No filming?
The speed run will probably be streamed with a live timer to see how fast I can lube lol. And the customer’s build will indeed be streamed, but no concrete date yet 
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Hand washing GMK Monochrome, a set which I guess I’ve never taken a picture of… Its been kept on my previous work keyboard (TKC 1800) for well over a year and its definitely picked up some grime…
A bit of warm water and dish soap really does the trick.
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yep. amazing what a good long soak in soapy water will take off.
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Cleaning an old board only to find out that it uses Alps clones on the stabilized keys and MX for all the rest!
I guess this saves some cost, as Alps stabilizers are cheaper to implement that Cherry stabilizers.
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Tuning and assembling 105 Halo U4 switches for a friend’s build.
- Clear U4 stems*
- 62g gold-plated springs (KBDfans, iirc)
- Deskeys gaskets
- Giving Krytox 106 a try this time
I’ll be slowly picking at these through the day while enjoying some keeb videos.
*The clear version of these stems are slightly different from the solid white ones that come in Bobas - I’ve found them to be just a bit less tight and tactile, which my friend prefers.
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Strange!? Never seen a board that uses a totally different switch for the spacebar & enter it looks like. Those are Omron B3G-S Ambers in case you were wondering. What board is that anyways? You might have something rare on your hands TBH!
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386 Bondwell laptop that has a full mechanical keyboard
Not rare. In fact they were sort of crap beyond the keyboard.
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Ah, I see. Well definitely interesting nonetheless! GL restoring or harvesting it! Gonna have to keep that name in the back of my mind for next time I’m e-bay surfing for vintage boards. I’d definitely grab one if it’s not priced all crazy.
Finally getting around to making a batch of Cherry topped Alpacas. Tried a few loose & really like the way the cherry top deepens up JWK switches sound profile! Gonna spring swap them to 55g TX springs (regular size), film with Deskey films, lube the housings with 205g00, & lube the springs with 105.
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I’ve been dreading to desolder this donor board and the target board…
But it worked out surprisingly well this time, at least as far as this donor board goes. Also surprised that the Engineer SS-02 worked less well than the cheapo sucker that’s in every 20 Euro soldering iron set. Maybe I’m not using/ cleaning it right…
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The SS-02 works great for the first board or so, but clogs often and thoroughly after that. Also, if you unscrew it for a cleaning, you have to relubricate the plunger or it will stick and have terrible suction.
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My weirdest project for a while - I have an oddball curved keyboard layout in mind. I wanted to see how it feels under the fingers, whether it works for me, and whether I’ve got the spacings and angles right, before having either a PCB or switch plate made.
So here’s today’s chore - a prototype switchplate made from three layers of 250gsm card.
I put the caps on the switches before inserting them for obvious reasons. (Gateron Yellows for the main keys, blacks for the oversize keys. Keycaps are Tai-hao Chocolate Factory with ISO option. I’m currently using an ANSI board; it taught me that I will never again compromise on ISO layout - but that means my choice of keycaps is severely limited.)
The end result looks, feels (and sounds!) surprisingly good considering there’s so little holding it all together.
A few tweaks needed, (plus the small matter of actually wiring it!) but I like it enough that I think it will become an actual thing at some point.
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You’re totally right!
I did a deep clean now and its suction has returned to the initial good level. But I’ve realized that the clogging over time isn’t even my biggest issue. It’s the nozzle cleaning that I need to do almost after every suck. It got better after I shortened the nozzle, so bits actually got pressed out, but they never do completely. Maybe I’m doing something wrong there as well?
The other thing is that the strong spring is quite hard/uncomfortable to repeatedly press. Maybe my hand is just too small and weak 
Any additional advice would be very welcome!
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That’s my continued frustration with it as well. The nozzle clogs after every suck. I have to depress the plunger all the way and pull out the solder with my fingers. This year I decided to save up and buy a Hakko FR-301, and I don’t regret it one bit. In fact any thoughts of it being a gratuitous and unjustifiable purchase fade away instantly when I use it. A board is desoldered in minutes vs hours, it gives you much less trepidation in switch choice as you can easily and safely take them back off, and you can help out local friends or soon to be friends with their boards.
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Hell yeah! That thing is a life saver. I’m trying to clean it out after every use so I’m good to go the next time which thankfully isn’t that much work. Make sure you tin the tip after use and I’m sure it will last forever.
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