Lubing or not lubing switches? Pro or contra?

User avatar
Madhias
BS TORPE

10 Mar 2016, 22:21

I do have my second thoughts on this topic. I think that it is very hard to use or find the perfect viscosity and that this condition stays then the same over time. Then comes gravity to fruition! I imagine a Cherry MX switch (or other MX switch) which is a swimming pool, and over time all the lube is in the bottom of the switch.

The next thought which I am also always thinking of is dirt, dust and other small parts of the air and your hands. All these have then an ideal breeding ground!

Why are vendors like Cherry, Topre and others do not use lube, or when, then very subtle or we are sometimes not even sure if they are lubed, greased or not? Or do I miss information of lubed or greased switches? I only know that Cherry MX Clears from the SkiData keyboard are lubed or use a kind of grease, Cherry MX Whites (I have this experience with those) and was it Topre too? I am talking about the switches, and not stabilizers.

And finally why is lube preferred to grease when used in switches? I only read that grease 'gets sticky'. Isn't grease better because it stays at its place?

Recently I used Krytox 104 to lube my HHKB, and I opened it up again, and I saw that the lube or oil was not only where it should be - it could be of course that I used too much, which is the reason I think, but I tried to use a minimum. It is actually very hard to make a consistent minimum amount! That would be probably the last critical point of view from my side.

Image

User avatar
seebart
Offtopicthority Instigator

10 Mar 2016, 22:29

Yes good point, I imagine that the right substance and the right application are critical in having a positive effect. I tried Liquid Molly silicon lube once on Alps SKCC and it did not work, much too pasty and just wrong for the application. There are videos about lubing Cherry MX:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EaKBfLB28U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7vB6dQuV3Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Odjpcxr69-4

User avatar
Crossfire

11 Mar 2016, 09:14

Lubing the heck out of my hhkbs....it has given them the additional smoothness, very light brushing on the slider rails with some thick lube ala gpl205 makes them dream to type on. I've used Hypherspheres advice on that, only experimented with type of lube. Thick lube even cures the rattling and squeeking problems with some hhkb stabs...some are awful out of the box, which for a premium board is basically unacceptable but understandable.

User avatar
Madhias
BS TORPE

11 Mar 2016, 09:27

Thick lube may be the better option, than the Krytox 104 oil I used for my HHKB.

User avatar
seebart
Offtopicthority Instigator

11 Mar 2016, 14:19

This is what I used Madhias, one thing I can say you won't have any fluid like problems since this stuff is more "pasty". I'm not really sure if this will work for you.

http://www.liqui-moly.de/liquimoly/prod ... nt&land=DE

User avatar
photekq
Cherry Picker

11 Mar 2016, 14:38

I used a 50/50 mix of GPL 103 and 205 on my HHKB. It feels great.

Post Reply

Return to “Workshop”