulled the trigger and bought a HHKB last week, which arrived today!

I've read a few comments how lubing the hhkb would silence it up a bit and also improve the smoothness on the downstroke (which is already really smooth) but I am lost at which type of lube I can use.

I've read this thread where I saw Bro Caps' recommendation on the 205 and 103 Krytox mix but I cannot find the 103 in a small enough quantity for my use. I was thinking of getting some of the thin lube from CTRL[ALT]'s store but I'm not sure if it would suit the topre sliders since despite that I find topre very smooth to use there is still some tactile feedback at the beginning of the keypress so the thick lube might be a better suit for it (which is sadly out of stock). Just need some confirmation whether the thin lube would be suitable for the topre or should I wait until the thick lube is back in stock/keep looking for 103 Krytox.

Thanks!

[Joey Quinn]

I think bunny is working on lube for topre, I don't know when it'll be released.

[Macsmasher]

I have both of the mech lubes from EK. I use MechLube2 for my HHKB on both the switch stems as well as when I disassemble it and lube the switch guides from underneath. Works great. Under regular use, I have to lube mine once or twice per year. Of course, I can be OCD about the board's feel and lube it more often than most.

http://www.elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=access,misc

After lubing, the switches will be a bit sluggish for a couple of days. After that, it's a dream to type on once again.

Just keep in mind that a little goes a long way. But it's not critical. If you apply too much, it will just take a little longer to get the snappiness back. It's an easy thing to do and you can't really mess things up. I suppose if you did goop too much in there, you can always disassemble it again and wipe off the excess with some Q-tips. But for the most part, any excess grease will make its way down to the switch housings in the case.

[RoflCopter4]

Why is it necessary to lube topre switches? There really isn't much in the way of moving parts...

[strict]

I applied the Extra Thick Krytox blend from mechanicalkeyboards.com to both the plungers and stabilizers on my Realforce and couldn't be happier with how it turned out. Stabs are totally silent and don't rattle at all. The biggest change with the plunger is that they are quieter now, you don't get that "sweeping" noise as the plunger slides downwards. They feel slightly smoother but its hard to quantify since Topre keys are so smooth to begin with.

[byker]

You want a nice and thick lube

It isn't necessary to lube, but feels nice and smooth after!

[Macsmasher]

Why is it necessary to lube topre switches? There really isn't much in the way of moving parts...

I'm not a keyboard expert. But if you disassemble an HHKB, you'll see the plastic switch housing that slides up and down within the switch recesses in upper part of the plastic case. It's logical to assume that this assembly will wear over time without lubrication, especially on keys like Tab and Shift where the user isn't always striking the key in the center. I could be wrong. But one doesn't have to be an engineer to understand parts rubbing together without lubrication will wear, just like pistons and cylinders in a motor would wear if there is no engine oil.

[Moralless]

Why is it necessary to lube topre switches? There really isn't much in the way of moving parts...

From what I've read lubing the hhkb improves the feel of the switch and also reduces the noise of it somewhat.

[Simplicity]

Thanks for all the feedback everybody but I ended up going to my friend who got me into mechanical keyboards who had both the thick lube (from ek) and thin lube (from ctrl alt) and I ended up lubing the whole thing with the thin lube. Initially I was planning on using the thick lube but I first tested it out by lubing three housing with the thick and another three with the thin lube and I much preferred the thin over the thick since both lubes did quiet the switch about the same amount, replacing the plasticky 'clack' on the upstroke with a deeper 'thock' but the thick ended up eliminating the snappiness of the switch whereas the thin lube kept the snappiness about the same.

[Sturmfrau]

What is krytox made of? Just curious.