I don’t want to sound too off the rails, but isn’t it considered hazardous to have regular contact with Aluminum? So something your hands rested on for potentially multiple hours a day may be of concern?
Let me know if I’m way off base here or if the anodized aluminum is different etc etc.
I am genuinely curious.
iPhone is anodized aluminum, right? I figure they’ve done the legwork on that issue.
I’m not able to find anything about skin contact being poisonous other than the fact that some people are allergic to it.
This article on aluminum toxicosis mentions skin contact but only in the context that it would then go into your body. So working with aluminum shavings might be bad long term but as long as you don’t eat your keyboard I think you’ll be okay.
1xxx, 3xxx, 5xxx, and 6xxx aluminum alloys are widely used in food processing equipment - those alloys are considered to be safe for food contact by the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF - not the National Science Foundation) and other regulatory agencies, and is explicitly approved under NSF/ANSI standard #51 for food contact in all circumstances. Also everyone wraps their food in aluminum foil without issue, and uncoated aluminum is frequently used for peel-off lids, disposable trays and pans, and food utensils.
You should be more concerned with lead solder, which is widely used to solder together keyboards. According to the CDC. “Washing skin with standard soap and water is not enough to remove lead residues.”, and you should be using special lead-removal wipes such as D-lead after soldering. Or use gloves, or switch to lead-free.
Leaded brass alloys such as brass C360 is also frequently used to make items such as weights and badges (lead-free brass tends to machine poorly), though those surfaces are touched much less often than keycaps. Brass C360 contains around 2% lead, but much more is present on the surface as the machining cutters smear the lead on the surface.
Yes. Sadly that is absolutely true. Please don’t put yourself at any further risk!
URGENT ADVISORY:
ANYONE WHO IS IN DAILY DIRECT CONTACT WITH RAW OR TREATED ALUMINUM (Aluminium) PLEASE DO CONTACT ME IMMEDIATELY!
WE WILL COLLECT AND PROPERLY DISPOSE OF ANY DANGEROUS ALUMINUM (Aluminium) PARTS AT NO COST!
WE DO PREFER RAMA KEYCAPS AND 60% KEYBOARDS! BUT THATS NOT SO IMPORTANT.
Thank you for your attention!
I wonder about the Beryllium that has been starting to appear in IEMs.
There was a commotion some time ago about aluminum and alzheimer’s. There was an observation of aluminum deposits in the brains of alzheimer’s patients and there were subsequently many scare stories about aluminum being a cause of alzheimer’s. Just months later it was shown that it was the alzheimer’s which caused the aluminum deposits, not the other way around, but once people seize on an idea like that they never let it go. So the rumors persist to this day.
I see. Yes this is the rumor I have heard for some time. Sometimes mentioned when people rode bike handlebars with no grips or tape and of course deodorant with aluminum in it is something that get referenced.
Suppose now we just have to worry about the thock factor.
and what kind of spring weight switches we’re going to need under these heavy boys 
Not related to the health risk, but did anyone buy these here? How do the keycaps feel to the touch?
I tried them at an outdoor meetup, and immediately was surprised that they were so thermally conductive. Very cool and very different from your standard plastic.
Recently tried them at a meet-up as well, I don’t recall the feel being anything to wildly different. My biggest take away was that I thought they would have a super ping-y metallic sound ala Linus Tech Tips Signed Bauer with lubed Gateron Blacks Typing Sounds ASMR - YouTube (I guess on the spacebar really has that sound). But they were surprisingly normal sounding.
The legends appeared to be ever so slightly cut into the metal, but I was not able to noticed the feel of the indentation with my fingertips.
Wow, I am now much more motivated to switch to lead-free solder.
If you’re handling solder every day for a few decades, there could probably be some valid concerns. If you’re soldering a few keyboards over the years, there is absolutely no reason to worry about using lead free solder, unless you’re eating it.
Indeed - you should be safe in this case. Definitely have a well-ventilated work-space, but a handful of keeb builds aren’t a threat as far as physical contact with lead goes.