Keycap Molding

Odds are that no matter who you are, the person reading this right now probably has a keyboard in front of them. The problem with that is, that keyboard is boring. It isn’t special, you haven’t made it yours. It’s just a normal keyboard with no wow factor. Today I’m going to tell you the first step on how to make that keyboard your own, molding a keycap.

The materials needed for this include a two-part molding agent, a small scale that measures kilograms, a plastic cup, a small container about 2 inches x 2 inches x ½ inches, a toothpick (or similar poking instrument), some playdoh or similar clay, and two keycaps that can be pulled off of a keyboard. Long list, I know. For this process I will be using a mechanical keyboard with mx style switches so there will be a plus symbol on the underside of the key.

First, pull the two keycaps off the keyboard. With one, fill the underside in completely with playdoh or some similar clay. Bring it all the way up so it is flush with the outer walls. When it is filled put just a dab more clay on the bottom and move onto the next key. With the next key fill it about half way with clay. The plus symbol on the underside should still be visible. Once both keycaps have the clay in them, move on to the next step.

Next step is to prepare the molding agent. To do this, take the plastic cup and place it on the scale. Turn it on and zero it if needed. Then, take the first step of the molding agent and pour 0.050 kilograms into the cup. Next, take the second part and pour another 0.050 kilograms into the same cup. The scale should now read 0.100 kilograms. Take a toothpick and stir the mixture in the cup for about five minutes.

Now we need to actually make the molds. Take the toothpick and dip it into the mixture of molding agent. Following that, with the molding agent on the toothpick move it over the keycap that is halfway filled with clay and let it drip in. Do this repeatedly until the keycap is filled but not overflowing with molding. TIP: Make sure to let the molding drip into the plus symbol and fill the inside of it completely. If needed, poke into it with the toothpick to push the mold down into it. After that, take the keycap that is filled all the way with clay and press it to the bottom of the small container, right in the middle. The little bit of clay that was added at the end should squish down and stick the keycap to the bottom. This will prevent it from floating and ruining the mold. Once it is stuck to the bottom, simply pour the molding over the keycap into the small container until the container is full.

Finally, we wait. Simply let the molds sit for 12-24 hours to set. Gently poke the toothpick into the corners of the molds and pull up to release the mold from the keycap and container. Clean off any clay left on the molds and remove the clay from the keycaps and voila, you now have a mold to make keycaps from!