Author Topic: Protection spray paint for ABS cap (to avoid 'shine' and wear)  (Read 5061 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline menuhin

  • Thread Starter
  • Posts: 1225
  • Location: Germany
Protection spray paint for ABS cap (to avoid 'shine' and wear)
« on: Thu, 20 October 2016, 06:48:27 »
There are keyboards in the past and now that I am letting them sit in storage because I don't want to create any wear and shine on their ABS key caps. I'm thinking if I can do anything like an invisible protective spray paint on these ABS caps so that the 'shine' can be avoided and I can rest my mind and start trying these keyboards out more often.

Has it been done before?
Wishlist: 1) nice thick Alps caps; 2) Cherry profile POM;
More
Wishful-list: 1) We order from keyboard-layout-editor.com; 2) usable Trackpoint module for all keyboards
IBM M13 black
NeXT non-ADB keyboard (AAE)
HHKB Pro 2 HasuBT
[~90WPM, in love with Emacs, and Lisp]

Offline SpAmRaY

  • NOT a Moderator
  • * Certified Spammer
  • Posts: 14667
  • Location: ¯\(°_o)/¯
  • because reasons.......
Re: Protection spray paint for ABS cap (to avoid 'shine' and wear)
« Reply #1 on: Thu, 20 October 2016, 06:59:36 »
Just use them and get over it, embrace the shine.

Life shouldn't be this complicated. :P

But of all the coatings I've seen none have been very long lasting and only make things worse.

Offline Data

  • Posts: 2608
  • Location: Orlando, FL
Re: Protection spray paint for ABS cap (to avoid 'shine' and wear)
« Reply #2 on: Thu, 20 October 2016, 07:18:53 »
All coatings wear.  There isn't a clear coat you could put on a key cap that wouldn't wear off and look worse than if you'd just left it natural.

Offline fohat.digs

  • * Elevated Elder
  • Posts: 6538
  • Location: 35°55'N, 83°53'W
  • weird funny old guy
Re: Protection spray paint for ABS cap (to avoid 'shine' and wear)
« Reply #3 on: Thu, 20 October 2016, 07:47:40 »

All coatings wear. 

There isn't a clear coat you could put on a key cap that wouldn't wear off and look worse than if you'd just left it natural.


+ 1

And the disparity between the more worn ones and less worn ones will be amplified.
"However, my view has changed in recent days. Trump’s behavior is so bizarre, so unhinged, and so counter to his short-term interests that the most likely explanation for his actions is that Trump either believes or knows that he is mentioned in the Epstein files in ways that are even more damaging than the blowback he is getting for not releasing the files."
- Greg Pfieffer 2025-07-21

Offline sinusoid

  • Posts: 160
  • fd > ESC
Re: Protection spray paint for ABS cap (to avoid 'shine' and wear)
« Reply #4 on: Thu, 20 October 2016, 08:04:05 »
There are a few things you can do, actually.

You can sandblast them with a very fine grit, deskthority thread here: https://deskthority.net/workshop-f7/keycap-sand-blasting-t12946-30.html

Or if you're fixed on coating them, there are some interesting two-part epoxy lacquers designed specifically for abrasion resistance, used for example in marine engineering. You should research, but here is one example: http://www.hempel.com/en/products/hempadur-15590

These should be overkill enough :)

ABS is reactive with solvents, though, so some resins can damage its surface. Make tests, pre-coat with acrylic, etc.