Sonic Tails and Knuckles Backlit Keycaps

thingiverse

<a href='https://ko-fi.com/L4L33TSR0' target='_blank'><img height='36' style='border:0px;height:36px;' src='https://cdn.ko-fi.com/cdn/kofi4.png?v=2' border='0' alt='Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com' /></a> These keycaps are hollow and will not be able to mount directly onto your keyboard without some post-printing work. I found that my printer does a really bang-up job when printing the Cherry MX stems, they would never fit correctly, or they would just break off. I designed these keys to be hollow so that I could cast the stems out of resin, and fill holes in the top of the keys with resin as well to create a backlit effect. My process: 1. Slice keys with as super quality as possible. I used a .2mm nozzle at .08 layer height. Use supports (I used line supports with 5% density, they came off very nicely). 2. Print keys 3. Prepare your resin. I used UV resin because it cures quickly. 4. Use tape on the inside of the key to create a temporary "shelf" for the resin to sit on when filling the character heads, otherwise the resin would pour through the key and onto the table. 5. Cure the resin on top of the heads 6. Remove the tape, flip the cap upside down, and add a very thin layer of resin to the inside to secure it and fill any bubbles. 7. Cast the resin stems. I have my own Cherry MX molds, they are very cheap on Amazon (Link below) 8. Add some extra resin to the inside of the key so the stems have something to adhere to 9. Place the stems carefully into the inside of the keycap. *I do not remove the stems from their mold for this step, I leave them in to more easily align them to the keycaps. 10. Cure the resin and do any other desired clean-up. Here is the link to the keycap molds I use: https://www.amazon.com/Silicone-Mechanical-Keyboard-Handmade-Computer/dp/B08WYTZLRH/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=keycap+mold&qid=1614615093&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExWUMyUEVDQks1TVhZJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNzk2OTMzMTZRUDlQUkRJVUdETiZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwOTg2MzI4NUFUSjFUSk1PQk9SJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==