I wouldn’t be surprised if this was discussed here before, but I haven’t seen it mentioned anywhere outside of the r/ModelM Discord server, so here’s a guide for awareness!
In your average everyday Model M, the plastic flippers have a slope, or a "cushion" if you will.
As you bottom out, this cushion squeezes the stem of your keycaps inwards, or "forks" if you will. As a result, you get a softer bottom-out feel. This flex remains present even after a bolt/screwmod!
Notice how the forks squeeze inwards! (Video by Pandrew)
Finally! All the dark mysteries of the Model M bottom-out flex... Out in the flesh!
Honestly, I was just as surprised myself about this, as I've never realized that our Model Ms were originally, albeit indirectly, dampened! (Gasping Intensifies)
Model Fs don't have the "cushion" on their flippers. Perhaps this is why they feel sharper when bottoming-out?
Pandrew perfectly demonstrates this in action. You can see how much more the key can travel without that cushion! (Video by Pandrew)
Good news for our Ms: Some early Wheelwriters came without the cushion, which can feel awesome when put in a regular Model M!
(Photo by Fricked)
Unfortunately, not everyone has access nor luck to stumble across a Wheelwriter, let alone one with cushionless flippers.
So... why don't we make our own?
Pliers Method
(Photo by Pandrew)
It's as straightforward as it gets.
It gets the job done quickly, but it's not exactly pretty.
The biggest downside here is just how easy it is to crack the whole flipper. You need to be extra careful here. For best results and minimum cracks, you’ll want your pliers to be thin, sharp, and short.
(Photo by Pandrew)
This method is already pretty ghetto, and if you snip it too deep, you will get these ugly cracks running down the flipper.
(Photo by Pandrew)
It’s not the end of the world, your flipper would still feel fine.
I compared a slightly cracked flipper to a cleanly-cut flipper in a Model M, and I honestly wasn’t able to notice any difference.
However, if you cut any deeper, it’s definitely game over.
If you're lazy, then I'd recommend you only do this to your alphabetical keys and spacebar.
(Skip the numpad, arrow keys, F-row, number-row, hell... skip even the mod keys!)
Self-plug: If you were to restore a Model M in the process, I have a handy megaguide that you might find useful!
Note
I hope we can get more people to chime in to give better, less jank techniques for doing this mod.
- Pandrew originally used a Dremel, but he had troubles holding the flipper in place.
- Pandrew suggested a rig for the Dremel method for an idea.
- Even when I was confident with the plier method, I was still cracking about 2 flippers every 10 flippers. This could’ve been less if I had better pliers, but it’s still inevitable that you too will crack a handful of flippers.
- Pandrew also tried heating up his pliers for a cleaner cut, but it didn’t do much.
- Pandrew suggested to Dremel out his pliers to act like razor-sharp scissors. It probably won’t cut metal anymore, but it could be a useful specialized tool for this mod.
End Result
So, how does it feel in practice? Well, after dailying one for about a week, it's... awesomely subtle! You receive a slight increase in key travel, and a great reduction in bottom-out flex!
The added travel feels more natural in your hands, and when it's combined with a solid bottom-out feel, your M suddenly springs to life! Again, it's pretty subtle, but at speed, your Model M feels noticeably more satisfying.
Don't get me wrong, your M won't transform into an F. It's still missing that "dense" plate feeling, but right now, there’s less of that “short-travel” feeling, and the majority of that bottom-out flex is outright gone!
Sound-wise, it got a lot louder in a "clacky" way.
Unfortunately, this meant that all the "thocc" had poofed away. (r/mk would not be proud)
If you like the sound of an F, you probably won’t mind the cushionless sound.
Again, sound is just preference, but personally, I prefered the stock bassy sound.
In my opinion, the improved keyfeel far outweighs the loss of the thocky sound.
Is it worth the effort?
Probably, but only if you have some spare flippers around, as it's surprisingly easy to break them with the pliers method.
Stock up on some Unicomp flippers, just in case
Your M will feel more lively, and considerably more fun to type on!
That being said, it still feels distinctly like a Model M. Expect a subtle upgrade, not a “transformation”.
Credits to Pandrew for discovering this mod!
