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Author Topic: Unusual Keycap Materials  (Read 4422 times)

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Offline nsrexler

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Unusual Keycap Materials
« on: Sun, 05 May 2013, 21:18:04 »
I've seen plastics (ABS, PBT, POM, polycarbonate, PVC), metals (aluminum, titanium, zinc, pewter), and even wood, but what are some more unusual materials that keycaps can be made out of?
I think glass or ceramic keycaps would be pretty neat, although they might be rather heavy and somewhat brittle.
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Offline kelske

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Re: Unusual Keycap Materials
« Reply #1 on: Sun, 05 May 2013, 22:39:33 »
Someone should make a set of Kevlar keycaps ;D
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Offline gnubag

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Re: Unusual Keycap Materials
« Reply #2 on: Sun, 05 May 2013, 22:51:57 »
didn't people make keycaps out of rubber (urethane) too?
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Offline Sifo

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Re: Unusual Keycap Materials
« Reply #3 on: Sun, 05 May 2013, 22:52:56 »
CHOCOLATE KEYCAPS PLEASE
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Offline rowdy

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Re: Unusual Keycap Materials
« Reply #4 on: Sun, 05 May 2013, 22:54:35 »
Ice would make cool backlight-friendly keycaps.

Note: the use of the word "cool" was deliberate.
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Offline Michael

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Re: Unusual Keycap Materials
« Reply #5 on: Sun, 05 May 2013, 22:55:13 »
Quote from: rowdy on Sun, 05 May 2013, 22:54:35
Ice would make cool backlight-friendly keycaps.

Note: the use of the word "cool" was deliberate.


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Offline rowdy

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Re: Unusual Keycap Materials
« Reply #6 on: Sun, 05 May 2013, 23:35:14 »
Ivory?  (For the conservation-challenged.)

Then you could tickle the ivories.

Without a piano.

Which could lead to the phrase: What tickles your ivories?
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"Because keyboards are accessories to PC makers, they focus on minimizing the manufacturing costs. But that’s incorrect. It’s in HHKB’s slogan, but when America’s cowboys were in the middle of a trip and their horse died, they would leave the horse there. But even if they were in the middle of a desert, they would take their saddle with them. The horse was a consumable good, but the saddle was an interface that their bodies had gotten used to. In the same vein, PCs are consumable goods, while keyboards are important interfaces." - Eiiti Wada

NEC APC-H4100E | Ducky DK9008 Shine MX blue LED red | Ducky DK9008 Shine MX blue LED green | Link 900243-08 | CM QFR MX black | KeyCool 87 white MX reds | HHKB 2 Pro | Model M 02-Mar-1993 | Model M 29-Nov-1995 | CM Trigger (broken) | CM QFS MX green | Ducky DK9087 Shine 3 TKL Yellow Edition MX black | Lexmark SSK 21-Apr-1994 | IBM SSK 13-Oct-1987 | CODE TKL MX clear | Model M 122 01-Jun-1988

Ị̸͚̯̲́ͤ̃͑̇̑ͯ̊̂͟ͅs̞͚̩͉̝̪̲͗͊ͪ̽̚̚ ̭̦͖͕̑́͌ͬͩ͟t̷̻͔̙̑͟h̹̠̼͋ͤ͋i̤̜̣̦̱̫͈͔̞ͭ͑ͥ̌̔s̬͔͎̍̈ͥͫ̐̾ͣ̔̇͘ͅ ̩̘̼͆̐̕e̞̰͓̲̺̎͐̏ͬ̓̅̾͠͝ͅv̶̰͕̱̞̥̍ͣ̄̕e͕͙͖̬̜͓͎̤̊ͭ͐͝ṇ̰͎̱̤̟̭ͫ͌̌͢͠ͅ ̳̥̦ͮ̐ͤ̎̊ͣ͡͡n̤̜̙̺̪̒͜e̶̻̦̿ͮ̂̀c̝̘̝͖̠̖͐ͨͪ̈̐͌ͩ̀e̷̥͇̋ͦs̢̡̤ͤͤͯ͜s͈̠̉̑͘a̱͕̗͖̳̥̺ͬͦͧ͆̌̑͡r̶̟̖̈͘ỷ̮̦̩͙͔ͫ̾ͬ̔ͬͮ̌?̵̘͇͔͙ͥͪ͞ͅ

Offline clickclack

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Re: Unusual Keycap Materials
« Reply #7 on: Mon, 06 May 2013, 00:56:10 »
bewbz
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Offline Sifo

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Re: Re: Unusual Keycap Materials
« Reply #8 on: Mon, 06 May 2013, 01:16:26 »
Quote from: clickclack on Mon, 06 May 2013, 00:56:10
bewbz

No wonder clacks feel so good...
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Offline BlueBär

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Re: Unusual Keycap Materials
« Reply #9 on: Mon, 06 May 2013, 01:50:03 »
Concrete could be pretty interesting. I'll experiment with that when my caps finally arrive (it has a few blanks included to do the molds).
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Offline SmallFry

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Re: Re: Re: Unusual Keycap Materials
« Reply #10 on: Mon, 06 May 2013, 02:00:37 »
Quote from: Sifo on Mon, 06 May 2013, 01:16:26
Quote from: clickclack on Mon, 06 May 2013, 00:56:10
bewbz

No wonder clacks feel so good...
There was such a clack, though I've only faintly heard of them, sadly.
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Offline Krogenar

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Re: Unusual Keycap Materials
« Reply #11 on: Mon, 06 May 2013, 08:15:54 »
Quote from: gnubag on Sun, 05 May 2013, 22:51:57
didn't people make keycaps out of rubber (urethane) too?

I could have sworn I saw someone offering them, but I can't remember who it was.

I'd like to see chalkboard-paint covered keycaps, so you could hand-write the legends. Typing would probably wear them off, though.
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Offline SmallFry

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Re: Re: Unusual Keycap Materials
« Reply #12 on: Mon, 06 May 2013, 08:24:05 »
Quote from: Krogenar on Mon, 06 May 2013, 08:15:54
Quote from: gnubag on Sun, 05 May 2013, 22:51:57
didn't people make keycaps out of rubber (urethane) too?

I could have sworn I saw someone offering them, but I can't remember who it was.

I'd like to see chalkboard-paint covered keycaps, so you could hand-write the legends. Typing would probably wear them off, though.
SP offered rubber caps.
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Offline CPTBadAss

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Re: Unusual Keycap Materials
« Reply #13 on: Mon, 06 May 2013, 08:26:19 »
I know there are some rubber covered caps from NewEgg but it's only WASD.
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Offline Lastpilot

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Re: Unusual Keycap Materials
« Reply #14 on: Wed, 15 May 2013, 09:19:52 »
Is carbon fiber possible? Maybe.
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Offline ITzNybble

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Re: Unusual Keycap Materials
« Reply #15 on: Wed, 15 May 2013, 13:20:55 »
Quote from: Lastpilot on Wed, 15 May 2013, 09:19:52
Is carbon fiber possible? Maybe.

I would think so as long as you mold it correctly, carbon fiber is obviously the fiber plus some kind of resin so it would make sense that you could do it not sure if you would want to though.
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