[IC] Milkyway Lancaster - PBT Keycap Interest Check

[Owl]

Introduction

I am happy to announce that this Interest Check is back on the "rails"! It was and still is important to me that this set found a way to be ran as it represents an important time in my life that I wanted to express through this design. I am thankful and proud that this set will be manufactured by MilkyWay! I still have the data from the old Lancaster IC, but new manufacturing brings new decisions and opportunity. I would really appreciate if you would take the time to review and provide feedback for this Interest Check so that it can develop in to the best possible version of itself and serve as many people as possible. Thank you!

Colors

Keycaps

Deskmats

Renders

Artisans

Artisans by Hibi MX

Cables

Artisan coiled aviator cables from SwiftCables!

Fun Stuff

Web Browser Themes

Complete your desk aesthetic with official browser themes in the Lancaster colorway!

Velvet
Postcard

Velvet
Nostalgia

Collectible Vintage Memorabilia

During the Group Buy phase, I will be giving away some cool Lancaster related stuff in my Discord!

Forum Signature

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[url=https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=109917.0][img width=316 height=120]https://i.imgur.com/u2IIeCR.jpg[/img][/url]

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[url=https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=109917.0][img width=316 height=120]https://i.imgur.com/kgMRAQg.jpg[/img][/url]

Specifications and Description

Keycaps are made by MilkyWay using high-quality PBT material for the caps and a dye-sublimation process for the legends.
Keycaps use MX stems and are compatible with any keyboard that uses Cherry MX style switches.
Deskmats are 900mm X 400mm X 3mm with printed cloth top, rubberized bottom, and stitched edges.

Products shown will be sold via a Group Buy by your local vendors around the world. Please refer to vendor information pages regarding Group Buy details.

Product images shown are renders. Final product colors may vary, especially if you are viewing on an uncalibrated monitor or device. Gaming Monitors that use TN panels are especially inaccurate for viewing colors. Your smartphone is probably the most color accurate device unless you have a special monitor. Kingk22 and I have calibrated the renders based on this recommendation.

Vendors and Pricing

United States: TBA

Canada: DeskHero

Europe: MyKeyboard.eu

Asia: iLumKB

Asia: ZFrontier

Oceania: Daily Clack

Change Log

06/21/2022 - Interest Check page completely re-done to reflect new manufacturer, MilkyWay.
02/22/2021 - Cable Collab, Postcard promo, new novelties, new feedback form, all vendors announced
02/22/2021 - Hangul kit added
01/05/2021 - Deskmats updated
12/09/2020 - ISO kit added to Base Kit
11/30/2020 - Interest Check goes live

Special Thanks

Thank you Kate from hibi for the incredible artisan keycap designs
Thank you KingK22 for the awesome renders
Thank you SpikedSynapse for your help with fantastic novelty design
Thank you SwitftCables for your collaboration on the fantastic artisan cables

Please consider filling out the feedback form as it greatly helps me polish the product to suit your needs.

WEBSITES AND SOCIAL MEDIA

[yoot]

Is this based off of Lancaster Pennsylvania?

[ddrfraser1]

neat

[Owl]

Is this based off of Lancaster Pennsylvania?

It sure is!

[yoot]

Is this based off of Lancaster Pennsylvania?

It sure is!

That's so cool! I live in Montgomery county so that's pretty close to me

[nvh2092]

Nice colors as always. Please consider adding 1.25u Fn key, ISO-US to base kit. Also, do you have any plans for novelties?

[NoPunIn10Did]

Since you've got an R4 backslash in the ISO kit, you probably don't need it in the base kit.  Or vice versa.

[Owl]

Nice colors as always. Please consider adding 1.25u Fn key, ISO-US to base kit. Also, do you have any plans for novelties?

Novelties are finished and ready but I just need an updated render from Kingk22 since I changed my mind on a detail.

[Owl]

Since you've got an R4 backslash in the ISO kit, you probably don't need it in the base kit.  Or vice versa.

Yup I just noticed that like the moment I posted it lol. I plan on taking it out of the base kit to try to get the price of the base kit down.

[Owl]

Is this based off of Lancaster Pennsylvania?

It sure is!

That's so cool! I live in Montgomery county so that's pretty close to me

Hell yeah! I grew up in York county near the Red Lion area!

[Bachoo]

While I am apart of the Icon mod gang, these text mods are hitting different. 

[LucaLo_]

Good ****, text mods really giving me that old-timey feel.

[aaronlau]

PA GANG PULL UP!

[hellphyre]

PA GANG PULL UP!

PA GANG check-in - GLWIC

[dededecline]

I think the rows are off here (assuming this is a 40s kit) and should be

R2
R3
R3
R4
R4
R4

I would also suggest removing the lock key, adding a second 1u shift for ortho support, and adding 1.25u and 1.75u enter keys. Come by the 40s discord if you want more help with this!

[boneandbee]

Oh gosh this is beautiful. I'd had a similar set in mind to do but this is just so lovely and perfectly done - the burgundy, amber, cream, and charcoal are such an unexpectedly pretty combination, at once feeling luxurious with leather, brass, and velvet, and homey, like a pipe smoke and book-filled home library. That dual feeling remind me of both the professor's study and the train ride in the Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe.

[Owl]

Show Image

I think the rows are off here (assuming this is a 40s kit) and should be

R2
R3
R3
R4
R4
R4

I would also suggest removing the lock key, adding a second 1u shift for ortho support, and adding 1.25u and 1.75u enter keys. Come by the 40s discord if you want more help with this!

Thank you! I really wish I had more 40's experience so I could get this right from the get go. I will make sure to get this re-rendered with proper support.

[Owl]

Oh gosh this is beautiful. I'd had a similar set in mind to do but this is just so lovely and perfectly done - the burgundy, amber, cream, and charcoal are such an unexpectedly pretty combination, at once feeling luxurious with leather, brass, and velvet, and homey, like a pipe smoke and book-filled home library. That dual feeling remind me of both the professor's study and the train ride in the Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe.

Thank you for that immersive reaction! I am so glad that it's giving off those feelings for you. It means a lot to me, especially from a designer who is so good with colors like yourself. Thank you again!

[verity]

Not the biggest text mods fan but I do have to admit they work very well here. Excited to see this progress.

[treeleaf64]

Reminds me of a train

[Owl]

I added a section just below the kit renders that labels the keys with units.

Also changed the 40's kit per the provided suggestion. Hopefully it suits 40's users needs.

Also added the novelties. There is actually another novelty concept that I am working on for the bottom row but I left it out for now as I want to make sure it's not blasphemous by GMK standards.

[aclassynerd]

may i request a render with a gray board? i ordered a think65 gray and would like to see it if it works out.

like this one

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0217/1948/2468/products/05_1U_1296x.png?v=1595025108

[nick779]

Sigh, Pittsburgh checking in. Guess I'll be opening my wallet again.

[Rob27shred]

PA gang checking in here too! Love the set OP, please consider adding the extra B to the spacebar kit! It just makes much more sense there, even if you leave the regular colored small bars in the 40's kit, since you have the 2.25u & 2.75u accent bars in the spacebar kit as it stands.

[lush_bunny]

This looks so classy. The keyboard that dons this set can be livingroom setpiece. I'm curious what's the best color to pair with this.

[Ulliam]

Is this based off of Lancaster Pennsylvania?

It sure is!

Also the colours of the English House of Lancaster https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Lancaster

[Jaxxstatic]

Why "1929?" What's the significance of that year?
I know Lancaster was founded in 1729...
I'm familiar with the Bicentennial Wagon Train Pilgrimage to Pennsylvania...
Is there a specific postcard this set uses as inspiration for colors? I'm just curious.

[SpinningHook]

Mods remind me of Red Samurai in a good way.

[VXQN]

Not a fan of the "tobacco smoke stain" alphas, but the rest looks nice!

[Owl]

Why "1929?" What's the significance of that year?
I know Lancaster was founded in 1729...
I'm familiar with the Bicentennial Wagon Train Pilgrimage to Pennsylvania...
Is there a specific postcard this set uses as inspiration for colors? I'm just curious.

The train station in Lacaster, which is the backdrop inspiration for this set, was opened on April 28th 1929. The interior building featured these kinds of colors. The lancaster sign that hung in the lobby was a burgundy with gold accents. The walls were a creamy/smoky beige, and supporting beams and molding featured the darker grays. I moddified the colors a good bit to reflect the color palette but in a more rustic tone to show the age while retaining that appeal. The appeal being a pretty low budget inspjration of art deco at the time.

[JCraftCables]

Like the colour scheme. Only thing I'd change is to change the mods to icon instead of text.

[lavaflow]

I love these colors, don't think I'd get anything besides the base kit though

[Emir]

ctrl+f carbon = 0 results
is gh evolving?

[Puddsy]

ctrl+f carbon = 0 results
is gh evolving?

if we malded over every set with cream alphas and grey mods we'd die from the blood pressure increase

also i don't see how this set looks like carbon at all

[Galakc]

Theme and deskmats fit perfectly, great job!

[Owl]

Just a quick update based on the feedback i've gotten!

1. I moved the B key to the spacebars kit from the 40's kit. This makes a lot of sense because split users will already have to get the spacebars kit so forcing them to get the 40's kit which would be useless to them did not make sense. To be honest this was more of a slip using an old KLE than anything as I consciously did this for my last set. So thank you for bringing it to my attention so it could be fixed

2. The ISO kit has been added to the base kit instead of being a standalone kit. At first I thought separating the two would be a benefit to lower the cost of the base kit for everyone that wouldn't make use of the ISO keys. But it turns out that this actually punishes ISO users more than anything as the standalone kit is more expensive by itself than just adding it to the base kit. This also ensures that it will get made as well as increase the aftermarket value of the base kit for those who get it. I think this change makes a lot of sense after understanding all of those things. So thank you for that feedback and thank you KingK22 for explaining this benefit to my non-iso brain lol.

3. Novelties will be getting a new R4. I am still working on them to make sure they are up to spec. I want to avoid the constant changes that occurred in my last keyset due to going back and forth with GMK on the limitations and line sizes. For now, the shown novelties are up to spec, but there are more to come.

4. I received less feedback than I had imagined regarding language support. Seems that the audience is still primarily basic English alphas users. That being said, the most requested language so far was Hangul! So... I am heavily considering adding Hangul support as I have always said that I want my sets to support languages without necessarily being themed around them. I have not decided if I am going to add this as a separate kit like I did in the past or if I am going to attempt to run a second base kit. It will largely depend on the final data of the IC phase of the project to determine which is more feasible and beneficial. Please let me know your thoughts in the Google Form though!

5. I am still reaching to find collaboration opportunities! I intend to have artisans and possibly other collabs running along side the set.

Thank you all for your feedback so far! It's been incredibly helpful and it shapes the set to YOUR needs. Please let me know any and all thoughts you have, positive or negative. Thank you again for you continued support and understanding!

[violeaf]

Nice move on including iso in base! Not sure if you've considered designing a novelty for iso enter, which can be another highlight

[nvh2092]

Just a quick update based on the feedback i've gotten!

1. I moved the B key to the spacebars kit from the 40's kit. This makes a lot of sense because split users will already have to get the spacebars kit so forcing them to get the 40's kit which would be useless to them did not make sense. To be honest this was more of a slip using an old KLE than anything as I consciously did this for my last set. So thank you for bringing it to my attention so it could be fixed

2. The ISO kit has been added to the base kit instead of being a standalone kit. At first I thought separating the two would be a benefit to lower the cost of the base kit for everyone that wouldn't make use of the ISO keys. But it turns out that this actually punishes ISO users more than anything as the standalone kit is more expensive by itself than just adding it to the base kit. This also ensures that it will get made as well as increase the aftermarket value of the base kit for those who get it. I think this change makes a lot of sense after understanding all of those things. So thank you for that feedback and thank you KingK22 for explaining this benefit to my non-iso brain lol.

3. Novelties will be getting a new R4. I am still working on them to make sure they are up to spec. I want to avoid the constant changes that occurred in my last keyset due to going back and forth with GMK on the limitations and line sizes. For now, the shown novelties are up to spec, but there are more to come.

4. I received less feedback than I had imagined regarding language support. Seems that the audience is still primarily basic English alphas users. That being said, the most requested language so far was Hangul! So... I am heavily considering adding Hangul support as I have always said that I want my sets to support languages without necessarily being themed around them. I have not decided if I am going to add this as a separate kit like I did in the past or if I am going to attempt to run a second base kit. It will largely depend on the final data of the IC phase of the project to determine which is more feasible and beneficial. Please let me know your thoughts in the Google Form though!

5. I am still reaching to find collaboration opportunities! I intend to have artisans and possibly other collabs running along side the set.

Thank you all for your feedback so far! It's been incredibly helpful and it shapes the set to YOUR needs. Please let me know any and all thoughts you have, positive or negative. Thank you again for you continued support and understanding!

I believe a R4 pipe key is missing, it is needed to pair with that 1.25u Shift key. Also, ISO US may has fewer keys than ISO UK if you consider lowering the cost a bit, I may be wrong about the price part.

[Owl]

Just a quick update based on the feedback i've gotten!

1. I moved the B key to the spacebars kit from the 40's kit. This makes a lot of sense because split users will already have to get the spacebars kit so forcing them to get the 40's kit which would be useless to them did not make sense. To be honest this was more of a slip using an old KLE than anything as I consciously did this for my last set. So thank you for bringing it to my attention so it could be fixed

2. The ISO kit has been added to the base kit instead of being a standalone kit. At first I thought separating the two would be a benefit to lower the cost of the base kit for everyone that wouldn't make use of the ISO keys. But it turns out that this actually punishes ISO users more than anything as the standalone kit is more expensive by itself than just adding it to the base kit. This also ensures that it will get made as well as increase the aftermarket value of the base kit for those who get it. I think this change makes a lot of sense after understanding all of those things. So thank you for that feedback and thank you KingK22 for explaining this benefit to my non-iso brain lol.

3. Novelties will be getting a new R4. I am still working on them to make sure they are up to spec. I want to avoid the constant changes that occurred in my last keyset due to going back and forth with GMK on the limitations and line sizes. For now, the shown novelties are up to spec, but there are more to come.

4. I received less feedback than I had imagined regarding language support. Seems that the audience is still primarily basic English alphas users. That being said, the most requested language so far was Hangul! So... I am heavily considering adding Hangul support as I have always said that I want my sets to support languages without necessarily being themed around them. I have not decided if I am going to add this as a separate kit like I did in the past or if I am going to attempt to run a second base kit. It will largely depend on the final data of the IC phase of the project to determine which is more feasible and beneficial. Please let me know your thoughts in the Google Form though!

5. I am still reaching to find collaboration opportunities! I intend to have artisans and possibly other collabs running along side the set.

Thank you all for your feedback so far! It's been incredibly helpful and it shapes the set to YOUR needs. Please let me know any and all thoughts you have, positive or negative. Thank you again for you continued support and understanding!

I believe a R4 pipe key is missing, it is needed to pair with that 1.25u Shift key. Also, ISO US may has fewer keys than ISO UK if you consider lowering the cost a bit, I may be wrong about the price part.

whoops. Yeah i am gonna fix that. Thank you!

[Jaxxstatic]

For collaborations, a Bongo Cat from Hello?Caps would be amazing. Or a Watcher from Ritual Master.
I would buy the Hangul kit if there was one.

[Owl]

fixed the R4 \| in the base kit.

Currently reaching out to makers for artisans and working on sprucing up the novelties.

Feedback from the google form suggested that the Novelties kit could be a little stronger. I am currently working on making a more comprehensive novelty kit with more diversity!

[bigmaxnonions]

It would seal the deal for me if the novelties included a picture of the PRR EMD E7, one of the most iconic trains from the Pennsylvania Railroad.

[Owl]

This isn't a huge update since I have been pretty busy over the holidays but I wanted to let everyone know that this is till being actively polished as we speak and that there is more to come. Also to get front page exposure because that's really why anyone puts out small updates.

I have added Last Padawan as my US vendor now. Really excited to work with them as their communication and support has been unprecedented! They also have a very talented artist on their team that is working on a 4th deskmat design. Their interest and art style is going to be a welcome addition to the IC and, with your approval, the GB.

I am also still working on the novelties. I really want these to be perfect so I've been taking the time to work with some other people in our community as well as becoming more proficient with SVG rendering myself.

Still looking at collaborations as well. I do have a cable maker so far. Myself and Last Padawan are looking at manufacturers right now for, possibly, the collectible post cards that were mentioned in the Google Form. I have some really cool ideas for that implementation but we will wait to se before I make any promises.

So yeah sorry for the lack of updates. Just been busy. But there is a lot to come still so thank you for your time!

[fatboycarney]

I just keep coming back to this set, it looks so clean and classy, and I like trains, winner all around great work Owl!

[Prestley]

Oh, it's beautiful. I usually prefer icons for mods but goddamn this colorway is crisp for the text. Looks very clean!

[CustomerSupport]

Definitely keeping my eye on this. Great colorway, very elegant.

[mainmorbix]

I'd like to see renders with a black keyboard.

[FlitzDeelman]

I'd like to see renders with a black keyboard.

I’d like to echo this please, and ask a bit wider: please render with a few more differently coloured boards?

I can’t quite picture what this would look good on.

On its own, this is one of the best looking sets I’ve seen in a while, really special, and different to most sets I’ve seen apart from Thai Tea.

[Rx003]

This is pretty nice and neat, would watch out for this! Pantone please?

[Owl]

I'd like to see renders with a black keyboard.

I’d like to echo this please, and ask a bit wider: please render with a few more differently coloured boards?

I can’t quite picture what this would look good on.

On its own, this is one of the best looking sets I’ve seen in a while, really special, and different to most sets I’ve seen apart from Thai Tea.

I just reached out to get some more renders done. This has been a popular request so I am going to try to get a nice variety done.

This is pretty nice and neat, would watch out for this! Pantone please?

Thank you! I don't have the Pantone equivalents for these colors and will be using RAL since I intend to run this set as a GMK set, which is their native color matching system.