Alternative to Typewriter Keys
Jake von Slatt — Mon, 02/02/2009 - 12:38
Marcus writes:
There are only so many broken typewriters in the world – so it’s going to be difficult to get my hands on a decent set of keys. You can’t get them on ebay here in Europe, importing them from the US would’ve been hilariously expensive – so I had to think of something else.
What I’ve found is a certain kind of fastener (like brass fasteners for envelopes, only with a fancy little gemstone instead of the brass knob). You open it, discard the stone and what you get is a perfect ‘key frame’. Just print your labels, cut glasses out of polycarbonate sheet, cardboard backplates and you’re done.
He's put together a nice write up that you can find here. Great work Marcus!
Update: Jacqui dropped me a link to some interesting looking typewriter key tokens at Oriental Trading. - Thanks Jacqui!
Search
Projects
LCD Monitor
Light Switch Plates
Wimshurst Machine
MAC Mini Mod
Altoids Tin Etching
Lightbox
Guitar Amp
Lyra's Lamp
Shop Respirator
Etching Brass
Flash Diffuser
Bus Conversion
All-in-One PC
Motorbike
Etch Machining
iPod Etch
Headphone Mod
Steampunk Strat
Telegraph Build
Steampunk Car
Trilobite Etch
Kerosene Lamps
Trailer
Contact
- Twitter: Jake | Meredith
- Jake is on Facebook
- More of Jake's projects: www.vonslatt.com
- Meredith's Blog: ladycartoonist.com/
- Jake's Shared Google Reader Items
- Email Jake: jake@vonslatt.com
- Email Meredith: satiredun@gmail.com

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


Schools
Gibbtall — Wed, 02/04/2009 - 00:35I suggest calling around to your local schools, be they elementary or high, or what not. I know that at my highschool we recently (within the last couple years) disposed of maybe 30-50 keyboards, some of which the exact model of the one you show in your how-to video. I don't know of the technological status of schools in England, but I would not be suprized if you could find a few broken keyboards if you got ahold of computer teacher, especialy if their as geeky as mine were, and you explain what you would use them for :)
Another idea
Z-man12 — Tue, 02/03/2009 - 21:23I have done something similar by going to the scrap-booking isle of the craft store and finding the rings that you place letter stickers in. You can get raised clear plastic bubbles with lettering already on them. I did that for the normal a-z keys and then created custom keys for every thing else. It came out rather well. I just need to finish the rest of the computer case.