Mechanical Keyboard Switch Lubricating and Filming

Introduction:

When I started with custom mechanical keyboards nearly a year ago now, I gave myself the goal of covering it within reasonable extremes. It can be described as a constructive hobby and, like many hobbies, can get very extreme if you decide to take it that far, with examples such as hand wired builds and so-called franken-switches, assembled from the parts of other switches. Lubricating switches I could see being described by some as extreme as it involves disassembling each switch, but it is more approachable than the examples I just gave, and so I have wanted to do it. With the JWK Unlubed Linear and Silent Linear switches from 1Up Keyboards in hand, it seemed the perfect opportunity to get out the Krytox 205g0 1Up included in what it sent with the 1UP 60 HSE kit.

Something I want to state early on in this article is the process of lubricating switches can be somewhat tedious and long. I did not especially time myself, but I could believe I was going at about 10 to 12 an hour. With 70 of the JWK Linear switches to go through, that is about 6 or 7 hours of work, so you may want to have a playlist or something in mind that can run in the background. While I am not sure how much I would consider that a barrier to entry for myself, having now done it, that is something you should be aware of.

Naturally to lubricate a switch you will need the switch and the lubricant, but there are other items you will want at least to make the work easier. One is a good brush for applying the lubricant and another are four containers of some kind for holding the switch pieces. A switch opener can also be helpful and I purchased NovelKeys Switch Opener ($25.00) in preparation for this.

Some other items you may wish to consider are switch films and a jeweler's prong pick-up tool, which I tend to refer to as a jeweler's claw. The idea is so many pieces of spring steel wires contained in a cylinder. By pressing down on one end, the wires slide out of the other and, by their springy nature, bend outward, so by releasing or pulling back on the slider, you can capture and hold onto something, like a jewel or, in this case, a switch stem. Switch films are appropriately cut pieces of plastic that you place between the top and bottom housing pieces, so their fit is tighter. This can impact the sound of the switch, especially if there is housing wobble. I purchased a pack of NK_Switch Films ($6.00) which includes 120. That is somewhat unfortunate as that is not enough for both the Linear and Silent Linear switches, so I have decided to use them with the Silent Linear switches that I will lubricate at a later date. I did lubricate and film one of them in support of this article, but it is the JWK Linear switches my new experience is mostly concerned with.

I should mention 1Up Keyboards does also sell switch films, specifically Durock switch films, and also offers bundles with these JWK Unlubed switches (1Up Keyboards bundles page). These bundles include 110 of the switches, a 5 ml vial of Krytox 205g0 (I think mine is a 3 ml vial and should be plenty), 120 Durock switch films, a small brush, and a branded pair of curved tweezers. The tweezers are not just to manipulate the parts of the switches but can also be used for opening the switch, by using it to spread the clips holding the switch together.

In addition to making sure you have the appropriate parts and tools before starting on switch lubing, you should also know where it is you should be applying the lubricant. I have some images and reference videos of what I did I will embed, but I also wish to share a link to this video I looked to for information, though you can surely find others: Taeha Types: How to Lube MX Style Switches. These switches and most others I have worked with are MX style with the only exception being the Kailh BOX Jades.

Something mentioned in that video is lubricating the switch spring, and while this is something I have not done for the JWK Linear switches, I am going to do it for the JWK Silent Linear switches. As I noted in my review of them, there was some spring noise and so I want to address that and applying some lubricant on the ends of the spring can do the trick. Taeha uses Krytox 205g0 for that but I looked it up and apparently the dielectric grease I used when modifying stabilizers can work, so I applied that when working with the one Silent Linear switch. Just pressing the key in my fingers I found the spring was much quieter, so that is a less expensive alternative to the Krytox lubricant.

I think that is enough for the Introduction, so next I want to go through the different parts and tools with some more detail, followed by the process I used, and lastly the initial impact. My intent is to review these now lubricated switches like I have others, and so use them for so many weeks to see how they may break in with time.

Parts and Tools:

For the most part, I went through the different parts and tools in the Introduction, but there are some worth deeper discussion. First are the switches involved, the JWK Unlubed Linears from 1Up Keyboards, which are "MX" style, which is to say they have a design following the Cherry MX switch patents, the most common switch design. My guess would be the Kailh BOX design is the second most popular design and there would definitely be some differences that would impact lubricating them, but due to their popularity I would expect guides and videos to be not terribly hard to find.

As the name suggests, these are linear switches, as opposed to tactile and clicky, and that does matter for lubricating. Linears already have a smooth action, so lubrication should improve on that, possibly address inconsistencies, and impact the typing sound. Neither tactile nor clicky switches have smooth actions to begin with, so while they can still be lubricated, some care should be taken with where the lubricant is applied. For example, tactile switches have a bump on their stem legs, the portion that separates the metal leafs that produce the electrical connection for a switch press. On a linear switch some will apply lubricant onto these legs, but you will want to avoid doing so with a tactile switch. It is possible for the lubricant to so weaken the tactility that comes from the pressure of the leafs on the leg, as to effectively remove it. As far as clicky switches are concerned, I am not sure how one would best lubricate them, partly because there are different click mechanisms to be concerned with.

Another characteristic of these switches to keep in mind is the materials for their housings, or rather the color. These JWK switches are completely transparent except for the stem, spring, and leafs. Krytox 205g0 is transparent when its application is not too thick, making it difficult to gauge how much has been applied. Even seeing it on the colored stem can be tricky, but the right angle with a bright light can produce useful glare.

Coming to the lubricant, Krytox 205g0 is a relatively popular switch lubricant, or at least it is the one I most often see talked about. It is a fairly viscous lubricant, which is important because that characteristic makes it better for some switches and worse for others. Commonly what I see is thicker lubricants are ideal for linear switches while thinner lubricants are better for tactiles. Krytox 205g0 can also be used for lubricating stabilizers. If you are looking into lubricants, Krytox does make others, including oils that can have other uses than greases like 205g0. Another brand I see mentioned and recommend is Tribosys, but always do some research to determine which lubricant is the most appropriate for your use case. While 1Up Keyboards provides information like this in its description on the lubricant product pages, NovelKeys recommends a Top Clack guide for lubricating switches, and of course simple searches can get you more information.

My understanding for how lubricants work is based on two things: they replace the interface between materials; and their internal flow is easier than solids sliding against each other. In the case of mechanical switches, the goal is to replace the plastic-on-plastic interfaces between the stem and housing with lubricant-on-lubricant interfaces. The lubricant, being a grease, has some fluid-like properties, including relatively easy internal movements, or rather it flows on its self easily. Just slathering on lubricant is not ideal however, as over-lubricating an interface can make it sluggish from the extra mass and the need, while moving, to displace the extra mass.

Just as over-lubricating a switch can be a problem, so can using a lubricant that is too thick. For example, the dielectric grease from when I modified the stabilizers would be inappropriate for within a switch, but, with a lighter application, can apparently work well on the switch spring. It is true I only applied it to one of the Silent Linear switches, but I was able to tell it reduced the switch noise I had been hearing before. To be honest, I am not entirely sure if it matters greatly that it is a lubricant in this use-case, but that it is a grease viscous enough to stay on the spring and dampen the noise.

Concerning brushes, I think it might be best to go by your own judgement, but review images and videos of lubricating switches if only to decide what size and length brush might be best. I am far from an expert on brushes. The brush that came from 1Up Keyboards worked, but I wish it was tapered some because when lubricating the rails on the bottom housing, I found myself also lubricating inside the pole the stem sits on. The hobby brush I mentioned worked well, but also does not have any appreciable bend to it, making application a little different.

There are many means for opening switches, from using small-tip flathead screwdrivers and tweezers, to fancier switch openers like the one I purchased from NovelKeys. MX-style switches are held together by clips on the top housing that latch onto the bottom housing, so you need to pry them out and push them off. The advantage to a switch opener, in my opinion at least, is the fixed points that apply force to these clips simultaneously. With a flathead you can find yourself releasing one clip only to accidently latch another. I think I was initially using the switch opener incorrectly, as I would hold the opener in one hand and push down with the other, or a similar action but with the opener on a hard surface. As I got more comfortable working with and opening the switches, I found I could easily open them when using the opener in one hand, just pushing down on the top housing with my thumb.

By the way, there is another use to the switch opener and that is holding the bottom housing in place. I did not find myself needing to take advantage of this often, but when you set a switch down on a flat surface, it will top because its base is not flat. The switch opener holds it higher up and so it holds it horizontally. If for some reason the bottom housing just wants to tip over, that can be a way to steady it as you place the spring and stem.

One accessory some use for lubricating is called a lube station and their purpose is to hold each part of a switch in place, both for sorting and so you can go down a line applying lubricant. I do not have one and, personally, I do not think that is how I would want to apply lubricant anyway. However, sorting the parts is very useful, unless you intend to very literally do one switch at a time. I borrowed some small cup-like containers, four in total and placed the parts in those. As I proceeded, I would take the parts from them, building up the switch as I finished.

Another tool that is very useful is the jewelers prong pick-up tool, or claw as I call it. With its spring steel wires (by the way, I am assuming it is spring steel, but it could be another alloy that easily flexes and will return to a certain shape) you can easily grip the stem by the cross shape at the top. This is where the keycaps attach, is central to the stem, and is not somewhere you will be lubricating, making it a perfect point to manipulate by. I have seen some suggest using parts from a mechanical pencil, as the proper size opening on the pencil, or pen for that matter, can grip the stem in the same way, but cannot confirm this. However you want to hold the stem to manipulate it, gripping the cross at the time makes the most sense.

Depending on your situation, you may also want a keycap puller and switch remover, if you are taking them out of a hot-swap board.

Though I did not add them to the JWK Linear switches, I still want to talk some about switch films. As I mentioned earlier, the top housing clips onto the bottom housing of the switch, and it is between them the switch film goes. Its presence should increase the tension between the pieces, addressing housing wobble and dampening some typing sound as well. There are films of different thicknesses and materials, and I cannot tell you what impact different materials may have. The NK Switch Films are PC on one side and HTV on the other, according to their product page which also states the PC side, which is a transparent or glossy surface, should be facing the top housing, while the HTV has a matte appearance to it, and should be facing the bottom housing. The Durock films 1Up Keyboards sells have a similar description, including the 0.15 mm thickness, and specify PC is polycarbonate and HTV is vinyl.

Lastly, you probably want something that can run some kind of background noise for hours at a time, assuming you need something in the background. We are talking about hours of work that will need visual focus and dexterity, so build your playlist appropriately and possibly also plan on breaks.

With the different parts and tools covered, we can get to the process I used.