« previous next »
Pages:  [1]     Go Down

Author Topic: key cap dyeing  (Read 7742 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Wintermoot

  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 7
key cap dyeing
« on: Fri, 17 August 2012, 14:13:08 »
hello GH first time poster here.
I,m planning to dye the caps on this old KB I get lying around here and I would like to know what sort of dye I should be using.
I was thinking of using cloth dyes.
« Last Edit: Fri, 17 August 2012, 15:27:18 by Wintermoot »
Logged
WASD V1 MX Blue|Keycool 84 MX Red

Offline boost

  • BOSTMOBILE
  • * Elevated Elder
  • Posts: 3300
  • NY Giants!!!
Re: key cap dying
« Reply #1 on: Fri, 17 August 2012, 14:33:52 »
Someone dyed a set of PBT keys and wrote a how-to on that. Will search for it when I get to my PC.
Logged
"Aerodynamics are for people who can't build engines."

-Enzo Ferrari

Offline MMB

  • I no longer use this account. Please email me.
  • Posts: 1162
Re: key cap dying
« Reply #2 on: Fri, 17 August 2012, 14:36:50 »
Logged

Offline jdcarpe

  • * Curator
  • Posts: 8852
  • Location: Odessa, TX
  • Live long, and prosper.
key cap dying
« Reply #3 on: Fri, 17 August 2012, 15:04:10 »
Hahaha! I thought your keycap was dying. As in not alive. You mean dyeing. LOL
Logged
KMAC :: LZ-GH :: WASD CODE :: WASD v2 :: GH60 :: Alps64 :: JD45 :: IBM Model M :: IBM 4704 "Pingmaster"

http://jd40.info :: http://jd45.info


in memoriam
"When I was a kid, I used to take things apart and never put them back together."

Offline Wintermoot

  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 7
Re: key cap dying
« Reply #4 on: Fri, 17 August 2012, 15:19:02 »
Quote from: MagicMeatball on Fri, 17 August 2012, 14:36:50
http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=27237.0
thanks but the thing is I don't have access to RIT dye's can any old cloth dyer do the job?
Logged
WASD V1 MX Blue|Keycool 84 MX Red

Offline Computer-Lab in Basement

  • The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.
  • * Elevated Elder
  • Posts: 3025
  • Location: NCC-1701, USS Enterprise
  • Live long and prosper
Re: key cap dying
« Reply #5 on: Fri, 17 August 2012, 15:22:01 »
Quote from: jdcarpe on Fri, 17 August 2012, 15:04:10
Hahaha! I thought your keycap was dying. As in not alive. You mean dyeing. LOL
hehe...

As for using clothing dye, I wouldn't think it would be as effective, but I suppose it can't hurt to try, could it?
Logged
Quote from: Frenir on Mon, 23 March 2015, 15:16:48
Quote from: Computer-Lab in Basement on Mon, 23 March 2015, 15:14:18
tp thread is tp thread
Sometimes it's like he accidentally makes a thread instead of a google search.

IBM Model M SSK | IBM Model F XT | IBM Model F 122 | IBM Model M 122 | Ducky YOTD 2012 w/ blue switches | Poker II w/ Blue switches | Royal Kludge RK61 w/ Blue switches

Offline dorkvader

  • Posts: 6288
  • Location: Boston area
  • all about the "hack" in "geekhack"
Re: key cap dying
« Reply #6 on: Fri, 17 August 2012, 15:36:38 »
Quote from: Computer-Lab in Basement on Fri, 17 August 2012, 15:22:01
Quote from: jdcarpe on Fri, 17 August 2012, 15:04:10
Hahaha! I thought your keycap was dying. As in not alive. You mean dyeing. LOL
hehe...

As for using clothing dye, I wouldn't think it would be as effective, but I suppose it can't hurt to try, could it?
Don't melt your keycaps, though.
Logged

Offline Computer-Lab in Basement

  • The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.
  • * Elevated Elder
  • Posts: 3025
  • Location: NCC-1701, USS Enterprise
  • Live long and prosper
Re: key cap dyeing
« Reply #7 on: Fri, 17 August 2012, 15:39:54 »
Quote from: dorkvader on Fri, 17 August 2012, 15:36:38
Don't melt your keycaps, though.

Oh, yeah... probably should have emphasized that.   :))
Logged
Quote from: Frenir on Mon, 23 March 2015, 15:16:48
Quote from: Computer-Lab in Basement on Mon, 23 March 2015, 15:14:18
tp thread is tp thread
Sometimes it's like he accidentally makes a thread instead of a google search.

IBM Model M SSK | IBM Model F XT | IBM Model F 122 | IBM Model M 122 | Ducky YOTD 2012 w/ blue switches | Poker II w/ Blue switches | Royal Kludge RK61 w/ Blue switches

Offline hashbaz

  • Grand Ancient One
  • * Moderator Emeritus
  • Posts: 5057
  • Location: SF Bae Area
Re: key cap dyeing
« Reply #8 on: Fri, 17 August 2012, 17:46:27 »
People have tried things other than RIT, but I don't think anything has been found that works as well.  In particular, some tried Dylon and the results were very washed out.  If your keys are not PBT you need to be super careful about melting them with too much heat.
Logged

Offline fohat.digs

  • * Elevated Elder
  • Posts: 6473
  • Location: 35°55'N, 83°53'W
  • weird funny old guy
Re: key cap dyeing
« Reply #9 on: Fri, 17 August 2012, 20:28:11 »
My experience has been that RIT powder works great on PBT, but that the liquid is all but useless on plastic.

Black was awesome but all the other dark colors I tried came out muddy and uneven.

Bright colors like scarlet and sunshine orange were particularly nice.

I have tried to dye ABS more than once, with a few pitiful successes and a lot of failures.

The effective temperature of the dye may be a few scant degrees below than the soften/melt temperature of ABS, but the range and tolerance is very small. There is no point in mentioning numbers, because your results will vary according to your equipment. I will say for certain that it is well below the boiling point.

You can only trust trial and error. Go to a thrift store and buy some $1 junk keyboards for experimentation.
Logged
“Citizens United violates the essence of what made America a great country in its political system. Now it’s just an oligarchy, with unlimited political bribery being the essence of getting the nominations for president or to elect the president.
So now we’ve just seen a complete subversion of our political system as a payoff to major contributors, who want and expect and sometimes get favors for themselves after the election’s over.”
- Jimmy Carter 2015

Offline Phagocytosis

  • Posts: 43
  • Location: Pennsylvania, USA
Re: key cap dyeing
« Reply #10 on: Sat, 18 August 2012, 14:57:37 »
Rit dye is the way to go.  The only issue my brother had when he did it was that he didn't let all of the alcohol evaporate when cleaning the keys before dyeing so some of them had an uneven sheen. 
Logged
Leopold TKL - Ghetto Green
Apple Extended II - Orange Alps

Offline KeyboardRookie

  • Posts: 28
  • Location: Ohio, US
Re: key cap dyeing
« Reply #11 on: Sat, 18 August 2012, 15:11:49 »
Is there any custom dye-sub company? I have a lot of keycaps with no engraving. It will be great if I can print what I want.
Just dyeing cannot satisfy me.
« Last Edit: Sat, 18 August 2012, 15:14:17 by KeyboardRookie »
Logged
I'm in chronic intoxication to keyboards,

Offline demik

  • Pronounced "demique"
  • Posts: 11159
Re: key cap dyeing
« Reply #12 on: Sat, 18 August 2012, 15:20:59 »
you can try asking imsto, but you'd have to ship them out to china.
Logged
No, he’s not around. How that sound to ya? Jot it down.

Offline modulor

  • Posts: 236
  • Location: US
Re: key cap dyeing
« Reply #13 on: Mon, 20 August 2012, 15:38:57 »
I've read 'metal spraypaints' such as Krylon X-Metals and Duplicolor Metalcast work well with ABS plastics.  I haven't seen any examples yet of them on keycaps, so I may have to try it out myself.  Basically, the spraypaint acts like a vinyl dye and is absorbed into the plastic.  Here is an example on a classic gameboy to get an idea:
 
This was an ol' grey brick sprayed with one coat of X-Metals.  You can see how it absorbed into the plastic, but left the printed text intact.  The process was supposedly quick, drying in less than 10 minutes.  I think this could potentially work well for keycaps too, and could be a better alternative to coloring ABS caps, since it is sensitive to the higher temperatures of RIT dyeing.  PBT is more resilient in that regard, though I've heard the reports of uneven coating.  I wonder if these particular paints will take to PBT as well, only one way to find out  :) for science!  Thoughts?
Logged

Offline hashbaz

  • Grand Ancient One
  • * Moderator Emeritus
  • Posts: 5057
  • Location: SF Bae Area
Re: key cap dyeing
« Reply #14 on: Mon, 20 August 2012, 15:47:41 »
That GameBoy photo looks really promising.
Logged

Offline fohat.digs

  • * Elevated Elder
  • Posts: 6473
  • Location: 35°55'N, 83°53'W
  • weird funny old guy
Re: key cap dyeing
« Reply #15 on: Mon, 20 August 2012, 16:50:22 »
Please keep us posted on the short-term and long-term prognosis on this process.

This could be huge!

Logged
“Citizens United violates the essence of what made America a great country in its political system. Now it’s just an oligarchy, with unlimited political bribery being the essence of getting the nominations for president or to elect the president.
So now we’ve just seen a complete subversion of our political system as a payoff to major contributors, who want and expect and sometimes get favors for themselves after the election’s over.”
- Jimmy Carter 2015

Offline peachesenregalia

  • Posts: 48
  • Location: Central New York
Re: key cap dyeing
« Reply #16 on: Mon, 20 August 2012, 17:39:24 »
Quote from: fohat.digs on Fri, 17 August 2012, 20:28:11
My experience has been that RIT powder works great on PBT, but that the liquid is all but useless on plastic..

Just want to attest to the general ****tyness of the liquid dye for key caps. I've tried a few different colors on PBT and it simply doesn't take.
Logged
Good feeling of oneness.

Offline KeyboardRookie

  • Posts: 28
  • Location: Ohio, US
Re: key cap dyeing
« Reply #17 on: Mon, 20 August 2012, 23:31:02 »
Quote from: peachesenregalia on Mon, 20 August 2012, 17:39:24
Quote from: fohat.digs on Fri, 17 August 2012, 20:28:11
My experience has been that RIT powder works great on PBT, but that the liquid is all but useless on plastic..

Just want to attest to the general ****tyness of the liquid dye for key caps. I've tried a few different colors on PBT and it simply doesn't take.

Did anyone successfully took PBT keycap color modification yet?
Logged
I'm in chronic intoxication to keyboards,

Offline dorkvader

  • Posts: 6288
  • Location: Boston area
  • all about the "hack" in "geekhack"
Re: key cap dyeing
« Reply #18 on: Tue, 21 August 2012, 00:23:54 »
Quote from: KeyboardRookie on Mon, 20 August 2012, 23:31:02
Quote from: peachesenregalia on Mon, 20 August 2012, 17:39:24
Quote from: fohat.digs on Fri, 17 August 2012, 20:28:11
My experience has been that RIT powder works great on PBT, but that the liquid is all but useless on plastic..

Just want to attest to the general ****tyness of the liquid dye for key caps. I've tried a few different colors on PBT and it simply doesn't take.

Did anyone successfully took PBT keycap color modification yet?
I have seen some successful PBT dying. Perhaps the best was an HHKB that had been dyed, which looked really good.
Logged

Offline modulor

  • Posts: 236
  • Location: US
Re: key cap dyeing
« Reply #19 on: Tue, 21 August 2012, 11:34:20 »
I'll test out some of the various methods, perhaps this weekend if I can get all the materials together by then.  I should be able to get both brands of paint easily, and I already have some RIT powder dye.  I'll try to use a few different types of keycaps as well for variety.
Logged
Pages:  [1]     Go Up
« previous next »