IBM KB-9910 Paint Job!

So I am came across an old IBM keyboard and found in an absolutely sorry state. Although this isn't the original image, it was exactly as is - except very dirty haha. Plugged in ye olde PS2 connector and all was well.

Begun by ripping it apart and priming the surfaces of both the keys and the outer casing.

After the priming was finished, it was time to spray the key-caps. I was originally going to do orange, black and grey but decided to change to turquoise, red and gray while perusing my local hardware store.

And the finished product! It turned out alot better than I expected to be honest. Plus since it looks cool I get a +10% speed increase :D

Also did a quick type test - not bad for a membrane keyboard at all!

Anyway, thought this might be a fun project to do and it turned out great.
Feel free to ask me any questions if you intend to do something similar in the future as I might be able to help! :)

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Nice! What kind of primer/paint did you use? I'm curious to know how well it'll hold up to some heavy use.

Let us know how it turns out, oils from your fingers may have a harsh effect. I would use a couple of coats of poly to stop that.
I have been thinking about getting a board with blues and coating the caps with plati-dip to see if in dampens the sound while retaining the feel. anyway keep DIYing!

Lol nice i did this with a keyboard i found... The colors you picked reminds me of the 1950s

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@rabbit I used a brand called Rust-Oleum, I just varied the colours for what I wanted from that brand. I don't know much about paint so I just went with that haha

@ProSonicLive I've thought about putting some clear coat on, but I've just finished so maybe some time in the near future I'll apply it and see how I go. However, I will say that since this is a membrane keyboard, it doesn't quite hold up to the experience I've had with Cherry MX Blues on my K70 mech haha (By the way, grab some O-ring dampeners if you haven't already - I have the softest ones and they're great for lessening the noise!). Might be more of a deco sort of thing with occasional use as I desire :)

@cannibal haha yeah, I found it and felt it was just calling for a mod/new paint job. Cheers for the 50s retro compliment haha (That totally didn't happen by accident :D).

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You have committed a sacrilege.

The orange kills it for me but the black/grey/blue-scheme looks awesome!

There's also a video I've found that's worth a watch if you're into restoring old white computer components that've turned yellow over time.

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Whoa........I'm peanut butter and jealous!

@buckwhal :O

@CrossCarbon was hoping for more of a red to be honest, came out a little different than I expected when it dried. Paint job is smooth atleast! haha

to be serious, are there any risks of the paint flaking or coming off after heavy use? My concern is always how long something's gonna be pretty for....

Ah righto, I thought you meant that old IBM keyboards were somewhat of a religous artifact in the tech world haha
I highly doubt that flaking will occur, I don't intend to use it that much anyway - was more of a summer project/showpiece. I have a post in my backyard which used the same primer/paint and has withstood the elements for over a year now, so should be all good!

However, like ProSonic was saying, he suggested that I should get some clear-coat/urethane coating for the surfaces as that will ensure the longevity of the board - if I sweated profusely over the keys with fingertips dipped in olive oil I might smear the surfaces, but I doubt something like that would happen (maybe....). I may do the clear-coat next week when I have some more free time!