This video shows the main steps of making a new keycap. Enjoy! Visit us at keymacs.com
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Detailed breakdown of video. 0:00 to 1:32 Make mold to duplicate basic key shape. This step only needs to be done once per basic key size. 1:33 to 1:46 Duplicate basic key shape (need to do this for each unique keycap glyph). I would suspect one would make a hundred or so ahead of time. 1:47 to 1:57 Mount key shape into machining fixture. Notice that fixture allows for minor variations in base thickness, yet will result in exact placement of the key top itself. 1:58 to 2:51 Machine entire surface of key shape, leaving only desired glyph intact. This will represent shape of the first shot of resin for a new keycap. 2:52 to 3:35 Make four mold halves. Those being 1 Top half of glyph (1st shot). 2 Top half of full key shape. 3. Bottom half of glyph (1st shot) 4. Bottom half of full key shape. Includes stem to mount to key switch. Wooden dowels are for alignment and to provide an escape path for air while injecting resin. 3:36 to 3:43 Top half of mold for entire keycap (2nd shot) 3:44 to 3:50 Top half of mold for glyph (1st shot) 3:51 to 4:09 Bottom half of mold for entire keycap. Notice cavity for key stem (2nd shot) 4:10 to 4:19 Bottom half of mold for glyph (1st shot) 4:20 to 4:32 Assembly of mold for glyph. 4:32 to 4:35 Filling of mold for glyph (1st shot). 4:36 to 4:44 Removal of 1st shot from mold. 4:45 to 4:50 Placing glyph into fixture for drilling. 4:51 to 5:04 Drilling of 1st shot for flow and anchor holes. These holes will permit the flow of resin to reach all areas around the desired glyph and mechanically anchor the 1st and 2nd shots together. 5:05 to 5:09 Assembly of final mold with 1st shot inside. 5:10 to 5:11 Injection of resin for 2nd shot. 5:12 to 5:13 Removal of keycap from mold. Overall, a very nice little process. The making the molds only needs to be done once and the molds could then be reused many times until they wear out. Only the steps from 4:20 onwards needs to be done for each individual keycap.
@johncochran84972 жыл бұрын
First, awesome keycaps. But I was asking myself, if it wouldn´t have been easier to do the keycaps almost completely with the cnc instead of the molds. Is there a benefitial treat to do the molds?
@markussteinbach88422 жыл бұрын
@@markussteinbach8842 There's two critical issues to deal with. 1. The key stem that has to fit on the key switch. Effectively invisible, but critical for the keycap to be functional. 2. The keycap top. I could see him using CNC on white plastic and do everything about the keycap, then overcast in resin to get the double shot appearance. But in doing so, that would leave the key step in an unusable state. And hence, the keycap would be useless. If he has a 5 axis machine, it may be possible to CNC the inner white plastic if it's on its side instead of simply upright. That would allow access to both the top and bottom of the key insert. But it would be difficult, and I don't know how the side of the insert that the insert was supported by could be removed to make it invisible on the finished keycap.
@johncochran84972 жыл бұрын
@@johncochran8497 thanks for the replying. The argument for doubleshot makes sense. But what ist your opinion, If you do a sublimated keycap with a single color? My idea was to CNC the keycap in two passes. From top and from the bottom. I don't See anything where a 5 Axis CNC would bei needed. Is the surface Clean enough?
@markussteinbach88422 жыл бұрын
@@markussteinbach8842 If you're going to do dyesub for the legends, why not simply start with easy to purchase blank keycaps?
@johncochran84972 жыл бұрын
@@johncochran8497 valid question. If I want to stay OEM, that ist far easier. Other than that, would the finish of the keycap with a CNC be on par with your molding. For example, If you would want to make your own keycap design.
@markussteinbach88422 жыл бұрын
I love how this video quickly goes from "huh this could be a diy" to "ok way out of my league and budget but I'll still watch"
@silver_david24982 жыл бұрын
Really once they pulled out the cnc shaper I was just like "And you used LEGO in the last part *why* ?"
@andrewcleary99522 жыл бұрын
@@andrewcleary9952 because legos are neat
@erenender662 жыл бұрын
@@andrewcleary9952 the eject technique was mind blowing are you kidding
@necroowl3953 Жыл бұрын
Cncs aren't that pricey, this is surprisingly easily diyable
@RomeDrori Жыл бұрын
DUDE, how much effort do you want to put into making keycaps ? Keymacs : "YES"
@herrmutz2 жыл бұрын
Maximum Effort
@strudelnutzz30522 жыл бұрын
channel shouldve been called keymax
@tedder130_2 жыл бұрын
All
@ag.cousins2 жыл бұрын
Congratulations you have achieved my highest applause a thumbs up and IV subscribed and left this comment at times I thought I could do this at home DIY but your skills are beyond that WELL DONE MISTER
@fffrankthetankkk2 жыл бұрын
YES
@Dvrkstvr2 жыл бұрын
very cool
@Glarses2 жыл бұрын
this was the coolest thing i have seen in the keeb world hands down.
@roykositzky22522 жыл бұрын
How do you watch every keycap or keyboard related video on youtube?
@lilrowbear2 жыл бұрын
Keyboard
@pipfoster76462 жыл бұрын
@@lilrowbear With his glarses
@mysticfakir20292 жыл бұрын
As a former toolmaker, maintenance fitter, industrial manufacturing and electronics engineer; I approve! Very impressed!
@edgarbleikur19292 жыл бұрын
Did you have Ride of the Valkyries playing for every tool change?
@disposabull2 жыл бұрын
Thank you!
@keymacs2 жыл бұрын
not gonna lie, this is art. this is different from industrial process, this is how to impress and present to us, about making, crafting, and processing an art from a keycaps.. hands down
@dwikafajri2 жыл бұрын
Me : why are we watching this ? My brain : shut up! Just keep watching...
@karanoraon2412 жыл бұрын
Imagine just how much lego these big keycap factories must have!
@scheimong2 жыл бұрын
still faster than waiting for GMK Groupbuy sets lol
@PinePizza2 жыл бұрын
truer words have never been said
@brucelee2282 жыл бұрын
"I get paid by the hour"
@vegardjohansen95892 жыл бұрын
Not that you hadn't demonstrated it already at this point in the video, but when I saw you do the final machining in that metal fixture plate I blurted out loud, "yeah, this guy is legit." That was so impressive (and I'm a hobby CNC router owner, thinking of all the ways that what did was super difficult with respect to accuracy and repeatability). Amazing work!
@johnhendy12812 жыл бұрын
Thanks!
@keymacs2 жыл бұрын
As an 'I must do every step of the process for myself' type of diy person this is exactly the thing I was looking for to figure out what I would need for this process - only tens of thousands of dollars to go and then I can make my own double shot keys!
@parkedhampster2122 жыл бұрын
95% of the video I didnt know what was going on...
@HeyDan19832 жыл бұрын
This quickly went from, "Oh cool, maybe I could give this a shot..." to "Oh.".
@JJFX-2 жыл бұрын
I'll never complain about keycap prices again
@richard-mai2 жыл бұрын
Me during the first half: wtf is he doing Me during the second half: wtf is he doing
@otita24882 жыл бұрын
Me at the end: wtf was the point.
@anthonyellison47372 жыл бұрын
@@anthonyellison4737 after hours of binging on his channel: wtf is he doing
@jongon2812 жыл бұрын
wtf
@rickgreen76432 жыл бұрын
Me : hmmm maybe I can learn on how to make keycaps Also me a minutes later : ayo wtf
@idrisie67202 жыл бұрын
There are easier ways
@est4952 жыл бұрын
i had no idea what was going on and then it was suddenly done
@theboythatsayshootyhoo38652 жыл бұрын
A part two with more detail about the processes involved would be great.
@marcusrauch42232 жыл бұрын
I agree. The last few steps went by very fast.
@ctrlaltdude2 жыл бұрын
yes please
@antonwinter6302 жыл бұрын
Jaw dropped seeing how much effort it takes for small-scale manufacturing! Thanks for sharing your craft!
@uniworkhorse2 жыл бұрын
I don't understand what the heck is happening and yet I still watched the whole thing
@nunyabiznes332 жыл бұрын
*starts with Lego* *Ends with precisely cut metal piece out of a CNC made specifically to place Keycaps before milling them*
@a_d_z_y__2 жыл бұрын
starts with "this looks easy enough to try at home" ends with "nevermind, I don't own a production line"
@pewpewdragon44832 жыл бұрын
This video is the epitome of “Now draw the rest of the ****ing owl”.
@nemo2e42 жыл бұрын
Yall know hes a pro since he has that tool to pull lego bricks
@ashesonwool40112 жыл бұрын
Really makes me appreciate how affordable a mass produced set of double shot key caps can be!
@PatrickAdairDesigns2 жыл бұрын
I have absolutely no idea what is happening but I like it
@Tanishq2692 жыл бұрын
"Double shot" means the keycap is made in two pieces that fit together. This video was about the process for the inside bit that makes the legend for one keycap.
@gyozakeynsianism2 жыл бұрын
@@gyozakeynsianism My keyboard box says it's "double shot pbt" so it means it's like the one in the video but with different material?
@DrinkWater7132 жыл бұрын
@@DrinkWater713 I believe so. The ones being made in this video appear to be and sound like they are of amazingly job quality. Drool-worthy.
@gyozakeynsianism2 жыл бұрын
His childhood was spent in a different zone with Legos.
@brandsplanet43812 жыл бұрын
Still don't know which ones were moulds and which were the actual keycaps
@fossar_2 жыл бұрын
In the beginning I was like "Legos? Wow maybe I can do this." Then they pull out the million dollar automated drill scribe and I'm like "maybe not..." 🥺
@JP-yg5bz2 жыл бұрын
The machine (Nomad Pro by Carbide 3D) is affordable (now starting at $2,800).
@keymacs2 жыл бұрын
To anyone saying this is a waste if time. Have you never heard of a hobby before? Absolutely no one is forcing you to build your own key caps, this guy is doing it just because he LIKES doing it. Just like how some people likes to play games, do sports, work on cars, or literally anything else.
@CiDK2 жыл бұрын
That's a lot of steps but at least the symbols will never wear off, they're solid.
@TheMizfitMan2 жыл бұрын
the first thing that should tell you you are nuts if you are seeing someone making custom ALPS keycaps... what a madlad!
@not_just_burnt2 жыл бұрын
That's some steady hand pouring the red.
@jimgardner51292 жыл бұрын
I was so confused by everything in this video then the end was so amazingly satisfying. So many skills and hours go into fabricating this one tiny part. 5 minutes ago I didn't know this hobby existed haha. Excited to see more!
@QuasiDude2 жыл бұрын
Wait im confused.. did u make a mold to make another mold to make another mold to make another mold to make a keycap?
@LemonCookies2 жыл бұрын
Wait, I am confused, … another ‘mold to make another mold’ comment-seriously?
@keymacs2 жыл бұрын
This was sick! But consider adding captions next time, I barely understood what was going on, so a bit of explanation would be great.
@rickali54072 жыл бұрын
I have no idea what I watched and how we arrived at that keycap in the end but I watched the whole thing.
@pbpictology2 жыл бұрын
Exactly my feeling 😅
@r4vi4n2 жыл бұрын
I thought only me didn't understand a thing
@hatem02 жыл бұрын
Yeah wtf
@LeslieWorks2 жыл бұрын
Its interesting how lego is tight enough to not get solicon spill
@goose95142 жыл бұрын
The silicone I use has relatively high viscosity.
@keymacs2 жыл бұрын
@@keymacs ah i forgot the vicosity part of liquids
@goose95142 жыл бұрын
did you have a stroke?
@metallicarabbit2 жыл бұрын
@@keymacs Hey, what resin did you use for the actual keycaps in the end?
@anoopjayan25102 жыл бұрын
@@anoopjayan2510 Smooth-Cast 310
@keymacs2 жыл бұрын
So that's why they made Legos pricier over about 10 years or so
@MCgranat9992 жыл бұрын
In our next video, we will be donating a significant portion of our lives to make the numlock key. Quite an exciting key. When you press it,the number keys don't work.
@NoticalMyles2 жыл бұрын
Ahh so this is why these keycap group buys are taken 2 years. MFers are making the key caps one by one with Legos!
@Msantor16052 жыл бұрын
No wonder they cost more than the keyboard
@HyperCapricorn45162 жыл бұрын
Start off with everyday lego now lets all head over to our everday milling tools xD
@11zazzy112 жыл бұрын
The use of Lego here makes me feel dumb for spending ages making card boxes around my parts to be molded. Thanks for the idea.
@spr00sem00se2 жыл бұрын
The use of Lego here makes me feel dumb for building things out of Lego as a kid when all the while I could have been using it for practical things like this.
@anthonyellison47372 жыл бұрын
Very elaborate process and incredibly educational!!! Thanks for this masterclass! (having that under "The ride of the Valkyries" soundtrack didn't hurt either :)
@IOSam2 жыл бұрын
Hi Sam
@esra_erimez2 жыл бұрын
@@esra_erimez Hey Esra!!! Nice to bump into you around here! :D
@IOSam2 жыл бұрын
I wish I had the same motivation and effort during my school times.
@zaxmaxlax2 жыл бұрын
I mean, I want to say life's too bloody short, but equally found the whole process fascinating
@cadman97682 жыл бұрын
Meanwhile in China some child is stamping out 5000 an hour of these for 9c a day.
@UncleChopChop222 жыл бұрын
Moral of story : Buy instead of make your own keycap
@johnear56572 жыл бұрын
Or: Take the red pill and start appreciate fine things. ;-)
@keymacs2 жыл бұрын
@@keymacs Ikr, that makes you understand why the food delivery business is huge, why make when you can order, or why clean when maids exists, etc. Whats the point of having unique things when you can have a bunch of generic ones with 2 clicks.. Btw, nj! was cool to watch the process, had no idea.
@stevenandino81782 жыл бұрын
*cries in gmk group buys*
@palananas2 жыл бұрын
This seams like he could have skipped a ton of the steps he took in the beginning by just going straight to the cnc.
@captainironbat81932 жыл бұрын
Love watching a video and thinking: "OK, I can do that. I can do that. I can do that. Shit CNC. And now there are parts he didn't show the making of, are they 3d printed? Those look like toothpicks I can handle tha... wait. Is that milled block just for pushing the toothpicks out? Do I need to buy needles?! Can you just BUY needles?! Where did this metal plate come from?! Another one?! IT'S PART OF A MOUNT FOR THE CNC?! Ugh, guess I'll have to keep buying my keycaps like a chump."
@OneDollarWilliam2 жыл бұрын
😅 All parts are machined. Some of them are manufactured in other videos on my channel.
@keymacs2 жыл бұрын
Exactly i was thinking
@kartikeyajp82942 жыл бұрын
Jesus christ, the dedication for every cap is insane. The fact that these are hand poured at every stage is mind boggling. Do you have to recast a new legend mold everytime?
@clickaclacka42022 жыл бұрын
The molds are reusable but have a limited life. From 10 to 15 casts without a visible degradation.
@keymacs2 жыл бұрын
Started watching for curiosity, stayed for the Valkyries.....
@MajesticDemonLord2 жыл бұрын
And for 5 min and 57 seconds I was completely and totally enthrawled.
@AkaAka_AkaAka2 жыл бұрын
Now I understand why my GMK sets are taking so long to get here. This one guy has a lot of work to do!
@davidrojas64572 жыл бұрын
this is much more expensive than GMK
@mikathegaything9 ай бұрын
the level of work you put in... danm...
@badhonebrahim77072 жыл бұрын
Might be the most satisfying thing I've ever watched
@jonwebb92612 жыл бұрын
And now I will not ask why these keycaps are so expensive.
@brianabongan22072 жыл бұрын
i love things that are nearly impossible without cnc precision and pretty much trivial with it.
@viardent88232 жыл бұрын
Geez, no wonder keycaps are $1-$2 per keycap, home boy gotta build a whole Lego set to produce em
@WeaponsArtist2 жыл бұрын
lmao underrated
@ry7hym2 жыл бұрын
This is incredible. 👏🏻👏🏻
@omnitype_official2 жыл бұрын
Why no check mark? Are you real or fake?
@It_needs_to_be_said2 жыл бұрын
@@It_needs_to_be_said Channel has legit links to social media pages
@massgrave8x2 жыл бұрын
@@RapidReelTV lol I never even looked, I usually just join a GB and leave, thanks.
@It_needs_to_be_said2 жыл бұрын
Lego for the mold set up is genius.
@FunDumb2 жыл бұрын
The lego thing, is purely geniusness !
@cho7official552 жыл бұрын
He just showed the actual use of lego
@ztaltac95712 жыл бұрын
You ever just completely zone out while reading a book and by the end of the chapter, you have no clue about what the crap you just read? Yeah. That was me about 30 seconds into this video.
@benjaminmoody77222 жыл бұрын
keycap lore
@gordonfreeman58722 жыл бұрын
gmk still hasn’t shipped my set i bought over a year ago can i just make the set myself jezus
@Snoigel2 жыл бұрын
Im so high that i forgot what i was watching because of all the effort into making that
@xarsf.w.38842 жыл бұрын
Holy mother of god what did i just watch 🤯 i saw the videos thumbnail and said no way he is gonna make it 5 minute. I saw the video and my mind is blown how simple and high quality, steps were shown in this video. Nice work, definitely earned the sub.
@mortezaesmaeilnezhad55052 жыл бұрын
This is a great video. I work as a machinist at a place where we make all kinds of injection molding tools for a lot of different industries, so I know a thing or two about the precision and attention to detail that go into these things.
@MrMBinder2 жыл бұрын
And the per unit cost of manufacturing
@jamespfitz2 жыл бұрын
@@jamespfitz Well, it's not cheap, I'll tell you that for free. The machines I work with in "my" area are pretty decent for finishing parts. I think they have a base price of $500K (give or take, exchange rates, etc.) And that's without a decent amount of carbide mills, fixtures, and so on. Consistent 0.003mm tolerances and polished surfaces are hard to achieve for most hobbyists.
@MrMBinder2 жыл бұрын
holy crap so this is how the resincasted double shot keycaps were made for your keyboards this is incredible ngl
@beseakos2 жыл бұрын
Thanks!
@keymacs2 жыл бұрын
OMG such precision and quality! Just wow!
@HeroRc2 жыл бұрын
Moulding a mould out of a mould and moulding thatvmold into another mould
@himanshu-negi2 жыл бұрын
That is a lot of mould, I agree. The good news is I am working on another process-this time with less moulds and more crazy machining.
@keymacs2 жыл бұрын
@@keymacs Cant wait to see it
@himanshu-negi2 жыл бұрын
@@keymacs when will you be updating us about that?
@arnavbhandary1789 Жыл бұрын
This is the only explanation I’ll accept for these gmk wait times
@briangarrick96932 жыл бұрын
i liked it within first 30 seconds because you're using legos as a mold box. freakin heck ya!
@ChrisTrunek2 жыл бұрын
When gmk takes too long so you just make your own gmk sets
@Testerinopelinokinosjwizldid2 жыл бұрын
Alright, fine, I won't complain about keycap prices any more.
@turingsghost2 жыл бұрын
Wow! I have a new found appreciation for the keycaps. The effort and the thought that goes in. TBH I got lost multiple times in the video, not being sure of what was really going on. 🙌🙌🙌
@KeenyNewton2 жыл бұрын
Wow. Neat to see this and actually have a representation of what double shot injection means. Shows exactly why the quality would be better and why the price is so much higher
@antruys6462 жыл бұрын
Note, however, that the classic injection molding (ABS/PBT) is much different from this resin casting process. It typically runs on large automated machines and the demolding time is in seconds rather than hours but, yeah, it is substantially more expensive than pad printing or lasering.
@keymacs2 жыл бұрын
This was the most satisfying thing I have ever watched.
@bryonypitt31152 жыл бұрын
Those close up shots with those smooth, soft touch-ish finishes are beautiful in some weird way
@Shadow__X2 жыл бұрын
What a cool mold making process, and such clean results. I bet you learned a ton making these. Thanks for sharing.
@BuildaSkill2 жыл бұрын
You demonstrated every step and I still don't understand LOL
@crspy10752 жыл бұрын
The whole video shows a method of creating keycaps called double shot. Basically you have two sets of materials, one for the legends (in this case it's the custom logo) and then the base. It creates a very durable and smooth keycaps which legends wouldn't wear with time unlike legends that are printed or painted into the keycaps (though nowadays people have discovered very good printing that's very durable too). It also takes much longer process, like these three keycaps took him three days to make. So he first created the custom logo legend sculpt (the whole process of the first half of the video with the machine cutting), then he created a mold for the custom logo legend (the thing with the wooden pins) so it can be fit into many keycaps molds afterwards. After that, he uses the freshly made legend mold to make the actual legend for the keycap (where he shot white liquid into the mold) and cleaned it up after it dries (the machine cutting in latter part of the video). Finally he put that cleaned custom legend into an actual keycap mold, shotting inside it with black liquid, which hardens and wraps the legend snugly and beautifully. Thus, the method being called double shot. One shot for the legend, and one shot for the rest of the keycap.
@Aozora2102 жыл бұрын
MAGIC, that's all.
@DarkusObscurius2 жыл бұрын
Next level is: triple shot. That's where you add a label to the FRONT of the keycap, using a different color (such as yellow). Extremely expensive, if you can even find a place that makes them, but great for 60% keyboards due to the extra functions each key must support.
@Soupie622 жыл бұрын
I am on it sir. I hope to release the video in late Sep.
@keymacs2 жыл бұрын
Well… that explains the price.
@AMiniki2 жыл бұрын
Beautifully, masterfully done. I'm at work, sitting between two 3-axis routers and this made me want to try this out lol
@lmaogoshi2 жыл бұрын
Lego: Listen up nerds, we have more use than just causing mayhem to your foot
@H3Y0o2 жыл бұрын
I dont know why the comments are so negative. This is really cool.
@awellner32852 жыл бұрын
Totally agree with you, I don't understand why everyone one is so negative and only talk about a "waste of time" if he's doing what he love, then I don't understand how this can be a waste, I think we've all already did something where everyone else though it was a waste but if it is a hobby or something similar, I don't thing a waste of time is the good thing to say (sorry English isn't my native tongue)
@robote3452 жыл бұрын
For sure, I was actually thinking how cool this is that he made reusable molds unlike some of the other channels that make key caps. If it wasn't so many steps and I had the machines he has, I would definitely make neat custom caps.
@02honeydew2 жыл бұрын
I was so confused about the whole process until the last 10 secs
@chillinvibin60572 жыл бұрын
Using lego like that... Nice
@NdumN2 жыл бұрын
I watched the whole thing just because I could tell this took a ton of effort
@christ9382 жыл бұрын
I watched it hoping it would be cool in the end. I was wrong.
@mrbadpersonality2 жыл бұрын
Screw your keycaps, it is the best way to create legos at home
@Gameplayer550552 жыл бұрын
Why is the whole process so overly complicated? Why is the music so unnecessarily intense? How did I even get here in the first place?
@olegebloek2 жыл бұрын
Box of chocolates?
@prawnmikus2 жыл бұрын
Popcorn
@azka78042 жыл бұрын
Hats off to you, sir. This is beyond awesome! I almost trick myself by thinking "Woah it's almost like I could make something like this!", but then I realize I need a 500k CNC xD Keep up the magnificent work, I'm beyond impressed.
@kanskejonasidag12 жыл бұрын
Doesn't look like he needs an expensive CNC machine. The material he's cutting is soft, and the size of the parts is small. So a CNC router ought to be plenty for what he's doing. Cost is about $200 on Amazon.
@johncochran84972 жыл бұрын
@@johncochran8497 doesn't he mill the molds from aluminium?
@kanskejonasidag12 жыл бұрын
@@kanskejonasidag1 I see *one* aluminum plate there. And that could have been a laser cut sheet ordered elsewhere. Everything else seen in that video is resin and silicone.
@johncochran84972 жыл бұрын
Does Lego approve of this?
@Bluesonofman2 жыл бұрын
You sick bastard, I like it.
@user-tr2pc7xs8d2 жыл бұрын
Thanks!
@keymacs2 жыл бұрын
Cool video but somehow feels unnecessarily complicated.
@nick_koh2 жыл бұрын
That was a ride that I was not ready for, the result might not have seemed to be worth the effort for y'all but, maybe that was never the point of the experience.
@ivanshut52592 жыл бұрын
Once you have them molds though you can reuse them over and over again
@HypeBeast7642 жыл бұрын
Cool let me fire up my CNC machine, 3D Printer and Chemistry set!
@GameTL2 жыл бұрын
Epic... The cocktail stick ejector pins .. that tickled me. Good video, should be shown to students. Well done man.. !!!
@meshacht49782 жыл бұрын
Respect for the amount of work you put into this.
@jellewijma9882 жыл бұрын
Wow, best use of Legos I have ever seen. Makes me appreciate the caps even more than I already do. And I want that one too.
Detailed breakdown of video. 0:00 to 1:32 Make mold to duplicate basic key shape. This step only needs to be done once per basic key size. 1:33 to 1:46 Duplicate basic key shape (need to do this for each unique keycap glyph). I would suspect one would make a hundred or so ahead of time. 1:47 to 1:57 Mount key shape into machining fixture. Notice that fixture allows for minor variations in base thickness, yet will result in exact placement of the key top itself. 1:58 to 2:51 Machine entire surface of key shape, leaving only desired glyph intact. This will represent shape of the first shot of resin for a new keycap. 2:52 to 3:35 Make four mold halves. Those being 1 Top half of glyph (1st shot). 2 Top half of full key shape. 3. Bottom half of glyph (1st shot) 4. Bottom half of full key shape. Includes stem to mount to key switch. Wooden dowels are for alignment and to provide an escape path for air while injecting resin. 3:36 to 3:43 Top half of mold for entire keycap (2nd shot) 3:44 to 3:50 Top half of mold for glyph (1st shot) 3:51 to 4:09 Bottom half of mold for entire keycap. Notice cavity for key stem (2nd shot) 4:10 to 4:19 Bottom half of mold for glyph (1st shot) 4:20 to 4:32 Assembly of mold for glyph. 4:32 to 4:35 Filling of mold for glyph (1st shot). 4:36 to 4:44 Removal of 1st shot from mold. 4:45 to 4:50 Placing glyph into fixture for drilling. 4:51 to 5:04 Drilling of 1st shot for flow and anchor holes. These holes will permit the flow of resin to reach all areas around the desired glyph and mechanically anchor the 1st and 2nd shots together. 5:05 to 5:09 Assembly of final mold with 1st shot inside. 5:10 to 5:11 Injection of resin for 2nd shot. 5:12 to 5:13 Removal of keycap from mold. Overall, a very nice little process. The making the molds only needs to be done once and the molds could then be reused many times until they wear out. Only the steps from 4:20 onwards needs to be done for each individual keycap.
First, awesome keycaps. But I was asking myself, if it wouldn´t have been easier to do the keycaps almost completely with the cnc instead of the molds. Is there a benefitial treat to do the molds?
@@markussteinbach8842 There's two critical issues to deal with. 1. The key stem that has to fit on the key switch. Effectively invisible, but critical for the keycap to be functional. 2. The keycap top. I could see him using CNC on white plastic and do everything about the keycap, then overcast in resin to get the double shot appearance. But in doing so, that would leave the key step in an unusable state. And hence, the keycap would be useless. If he has a 5 axis machine, it may be possible to CNC the inner white plastic if it's on its side instead of simply upright. That would allow access to both the top and bottom of the key insert. But it would be difficult, and I don't know how the side of the insert that the insert was supported by could be removed to make it invisible on the finished keycap.
@@johncochran8497 thanks for the replying. The argument for doubleshot makes sense. But what ist your opinion, If you do a sublimated keycap with a single color? My idea was to CNC the keycap in two passes. From top and from the bottom. I don't See anything where a 5 Axis CNC would bei needed. Is the surface Clean enough?
@@markussteinbach8842 If you're going to do dyesub for the legends, why not simply start with easy to purchase blank keycaps?
@@johncochran8497 valid question. If I want to stay OEM, that ist far easier. Other than that, would the finish of the keycap with a CNC be on par with your molding. For example, If you would want to make your own keycap design.
I love how this video quickly goes from "huh this could be a diy" to "ok way out of my league and budget but I'll still watch"
Really once they pulled out the cnc shaper I was just like "And you used LEGO in the last part *why* ?"
@@andrewcleary9952 because legos are neat
@@andrewcleary9952 the eject technique was mind blowing are you kidding
Cncs aren't that pricey, this is surprisingly easily diyable
DUDE, how much effort do you want to put into making keycaps ? Keymacs : "YES"
Maximum Effort
channel shouldve been called keymax
All
Congratulations you have achieved my highest applause a thumbs up and IV subscribed and left this comment at times I thought I could do this at home DIY but your skills are beyond that WELL DONE MISTER
YES
very cool
this was the coolest thing i have seen in the keeb world hands down.
How do you watch every keycap or keyboard related video on youtube?
Keyboard
@@lilrowbear With his glarses
As a former toolmaker, maintenance fitter, industrial manufacturing and electronics engineer; I approve! Very impressed!
Did you have Ride of the Valkyries playing for every tool change?
Thank you!
not gonna lie, this is art. this is different from industrial process, this is how to impress and present to us, about making, crafting, and processing an art from a keycaps.. hands down
Me : why are we watching this ? My brain : shut up! Just keep watching...
Imagine just how much lego these big keycap factories must have!
still faster than waiting for GMK Groupbuy sets lol
truer words have never been said
"I get paid by the hour"
Not that you hadn't demonstrated it already at this point in the video, but when I saw you do the final machining in that metal fixture plate I blurted out loud, "yeah, this guy is legit." That was so impressive (and I'm a hobby CNC router owner, thinking of all the ways that what did was super difficult with respect to accuracy and repeatability). Amazing work!
Thanks!
As an 'I must do every step of the process for myself' type of diy person this is exactly the thing I was looking for to figure out what I would need for this process - only tens of thousands of dollars to go and then I can make my own double shot keys!
95% of the video I didnt know what was going on...
This quickly went from, "Oh cool, maybe I could give this a shot..." to "Oh.".
I'll never complain about keycap prices again
Me during the first half: wtf is he doing Me during the second half: wtf is he doing
Me at the end: wtf was the point.
@@anthonyellison4737 after hours of binging on his channel: wtf is he doing
wtf
Me : hmmm maybe I can learn on how to make keycaps Also me a minutes later : ayo wtf
There are easier ways
i had no idea what was going on and then it was suddenly done
A part two with more detail about the processes involved would be great.
I agree. The last few steps went by very fast.
yes please
Jaw dropped seeing how much effort it takes for small-scale manufacturing! Thanks for sharing your craft!
I don't understand what the heck is happening and yet I still watched the whole thing
*starts with Lego* *Ends with precisely cut metal piece out of a CNC made specifically to place Keycaps before milling them*
starts with "this looks easy enough to try at home" ends with "nevermind, I don't own a production line"
This video is the epitome of “Now draw the rest of the ****ing owl”.
Yall know hes a pro since he has that tool to pull lego bricks
Really makes me appreciate how affordable a mass produced set of double shot key caps can be!
I have absolutely no idea what is happening but I like it
"Double shot" means the keycap is made in two pieces that fit together. This video was about the process for the inside bit that makes the legend for one keycap.
@@gyozakeynsianism My keyboard box says it's "double shot pbt" so it means it's like the one in the video but with different material?
@@DrinkWater713 I believe so. The ones being made in this video appear to be and sound like they are of amazingly job quality. Drool-worthy.
His childhood was spent in a different zone with Legos.
Still don't know which ones were moulds and which were the actual keycaps
In the beginning I was like "Legos? Wow maybe I can do this." Then they pull out the million dollar automated drill scribe and I'm like "maybe not..." 🥺
The machine (Nomad Pro by Carbide 3D) is affordable (now starting at $2,800).
To anyone saying this is a waste if time. Have you never heard of a hobby before? Absolutely no one is forcing you to build your own key caps, this guy is doing it just because he LIKES doing it. Just like how some people likes to play games, do sports, work on cars, or literally anything else.
That's a lot of steps but at least the symbols will never wear off, they're solid.
the first thing that should tell you you are nuts if you are seeing someone making custom ALPS keycaps... what a madlad!
That's some steady hand pouring the red.
I was so confused by everything in this video then the end was so amazingly satisfying. So many skills and hours go into fabricating this one tiny part. 5 minutes ago I didn't know this hobby existed haha. Excited to see more!
Wait im confused.. did u make a mold to make another mold to make another mold to make another mold to make a keycap?
Wait, I am confused, … another ‘mold to make another mold’ comment-seriously?
This was sick! But consider adding captions next time, I barely understood what was going on, so a bit of explanation would be great.
I have no idea what I watched and how we arrived at that keycap in the end but I watched the whole thing.
Exactly my feeling 😅
I thought only me didn't understand a thing
Yeah wtf
Its interesting how lego is tight enough to not get solicon spill
The silicone I use has relatively high viscosity.
@@keymacs ah i forgot the vicosity part of liquids
did you have a stroke?
@@keymacs Hey, what resin did you use for the actual keycaps in the end?
@@anoopjayan2510 Smooth-Cast 310
So that's why they made Legos pricier over about 10 years or so
In our next video, we will be donating a significant portion of our lives to make the numlock key. Quite an exciting key. When you press it,the number keys don't work.
Ahh so this is why these keycap group buys are taken 2 years. MFers are making the key caps one by one with Legos!
No wonder they cost more than the keyboard
Start off with everyday lego now lets all head over to our everday milling tools xD
The use of Lego here makes me feel dumb for spending ages making card boxes around my parts to be molded. Thanks for the idea.
The use of Lego here makes me feel dumb for building things out of Lego as a kid when all the while I could have been using it for practical things like this.
Very elaborate process and incredibly educational!!! Thanks for this masterclass! (having that under "The ride of the Valkyries" soundtrack didn't hurt either :)
Hi Sam
@@esra_erimez Hey Esra!!! Nice to bump into you around here! :D
I wish I had the same motivation and effort during my school times.
I mean, I want to say life's too bloody short, but equally found the whole process fascinating
Meanwhile in China some child is stamping out 5000 an hour of these for 9c a day.
Moral of story : Buy instead of make your own keycap
Or: Take the red pill and start appreciate fine things. ;-)
@@keymacs Ikr, that makes you understand why the food delivery business is huge, why make when you can order, or why clean when maids exists, etc. Whats the point of having unique things when you can have a bunch of generic ones with 2 clicks.. Btw, nj! was cool to watch the process, had no idea.
*cries in gmk group buys*
This seams like he could have skipped a ton of the steps he took in the beginning by just going straight to the cnc.
Love watching a video and thinking: "OK, I can do that. I can do that. I can do that. Shit CNC. And now there are parts he didn't show the making of, are they 3d printed? Those look like toothpicks I can handle tha... wait. Is that milled block just for pushing the toothpicks out? Do I need to buy needles?! Can you just BUY needles?! Where did this metal plate come from?! Another one?! IT'S PART OF A MOUNT FOR THE CNC?! Ugh, guess I'll have to keep buying my keycaps like a chump."
😅 All parts are machined. Some of them are manufactured in other videos on my channel.
Exactly i was thinking
Jesus christ, the dedication for every cap is insane. The fact that these are hand poured at every stage is mind boggling. Do you have to recast a new legend mold everytime?
The molds are reusable but have a limited life. From 10 to 15 casts without a visible degradation.
Started watching for curiosity, stayed for the Valkyries.....
And for 5 min and 57 seconds I was completely and totally enthrawled.
Now I understand why my GMK sets are taking so long to get here. This one guy has a lot of work to do!
this is much more expensive than GMK
the level of work you put in... danm...
Might be the most satisfying thing I've ever watched
And now I will not ask why these keycaps are so expensive.
i love things that are nearly impossible without cnc precision and pretty much trivial with it.
Geez, no wonder keycaps are $1-$2 per keycap, home boy gotta build a whole Lego set to produce em
lmao underrated
This is incredible. 👏🏻👏🏻
Why no check mark? Are you real or fake?
@@It_needs_to_be_said Channel has legit links to social media pages
@@RapidReelTV lol I never even looked, I usually just join a GB and leave, thanks.
Lego for the mold set up is genius.
The lego thing, is purely geniusness !
He just showed the actual use of lego
You ever just completely zone out while reading a book and by the end of the chapter, you have no clue about what the crap you just read? Yeah. That was me about 30 seconds into this video.
keycap lore
gmk still hasn’t shipped my set i bought over a year ago can i just make the set myself jezus
Im so high that i forgot what i was watching because of all the effort into making that
Holy mother of god what did i just watch 🤯 i saw the videos thumbnail and said no way he is gonna make it 5 minute. I saw the video and my mind is blown how simple and high quality, steps were shown in this video. Nice work, definitely earned the sub.
This is a great video. I work as a machinist at a place where we make all kinds of injection molding tools for a lot of different industries, so I know a thing or two about the precision and attention to detail that go into these things.
And the per unit cost of manufacturing
@@jamespfitz Well, it's not cheap, I'll tell you that for free. The machines I work with in "my" area are pretty decent for finishing parts. I think they have a base price of $500K (give or take, exchange rates, etc.) And that's without a decent amount of carbide mills, fixtures, and so on. Consistent 0.003mm tolerances and polished surfaces are hard to achieve for most hobbyists.
holy crap so this is how the resincasted double shot keycaps were made for your keyboards this is incredible ngl
Thanks!
OMG such precision and quality! Just wow!
Moulding a mould out of a mould and moulding thatvmold into another mould
That is a lot of mould, I agree. The good news is I am working on another process-this time with less moulds and more crazy machining.
@@keymacs Cant wait to see it
@@keymacs when will you be updating us about that?
This is the only explanation I’ll accept for these gmk wait times
i liked it within first 30 seconds because you're using legos as a mold box. freakin heck ya!
When gmk takes too long so you just make your own gmk sets
Alright, fine, I won't complain about keycap prices any more.
Wow! I have a new found appreciation for the keycaps. The effort and the thought that goes in. TBH I got lost multiple times in the video, not being sure of what was really going on. 🙌🙌🙌
Wow. Neat to see this and actually have a representation of what double shot injection means. Shows exactly why the quality would be better and why the price is so much higher
Note, however, that the classic injection molding (ABS/PBT) is much different from this resin casting process. It typically runs on large automated machines and the demolding time is in seconds rather than hours but, yeah, it is substantially more expensive than pad printing or lasering.
This was the most satisfying thing I have ever watched.
Those close up shots with those smooth, soft touch-ish finishes are beautiful in some weird way
What a cool mold making process, and such clean results. I bet you learned a ton making these. Thanks for sharing.
You demonstrated every step and I still don't understand LOL
The whole video shows a method of creating keycaps called double shot. Basically you have two sets of materials, one for the legends (in this case it's the custom logo) and then the base. It creates a very durable and smooth keycaps which legends wouldn't wear with time unlike legends that are printed or painted into the keycaps (though nowadays people have discovered very good printing that's very durable too). It also takes much longer process, like these three keycaps took him three days to make. So he first created the custom logo legend sculpt (the whole process of the first half of the video with the machine cutting), then he created a mold for the custom logo legend (the thing with the wooden pins) so it can be fit into many keycaps molds afterwards. After that, he uses the freshly made legend mold to make the actual legend for the keycap (where he shot white liquid into the mold) and cleaned it up after it dries (the machine cutting in latter part of the video). Finally he put that cleaned custom legend into an actual keycap mold, shotting inside it with black liquid, which hardens and wraps the legend snugly and beautifully. Thus, the method being called double shot. One shot for the legend, and one shot for the rest of the keycap.
MAGIC, that's all.
Next level is: triple shot. That's where you add a label to the FRONT of the keycap, using a different color (such as yellow). Extremely expensive, if you can even find a place that makes them, but great for 60% keyboards due to the extra functions each key must support.
I am on it sir. I hope to release the video in late Sep.
Well… that explains the price.
Beautifully, masterfully done. I'm at work, sitting between two 3-axis routers and this made me want to try this out lol
Lego: Listen up nerds, we have more use than just causing mayhem to your foot
I dont know why the comments are so negative. This is really cool.
Totally agree with you, I don't understand why everyone one is so negative and only talk about a "waste of time" if he's doing what he love, then I don't understand how this can be a waste, I think we've all already did something where everyone else though it was a waste but if it is a hobby or something similar, I don't thing a waste of time is the good thing to say (sorry English isn't my native tongue)
For sure, I was actually thinking how cool this is that he made reusable molds unlike some of the other channels that make key caps. If it wasn't so many steps and I had the machines he has, I would definitely make neat custom caps.
I was so confused about the whole process until the last 10 secs
Using lego like that... Nice
I watched the whole thing just because I could tell this took a ton of effort
I watched it hoping it would be cool in the end. I was wrong.
Screw your keycaps, it is the best way to create legos at home
Why is the whole process so overly complicated? Why is the music so unnecessarily intense? How did I even get here in the first place?
Box of chocolates?
Popcorn
Hats off to you, sir. This is beyond awesome! I almost trick myself by thinking "Woah it's almost like I could make something like this!", but then I realize I need a 500k CNC xD Keep up the magnificent work, I'm beyond impressed.
Doesn't look like he needs an expensive CNC machine. The material he's cutting is soft, and the size of the parts is small. So a CNC router ought to be plenty for what he's doing. Cost is about $200 on Amazon.
@@johncochran8497 doesn't he mill the molds from aluminium?
@@kanskejonasidag1 I see *one* aluminum plate there. And that could have been a laser cut sheet ordered elsewhere. Everything else seen in that video is resin and silicone.
Does Lego approve of this?
You sick bastard, I like it.
Thanks!
Cool video but somehow feels unnecessarily complicated.
That was a ride that I was not ready for, the result might not have seemed to be worth the effort for y'all but, maybe that was never the point of the experience.
Once you have them molds though you can reuse them over and over again
Cool let me fire up my CNC machine, 3D Printer and Chemistry set!
Epic... The cocktail stick ejector pins .. that tickled me. Good video, should be shown to students. Well done man.. !!!
Respect for the amount of work you put into this.
Wow, best use of Legos I have ever seen. Makes me appreciate the caps even more than I already do. And I want that one too.