First and foremost, I must thank EVERYONE on this board for all of the invaluable resources that have been made available to long time lurkers like myself. I opted to give this whole keycap making thing a try, because so many of you made it look like fun.
I wanted to start with a basic blank, as that could serve as a foundation for everything else. I like the thicker caps, so I knew cloning straight from a stock keycap wouldn't work for me. I tried reinforcing them with some combination of resin and/or sculpting clay, but I couldn't get it clean enough for nice transparent blanks. See these two:
![](http://i.imgur.com/fSFF6Lc.jpg)
![](http://i.imgur.com/qDOpr9l.jpg)
That lead me to making a bunch of measurements with a caliper, and getting a family friend to help machine a new piece from scratch.
![](http://i.imgur.com/AafBzVq.jpg)
![](http://i.imgur.com/5gWNhKv.jpg)
The casts I made from the new piece
![](http://i.imgur.com/BK12ynQ.jpg)
![](http://i.imgur.com/ygWcOzT.jpg)
On the keyboard.
![](http://i.imgur.com/YWVeSzG.jpg)
![](http://i.imgur.com/JdyaTgi.jpg)
It fits fairly well, but maybe a touch awkwardly. Its definitely heavier than any other key on my keyboard. The key is not quite 100% a match, so I'm torn whether to go back to the drawing board, and cut a new piece (this was a pain in the ass as it was), or just be happy with it, flaws included.
Sculpting with epoxy putty is the next item on my agenda.