Kishsaver Photothread!

[sleepy916]

Ok I got to take some pictures of the case after the clear coat. It definitely less shine but has a nice feel to it now. Not nearly as smooth but more of a matte feel.

I'm thrilled with how it turned out and hopefully it holds up to use well. I'll put it all together over the weekend and just wait for the controller.

Warning: a bunch of pictures coming up. ^-^
Before:

[Madhias]

I really like the brushed metal look of it.

[Muirium]

I'm just as interested to see how it handles some use, because good metal is bare metal!

[andrewjoy]

That does look good , i still think my favourite is the ibm industrial grey one however something i intend to replicate on my Terminal mode f

[Nuum]

Looks nice, almost steampunky.

[Muirium]

I just stumbled into this picture on Tinnie's original thread. My god, it's full of Kish!



The ultimate family photo. These guys landed like a miracle. Good job too, with packing like that.

[snoopy]

teaser

BlacKish - Kishsaver gone Black

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more and better pics soon.

[scottc]

You're killing me, snoopy!

[Halvar]

Sick. Best kishsaver as well as use of a skull ClickClack ever.

[rindorbrot]

We want moooore snoopy!

[Julle]

BlacKish

[Muirium]

Where did you get those caps? And I'd like your recipe for a black case. I have something similar in mind for a certain other keyboard, with pearly white and black doubleshots…

[snoopy]

Where did you get those caps? And I'd like your recipe for a black case. I have something similar in mind for a certain other keyboard, with pearly white and black doubleshots…

The case is powdercoated in RAL 7021 (matt). It was done by a local company. They also removed the old paint.

The keycaps are blank black from unicomp. (Only available in ansi).
The clickclack is depth black.

Sadly no sunlight here today... so no pics today... I need a lightbox or something like that.

[Muirium]

Thanks. That case is a real piece of art. Is it as smooth as it looks? I just might try something like it with my beam spring.

And do you reckon Unicomp's blanks can handle this layout?



I'm thinking of what I could do to custom layout an SSK now!

[snoopy]

Yes, it's totally smooth. The guys did a great job. It has some minor imperfections here and there... but I think that happened cause the base material of the kishsaver isn't perfect for powdercoating.

I have exactly this layout, so yes, the set can handle this. You only need that adapter for the spacebar and those little plastic inserts. And they're only available in blank.

The funny thing is, completely in black... this keyboard doesn't look like a vintage keyboard anymore. It looks more like something modern... I think if I would ask people that aren't into keyboards how old this keyboard is... I don't think anybody would guess that it is 30+ years old. You will see what I mean on pics soon.

[snoopy]

finally I can talk to my Kish... (no chance getting that util run under os x)

Talking with my BlacKish

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[Madhias]

The funny thing is, completely in black... this keyboard doesn't look like a vintage keyboard anymore. It looks more like something modern... I think if I would ask people that aren't into keyboards how old this keyboard is... I don't think anybody would guess that it is 30+ years old. You will see what I mean on pics soon.

I thought the same when i saw your first pic of the black Kishsaver! Old vintage computer stuff is associated with beige color. The finish looks very nice, and i'm wondering if it feels as good as it looks. What do you plan to do with your second one? Will it be also black? I remember something with 'Panzergrau'...

[snoopy]

Two of my Kishsavers are powdercoated in Panzergrau (cause the cost for one would have been the same as for two). It looks black on the pics, but it's a very dark grey.

Not sure if I will build a nearly identical twin, or if I go with another keycap color on the second one.

[Muirium]

Oh, just two of your Kishsavers, eh? The others are still safe in storage I'll presume!

[snoopy]

Oh, just two of your Kishsavers, eh? The others are still safe in storage I'll presume!

correct

[snoopy]

some first impressions of my BlacKish:








Ingredients:
- powdercoated RAL 7021 (case and plate)
- new foam
- xwhatsit Model F rev2 controller
- blank black unicomp keycaps
- depth black bs clickclack (finally it has a suitable home)
- wcass spacebar stabilizer

ToDo:
- floss mod
- new usb cable

Big thanks to tinnie, wcass, xwhatsit, monster-toys, and of course cc.

[Hypersphere]

@snoopy: Sleek and beautiful!

[Muirium]

Got to be the most desirable IBM of all now! I tried Model M mods on my Kishsaver and they feel pretty good.

[Hypersphere]

Still want one! I deeply regret having missed tinnie's sale.

[rindorbrot]

very awesome snoopy!

[tlt]

That is really a one of a kind keyboard!

[andrewjoy]

Still want one! I deeply regret having missed tinnie's sale.

You and me both man, i don't think there is a keyboard i wanted more i would trade my whole collection for one.

Still things could be worse i have a 122 key F and a new controller on the way

[Hypersphere]

Still want one! I deeply regret having missed tinnie's sale.

You and me both man, i don't think there is a keyboard i wanted more i would trade my whole collection for one.

Still things could be worse i have a 122 key F and a new controller on the way

Yes, when I worked in England, my boss urged me to read Schumacher's book, Small is Beautiful. There are some splendid ideas there, but for now I, too, am looking forward to refurbishing my F122 and consoling myself with the notion that "Big is Powerful".

[Hypersphere]

some first impressions of my BlacKish:
Ingredients:
- powdercoated RAL 7021 (case and plate)
- new foam
- xwhatsit Model F rev2 controller
- blank black unicomp keycaps
- depth black bs clickclack (finally it has a suitable home)
- wcass spacebar stabilizer

ToDo:
- floss mod
- new usb cable

Big thanks to tinnie, wcass, xwhatsit, monster-toys, and of course cc.

Thanks for showing us the great job you have done on your Kishsaver. I hope you won't mind some naive questions:

Could you elaborate a bit on the paint? What is involved in powdercoating?

What find of material did you use for foam, and how thick was it?

Which keycap set did you get from Unicomp? Was it the black blank set for a 101 keyboard?

Finally, what did you use for a spacebar? Did you buy a black one from Unicomp? If so, which size? Or did you paint the spacebar from the Kishsaver? I guess you must have used a Model M spacebar, which is the reason for using a stabilizer from wcass.

Maybe if I can gather all this restoration intelligence, a Kishsaver will fall out of the sky onto my workbench!

[snoopy]

Thanks for showing us the great job you have done on your Kishsaver. I hope you won't mind some naive questions:

Could you elaborate a bit on the paint? What is involved in powdercoating?

What find of material did you use for foam, and how thick was it?

Which keycap set did you get from Unicomp? Was it the black blank set for a 101 keyboard?

Finally, what did you use for a spacebar? Did you buy a black one from Unicomp? If so, which size? Or did you paint the spacebar from the Kishsaver? I guess you must have used a Model M spacebar, which is the reason for using a stabilizer from wcass.

Maybe if I can gather all this restoration intelligence, a Kishsaver will fall out of the sky onto my workbench!

I can't tell you that much about the powdercoating. A local company did it. They are specialized on surface finishing. They also removed the old paint. But if you have time, you could also remove it yourself and save some costs.
I was able to choose between every RAL color and also choose on glossy, matt, or semi-matt

I used 'Moosgummi'. I'm not sure what the correct term for it in english is. Normally children or their parents use it to do arts and crafts. In my first attempt I used 2mm foam. But seemed like that in my case it was too thick, I didn't get that 'sandwich' back together (but monster-toys used it successfully). My second attempt was 1mm Moosgummi, but this was too thin at the rows in the middle and didn't give enough pressure. So I used 2 layers of 1mm foam in the middle and one layer 1mm foam at the edge. Not the perfect solution, but feels good. Maybe a foam that is more fluffy (like the original maybe was 30 years ago) would be perfect.
Short: too thick -> shit; too thin -> also shit;

I purchased a blank black keycapset for the classis 101 model m. It costs the same like when I would have done a special order for the kishsaver. And I have extra keycaps for free.

spacebar is also the one for the 101 model m. With wcass' stabilizer its possible to use it on the F.

You also need that plastic inserts for return, shift and backspace (if you want normal backspace).

Btw, the kish is loud as hell without floss. Much much louder than my normal Ms/SSKs. I can't even watch tv while typing.

Some new feet or that plastic spacers would be awesome. On my second kish those spacers are totally destroyed, not sure what to do there.