Recoloring lasered keycap legends?

[Jamesbeat]

I have an AEK II on the way from ebay, and I have big plans for it.

I'm toying with the idea of dyeing the keycaps, but since the colors I have in mind are dark, I'm concerned that this would make the legends illegible (I'm not a touch typist, and I need legends).

I read all 49 pages of the key dyeing thread, but I didn't find anything about recoloring legends.

I have painted a lot of wargaming miniatures, and to color lines and grooves, I used inks.
The inks are very thin, and run into grooves on the surface of the plastic by capilliary action.

Another idea I had (also from wargaming, this time dice) is that you rub a white wax crayon over the surface of the imprinted numbers on a die, and the wax collects in the grooves, much like grouting tiles.

Both of these ideas seem like they are almost but not quite the answer to refilling keycap legends, so I was wondering if anyone has come up with an answer, or has any ideas?

[dorkvader]

I have painted a lot of wargaming miniatures, and to color lines and grooves, I used inks.
The inks are very thin, and run into grooves on the surface of the plastic by capilliary action.

Another idea I had (also from wargaming, this time dice) is that you rub a white wax crayon over the surface of the imprinted numbers on a die, and the wax collects in the grooves, much like grouting tiles.

Both of these ideas seem like they are almost but not quite the answer to refilling keycap legends, so I was wondering if anyone has come up with an answer, or has any ideas?

I don't think you can "dye" just the legend without dying the key, but another good idea is to take something small and sharp, and dig out the old legend, then fill it with paint of the colour of your choice. This should work, though they top surface may be a little uneven. If you have experience painting miniatures (warhammer 40K for example) thes this option might work especially well. This only works well with infilled laser legends
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Now your other ideas also have merit, but I suspect they will be harder to implement. If you want to look up lithography methods, there is some excellent information. I think if you coat the whole top in wax, then etch out the area you want dyed (like with a needle) it'd work, but you'd probably end up with minute differences at the ends of your letters. I think they'd be too rounded. You can probably get really close, though. It really depends on how accurate you want to get.

[Specter_57]

..


That is going to be a lot of work, I think.

As to gouging out the original legends for re-coloring, a dremel tool might be of use here.

Only other way that might work ...a piece of clear acetate sheet, cut to the keycap face size, and you mark/paint/etc the legend on the underside of the piece of acetate (that is the legend marked reversed), then glue the piece to the face of the keycap. Legend will not be rubbed off by fingers this way.

But...not sure how good it would look overall.

Consider using  silver metallic Sharpies; they can write on the acetate sheet, and the silver color looks good against both light and dark backgrounds.

Just my two-pennies worth on this matter.


...................
Spec57

[Jamesbeat]

Yup, Warhammer 40K

Is the lasering infilled on the Apple keys?
All of my ideas hinged on them just being etched with no infill.
If they are filled, I'll just have to think of a different color scheme.
Shame nobody sells custom ALPS keycaps.

If they aren't filled, the metallic sharpie idea could work. Dab the sharpie into the legends, then wipe the excess away with solvent on a cloth, leaving it only in the grooves of the lettering.

[dorkvader]

Shame nobody sells custom ALPS keycaps.

SP does ALPS, cool, eh?

I'm unfamilliar with the Apple keys, if they aren't infilled, then other options may end up being the best. If you use a sharpie/solvent, try it on a stem first to make sure that you can wipe it away, and the solvent won't melt ABS.

[Specter_57]

..

I have a pair of the AEK-II keyboards.

I took one out from storage and looked at the keycap with a loupe.

The legend is black, of course, and absolutely level with the keycap face.

No trough for filling it.  And absolutely no-feel when carefully rubing my finger over the legend.

Can also use a metal letter-punch, heated, and melt in the letter, fill in the trough with paint, etc......but now we get complicated, need the set...and possibility of ruination. (I have actually used this method in past...not on keyboards though...)


If you do try the sharpie, be aware that it will wear off with use...and that is why I suggested using it on acetate glued to the keycap....and also look in your local dollar-store for small-letter stencils...make for a neater look.

BTW, if you decide to test this method out, use something like a glue-stick...it is water-soluable, and so if you don't like the result, you can at least remove the piece and clean up the cap to as before.


........
Spec57

[Jamesbeat]

Hmm. Thanks for examining your keyboard for me, but I guess the infilling means I'm out of luck.
I'm not really interested in using stencils or whatever, doesn't sound permanent enough for my liking , and I doubt I'd do a professional-looking job either!

SP does ALPS caps?
Couldn't find them on the site, but that doesn't mean they're not there of course...

[dorkvader]

Sure. Here are some ALPS red ESC keys on their webpage:
http://keycapsdirect.com/redesc.php