deskthority

the enter key looks unequivocally IBM, doest it have buckling spring switches?

it looks fun, kind of expensive for a couple of days of fun, but still cool

Update if you get it

After much trial and error, I believe I have found the best solution for restoring Alps switches. Normally I would feed you guys some BS and recommend switching to buckling springs :evilgeek:

Without much further ado, here is the next best thing short of a time machine:


Think of this like a ...

hi! do you still have de files for the models?

Hi! any chance you have the step files or the stl for the case? It would help a lot for the DIY community to have some base to work with

goodwill_pillager wrote: 12 Oct 2022, 01:21 Amazing work! Makes me want to try box jades even more now.

box jades are glorious, I love mine

this post could be helpful, you can also go to the Deskthority wiki and filter by brand to open article of typewriters

Been out for a while, is the wax mod still the current "works fine" solution, or any new method with repeated good results?

Alps oldheads will remember ultrasonic cleaning and PTFE dry lube being the go-to method in the past and while it helps, I wasn't thrilled with the ratio of labor to results. I've been sitting on some scratchy SKCL Browns for a few years and decided to give the boil/wax method a shot over the ...

jusr tested on linearized Alps SKCM Blacks, bamboo and it feels great, binding is absolutely gone and sound is a little bassier


Did you boil both housings and sliders? Did they survive ok?


Forgot to address that, sorry.
Sinced I cleaned them about 5 months ago I just waxed them skipping ...

jusr tested on linearized Alps SKCM Blacks, bamboo and it feels great, binding is absolutely gone and sound is a little bassier

CallmeJohn wrote: 27 Aug 2021, 12:20 Just tried to wax mod a model m key stem cause why not and it works really well, it removes all the binding from off-centre key presses and increases the smoothness a bit. I didn't try to boil to clean the stem first which would probably help the smoothness but I'll try that now.

Any updates?

Yeah I tried my mix on them (which I have changed it to N767a 75-25 OKS477), and the result is indistinguishable from OG (same feeling, sliding, smoothness, sound etc). I would dare to say they feel even better because the plastics are freshly polished. The trick is to apply a tiny bit on ...

I think you are probably right. I took a look at all of my white keyboards and there is one that is very much alike the blue ones. This needs more investigation and certainly some kind of categorization.

But lets stay on topic, and continue this on another thread if you may. I also found a ...

Nothing from me. I have been pretty busy lately but I will find some time during the summer. Having said that, I can say this:

Besides the lubricant, after various tries I have come to believe that it is more important to properly restore the housing, stem and leafs by polishing them. At least ...

No compound! Not at all because the plastics are very delicate. And I am talking about only 1st gen pine versions. The next generation stem plastic, is much more delicate and it will actually melt from the friction pretty easily, but those are already smoother and much easier to polish. Just use ...

NeK wrote: 14 Jul 2021, 00:45 It's simple: I use a Dremel with a cotton felt tip. It does wonders. But it is time consuming to say the least hehe... But I actually really enjoy it.

Anyway I will make a video, I pinky promise.

Just bare cotton or adding polishing compound?

Any updates anyone?

Krytox 206 and 207 look like interesting candidates, PFPE (100% plastic safe) thickened with PTFE

My gut is telling me that Threebond's naming nomenclature indicates the format of the solution in the las letter, S=spray, L=liquid=oil, G=grease, P=putty?paste? I don't have much faith for 2501S and 2501L, they're probably too light. So probably we're stuck with 258X variants, which are hard to ...

Kinda weird thought but has anyone tried just rubbing a candle with an alps slider to get a super thin coating of "lube" on it?


Yeap, that's what I did :lol: It really works. But it is not exactly the same (of course) as the OG lube though, it felt very mushy. Probably needs a very very thin ...

Need your opinion, I was thinking of posting this research on geekhack to reach a larger community and have more people helping solve this faster. The largest community is on r/mechanicalkeyboards but Reddit is not made for this kind of threads (maybe a little post asking for help with a link of the ...

Maybe related with this
lubeRegimes1-e1511148583728.jpg

When the lube is way too thick it creates a separation between the two objects creating a layer of higher friction. Maybe we have now an idea of how much viscosity is too much and we should work on the thickener of the base oil to reduce ...

Regarding what I have said about the viscosity of a lubricant in the previous posts, I want to say that I have proved myself wrong.

According to the specfication of OKS 1110 grease, it is more viscous than OKS 477. However I tried it on an SKCM switch and it didn't have any positively effect ...

Okay, did a quick lube up of a single switch on the board.

Here's a video comparison: https://streamable.com/t7h28i

The lubed/unlubed/stock keys are O - cleaned then lubed with the SuperLube ; P - stock unopened(uncleaned, slightly dusty) ; [ - opened and cleaned, no lube applied

I'm not ...

This one is really underrated IMO

Another tip for a thin application es to apply the lube very near to a light source, so you can only see the lube by the reflection of light

A_Person wrote: 28 Apr 2021, 20:32 Yeah I've heard of that but the thing is its all out of stock on nk and on amazon it would take like a month to get here because its sold by ymdk and doesn't offer prime shipping

You know that they are available on aliexpress, right?

I am also going to try the Super Lube, since it's a good test in the meantime until the rest arrive.
Should be here wednesday, I'll report back with some results.


andresteare you bring up a great point about using heat to help with a thinner application. I'll probably try this if I have any ...

So to summarize the status of this post for newcomers:

Decent results with lots of testing:
- Nyogel 760G

Great results but need more testing :
- Nyogel 767A + OKS 477

Very promising results but need more testing:
- Super Lube 92016 Silicone Grease with Syncolon (PTFE) (best availability ...