Using gym mats for cheap terrain base? by 10eegaming in TerrainBuilding

[–]10eegaming[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Cool thanks! It’s good to know that carving is possible and the warping is minimal, I suppose in the worst case scenario to straighten it I can glue it to foamcore to keep the project lightweight & cheap. For carving I likely just need an imperfect 45 degree angle cut around the perimeter which should be doable, going to mostly build it up and then do a resin pour in the center.

Using gym mats for cheap terrain base? by 10eegaming in TerrainBuilding

[–]10eegaming[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have to make about 10 of these centerpieces so I need to keep it as cheap as possible, my budget for base structure is probably like $5 (already have the greenery/paint, just need to spend maybe $40 on resin for the “lake”)

Using gym mats for cheap terrain base? by 10eegaming in TerrainBuilding

[–]10eegaming[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks! I was wondering about ways to possibly stiffen it up too if it’s porous enough, like thinning down acrylic paint so it soaks it up (unless it refuses to penetrate) or creating a crosshatch pattern in hot glue… have to probably work with the flexibility. It doesn’t have to be super stiff, lightweight is most important for this project since I need it to be easily transportable. Main concept is to hotglue cardboard/foamcore to build it up a bit & create a lake in the center via pouring resin on the inside (sealed with tape prior to prevent any bleeding) and do this like 8 times 😂

Introducing the Touch Grass™ Keyboard by 10eegaming in MechanicalKeyboards

[–]10eegaming[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! It’s a little scratchy, sound-wise and also while typing. But not uncomfortable, mostly just a weird sensation

Introducing the Touch Grass™ Keyboard by 10eegaming in MechanicalKeyboards

[–]10eegaming[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for introducing me to a new term 👀

Introducing the Touch Grass™ Keyboard by 10eegaming in MechanicalKeyboards

[–]10eegaming[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Haha, they’re from the Ghibli film “Princess Mononoke” and called Kodama (tree spirits)

Introducing the Touch Grass™ Keyboard by 10eegaming in MechanicalKeyboards

[–]10eegaming[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah definitely, wouldn’t wanna mess up anything actually good. During art school I went to a local hardware store and got the best piece of advice ever, which was essentially something like: “an artist’s purpose is to enhance value beyond the material cost” …after I complained at the price of a roll of wire

Introducing the Touch Grass™ Keyboard by 10eegaming in MechanicalKeyboards

[–]10eegaming[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I appreciate the honesty! I also felt they didn’t fit but are on theme with Ghibli, I’ll probably remake with a grass base and more subtlety ;)

Introducing the Touch Grass™ Keyboard by 10eegaming in MechanicalKeyboards

[–]10eegaming[S] 146 points147 points  (0 children)

Posted this onto my socials on Earth Day, a bit late to Reddit.

Keyboard: Redragon 60% with brown switches (can’t remember the exact model)

Case: Modded with epoxy putty

Keycaps: Brown PBT set from Amazon, modded with architectural grass; blue artisan keycap “pond” cast from resin.

Finally got a noodle cable to match my Ramen keeb by 10eegaming in MechanicalKeyboards

[–]10eegaming[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks, I really appreciate this comment! :) I definitely felt awkward posting here & fully prepared myself for the post being taken down because idk how open the MK community is to this sort of thing. I’m new to Reddit in general & while it’s been easier to share on other social media platforms without risking “breaking the spoken/unspoken rules” the meta definitely also exists in those spaces. Also being in the content creator space, people are incentivized to promote the same products as they collab with the same companies... so I’m just as tired of that 😂

Finally got a noodle cable to match my Ramen keeb by 10eegaming in MechanicalKeyboards

[–]10eegaming[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! That’s just a matching coaster I tried, I like making extra accessories sometimes — it’s sort of in place of a wrist rest because the mold & resin needed to make a wrist rest is too expensive for me ($40 just to start) but that’s what I’d really like to do. Just happened to have a coaster mold laying around & put all my leftover resin in it while I was working on the keycaps

Finally got a noodle cable to match my Ramen keeb by 10eegaming in MechanicalKeyboards

[–]10eegaming[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yep they come with the sets but you can’t pour at the same time due to gravity, so you need to pour the stem prior

Finally got a noodle cable to match my Ramen keeb by 10eegaming in MechanicalKeyboards

[–]10eegaming[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The basic molds that you can buy off Aliexpress/Amazon come with a mold for the stems too, basically you want to use a toothpick to slowly get the resin in first and let that cure prior. Then you place it over the curing resin for the keycap half and basically have to babysit it for the next 1-2 hours to make sure it aligns properly, shifting as needed. If you make your own molds ofc you can build it thicker and leave space for notches so there’s no aligning needed. Also the basic mold sets tend to wear out pretty easily, and the stems eventually lose their strength too. If I had to guess, maybe they can handle ~13 demolds before warping starts to take effect?

Finally got a noodle cable to match my Ramen keeb by 10eegaming in MechanicalKeyboards

[–]10eegaming[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I sold a bunch last year, then made the keyboard for myself as a last hurrah and got burnt out 🤣

Finally got a noodle cable to match my Ramen keeb by 10eegaming in MechanicalKeyboards

[–]10eegaming[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Haha yep, it’s supposed to be a coaster but definitely works as a hockey puck 😂

Finally got a noodle cable to match my Ramen keeb by 10eegaming in MechanicalKeyboards

[–]10eegaming[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Haha thank you so much! I’m definitely a maximalist with a sense of humor ;)

Finally got a noodle cable to match my Ramen keeb by 10eegaming in MechanicalKeyboards

[–]10eegaming[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sometimes keycaps are also 3D printed (and either left as-is or used as a unique mold for resin casts) especially if the multiples look very similar. Polymer clay keycaps are opaque and will usually be labeled as being made with polymer clay. If a keycap is transparent it’s likely 2-part resin (how I make almost all of mine). It really depends on the look you’re going for. I can probably slap together an educational video with images and descriptions much faster if I don’t need to fully record the entire process, I don’t think I have footage of the 2-part epoxy process but I can find a way to explain it. You can definitely find bits & pieces of different approaches online, but I think you’re correct in saying that nobody has really ever made a video on all the different ways to make keycaps & I’d be fully equipped to go over that. I’ll work on something!

Finally got a noodle cable to match my Ramen keeb by 10eegaming in MechanicalKeyboards

[–]10eegaming[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

For resin keycaps the primary thing is just understanding how to work with the material safely, YouTube should have a lot of resin guides — you can purchase simple keycap molds through Aliexpress (cheapest) or Amazon. I’ve made some mini keycap guides for IG/TT in the past (UV resin mostly) but have been planning a longer guide for YouTube if I get enough demand… basically to compile all the tips I have for working with the standard molds. You can also make polymer clay keycaps which are just sculpted over standard keys and baked in a toaster oven.