Steampunk Keyboard Mod

Jake von Slatt — Wed, 07/08/2009 - 09:01

My goal with this project was to build a retro keyboard that was fully functional and of a sufficient quality that it could be used everyday by a touch typist. In order to achieve this I chose a high quality (though widely available) keyboard as my starting point. This is an IBM Model M "Clicky" keyboard. They were made starting in the mid 1980's and a version is still manufactured today. This particular keyboard was made in 1989 and shipped with and IBM PowerStation 530, a UNIX box the size of a kegerator.

Besides its overall quality and heft, one of the things that makes this keyboard particularly good for such a mod is the fact that it has removable key caps and the under-cap has a flat surface ideal for affixing a new key top.

IBM Model M Keyboard IBM Model M Keyboard keys removed

Step one was disassembly and the removal of the skirts on the key caps. The skirt removal was kind of tricky, I originally planned to use a circle punch, but that nearly destroyed the first key I tried it on. After some experimentation I came up with a method using a heated, sharpened piece of steel tubing and a drill press.

IBM Model M Keyboard al keys removed IBM Model M Keyboard keys cut

Here is a short movie demonstration the process of removing the skirts from the key caps.

In the second half of this video I show a different and I believe superior method for making the keys. Kudos go out to Doc Datamancer for coming up with it!

After I removed all of the key cap skirts and cleaned the excess plastic off of the key bottoms, I reassembled them into the keyboard. At this point I started to design the Steampunk cradle that I planned to make from 1/4" thick brass plate.

IBM Model M Keyboard read for retro keys designing keyboard

I wanted a simple and clean design, the finished keyboard actually takes up less desktop real estate then the original Model M.

steampunk keyboard drawing

Next came the process of cutting and shaping the brass. Be very careful cutting brass on a table saw, if the work piece binds it can be thrown back at you with a great deal of force. Stand well to one side when doing this. Note: the blade guard has been removed for the same reason that Norm removes the blade guard of his saw in the New Yankee Workshop, that is to allow the camera a good angle. I'm sure that Norm puts them right back on after filming.

The shapes were then cut out on a band saw.

cutting brass on a tabel saw brass template

The interior cut outs on the feet were drilled and cut with a coping saw. Brass cuts very easily, the entire project could probably be done with just a coping saw. A series of files were used to smooth the contours.

cutting brass with a coping saw finish filing the brass foor

I drilled 3/16" pilot holes on the drill press and then enlarged them with this step drill. The step drill left a shoulder about half way through the hole because it's step are 1/8" and the piece is 1/4" thick. I think the steps add a visual appeal so I did not drill from the other side to remove them.

drilling brass with a step drill brass parts

The pieces were then cleaned up with several grades of sandpaper, steel wool ,and a rotating fiberglass brush in the drill press. Holes were drilled and tapped to attach the legs.

nice piece of brass

Two lengths of brass "C" channel were cut on the table saw and threaded rod was used to fixture the cradle for soldering.

cradle fixture cradle fixture closeup

The completed cradle. The next step was the preparation of the old typewriter keys I planned to attach to the key bottoms. I have an old Royal typewriter that I had planned to cut the keys off of but I made the mistake of showing it to my daughter who instantly fell in love with it. So these keys were ordered from eBay. There are plenty of people offering these since they are popular among crafters. Depending on shipping cost it is sometimes cheaper to by a whole typewriter and cut the keys off yourself.

soldered keyboard cradle typewriter keys from eBay

The cheaper typewriters keys on eBay are usually removed quickly with a bolt cutter or angle grinder with a cutting disk, I needed to cut these flush before I could use them. Heres a movie that shows my method for flush cutting the backs of typewriter keys.

After they were all flush cut I laid out the keys to see what I had. I also cut a piece of felt to cover the exposed plastic of the keyboard bed. I put the entire keyboard on a copier and made an image that I then used as a template for punching holes in the felt with a sharpened piece of steel tubing.

all your key are ours punching holes in felt

Heres the completed felt in place. Save the "holes" you'll need a few later.

felt underwear test fit

For the keyboard status lights I remove the cardboard letters from three of the keys and replaced them with translucent acetate. These were glued to short brass tubes which were in turn glued over the LEDs.

The whole frame was wiped down with denatured alcohol and sprayed with a coat of clear lacquer.

steampunk status lights lacquer the cradle

Ready to start the tedious job of positioning and gluing the new keys on

final assemblely

I cleaned the backs of the keys and the tops of the key bottoms with alcohol and affixed them with G.E. Silicon II Window and Door Sealant. Each key was carefully lined up by eye, the silicon sealant gives you and open time of about 10 minutes before it starts to skim over.

gluing the keys down

I also glued down the status lights at this time.

more gluing of keys installing staus lights

I wanted the enhanced keys to have proper labels on them so I disassembled several of the keys and printed labels on glossy photo paper. These I punched out of the sheet of paper with the same punch I used for the felt.

key labels assembling key with new labels

Two old typewriters did not supply quite enough keys for the entire project, so I ran down to Joanne Fabrics and found these brass rimmed buttons.

brass rimmed buttons button fixture

The backs were rounded so I attached them to a piece of wood with double-sticky tape and sanded them flat.

sanding button backs

I printed out some more labels on glossy photo paper, punched them out, blackened the edges with a Sharpie and gave them a coat of clear lacquer. They were then glued to the tops of the buttons with the silicon sealant.

attaching labels to the buttons

I covered the front and back of the keyboard with gaffer's tape to deaden the sound and give the keyboard a solid feel.

gaffers tape to deaden sound gaffers tape to cover steel

Here are the status lights lit up.

keyboard lights

Remember I said to save the felt "holes" ? here is where you'll want to use them to cover the blank posts for the formerly wide keys.

I painted the keyboard cord with Krylon Fusion gloss black paint to cover the hideous beige.

felt blank covers roman function keys

And just to show that I've met my design goal, the Lady von Slatt touch types:

Starboard

Steampunk Keyboard - Starboard

Larboard

Steampunk Keyboard - Larboard

The underside

Steampunk Keyboard - Underside

Steampunk Keyboard

I've never worked with brass,

hawkechik — Thu, 01/19/2012 - 10:40

I've never worked with brass, although I've done a fair amount of leatherwork. So my knowledge of the price of brass is just that I "knew" it was expensive which what I've found online seemed to corroborate - such as this site: http://www.onlinemetals.com which cites a piece of 12x12 - 1/4" brass plate at $160. Oh, and the #$%!!! price of the occasional brass bits I've bought for home projects - screws, door hinges, knobs and the like. I've not looked locally, my gut feeling is that even if I were to find something (Birmingham, AL) it would be wholesale only and not someone inclined to sell a piece or two to an artist/craftsman.

Find a local custom machine

Jake von Slatt — Thu, 01/19/2012 - 11:09

Find a local custom machine shop and ask where they get their brass. Ideally you'll find a supplier that has a 'cut-end' bin you can rumage through. These places are rarely online which is why the online suppliers can get the prices they do.

That's an idea, I'll do that.

hawkechik — Thu, 01/19/2012 - 11:13

That's an idea, I'll do that. Thanks.

felt?

hawkechik — Wed, 01/11/2012 - 15:13

After spending what must have been a pretty penny on that brass, why on earth did you use cheap felt rather than leather for the keys background?

I figure that I used about

Jake von Slatt — Thu, 01/19/2012 - 09:20

I figure that I used about $11 worth of brass for this project, if you're paying more than about $5/lb you need to find a new supplier.

First time visitor here and

Katherine — Mon, 10/10/2011 - 21:31

First time visitor here and I'm having some jaw-dropping moments. I love this keyboard. I don't know if I have the patience to create one, but WOW! This is going to be a fun site to visit. Thanks.

In case you're having trouble finding a Vintage IBM Model-M...

Paladin — Wed, 06/08/2011 - 13:30

First of all, I love this keyboard mod, it's really beautiful and the details of the job provided are great. I've inherited a drill press and band saw from my late grandfather, so I think I may try this mod someday if I can get a hold of some brass and commit myself to the task.

However the first thing I thought of was how difficult it can be to find a good Model-M these days, especially since their value is usually appreciated by those that find them and offer them for sale. Although you can often find them in thrift shops... As I can attest as my venerable 1984 Model-M, which I dearly love and use every day, was found haphazardly tossed into a bin at a thrift store.

Anyway I wanted another one to take to work but was having a hard time finding them at a price I was willing to afford, and my thrift stores were no help. I did some research and found that IBM eventually outsourced its keyboard manufacturing to Lexmark, and then eventually this passed on to a company called Unicomp. A little more research and I found that Unicomp still exists today. And they still manufacture a version of the Model-M keyboard, complete with the famed "buckling spring" key switches (which is really what I like about the Model-M).

I did buy one of these new versions of the Model-M for work. While the build quality isn't as great as it was on the original it is still better than the crappy keyboards that ship with most computers. Plus you get the tactile response that us Model-M fans love about the buckling-spring switches, and I imagine it's that response and sound that helps make this SP board mod even better given the context. It probably sounds a bit like some mechanical typewriter rather than a modern keyboard. Especially since the switchboard is exposed completely.

Unicomp calls their version of the original Model-M the "Customizer 101" and it laid out exactly like the Model-M. They also have a model called the "Customizer 104/105", which is the same except it has the windows and context menu keys of modern keyboards if you want that feature. This is the version I bought for work. These Unicomp boards have the same curve and layout so they should be compatible with this mod. They do not have removable Key Caps as the original Model-M. The keys still pop out of their guide holes exactly the same, however. But this shouldn't present much of a problem I should think since you're going to cut away all but a small round area for the new retro key-caps.

However these Unicomp boards aren't exactly cheap, they cost about $80, and finding a second hand Model-M is probably much cheaper. However attempting to get a real Model-M off someplace like Ebay will likely cost as much or more (as I found). That and the Unicomp boards can be either USB or PS/2 depending on what you want. Real Model-M's are PS/2 and require a USB adapter if your Mobo doesn't have a PS/2 port (like most laptops these days).

Anyway their store is here if this helps anyone: http://pckeyboards.stores.yahoo.net/keyboards.html

Stained glass

Petercuts — Sun, 04/17/2011 - 20:55

Fingers crossed, looking at a job working in a shop with an Omax WATERJET!!

I hope to make a stained glass cover for where you put the felt...the same CAD file could be used for brass or wood veneer or anything really.

Wish me luck!

A quick question I'm hoping you can help me with.

DreamingDragonD... — Tue, 02/01/2011 - 23:18

Just managed to pick up a Model M of my own from my mother-in-law, who was about to throw it out.
(Yeah, I chewed her out a bit, but I'm not really positive it got through...)

Do you have any suggestions of a way to backlight each key?

I'm going for a darker look in black with silver highlights and trim, and blue lighting to match my current computer's case. (I'm a jeweler by trade, so the silver will include some pretty nifty accent bits)

I was thinking of drilling a hole through the center top of each key and printing my letters on vellum with white letters on black to let the light through, with LEDs below, but I'm not sure if this will work with the mechanics of the switches in the keys, and I need a tools run before I can take the keyboard completely apart. I thought I might ask if you have any thoughts on this matter before I try it.

Excellent work here, btw. :) But I suspect you know that by now, right?

Do you build for people?

Sawducum — Sat, 12/04/2010 - 18:40

Would it be possible to send my keyboard to you and pay for you to modify it?

I lack the skill and tools to do this myself, and you clearly know what you're doing.

Spec

bertie07 — Thu, 10/28/2010 - 07:54

Is it possible to to spec for the keyboard, i would like to star making one, but would like to know the sizes

Your ingenuity....

metrotek — Sun, 10/24/2010 - 02:15

Dude, this keyboard is both ingenious and beautiful. I just discovered this site this evening and it is so cool to experience great ideas and craftsmanship in these items particularly with my intrigue for and interest in, the Victorian and Edwardian periods.

Avant Stellar

Cordelaine — Thu, 10/14/2010 - 13:14

Fantastic work. Seriously. I just found your site a couple of days ago and have been obsessing over it since.

I am considering trying my hand at creating a SP keyboard. Does anyone have any experience with the Avant Stellar? I really like its layout, extra keys, and the fact that it is mechanical. I am wondering how it compares to the buckling spring keys on the IBM Model M keyboards, and whether or not it is a good candidate for modding. I'd just hate to shell out $200 for a keyboard and not have it work out. Here is a link:

http://www.ergonomicsmadeeasy.com/store/specialty/product/avant-stellar/

Also, the second and third videos on this post are not showing up on my Mac or my Droid.

Thanks!

Nevermind about the Avant

Cordelaine — Fri, 10/15/2010 - 12:32

Nevermind about the Avant Stellar. I think I've finally found the perfect keyboard for me. The SteelSeries 7G:

http://www.amazon.com/SteelSeries-64022SS-7G-Keyboard-Black/dp/B000W6IY6O

I found it on this website:

http://hothardware.com/cs/blogs/mrtg/archive/2009/03/09/mechanical-key-switch-keyboards-demystified.aspx

It's a good article with a lot of info and examples of mechanical keyboards. The SteelSeries 7g has the oversized enter key, inverted T arrows, media buttons, windows key, etcetera that I am looking for. However, it has Cherry brown mechanical switches. These don't make the awesome clicking typewriter sound like the Cherry black ones. What to do? Cherry Switch swapping!

http://geekhack.org/showwiki.php?title=Island:7486

Fantastic forum for keyboards. I can have my cherry cake and eat it too! So to speak.

Lol

Cordelaine — Fri, 10/15/2010 - 13:24

Scratch that... The SteelSeries 6Gv2 looks even better. Even better layout, and no USB and audio ports. Though those would be nice, they are not really useful for me. Plus the cord would be too thick to be to my liking.

http://steelseries.com/products/keyboards/steelseries-6gv2

http://www.amazon.com/SteelSeries-64225-Steelseries-Gaming-Keyboard/dp/B0038X3ZVM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1287166701&sr=1-1

http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?t=9024

According to Amazon it's not out yet. I'll just have to wait. Maybe I'll use the time to acquire the other parts and learn Dvorak. :P

Looks like Amazon finally

Jake von Slatt — Thu, 10/14/2010 - 13:45

Looks like Amazon finally turned off video unit hosting, I'll dig up the source and upload it to Youtube.

Thanks for the kind words!

Keyboard

ShippD — Sat, 10/09/2010 - 21:36

I did a version of your keyboard in 3d using Cinema 4d it can be seen here on deviantart hope you dont mind if so i can remove it but it looks pretty good
http://shippd.deviantart.com/art/Steampunk-Keyboard-1-182117931

good

bestmore — Fri, 09/10/2010 - 19:02

It's a good job

Input of Keyboard

mcgoonster — Fri, 06/18/2010 - 01:42

My question is whether you retained the original DIN 5 input or somehow converted it to PS/2 or USB?

At the time of it's

Jake von Slatt — Fri, 06/18/2010 - 09:53

At the time of it's manufacture the IBM Power Station line of AIX computers this keyboard shipped with used RISC chips and IBM's PS/2 architecture so it cam with a PS/2 connector.

Need some advice

jholley43 — Thu, 05/13/2010 - 18:17

I have some smith-corona typewriter keys. I am having a problem. I can not get the metal rings separated from keys. I can spread out the little metal tabs, but I am having a hard time getting the backs of the keys out so I have the rings and the glass. Suggestions on how to move solve this problem? Anybody?

Joanne Buttons - Template?

seaniccus — Tue, 04/20/2010 - 09:01

I'm working on a laptop/typewriter keyboard, and i'm using the same Joanne Fabric Buttons for most of my keys that you used for the "F1-12" keys. (They are slightly bigger than normal typewriter keys, and much cheaper.)

You wouldn't happen to have a template image I could borrow for the labels, would you? I'm unsure of what size I should be making the labels, and trial and error is painstaking, and consumes paper. If you happen to have this information handy, I would greatly appreciate it.

Tips on brass cutting with a table saw

illuminatis — Tue, 03/02/2010 - 21:05

I noticed the technique you used for cutting brass with a table saw. Doing it with a wood cutting blade is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS use a metal cutting blade is much safer..Even safer still is using an abrasive chop blade. If anyone is going to attempt to do anything like that with a wood cutting blade.... TURN THE BLADE AROUND BACKWARDS...this prevents it from seizing on the metal and nibbles it away. It takes longer to cut, but in this case take the time..... fingers don"t grow back

Your advice is at odds with

Jake von Slatt — Tue, 03/02/2010 - 21:36

Your advice is at odds with my experience. Abrasive chop saw "blades" really only work on ferrous metals, non-ferrous metals like brass and aluminum just get really, really hot and that can cause the abrasive wheel to fly apart. Turning a wood cutting blade backwards is a technique is often used for cutting vinyl siding and foam, it's not really appropriate for any kind of metal.

That said, cutting non-ferrous metal on a table saw with a carbide blade IS a dangerous operation, but is none-the-less common practice. The kick-back can be tremendous if the piece catches on the blade. Wear eye protection and stay well out of the path of kicked back material.

Experienced table saw users will have little trouble cutting non-ferrous metal, inexperienced table saw users should not try.

What I know is...

Miike Denta — Thu, 09/08/2011 - 00:03

A wood cutting blade backwards works great for cutting light gauge metal, even steel, but you don't want to go much over a 24 ga. You will obviously be able to cut thicker gauges with greater ease in the softer metals. One thing you want to make sure of is that you use an old blade that you don't really care much about as it will dull it a lot, and make sure it doesn't have the carbide tips because they can come shooting back at you. At best it'll feel like being shot by a pellet gun, but more than likely you will be severely injured by it. Thinner gauge metal will also decrease the amount of heat that will build up in the piece.

Love this keyboard

sirkha — Fri, 01/08/2010 - 05:17

I think this keyboard is the first thing that really made me like the steampunk aesthetic. I really like how the buttons are done, especially. One of my projects for this is going to be building a while computer into a steamer trunk. I will probably ... erm ... borrow the way you did the keys, but the rest I need to be much different, with a low profile and bluetooth. We'll see how it goes.

square buttons

mais1976 — Wed, 12/09/2009 - 10:05

Hi,

I want to build my own steampunk keyboard. I looked for several old typewriters, but I can't seem to find one with the square buttons.

The ones, that you used for the Return/shift/backspace key. Did you removed these keys from a typewriter? And if you did, which one?

BR,

Mais

Buy it

carocor — Tue, 11/17/2009 - 10:12

Hi,
I am interested in get a Steampunk Keyboard. I´m not sure if you are based in London or in the US. I´m from Argentina but it is not an issue.
How much does it costs? Thanks and regards
Carolina

I don't mak things for sale

Jake von Slatt — Tue, 11/17/2009 - 11:03

I don't mak things for sale but my friend Doc does:
http://www.datamancer.net/keyboards/keyboards.htm
His KBs are way nicer than mine too!

Steampunk Keyboard keys

orosconpollo — Mon, 10/26/2009 - 02:35

I was wondering if there was a preferred site to go to for vintage typewriter keys,
Most I've found ruined them by drilling them for jewelry making.

thanks,

orosconpollo

gaffer's tape wrap before adding felt?

mnkysan7 — Mon, 10/19/2009 - 20:42

Gorgeous keyboard! So did you do the tape wrap all around before adding the felt layer? And is it sticky side in on the top as well? What adheres the felt to the tape?

Thanks!

No tape on top and the felt

Jake von Slatt — Tue, 10/20/2009 - 09:58

No tape on top and the felt just gets tucked down among the keys.

Steampunk Computer Keyboard

orosconpollo — Sat, 10/03/2009 - 21:45

awesome! can you give a possible link to hunt down vintage typewriter keys?
I found (and bought) some in pretty bad condition, any leads would be greatly appreciated.
thanks for the inspiration...

Orosconpollo
Southern, CA
U.S.A.

Space Bar

petertheartist — Thu, 10/01/2009 - 10:50

Did you paint the space bar, or replace with a vintage one? If it's paint, what kind of paint do you find holds up well?

I used Krylon Plastic

Jake von Slatt — Thu, 10/01/2009 - 12:56

I used Krylon Plastic Fusion.

Amazing!

Lady J — Mon, 09/28/2009 - 14:27

I'm so impressed by the amount of work that went into this project! Extremely inspiring, thank you for sharing!

This is SO cool!!! D8

Coriander Sils — Tue, 09/01/2009 - 03:11

If I was more handy, had tools, and wasn't afraid of getting hurt, I'd SO try making this...even though I don't use my desktop..I could save it for later maybe x]

Spacebar

KelleySR71 — Mon, 08/31/2009 - 16:58

Great site Jake. Thank you very much for sharing your experience.
Not sure how you dealt with the spacebar other than perhaps simply painting it black? And did the rectangular keys come with the set of keys you purchased or Joanna's also?
Damned fine job all in all. Do you have plans for a Steampunk mouse?
Kelley

take case off?

yourhermione — Wed, 08/26/2009 - 20:34

I can't thank you enough for posting the instructions for your work. You are an inspiration! The bf and I took apart a broken LCD from his work last night to see what makes it tick so we can make plans for modding our own.

I have a question about the keyboard though - did you take the keyboard circuitry out of the case before putting it on the frame that you built? I wasn't certain about that part. (I haven't gotten a keyboard to take apart yet to see the guts up close.)

Thank you!

Yes, I did take it off.

Jake von Slatt — Thu, 08/27/2009 - 11:35

Yes, I did take it off. Every keyboard is a bit different so be prepared to tweak the design as needed.

Custom Development

Danconia — Fri, 08/21/2009 - 15:52

Having no skills to do something like what you've done here, I must ask where one might go to commission a keyboard? Does anyone do these for a fee? I'm located in Denver and need an assist.

Thanks,

Danconia

My good friend Rich Nagy

Jake von Slatt — Fri, 08/21/2009 - 20:26

My good friend Rich Nagy (aka Datamancer) makes them. He made the one featured in Warehouse 13 and you can see his work here:

http://datamancer.net/keyboards/keyboards.htm

Inspiration & Technical Expertise

DaveClifton — Fri, 07/31/2009 - 15:51

I just wanted to thank you for your amazing work - It has been instrumental in bringing the Steampunk style to a new level of appreciation. I've been fashioning my own mods for a while now and I still use your articles quite a bit for inspiration and technical guidance. Keep up the amazing work!

Dave Clifton
http://www.steampunkspectacles.com/

keyboard

nightbeck — Tue, 07/21/2009 - 20:45

Is this available for purchase--if so, how much?

See: http://datamancer.net/k

Jake von Slatt — Wed, 07/22/2009 - 07:06

See: http://datamancer.net/keyboards/keyboards.htm

Thanks for the inspiration!

elShoggotho — Mon, 07/13/2009 - 05:32

Seems like something to do to my 1993 Cherry keyboard. Heeding your note about oddball items, I scoured my regular brass sheet supplier's website and found that brass profiles and square tubes are regular items. Now I just need to find brass stock of the appropriate size for the side panels.

Spacebar

jholley43 — Wed, 07/08/2009 - 16:41

Did you use a spacebar off of the typewriter or make one?

When did SyFy by your Keyboard

Asphalt — Tue, 07/07/2009 - 21:50

Just finished watching the premeir of Warehouse 13, did you build the computer set up for Arty or did they simply copy your work. I know the keyboard is your design, and there was a lot of matching periferals. coodos.

The keyboard in Warehouse 13

Jake von Slatt — Wed, 07/08/2009 - 09:00

The keyboard in Warehouse 13 is one of Doc's: http://www.datamancer.net/keyboards/keyboards.htm it's a much improved version of my original design!

syfy

Asphalt — Wed, 07/08/2009 - 09:39

ohh ok, well Coodos to both you AND Doc. It looked great on the show. Loved the giant Steam punk touch pad.

Friends of SPWS:

Silver Goggles
Beyond Victoriana
Steampunk Magazine

Search

Contact

Designs by Jake von Slatt on this site are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution, Noncommercial, Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available here.

Your email will never be divulged and we will only make an announcement when there is a genuinely interesting new thing.

Login

Your email will never be divulged and we will only make an announcement when there is a genuinely interesting new thing.

Twitter

Related Stories: