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ZZZZZ my first attempt to dye the ABS Keycaps ended up epic failing.
The dye-ing quest begin with the arrival of the Keycaps from Taobao,
then I start looking for the dye and the thermal meter. after 2 days of searching for the dye, I found 1 old school package from Singapore,
small matchbox size package, with different color, I don't feel confident of that, since the thing look so 1970s' ish, so I went looking for other packages...
and found another one, but the package looks 1980s'ish..... so I gave up and decide to try them.
for the thermal meter, I went to all the farmasies and kitchen ware shop in the mall and found none, and finally found one in a bakery supply shop, digital one.
Welcome to Malacca, the place of formal glory date back to 1960s, and a lot of the old shop stock up old supplies.
The 1980s' ish dye doesn't work at all, even I boil it and try to melt it, it doesn't melt at all, it still have pigment not melt sinking in the bottom of the glass pot I try to use,
with the temperature drop to 60c, I soak them in the pot and soak for like an hour, it doesn't stick at all.
So I decide to try the 1970s' dye, whit less hope, but to my surprise that the dye powder melt into the boiled water without a trace immediately after I pour them in!
the color of the liquid look orange rather than yellow, waited the temperature to drop to 60c then I drop all the keycaps in, and with the thermal meter monitoring the temperature,
i stir the keys in the pot non-stop, and soak it, when the temperature drop below 50, I will turn the stove on and heat it up to 60c again.
After 10+ minutes later, when I pick one key up, and wash it with water, the color actually stick! but much too light, so I decide to add another pack of the powder into the liquid.
but I only have one pack, so I decide to go get another few pack for thickening the liquid, so I head out with my bicycle, the shop are 5minute ride away.
So when I come back with all 5packs last stock from the shop, I went to the pot again and found that I forgot to turn off the stove, it ain't boiling... but the it's smoking,
the thermal meter wasn't in the pot, I knew this isn't good, my first impression is to pour cold water into the pot, but I decide not to, and wait it to cold down,
and pick them up, there, I think 30% of the keys are warped. there goes my keycool ABS white blank key, but the color dye in nicely.
Conclusion? Epic Fail!
I think I will give PBT a try next,
if I can get a set with laser carved key.
Seniors here, Human10, Kai, Epiguru, mind provide me a link with that?
White PBT itself is more rare and costly than the black counter-part. You might as well go buy the dyed(rainbow) one?