Author Topic: Advice needed for keycap renovation  (Read 1622 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline kilogeek

  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 164
  • Location: France / Toulon
  • Nostalgy of a time when quality was a value
Advice needed for keycap renovation
« on: Thu, 30 January 2014, 10:26:24 »
After a very bad idea, all old yellowed keycaps of a vintage keyboard in a bath with bleach, the best and successfull solution I've found to remove white ugly (how do you say "tâches" in english ?) stain was to use very thin water-sand paper. Now they look much better but they would need either polishing paste or a glossy or mate clear.

Is there any good clear on the market (spray) that don't dammage plastics and are still very strong so they won't go away with time and typing ?

retrObright worked very well on the yellowed shell but almost not on keycaps, any advice also for a good retr0bright method or cocktail for these keycaps ?
"Ne pas subir" - Devise de Saint-Cyr.

Offline CPTBadAss

  • Woke up like this
  • Posts: 14368
    • Tactile Zine
Re: Advice needed for keycap renovation
« Reply #1 on: Thu, 30 January 2014, 11:39:05 »
A quick search has yielded the following suggestions:

- Peroxide hair bleach
- Whitening toothpaste and Mr Cleaner magic eraser

Offline kilogeek

  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 164
  • Location: France / Toulon
  • Nostalgy of a time when quality was a value
Re: Advice needed for keycap renovation
« Reply #2 on: Thu, 30 January 2014, 12:16:48 »
Thx but I've already seen these pages and there is nothing more than what you may find on the retrObright website.

retrObrighting keycaps is much harder due to the shape of these parts, max peroxyde concentration is 40 vol (100 vol is now forbidden, in France at least), and these bottles sold for hair bleach contain a not translucid creamy liquid, this is bad for UV penetration, mainly if you want to put all your keycaps in a peroxyde bath...

Anyway, I was not asking for that but for clear spray products for plastics that are strong enough not to fade away after months of keyboard use.

Some clears are very strong but they only can be used on specific paints or metals, they will damage plastics.

If someone already used such clear with success, let me know, otherwise I'll pursue googleing^^
"Ne pas subir" - Devise de Saint-Cyr.

Offline Binge

  • Island of Sandy Beaches
  • * Maker
  • Posts: 3270
  • Location: Binge Haüs
  • With Gentle Time. I Feel Very Nice.
    • Hunger Work Studio
Re: Advice needed for keycap renovation
« Reply #3 on: Thu, 30 January 2014, 12:18:34 »
Do not clear coat your keycaps.   :(
60% keyboards, 100% of the time.

"What the hell Jimmy?!  It was ruined before you even put it up there with your decrepit fingers."

Offline kilogeek

  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 164
  • Location: France / Toulon
  • Nostalgy of a time when quality was a value
Re: Advice needed for keycap renovation
« Reply #4 on: Thu, 30 January 2014, 12:31:01 »
So I'll use polishing paste^^ thx.
"Ne pas subir" - Devise de Saint-Cyr.

Offline fohat.digs

  • * Elevated Elder
  • Posts: 6473
  • Location: 35°55'N, 83°53'W
  • weird funny old guy
Re: Advice needed for keycap renovation
« Reply #5 on: Thu, 30 January 2014, 13:18:31 »
Do not clear coat your keycaps.

Any surface film will wear off or peel off over the long term.

Many users like surface texture and dislike shiny keys, but it must be consistent to look good.
“This isn’t the same Trump that got elected in 2016, he’s worse.”
“Something snapped in this guy — for real — when he lost in 2020,” Biden said, suggesting the former president was “unhinged” and was the driving force behind a mob of his supporters overrunning the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021."
“He can’t accept the fact that he lost, it’s literally driving him crazy,” Biden said.
He added that the former president “wants to terminate the Constitution” and “says if he loses there will be a bloodbath in America.”
“What kind of man is this?”  Biden asked. — June 3, 2024