Lubing MX Clears

[DrinkTea]

So, I generally like the weight of the MX clears and I have no desire to "ergo" them. However, They do feel a bit rough and I was thinking of using lube on them. Can I do this without removing the switches with one of the syringe kits from elitekeyboards or something similar?

[calavera]

Nope, you need to open the switch to lube it properly. You can try shooting some lube with a needle while pressing on the slider though lol

[WhiteFireDragon]

You can try shooting some lube with a needle while pressing on the slider though lol

I actually don't recommend this. You can only get the top part of the rails on the housing by doing this. And in order for the lube to disperse (even while repeatedly pressing down), you'll need to put a decent amount. With lubing switches, you only want a thin but even layer, not a lot and all in one place.

OP, just do it the correct way. Otherwise, I personally don't think it'll be worth the time to ghetto lube them.

[BlueBär]

Hmm ripster shows in one of his guides that he simply sprays some lube onto the switch itself, unopened. Has anybody tried this?

[tp4tissue]

Hmm ripster shows in one of his guides that he simply sprays some lube onto the switch itself, unopened. Has anybody tried this?

I've tried this.. doesn't do ****.. it doesn't get where it needs to go.

The only way you can possibly lube the switches without opening it is with a syringe...

Get one from your doctor..

[BlueBär]

The only way you can possibly lube the switches without opening it is with a syringe...

Get one from your doctor..

[incoming potato + horrible lighting]


As you can see it works in theory, but tbh I don't think it would spread well or would go to the correct spot. Additonally, doing it with a syringe on all switches is probably more work than just opening the switches and doing it properly.

[SpAmRaY]

The only way you can possibly lube the switches without opening it is with a syringe...

Get one from your doctor..

[incoming potato + horrible lighting]
(Attachment Link)

As you can see it works in theory, but tbh I don't think it would spread well or would go to the correct spot. Additonally, doing it with a syringe on all switches is probably more work then just opening the switches and doing it properly.

Sorry for the off topic...but...

That pic looks like your extracting mx switch essence to shoot up!

[BlueBär]

Sorry for the off topic...but...

That pic looks like your extracting mx switch essence to shoot up!

I don't think that would be a good idea...

[DrinkTea]

So, I should clarify a few things. One, the board is plate mounted and I'd like to avoid soldering if at all possible. Two, I really only want it very slightly lubed - I don't care about giving if the full works since I'd only like a very small change.
The lube I got is that tube with the pointy applicator from elitekeyboards (added it on to another order because it seemed cheap). But, if need be, I know enough people who are doctors or soon to be doctors that I can get an actual syringe.

[Photekq]

So, I should clarify a few things. One, the board is plate mounted and I'd like to avoid soldering if at all possible. Two, I really only want it very slightly lubed - I don't care about giving if the full works since I'd only like a very small change.
The lube I got is that tube with the pointy applicator from elitekeyboards (added it on to another order because it seemed cheap). But, if need be, I know enough people who are doctors or soon to be doctors that I can get an actual syringe.

For a start don't use that lube on switches. It's meant for stabilisers and will most likely make the switches feel like ****e.

[DrinkTea]

There were two lubes. I got the lighter one. Is that still for stabilizers?

[Larken]

any grease form of lube when not apply specifically (meaning a thin film where it should go) will most like clog up the entire switch. I wouldn't advise it at all, unless you want to desolder that switch later and swap it out.

source; personal experience, but not on a plate mounted board.

[WhiteFireDragon]

The lube I got is that tube with the pointy applicator from elitekeyboards (added it on to another order because it seemed cheap). But, if need be, I know enough people who are doctors or soon to be doctors that I can get an actual syringe.

AFAIK, the lube from EK is only grease, not oil. There is zero chance this will work because grease does not flow, which is required if you want it to have any chance of auto-spreading. Also, it won't be easy to transfer grease to another syringe, and I don't even think it'll flow out of the tiny needles from doctor's office.

I remember The_Ed opened up the switches and applied EK lube to the inside, and it actually slowed it down because it just gummed up everything.

[Photoelectric]

For ergo Clears, you'd lubricate the slider tab things on the sides AND the plastic parts that stick out and slide across the metal plate at the front of the switch, right?  But for MX Blues (well, it'll be Jailhouse Blues for me), only lubricate the side slider stems and avoid the front?

[tp4tissue]

The only way you can possibly lube the switches without opening it is with a syringe...

Get one from your doctor..

[incoming potato + horrible lighting]
(Attachment Link)

As you can see it works in theory, but tbh I don't think it would spread well or would go to the correct spot. Additonally, doing it with a syringe on all switches is probably more work than just opening the switches and doing it properly.

If you only had to open the switch, yea it's easier to just open it, BUT if you include desoldering... it's still easier to use the syringe..

[DrinkTea]

I ordered this one:
http://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=access,misc&pid=mechlube_2

It says it can be used on switches. Is that wrong?

[tp4tissue]

I ordered this one:
http://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=access,misc&pid=mechlube_2

It says it can be used on switches. Is that wrong?

I'm not so sure grease on topre is a good idea.. since it'd probably cause sluggish-ness due to the vacuum generated.

[BlueBär]

I ordered this one:
http://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=access,misc&pid=mechlube_2

It says it can be used on switches. Is that wrong?

It's not wrong, it's just not recommended, see WhiteFireDragon's and Larken's posts. It's grease as you can see in the feature list, what you need is oil.

[elitekeyboards]

I ordered this one:
http://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=access,misc&pid=mechlube_2

It says it can be used on switches. Is that wrong?

Hi DrinkTea!

Yes, Mechlube 2 can be used on MX switches. It's very new, so I doubt anyone has tried it. I believe WhiteDragonFire was referencing someone's attempt to use our original Mechlube in an MX switch, which is a bad idea.

Mechlube 2 was introduced as a low-viscosity lube option, in particular for Cherry stabilizers and Topre switch guides which benefit from a low-viscosity lube with good adherence to plastic, but we've tested it in switches and it works well on MX and ALPS stems as well. However, the results are subjective (like most things;)

Oil VS. Grease is a long standing debate in any technical discussion about mechanical systems and you can find pros and cons to both. If you don't mind re-applying oil in the future then do a few tests and use what feels best to your fingers, but keep in mind that thin oils often have poor wetting ability; i.e. the oil's ability to spread and adhere to a particular surface, so the benefit of the oil will likely diminish over time. Greases, on the other hand, have much better wetting in most cases due to added surfactants and lubricate for much longer periods of time. A while ago I believe a GHer did a series of tests and found a combination of grease and oil that worked well, but I'm unable to find it now. The miscibility of a random oil and a random grease is questionable though, so I don't know how it works out long term.

[Larken]

A low viscosity grease would work for lubricating the internals of a switch, thus, if the mechlube2 is one, there should be no issue using it for lubricating stems indeed. I believe it was The_Ed who tried the original mechlube and reported that it was a bad idea.

Case in point - Superlube grease that I've been using for the past few months, works fine.

But the OP is basically asking if he could simply stick the syringe in and squeeze, then hope for the best in terms of improving the switch feel, without actually opening up the switches to do a proper lube job.

That will not work, because as WFD noted - grease does not flow. There's not much chance that the grease will be applied to the exact contact points required in proper switch lubing. In fact, the only way that can be done is to flood the switch with it, which is a terrible, terrible idea with grease, mainly because the grease will gunk up the entire switch.

When lubing with grease, only a thin film is required in specific locations of the switch. Oil on the other hand, will flow, but still not a great idea to flood your switches with it either, as it could leak to the pcb in the process.

TLDR, don't ghetto lube. You might get lucky, but chances are, it won't end well.

[DrinkTea]

I ordered this one:
http://elitekeyboards.com/products.php?sub=access,misc&pid=mechlube_2

It says it can be used on switches. Is that wrong?

Hi DrinkTea!

Yes, Mechlube 2 can be used on MX switches. It's very new, so I doubt anyone has tried it. I believe WhiteDragonFire was referencing someone's attempt to use our original Mechlube in an MX switch, which is a bad idea.

Mechlube 2 was introduced as a low-viscosity lube option, in particular for Cherry stabilizers and Topre switch guides which benefit from a low-viscosity lube with good adherence to plastic, but we've tested it in switches and it works well on MX and ALPS stems as well. However, the results are subjective (like most things;)

Oil VS. Grease is a long standing debate in any technical discussion about mechanical systems and you can find pros and cons to both. If you don't mind re-applying oil in the future then do a few tests and use what feels best to your fingers, but keep in mind that thin oils often have poor wetting ability; i.e. the oil's ability to spread and adhere to a particular surface, so the benefit of the oil will likely diminish over time. Greases, on the other hand, have much better wetting in most cases due to added surfactants and lubricate for much longer periods of time. A while ago I believe a GHer did a series of tests and found a combination of grease and oil that worked well, but I'm unable to find it now. The miscibility of a random oil and a random grease is questionable though, so I don't know how it works out long term.

Thank you for your reply. I always appreciate companies that are so responsive to their customers.

Regarding lubing technique, when testing it on switches, did you do the full disassembly or is it possible to use a syringe or the included applicator to hit, at least approximately, the right points?

[elitekeyboards]

A low viscosity grease would work for lubricating the internals of a switch, thus, if the mechlube2 is one, there should be no issue using it for lubricating stems indeed. I believe it was The_Ed who tried the original mechlube and reported that it was a bad idea.

Case in point - Superlube grease that I've been using for the past few months, works fine.

But the OP is basically asking if he could simply stick the syringe in and squeeze, then hope for the best in terms of improving the switch feel, without actually opening up the switches to do a proper lube job.

That will not work, because as WFD noted - grease does not flow. There's not much chance that the grease will be applied to the exact contact points required in proper switch lubing. In fact, the only way that can be done is to flood the switch with it, which is a terrible, terrible idea with grease, mainly because the grease will gunk up the entire switch.

When lubing with grease, only a thin film is required in specific locations of the switch. Oil on the other hand, will flow, but still not a great idea to flood your switches with it either, as it could leak to the pcb in the process.

TLDR, don't ghetto lube. You might get lucky, but chances are, it won't end well.

Thank you for your reply. I always appreciate companies that are so responsive to their customers.

Regarding lubing technique, when testing it on switches, did you do the full disassembly or is it possible to use a syringe or the included applicator to hit, at least approximately, the right points?

In fact, you can partially lube a switch without opening it if you're using a fine tipped applicator. The applicator Mechlube 2 comes in will do the trick, but smaller one might be even better. Note, you will only be able to lube the left and right channels for the stem guides.

See MMB's guide to see what I'm referring to, as he recommends lubing the two side stem guides and the center stem guide.

However, the side stem guides have the most effect when lubing, so likelihood is you won't tell the difference. "Flow," as Larken points out, is not really an issue, because the stem guides slide up and down past the point that you can easily put lube. The stem guides will push grease all along the channels after a few presses.

Here's a pic of the left and right channels from MMB's guide (where the arrows point):


I'd recommend you fully press a keystem down with a small screwdriver or dental sickle scaler so that you can see around it and into the cavity of the switch. Then just shine a flashlight in there to see how the channels are visible along both sides of the internal switch housing. You'll get a better idea once you see for yourself. Then, you'll want to angle the grease applicator as far down each of those channels before you apply any grease. Just don't put too much! Only a pin's head amount is sufficient for each channel. After you do one, the rest should be easy.