Making Keycaps?

[Owntrolf]

I have no idea if im in the right section

So recently my nearby Michaels had a 50% coupon so I was able to snatch these two
for $17.50 each, or $39.20 after tax in CAD

Im wondering how should I make my mold, the best keys I have are the doubleshot pbtpom vortex but they have the thing that looks like a + connecting to the stem.

Should I like fill it in with clay or some sort of material?
How much of a difference would having a vaccum make to make the molds

Also and how would I put in the resin

[tinymakesthings]

I'm not experienced myself but there's a couple of threads around here where people have documented their casting processes. The only one I can find at the top of my head was booper's: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=67744.0
I know there are more out there but hopefully someone else can link ya since I can't remember.

Also some useful links like nubbinator's guide on reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/19jmh6/keyboard_science_homemade_keycaps_a_work_in/

The /r/mk wiki also has a couple of helpful links:
https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/wiki/modifications#wiki_making_keys

Hope that helps!

[bcredbottle]

guides here, here, here, and here


Don't buy a vacuum chamber or pressure pot yet. First learn the basics of gravity-casting.

[Owntrolf]

Should I be worried about the things connecting to the stem?

I dont see them on other people's artisans

[bcredbottle]

Should I be worried about the things connecting to the stem?

I dont see them on other people's artisans

Do you have a picture of what you're talking about? Every keycap has a stem, and that stem goes into the switch's slider.

[Owntrolf]

These things

[bcredbottle]

You don't see them in artisans b/c capmakers usually fill those pockets w/ resin before they make their mold or they sculpt the key entirely by hand.

[Owntrolf]

So I would just fill the pockets with resin up until it reaches those points right?

And is mold release needed or is it just recommended

[bcredbottle]

So I would just fill the pockets with resin up until it reaches those points right?

And is mold release needed or is it just recommended

I would just fill the pockets until it reaches just a hair under those points. The resin can sometimes creep up a little

Mold release is necessary for keeping uncured silicone from sticking to cured silicone. So if you're making a two-part mold you'll need mold release (often just heated vaseline) to keep the first half of the mold from sticking to the second half. You don't need mold release to keep the resin from sticking to the silicone b/c silicone will not stick to polyurethane resin, nor will it stick to cured polyurethane resin (i.e. polyurethane plastic).

[bcredbottle]

Just to clarify, Alumilite Amazing Clear is epoxy, not polyurethane, but it will react the same way to silicone as polyurethane resin. Alu. Am. Clear is *extremely* slow-setting though so I wouldn't really recommend it as a beginner's resin b/c you'll need to cast a lot of caps to gain experience. A lot of capmakers would disagree with me recommending any particular brand of resin but for a beginner I would recommend either Alumilite White or SmoothCast 321 b/c they're opaque (so no pressure/vac needed) and set in a reasonable time. Personally, I like SC 321 the most.

[Owntrolf]

Just to clarify, Alumilite Amazing Clear is epoxy, not polyurethane, but it will react the same way to silicone as polyurethane resin. Alu. Am. Clear is *extremely* slow-setting though so I wouldn't really recommend it as a beginner's resin b/c you'll need to cast a lot of caps to gain experience. A lot of capmakers would disagree with me recommending any particular brand of resin but for a beginner I would recommend either Alumilite White or SmoothCast 321 b/c they're opaque (so no pressure/vac needed) and set in a reasonable time. Personally, I like SC 321 the most.

Yeah I sort of figured out it takes forever to set, I'm testing if I can color it with this glass paint and its been like 4 hours and it still hasnt set

[retrochick]

So I would just fill the pockets with resin up until it reaches those points right?

And is mold release needed or is it just recommended

I would just fill the pockets until it reaches just a hair under those points. The resin can sometimes creep up a little

Mold release is necessary for keeping uncured silicone from sticking to cured silicone. So if you're making a two-part mold you'll need mold release (often just heated vaseline) to keep the first half of the mold from sticking to the second half. You don't need mold release to keep the resin from sticking to the silicone b/c silicone will not stick to polyurethane resin, nor will it stick to cured polyurethane resin (i.e. polyurethane plastic).

I've had the opposite experience. The resin I use sticks to my silicone so mold release is a must have for me. I've pulled out way too many silcone cherry stems to risk not using mold release when I cast my resin. 

[bcredbottle]

So I would just fill the pockets with resin up until it reaches those points right?

And is mold release needed or is it just recommended

I would just fill the pockets until it reaches just a hair under those points. The resin can sometimes creep up a little

Mold release is necessary for keeping uncured silicone from sticking to cured silicone. So if you're making a two-part mold you'll need mold release (often just heated vaseline) to keep the first half of the mold from sticking to the second half. You don't need mold release to keep the resin from sticking to the silicone b/c silicone will not stick to polyurethane resin, nor will it stick to cured polyurethane resin (i.e. polyurethane plastic).

I've had the opposite experience. The resin I use sticks to my silicone so mold release is a must have for me. I've pulled out way too many silcone cherry stems to risk not using mold release when I cast my resin. 

I use Illuseffects RTV Silicone and either SC 321, SC 327, or Alumilite Amazing and I've never had that problem. But even if there was minor sticking it wouldn't ruin my stem b/c I don't have a vent on my stem, and I don't have a vent on my stem precisely b/c I always knew I'd yank it off one day 

[_joe_king]

Get ready for a ton of trial and error. The link below were my first caps that I successfully cast the stem portion. You are going to have to play with every aspect of the casting process until you get down the best way for you to do it. Keep in mind temperature, humidity and the type of resin can wreak havoc on your process. The biggest problem with doing a typical gravity cast is bubbles in the stem section. I recommend filling the stem first, then closing the mold then pouring the rest of the cap. I reccomend a nice new set of sharp xacto blades for trimming the silicone/finished caps and some high grit sand paper to file off where the channel is. I also recommend using some clay to fill in the space in the bottom of the cap when you are making your mold. This will hold the mold in place and not let it float to the top while it cures. I used a piece of cardboard and cut it into the best square I could to create my mold. My process is getting better as I can usually do 3/5 successfully without any issues now I just have to move to creating a custom mold but just dont seem to have the time/motivation.

http://i.imgur.com/LbYAubI.jpg I have since gotten rid of the bubbles/imperfections you see on the caps here. These were my first casts.

[bcredbottle]

Get ready for a ton of trial and error. The link below were my first caps that I successfully cast the stem portion. You are going to have to play with every aspect of the casting process until you get down the best way for you to do it. Keep in mind temperature, humidity and the type of resin can wreak havoc on your process. The biggest problem with doing a typical gravity cast is bubbles in the stem section. I recommend filling the stem first, then closing the mold then pouring the rest of the cap. I reccomend a nice new set of sharp xacto blades for trimming the silicone/finished caps and some high grit sand paper to file off where the channel is. I also recommend using some clay to fill in the space in the bottom of the cap when you are making your mold. This will hold the mold in place and not let it float to the top while it cures. I used a piece of cardboard and cut it into the best square I could to create my mold. My process is getting better as I can usually do 3/5 successfully without any issues now I just have to move to creating a custom mold but just dont seem to have the time/motivation.

http://i.imgur.com/LbYAubI.jpg I have since gotten rid of the bubbles/imperfections you see on the caps here. These were my first casts.

You should make a thread in Making Stuff Together

[Owntrolf]

I just put resin into my first mold,
One of my two sprues derped and nothing is coming out of it,
For when its done can I just use like a drillbit or something and drill a hole through the silicone to fix the second sprue

[_joe_king]

A drill bit may not be the best option. An xacto and some patience might get it but you may want to start fresh. Where is the location of each sprue?

[Owntrolf]

Well heres the first cap that came out,
Unsuccessful, I sort of screwed up the mixing because its so sticky even though a day has passed.

I'm making another right now with this time I poured a little bit of the resin first in case I didnt mix it properly on the top

[bcredbottle]

Well heres the first cap that came out,
Unsuccessful, I sort of screwed up the mixing because its so sticky even though a day has passed.

I'm making another right now with this time I poured a little bit of the resin first in case I didnt mix it properly on the top

Looks better than my first try. Generally with Amazing Clear Cast I would wait at least 36 hours to demold though. It's totally nuts.

Also, what did you mean by this?

I'm making another right now with this time I poured a little bit of the resin first in case I didnt mix it properly on the top

[Owntrolf]

Like when I made the first keycap, my first pour was into the mold and the rest of the resin was for doing weird things like pouring it on top of coins.

The resin on the coins set properly while the resin in the mold didnt set properly

[_joe_king]

I would start without doing any colors. The resin will behave differently with different amounts of colors and you have to compensate by adding more hardener, less hardener, less resin, less color etc. I have caps that I poured a month ago that are still pliable. 

[Owntrolf]

So heres my 4 decent caps, the stems on them are crap though

The ones I tried making with blue paint were all fails because I guess the paint reacted with the resin and made it into more of a gel instead of hard plastic

Green keys are green paint + crushed rocks

Black keys are graphite shavings

Too bad my r1 mold died

[trenzafeeds]

These are actually looking pretty good for your first time. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with, as I am embarking on a similar journey myself. Also, you're welcome for gracing your thread with the glory of my 1000th post 

[TheJonas]

Those caps look great for a first attempt. Do you know what's causing your stem to not form properly?

[Owntrolf]

Im not really sure but when they come out theyre somewhat sticky so I just throw them in baby powder then brush them with like a toothbrush and soap .-.

Well in general I get really impatient and im like LESOPENIIT and only like 8-15 hours have passed and the recommended curing time is 24-48 hours lol so I guess thats why its still sticky

[_joe_king]

When you are pouring, pour the stem first. Use a toothpick or something similar to move the stem around and get out any bubbles. Then place the 2 halves of the mold together keeping the stem on the bottom, pour at an angle then stand up to cure. Since I have started doing this I have not had a single stem fail to turn out. Are you using any mold release? I have been using the same mold for about 30 caps now and have not had any issues but I am using castin' craft mold release/conditioner.

Here is one I just pulled from the mold after doing the above and it came out perfect. I poured the blue first, let it sit for 12 hours then poured the white. What are you using to color your resin? I saw what you posted above but what brand is that?

[Owntrolf]

When you mean by you let it stand, do you mean the stem is facing down?

My stabs are on the bottom of the keycap in the corners

[_joe_king]

For my mold, I went with a vertical mold. You pour from the top and let it fill the mold down so you dont have to use a syringe to force it in or a vacuum to fill the spaces. If you look at the picture I posted above, the opposite side pictured would be pointing up in my mold. Looking at your keyboard, the top of the cap would flip towards you 90 degrees so the lettering is facing directly towards you if that helps give you my mold orientation.