spray painted the keys on my keyboard

[j0e]

I've been thinking of doing this for a while and I'm glad I did. Some programs such as Renoise use the computer keyboard for playing notes, with the keys arranged much like a musical keyboard. of course, this can create confusion when there's no distinction between the "white" and "black" keys (especially if all your keys are blank like mine are). to this end, I spray-painted the keys that make black-key notes red, and immediately found it much easier to play. I can imagine this isn't very spectacular and will probably look a bit badly done to some, but for my first ever spray painting job I don't think it's bad. pictures and a video below (pardon the potato camera and total chaos that is my desk):

Video HERE (side note: is it possible to embed youtube videos?)

also general mechanical keyboard thread, show off your fancy mechanical keyboards

 

[Nintendo]

Cool, I like it a lot! It reminds of the team that I barrack for...Essendon Bombers.

 

[Null]

(side note: is it possible to embed youtube videos?)

http://is.gd/1IKON9


Like so:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/A20tTwFc3bQ?feature=oembed

 

[elw3]

Now lets see how long the paint will stick there...

 

[Tenka]

Did you remove your windows keys to make it more like an old IBM?

 

[j0e]

http://is.gd/1IKON9

Like so:

Cheers!

Now lets see how long the paint will stick there...

I did sandpaper the keys before painting them, so hopefully for a reasonable amount of time. If it starts to come off I'll just do it again, but not before reading up on how to make the paint stick longer.

Did you remove your windows keys to make it more like an old IBM?

I removed my windows keys because I kept hitting them while playing keyboard games and ruining everything.

 

[elw3]

I did sandpaper the keys before painting them, so hopefully for a reasonable amount of time. If it starts to come off I'll just do it again, but not before reading up on how to make the paint stick longer.

Have you used proper plastic primary coat?

I removed my windows keys because I kept hitting them while playing keyboard games and ruining everything.

[OS flaming]Obviously there is not much more to ruin when there is windows running.[/OS flaming]

 

[j0e]

Have you used proper plastic primary coat?

no lol, what's that? :^)

[OS flaming]Obviously there is not much more to ruin when there is windows running.[/OS flaming]

I'm running loonix ackchyually, I removed the windows keys when I was running windows and haven't put them on since... just in case

 

[levi]

Nice, a Filco majestouch brown cherry.  I've one of those, although mine's US layout (bought it from Germany, and the only choice was QWERTZ or US).

Edit: Actually, I guess that's a Majestouch 2 assuming you haven't touched up the 'filco' logo.  Mine's only the old version.

Spoiler

When I was growing up, your brown cherry was something quite different.

 

[FBnil]

*looks at keyboard* Black and red

*looks at avatar* Black and red

... you seem to like black and red a lot...

cool. I would get confused without the labels... which one is the spacebar?

 

[levi]

It's the one between the two alt keys of course!

 

[comradekingu]

If you coat it with clear polyurethane it will last quite a long while.

 

[elw3]

Have you used proper plastic primary coat?

no lol, what's that? :^)

Spray paint basics: paint itself wont stick very well to most materials, so you use a glue layer between the material and the color. 

I cant say how much it really matters because doing it without was my mistake too.

Its just that after my mistake i asked google what i did wrong and it returned "duh, paint sticks horrible at plastic".

 

[comradekingu]

You can buy plastic paint that has primer in it.

 

[rygD]

For me the issue wouldn't be durability of the paint, but the feel. I painted just the edges, not the tops, of keys on a rubber dome board for LSDJ, and I don't use that for anything else. I don't like the feeling of worn down cheap keycaps either. I am guessing you still type on this keyboard. If that is the case you can pick up some replacements in whatever color you want and I promise you they will feel better and last longer than paint.


Depending on what kind of plastic you like, and availabilty in your area, you might be able get some in lighter colors and dye them.

 

[j0e]

rygD: I'm aware of that, and the keys do indeed feel different. The paint dried shiny as opposed to the matted finish of the other keys (very hard to see the difference in the poorly lit photographs I posted) and the painted keys are a lot smoother to the touch and yet have a little bit more friction when I rub them. Also it may be just be but I do feel the painted keys may be ever so slightly heavier than the unpainted keys, but again that's probably just me.

To be honest, I don't really notice the effects that much at all unless I think about it. The original plan actually was to buy a set of red keycaps but then I realised that with my old set of labelled keys and can of red spray paint I could do it myself for free (plus if I get sick of it for whatever reason I can always put the unpainted keycaps back on since I painted a different set).

 

[rygD]

Good call on having a back up plan ready to go by using a second set of keys.

My guess is you feeling that they are heavier is probably accurate.  I notice little variations like this.  In fact, earlier I noticed one of my keys felt different (so slightly that I doubt any normal person would be able to notice it), so every time I hit it I tried to feel why, and in doing so I noticed it was a little pingier sounding than the others.  I am pretty sure I know why, and I am to blame.  It can be fixed easily, but I am leaving it alone for now (I think there were other keys doing the same thing, and it is all because I was considering swapping or dyeing and pulled them all off).  Of the few things I suspect, all would be better fixed by using the proper tools, since it was doing things the wrong way that may have caused this.

What you described about the texture change would drive me crazy.  Some people are fine with things like that, so try ignoring it and see if you really care.  I do like the look, though (with the exception of the enter key and friends, but that is just the layout).

 

[pmprog]

Has anyone tried this sort of paint on a Pandora case?

 

[levi]

Probably ED when he made his blue pandora.

Regarding key pulling on mechanical keyboards, all my keyboards have had all their keys pulled off at least once, to clean them (put them in a pair of socks and tie the ends, then slog them in the washing machine - clean around the switches while that's washing).  I've never used a proper tool to do it, usally use something blunt to get in under one of the bigger unwired keys like shift or backspace, and be patient, working it from two angles repeatedly until it gives.  Once you've got your first key off, you can power through the rest of them easily, since you can get right under them now.

 

[rygD]

Probably ED when he made his blue pandora.

Regarding key pulling on mechanical keyboards, all my keyboards have had all their keys pulled off at least once, to clean them (put them in a pair of socks and tie the ends, then slog them in the washing machine - clean around the switches while that's washing).  I've never used a proper tool to do it, usally use something blunt to get in under one of the bigger unwired keys like shift or backspace, and be patient, working it from two angles repeatedly until it gives.  Once you've got your first key off, you can power through the rest of them easily, since you can get right under them now.

Mine is a buckling spring keyboard.  I used a piece of 550 cord to loop under the keys and pull up.  They are 2 part Unicomp keys with a few different colors for the lower portion of the key (stem or base or whatever), and despite my impatience I moved them around to make logical groupings based on colors that will probably not usually be seen (although I could go with clear caps).  My first guess is the keys that feel a bit off don't have the spring aligned properly.  Second guess is maybe some of the plastic rivets are broken.  I may eventually bolt mod it, but I have neither the right tool to open it nor the parts to do the mod.  I can't remember what else I was thinking, but it was along the lines of possible damage to the spring or key or something else internal that is involved in the function of the key.  Maybe there is a rough spot in the plastic somewhere, but that doesn't explain the slightly different sound.