Keycaps with rare materials

I've fallen in love with ceramic keycaps and built two very heavy but very satisfying keyboards with them. But now I crave for more.

One thing that I find somewhat disappointing is the fact that I never found any other vendors besides cerakey for ceramic caps. It's not that I don't like them, but I could go for other styles and layouts given the opportunity.

The other thing is that I would like to explore other materials. I've found wooden caps, again only from exactly one vendor and stainless steel caps by yet another single vendor.

What I would much rather try out are aluminum and glass, both materials I could imagine being pretty great for typing.

And maybe there are other options I haven't even considered yet?

Give me your best shops/stores with rare materials caps, I'm really interested!

29 points · 10 comments · view on lemmy.world

10 Comments

Reverendender@sh.itjust.works · 21 pts · 1y (1 reply)

Pure, compressed, lead-lined asbestos.. You won't believe the thock I get!

isVeryLoud@lemmy.ca · 4 pts · 1y

I can vouch for lead-lined asbestos keycaps! They give a really nice, heavy metal response to your typing.

cone_zombie@lemmy.ml · 13 pts · 1y (1 reply)

I'd go for enriched uranium. No need for a backlight

gens@programming.dev · 2 pts · 1y

There is uranium glass that glows in the dark. It's also pretty safe, contrary to what it's made of.

CsXGF8uzUAOh6fqV@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 1y

Most plastic keycaps are ABS or PBT, also vintage ones. But there are some white on black double shot cherry profile POM vintage keycaps as far as I remember. You would have to find them on ebay or something or research on which boards they came in order to get em.

edit: I just look it up, it seems you can buy POM keycaps new. The vintage one just stuck in my head for some reason.

waht@feddit.org · 3 pts · 1y (1 reply)

https://www.asymplex.xyz/ has unique keycaps

cronenthal@discuss.tchncs.de · 3 pts · 1y

Now this is the kind of caps I'm looking for, thank you!

Telorand@reddthat.com · 3 pts · 1y

Make your own using metal clay!

I never had the opportunity to work with it when I was a smith, but it's supposed to be pretty easy to work with.

voklen@programming.dev · 2 pts · 1y

I saw these on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1680997176/periodic-table-metal-element-keycaps-for although I'd doubt you'd make an entire keyboard out of them…

VagueDirector@aussie.zone · 1 pts · 1y

I have a full size keycap set in Walnut wood from Aliexpress which looks and feels really nice, not exactly a rare material though