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Author Topic: Rit dyed keycap longevity?  (Read 2627 times)

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Offline Jamesbeat

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Rit dyed keycap longevity?
« on: Tue, 06 March 2012, 14:41:05 »
I read all 49 pages of the dyeing keycaps thread, but there seemed to be no concensus on the subject of how long the dye will last.

I received my Apple Extended Keyboard II today, and after a little work with a hacksaw, soldering iron and desoldering pump, I'm nearly ready to wire up the new matrix to fit the wireless controller I have.

I want to dye the keycaps, but not if it's only going to last for a short time, as this keyboard is going to be a lot of work, and the ALPS caps are not easy to just replace with a new set if the dyed finish starts looking shabby.

Has anyone used a dyed 'board for a long time?
How did the dye job hold up?
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Offline Jamesbeat

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Rit dyed keycap longevity?
« Reply #1 on: Tue, 06 March 2012, 18:00:54 »
I guess there are a lot of variables.
I'm making a tenkeyless, so I have some spare keys to experiment with.
Maybe I'll dye a few and slice them open.
I did see the photo of the key that had been cut open, but I bet there is a difference between manufacturers and plastic types.
The othe problem is that the space bar is ABS, so even if the other keys dye well, the space bar will still be a problem.
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Offline discord

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Re: Rit dyed keycap longevity?
« Reply #2 on: Tue, 19 February 2013, 04:40:27 »
how did it turn out?
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Offline Strelok

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Re: Rit dyed keycap longevity?
« Reply #3 on: Tue, 19 February 2013, 07:52:51 »
I used to dye the heads of my lacrosse sticks with RIT dye, that **** sticks. It's very similar to dye sub if the method is the same as what I used to do.
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Offline fohat.digs

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Re: Rit dyed keycap longevity?
« Reply #4 on: Tue, 19 February 2013, 16:38:00 »
My (1980s vintage IBM) PBT dye jobs have held up perfectly for a year of moderate use.

And somebody had a thread in recent weeks about dyeing ABS with the help of 15% acetone that looked pretty intriguing.

I am of the opinion that (penetrating) dye is preferable to almost any sort of (surface film) painting.
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Offline hoggy

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Re: Rit dyed keycap longevity?
« Reply #5 on: Tue, 19 February 2013, 16:44:19 »
I dyed some keys on a compaq mx11800 quite a while back, at least a year - but most likely quite a bit longer.  Haven't used the board all that much, but the keys haven't faded at all by themselves.
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