yes

Not really, a closer definition/translation is 无刻

geekhack seems to always be down....

aihh

@ Epiguru: Hmmmm I saw that you are dying some keycaps, are you only able to dye PBT keycaps? or is it possible to dye even ABS keycaps? I m thinking of dying a set of white keycaps to Yellow for my Leopold FC500R if it is possible to dye ABS then it is great, but if if I can only dye PBT, there isn't any Spacebar for LEOPOLD FC500R made of PBT right?

Hi kaysa,

I've done a bit of "research" on dyeing Model M PBT keycaps - it takes a lot of time and patience. But after a while, the process gets easier. I've never tried any ABS keycaps - I suspect they warp more easily. Warping is the major risk, I suppose, so temperature control has got to be right. I'm very confident about PBT keycaps but not ABS. My major problem is that I don't have the time to do that sort of thing. Hopefully, toward the end of the year, I will be more free to indulge in my hobbies. I don't mind dyeing some keycaps for you guys especially if I am doing some for myself too. I have to wait and see if I can find vacation time.

I don't own a Leopold, so I cannot comment about the availability of PBT spacebars for Leopold. Sorry.

This post has been edited by epiguru: May 12 2012, 12:02 AM

I have no problem waiting just let me know when you dying another batch of keycaps.

Additional Questions:
is it possible to dye even if the keycaps have legend on?
and is it possible to get a PBT Spacebar that can dye and fit Leopold Fc500R at the same time?

As you know, IBM/Lexmark/Unicomp keycaps are high-quality Dye-sublimated PBTs. I think it's for this reason I've not encountered any problem with the legends fading or coming off - see the example on my website: http://goo.gl/uknIh. I think it should all be fine, even if it was lasered.

Like I said, I cannot comment about Leopold spacebars - the gurus around here should be able to tell us.

This post has been edited by epiguru: May 12 2012, 12:13 AM

The Esc key is done very nicely, that's what I saw and inspired me to get my keys dye.
Just let me know before you are dying another batch, so I can prep the keycaps for you,
or if it isn't too much a trouble for you, you can prep the keycaps for me

@kaysa - No problem, I'll contact you when I can resume dyeing keycaps again. I do this for recreation, so it's fun and relaxing for me.

Epiguru, take a look at this:
http://twistypuzzles.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=22577
This is a sample of dying some ABS,
I think it would work for Keycaps too, right?

This guy here mention Acetone, I m not sure what that is,
and Rit dye, is that a brand or certain type of dye type?

and tempreture 60c to 40c, pretty fast too.

Is keycool's keycaps compatible with quickfire rapid? i think filco's is but keycool caps seems to be cheaper in taobao...

I suppose the ABS he used is the same or similar to the ABS of keycaps. I've read somewhere that people have successfully dyed ABS keycaps. I just haven't tried it.

Acetone is a chemical/solvent - the same stuff used in nail polish remover. If you have ever seen your wife/gf/mother/sister use it, you will know what I mean. When I found out paint remover MAY contain acetone, I got rid of the can because I was afraid that the acetone might eat into the plastic of my keyboard parts (I wanted to remove paint from some internal parts of my keyboard). So I think the guy was brave to use acetone. I can see how it helps the ABS to take the dye but I will never use it myself.

Rit is a brand of dye common in the US but cannot be found here. My substitute is Dylon, which is widely available in Malaysia and a very good product. Dylon is made in the UK.

This post has been edited by epiguru: May 12 2012, 01:15 AM

Should be, just that the spacebar can't fit and got one extra windowed keys but lack of one non-windowed key.

hey epi guru mind pm-ing me ur technique?? i wanna try it

Thanks for the info,

Not that I have any sisters, nor had a girlfriend, and my mother never uses nail polish..... no wonder I have no idea what acetone is.

Hmm, eat into the plastic huh? I think that's how they dye the keycaps, per what he mention in the youtube video descriptions, the dye wouldn't stick without the acetone....
but will it go as far as corrosion to the plastics? and even after the dyes, how long will it last?

And what about your PBT Keycaps? how was their durabilities?
you used salt and vinegar? what are the effect of those 2? if do without what will happen to it?

Is the color coming off from the keycaps? I wonder what is there different effect of the acetone on the ABS keycaps and PBT keycaps....
come to think of it, the keycaps dyed in China are said to be easily build up dirts, maybe when they dye it, the surface are lightly etched by the acetone.
so the dirt tend to build up easier in the small microscopic holes on the surface, I think that's what it meant.

I have a set of white blank Keycool coming to me soon I think I will have them dye with the acetone method, the keycaps doesn't cost much anyway.

---

Added on May 12, 2012, 1:09 pmlol, if the spacebar can't fit, sell it to me!
For the spacebar you already have one, and it doesn't matter it fit or not,
because even for the printed one it doesn't have any printing on it.

This post has been edited by kaysa: May 12 2012, 01:09 PM

These has arrived

KBTalking Race 75%

I think people use acetone like an etching agent, it cuts into the plastic so the plastic takes the dye easier. But I just can't stand the idea of the PBT getting dissolved by acetone. Yikes! I used salt and vinegar because I thought it was harmless - when you add both these things, the consistency of the solution becomes a little thicker faster. I don't add much water anyway. Using my method, the dye penetrates the PBT quite a lot. I strongly doubt it will ever fade. It's just like dye sublimation - the legends stay on forever. The more times you dye the keycap, the deeper and richer the colour. It's not like painting, whereby there is a layer that can peel off. You can try without salt and vinegar... just be prepared to wait a looooong time. I believe if you have a lot of patience, you can dye your caps without too much heat and without added stuff (acetone, vinegar, salt).

PBT is pretty durable but it's still possible to warp the thing if the temperature gets too high. So be careful. Done properly, dyeing PBT should not affect the structure of the plastic.

Your theory about the small holes created by Acetone makes sense - once the surface layer of the plastic is destroyed, it may attract dirt and other stuff. To my mind, the dyeing process causes the dye to penetrate the plastic (don't ask me how) without affecting the integrity of the plastic.

from taiwan also?
some review/feedback please?

I definitely need to sit down to document the whole process. It won't be for a few weeks; I should be able to do this before the end of June. The info will be shared with everyone - the process is quite "simple" in theory but in reality, you'll need to be patient and get ready to "sacrifice" some keycaps while you are learning. It's just like any other skill that you pick up.

dafuq, my GH account went missing, cant login