c/custom-keyboard-builders

Just spent 3 hours trying to fix a single stabilizer rattle

I was putting together a new 65% board last night, using some nice Durock V2 stabs I'd lubed up. Everything was going smooth until I pressed the spacebar and heard this awful metallic buzz, like a tiny angry bee was trapped inside. I took the whole thing apart, checked the wire seating, re-lubed, even tried the band-aid mod. Put it back together... still buzzing. My partner walked by after hour two and just said, 'Is it still that one key?' I finally figured it out around 3 AM. The spacebar itself had a tiny, almost invisible hairline crack on the inside stem wall that was causing a weird resonance. I swapped it for a different one and the rattle was gone instantly. Has anyone else had a keycap be the actual problem and not the stabilizer?

Update: Tried two different lube methods on the same batch of Gateron Oil Kings

I was lubing a new set of switches for a build last weekend and decided to run a test. On half the switches, I used my usual method of brushing lube on the stem and rails. For the other half, I tried the 'bag lube' method where you put the stems in a bag with a tiny bit of lube and shake them. The bag method was way faster, maybe 20 minutes for 70 switches, but the sound was noticeably scratchier and less consistent. The hand-brushed ones sounded deeper and smoother every single time. I think the bag just can't get an even coat on the crucial rail spots. Has anyone else found a faster method that doesn't sacrifice the feel?

Got schooled on switch lubing at a coffee shop meetup in Boise

I was at a small keyboard meet last month, showing off my new build. This guy named Mark asked to try it and immediately said, "Your spacebar sounds like a bag of rocks." He pulled a tiny brush and a vial of 205g0 from his bag right there. He showed me how I was missing the side rails completely. Now I spend an extra 10 minutes per switch on that step. Anyone else have a public build critique that stuck with you?

I keep seeing people forget to check stabilizer wire straightness before installing

It's a small step but it makes a huge difference in rattle. I learned this after my third build had a spacebar that sounded like a maraca. How do you guys test yours before you put them in the board?

Update: I went with a 65% layout over a 75% for my travel board

I needed something compact but still wanted arrow keys. The 65% saved about an inch of width, which actually made it fit in my laptop bag. Has anyone else found that small size difference matters more than they expected?

My brother said my keyboard sounded like rain and now I'm overthinking it

He was helping me move last weekend and heard me typing on my new build. He just casually said, 'That sounds like rain hitting a tin roof.' I'd spent months picking switches and tuning the stabs, but I never thought about the sound that way. Now I can't unhear it, and I'm wondering if I should have gone for a deeper tone. Has anyone else had a simple comment totally shift how you hear your board?

Someone at a meetup said my lubing job was uneven and now I check each switch with a sound test

PSA: My stabilizer wire tuning took over four hours to get right

I was building a 75% board with Durock V2 stabs and the spacebar wire was rattling no matter how much lube I packed in. After three full disassemblies and trying three different wire bending methods, I finally got it silent by balancing it on a screwdriver and making tiny adjustments for over an hour. Does anyone have a better method for checking wire balance that doesn't take all night?

Can we talk about the great stabilizer lube debate?

I was finishing a build on my kitchen table last night and realized I'd lubed the housings but completely forgot the wires. Some people say wires are the most important part, others think it's overkill. What's your actual method for getting them quiet?

My buddy in Seattle said to skip the plate foam and just use the case foam for a softer typing feel.

I was building a Mode Sonnet and he told me that the stock case foam was enough to get a deep sound without making the board feel too stiff. I tried it and honestly, the board felt way too hollow and pingy, even with silent switches. I should have just ordered the plate foam from the start. Has anyone else had a Mode board turn out too loud without the extra foam layer?

Always thought a soldering iron was overkill for this hobby

Three years ago, I built my first board in my apartment's tiny kitchen, using only hot-swap sockets because I was scared of the iron. Last month, a buddy in Chicago let me try his custom 60% with hand-wired vintage switches he'd fixed himself. The feel was so much more solid than anything I've ever typed on. I'm buying a Hakko FX-888D next week. Anyone have tips for a first-time solderer on a budget?

I was lubing switches with a paintbrush for a year before a friend pointed out the bristles were leaving tiny fibers

I was building a board for a buddy in Chicago last month, and he watched me dip a cheap craft brush into my 205g0. He just said, 'Dude, check your stems under a light.' I pulled out my loupe and saw these little hairs stuck in the lube on every single stem. I had been adding gunk instead of smoothness the whole time. Now I only use a small silicone tip applicator. Has anyone else found a better tool for clean switch lubing?

Just hit 100 boards built and it feels totally different than I thought

I always figured that number would just be a count, but hitting triple digits made me look back at my first build, a cheap plastic tray mount from 2018. It's wild to see how much the hobby and my own skills have grown since then. Anyone else get a weird feeling when they hit a big personal milestone like that?

Appreciation post: My $90 hotswap PCB either saved my build or was a total waste compared to soldering

I bought it thinking it would make switch testing easier, but now I'm stuck wondering if the flex from the sockets is worse than just committing to a soldered board and picking one switch for good.

Back in 2018, I thought hand-lubing switches was a total waste of time.

I finally gave it a shot on some old Gateron Browns last weekend, and the sound went from scratchy to a deep, quiet thock that surprised me. It made me think about how much the focus has shifted from just picking parts to these tiny finishing details. Anyone else have a simple mod that completely changed a build's feel?

Just realized I was lubing my switches all wrong after a brutal comment on my build video

Someone said my typing test sounded 'scratchy and uneven, like you lubed them with sand.' I was just globbing lube on the stems. Now I use a tiny brush and focus on the rails and stem legs only. Anyone have a better method for Gateron Yellows?

Just learned the hard way about cheap stabilizers...

So I was putting together a budget 60% build and thought I could save a few bucks on the stabilizers... big mistake. I grabbed a set of those generic 'panda' stabs from a random online seller for like $8. They looked fine at first, but after a week of typing, the spacebar started rattling like crazy. I took the whole thing apart, tried the band-aid mod, the holee mod, even lubed them twice with 205g0. Nothing fixed it. The wire was just poorly made and had a slight bend I couldn't see at first. Ended up wasting about 4 hours total messing with them before I gave up and ordered some Durock V2s. Has anyone else had a similar experience with off-brand stabs? What's your go-to brand now that won't break the bank but actually works?

Question about the hype for 100% silicone gasket mounts

I keep seeing builds with super soft silicone gasket strips, like the ones from KBDfans, and people say it's the best feel. But after trying three different boards with them, I think they just make the typing feel mushy and kill any nice sound. A solid plate with a firmer mount, like a top mount, gives you way more control and a cleaner sound. Has anyone else moved away from the super soft gasket trend and found something better?

Can we talk about getting a perfect solder joint on a USB-C port?

Honestly, I spent like 4 hours last night trying to solder the port on a 60% board, and I just kept getting cold joints or bridges. Ngl, I watched three different YouTube guides before it finally clicked. Has anyone found a specific iron tip or flux that makes this way easier?

I was lubing my switches wrong for a whole year and only just noticed

I built my first board last spring and thought I was doing a good job, just brushing lube on the sides of the stems. Then I watched a build stream last week where the person opened up a switch and put a tiny bit of lube on the bottom of the stem and the spring ends. I tried it on my test switch and the sound was way smoother and deeper. I redid all 70 switches on my daily driver over the weekend and it's like a whole new board. Has anyone else missed a small step that made a big difference in sound or feel?

Hot take: I think the push for silent linear switches is making keyboards boring

After building a board with Gateron Oil Kings for my office last week, my coworker in the next cubicle said it sounded like 'expensive rain' and I realized we're losing the satisfying click and clack that made this hobby fun for me three years ago.

I finally had to choose between a full aluminum case and a polycarbonate one for my new 65% build

I was building a daily driver and got stuck on the case material. The aluminum one was a heavy, fancy unit from a group buy, but the polycarbonate option was cheaper and had a softer sound. I went with the polycarbonate, thinking it would give a deeper, less harsh typing feel. After putting it together with some Gateron Ink Black switches, the sound was amazing, really deep and quiet, but the whole board felt way too light and almost cheap on my desk. It's been six months, and I still miss the solid feel of metal, even though I love the sound. Has anyone else picked sound over weight and ended up feeling the same way?

I finally tried lubing switches with a different grease and it went weird

I was building a 65% board last week and ran out of my usual Krytox 205g0. All I had left was some Super Lube multi-purpose synthetic grease from a hardware store trip. I figured, grease is grease, right? Wrong. I lubed about 30 Gateron Yellow switches with it. The feel was okay at first, but after a day of typing, they got this weird, almost sticky slow return. It wasn't scratchy, just... mushy and sluggish. I had to desolder the whole thing and start over with the proper stuff. Learned that not all greases are made for the tiny springs and stems in these switches. Has anyone else had a bad result from using a non-keyboard specific lubricant?

Showerthought: I finally got my stabilizers to stop rattling with a trick from a YouTube video

I was building a 65% board last week and the spacebar was driving me crazy with that hollow plastic sound. I tried clipping and lubing, but it still rattled. The video from a builder in Portland said to put a tiny piece of band-aid under each stabilizer wire end inside the housing. I did it, and the difference is night and day. Has anyone else tried this hack, or is there a better way?

Showerthought: I put some leftover Gateron Milky Yellow switches in a cheap plastic case build for my nephew.

I figured it was just a throw-together project, but the sound and feel in that hollow case is way nicer than I expected, super poppy and deep. It made me stop and think about how much the board itself changes the switch experience, not just the switch choice. Anyone else had a switch totally surprise them in a different build?