Lubrication

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Lubrication (commonly lubing) is the act of applying a compound called a lubricant to reduce friction between moving parts. For keyboards, the purpose is to make the key press smoother and/or to make the keyboard quieter.

Thinner lubricants are more often used for lubricating sliders/rails while thicker lubricants are more often used for stabilizer bars. Some mechanical keyboard switches are lubricated at the factory, while some are not.

A lubricant could be applied to the coiled spring to reduce reverberation. For buckling spring switches, the dental floss mod would be more suitable as it is more easily reversed. Too much lube on a spring could interfere with the switch's operation.

Lubricants should not be applied to electrical contacts.

For the different types of lubricants, see the lubricants category.

Procedure

The procedure for lubricating switches varies by switch type. There can also be several methods for each switch type. With most lubrication techniques the switch must be disassembled in order to perform the procedure. It is highly recommended that the switch is ultrasonic cleaned or new before lubrication, as any dirt or dust present in the switches may reduce the effectiveness of the lube.

Cherry MX & Clones

Cherry MX and its derivatives cannot be easily lubed while soldered into a PCB. The four-leg style switch can be opened without desoldering, but the plate must have a special cutout in order to do so. Winglatch-style switches cannot be opened while soldered in.

Traditional Method

The traditional method is the most common way to lubricate Cherry MX switches. The most common lubricants used for the stems, housing, and leaf are greases such Krytox 20X series, GHv4, and Tribosys 320X series. For the spring, an oil such as Krytox 10X is used. It is widely recommended to use a thicker grease such as Krytox 205g0 on linear switches, and a thinner lube such as 203g0 on tactile switches. It is not recommended to lube click jacket switches such as Cherry MX Blue as this may eliminate or make the clicking noise inconsistent. If one does choose to do so, thin oil is recommended over grease.

The grease is first applied to the rails of the bottom housing and areas of the stem that contact the rails. Lubricant may be applied to the bend in the leaf, to reduce ping. The springs can be brushed with grease or bag lubed, which is putting all of the springs into a small bag, adding a few drops of oil such as Krytox 105, and shaking until the oil coats all of the springs.

If the switch is linear, it is also recommended to lube the stem legs and also the part of the leaf that contacts the stem, as this will further increase the smoothness of the switch. This is not recommended for tactile switches as it will reduce tactility.

There is a method called the Gazzew method where instead of coating the stem and rails with a brush, the grease is applied as rice grain size globs on each rail with no lube on the stem itself. The springs are donut dipped in grease as well to eliminate spring ping. After reassembling the switch, pressing the switch to spread the lube evenly is required.

Spray Lubing

This method is not recommended as it may damage the switches.

Spray lubing is a method of lubricating switches by using a sprayed lubricant, typically with a PTFE spray. It allows for lubing the switch without opening or desoldering it.

This method is not recommended as it does not allow for a controlled application of the lubricant, and the solvent can get stuck and begin dissolving parts of the switch, thus destroying it. It is also known that rubber dampers on some switches melt due to the solvent in spray lubes, ruining the switch.

Alps

It has been found that using wet lubes/greases on Alps SKCL/SKCM is somewhat effective at reducing scratchiness. Before the invention of the waxboil mod, there have been numerous lubricants and methods that have been experimented with to improve the smoothness of the switch. It has been found that polishing the upper housing and slider of the switch also improves smoothness. The original Alps lubricant is known (Threebond 32581P); however it has long since been discontinued.

Dry Lube

Using a dry lube such as RO-59 or PTFE powder improves the smoothness of the switch by coating the slider and/or upper housing in teflon particles. PTFE powder is inferior to RO-59 as it does not stick/cure to the surface like RO-59 does, causing it to eventually be scraped off with a reduction in smoothness. Typically, the dry lube is applied to the slider and housing with or without a solvent, and allowed to cure if it has a solvent. Attempting to use the switch without allowing the lubricant to cure may result in the lubricant being scraped off.

Wet Lube

Wet lubes such as the ones used in Cherry MX switches can be used on Alps switches. Other lubricants such as Threebond 1855 and Nyogel 760g are used as well.

The grease is applied to the rails in the upper housing and the areas of the slider that contact the rails. The switchplate side of the slider and the switchplate itself are also lubed.

Waxboil Mod

The waxboil/wax mod is known to be one the most effective way of lubricating/restoring an Alps switch's smoothness. Although not exactly the same as the original Alps lubricant, it is reported to give a similar push-feel and greatly reduces or eliminates binding. It is generally not recommended to boil bamboo housings as they are more prone to deforming due to a higher ABS content than pine housings.

First, the switches need to be disassembled. The top housings and sliders are put in boiling water to clean them of any dirt or dust that may be present. Boiling the sliders will clean off any original lubricant present, so it is only recommended to boil the switches if the original lubricant is causing issues or has worn off.

First, pour boiling water into a container, then add the wax from a tealight candle, preferably made of Sasol 5203. Then the sliders are added, and shaking/stirring vigorously creates a temporary suspension of wax in the water, which will help coat the sliders in a layer of wax. Take the sliders out by pouring the mixture into a mesh strainer, then allow them to dry and cool down while keeping the sliders separated. The top housings are usually not waxed.

Wiping off the side of the slider will help preserve the tactility of tactile switches and the clickiness of clicky switches.

Stabilizers

Stabilizers can be lubricated to reduce rattling and make the push-feel of stabilized keys smoother.

Factory lubricated switches

A number of switches are known to be or assumed to have been lubricated in the factory. These include:

• Cherry MX White, possibly to reduce the click sound
• Alps SKCM Orange, found to have lubricant
• Alps SKCM Blue, found in at least one instance with dry lubricant applied
• Alps SKCM Amber, also appears to have had dry lubricant applied in the factory

External Links

• Wax mod procedure video by Jezzuz on YouTube
• Kuritakey's wax mod video on YouTube