Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Polishing the black keyboard keys

rgarjr

rgarjr

macrumors 604
Original poster
Apr 2, 2009
6,820
1,052
Southern California
Since its pretty much inevitable not to get those shiny keys on the keyboard after a few weeks of owning the new unibodies, I wonder if there's some users out there that have actually polished out their keys to make them all consistent.
 
rgarjr said:
Since its pretty much inevitable not to get those shiny keys on the keyboard after a few weeks of owning the new unibodies, I wonder if there's some users out there that have actually polished out their keys to make them all consistent.
Click to expand...

I've thought about this too. Right now I have a nice shiny spot on the right of the space bar building up. I guess that's where I hit the space bar the most. :p
 
The Moshi clearguard is actually a very good way to protect the keyboard, and it's extremely thin too so doesn't look/feel bad. I know that wasn't your questions, but .....
 
rgarjr said:
Since its pretty much inevitable not to get those shiny keys on the keyboard after a few weeks of owning the new unibodies, I wonder if there's some users out there that have actually polished out their keys to make them all consistent.
Click to expand...

buy a keyboard protector and you wont wear the matte finish off.
 
there isn't a moshi for the UK style keyboard is there... I tried seeing if I could find it but didn't have any joy.


I guess worst comes to worst, could just buy new keys.
 
Its just oils from your fingers. Take a moist, NOT sopping wet cloth and wipe the keys, one at a time. You may need to rub hard on the dirty ones.

I don't think your wearing the keys out, at least I hope not.
 
zeeflyboy said:
there isn't a moshi for the UK style keyboard is there... I tried seeing if I could find it but didn't have any joy.


I guess worst comes to worst, could just buy new keys.
Click to expand...

Cancom do it. http://www.cancomuk.com/Brands/Moshi/Product/64637

What's stopping me from buying one is the thought of it overheating, or just getting hotter, as if I boost the fans with SMC Fan Control I can feel air from the keys. Surely this would affect it somehow?

Also, some people say that at the top of the guard it goes further over the keyboard recess, so it is not aligned perfectly to the little groove.
 
I reckon Kronie's got the best idea to keep your keyboards clean.

You could also try a damp cotton bud to get in all the gaps.
 
I'm sick of these black keys. The keys should be white, not black.
 
delude said:
Cancom do it. http://www.cancomuk.com/Brands/Moshi/Product/64637

What's stopping me from buying one is the thought of it overheating, or just getting hotter, as if I boost the fans with SMC Fan Control I can feel air from the keys. Surely this would affect it somehow?

Also, some people say that at the top of the guard it goes further over the keyboard recess, so it is not aligned perfectly to the little groove.
Click to expand...

I bought an iSkin cover in-store when I got my Macbook, I have never used it with the bare keys.

I have also played WoW for 6+ hours sessions with the standard OS X fan control without any issues. I used to be a fanatic about the temperature of my macbook, but now I realize that it isn't going to over heat, and if it does-- it is a defect and not to any fault of my own.

Get a keygaurd and protect your keys from wear and your computer from minor to mid size liquid spills and forget about overheating. These computers can withstand more than you would think. They will also auto-kill power if they are reaching self destructive temperatures.

Time Machine back-up if you are really that worried... not that that saves your CPU, but it will save your data. haha.
 
delude said:
Cancom do it. http://www.cancomuk.com/Brands/Moshi/Product/64637

What's stopping me from buying one is the thought of it overheating, or just getting hotter, as if I boost the fans with SMC Fan Control I can feel air from the keys. Surely this would affect it somehow?

Also, some people say that at the top of the guard it goes further over the keyboard recess, so it is not aligned perfectly to the little groove.
Click to expand...

It is aligned prefectly to the groove, the only bit that has an overlap is the function keys but every other key fits perfectly (Moshi did this so it can fit all Apple keyboards!).

I haven't had any problems with it making my MBP hotter at all, it's a great keyboard protector as it's really really thin and not rubbery to touch like the thich iSkin ones:
 

Attachments

  • P1020330.JPG
    P1020330.JPG
    115.3 KB · Views: 96
  • P1020331.JPG
    P1020331.JPG
    116 KB · Views: 65
  • P1020332.JPG
    P1020332.JPG
    127.2 KB · Views: 70
  • P1020334.JPG
    P1020334.JPG
    96.6 KB · Views: 77
  • P1020336.JPG
    P1020336.JPG
    102.4 KB · Views: 79
I just can't bring myself to cover anything up. I even carry my iPhone naked. I just love the way they all look. Alcohol wipes made for electronics cleans everything off pretty well.

That cover doesn't look too bad though. Thanks for posting the pics.
 
apersianboyCOM said:
It is aligned prefectly to the groove, the only bit that has an overlap is the function keys but every other key fits perfectly (Moshi did this so it can fit all Apple keyboards!).

I haven't had any problems with it making my MBP hotter at all, it's a great keyboard protector as it's really really thin and not rubbery to touch like the thich iSkin ones:
Click to expand...

Same here - never had a problem with keyboard protectors and I've used them since the first powerbook G4s. It used to be that the plastic powerbooks used the keyboard for heat dissipation but that hasn't been the case since the metal laptops. trust me, it's perfectly fine to use these...
 
Kronie said:
Its just oils from your fingers. Take a moist, NOT sopping wet cloth and wipe the keys, one at a time. You may need to rub hard on the dirty ones.

I don't think your wearing the keys out, at least I hope not.
Click to expand...

yeah dude... that is a good idea for a BARELY moist cloth. i would just take the keys off and clean them, let them dry out and get all the crap from under them. not as much as a problem (especially compared to the old Apple White Pro keyboard) but crap still gets down there.

IMO it's something to do every 6 months.

and yeah finding keys isn't hard. i'll probably replace mine sometime next year. and put the old ones on an Apple wireless keyboard to match :)
 
Kronie said:
Its just oils from your fingers. Take a moist, NOT sopping wet cloth and wipe the keys, one at a time. You may need to rub hard on the dirty ones.

I don't think your wearing the keys out, at least I hope not.
Click to expand...

Maybe, maybe not. I know on guitars, a matte finish can turn to a glossy one in the parts you touch the most. This wasn't a reversible reaction either, and I'm not sure but I think they said that the matte finish and gloss finish used the same chemicals. The difference was that the gloss finish was polished to a gloss look.

I remember some people posting before and after pictures when they made their matte finish guitars look glossy. It's been a long time, but I want to say that the only thing they did was rub their guitar with a soft cloth over and over. I've tried cleaning that shiny spot on my spacebar and I think it helped a tad.

That moshi guard is something I'll look into though.
 
rgarjr said:
Since its pretty much inevitable not to get those shiny keys on the keyboard after a few weeks of owning the new unibodies, I wonder if there's some users out there that have actually polished out their keys to make them all consistent.
Click to expand...

why:confused: if you use it the thing will inevitably show wear and tear.
 
I'm lucky...my hands are dry enough all the time to the point where I don't have any spots. Even after owning the computer since October. :p
 
Is it just me, or is just a tad over-the-top having to either "skin" a computer or polish it if one doesn't want it to look tarnished after a few months? I am aware the quality delivered from Apple have been dwindling these last couple of years (hence I finally switched), but kan the new keyboards not even stand up to a couple of months of use?
Or are people just even more OCD than they used to be? I can't think of anyone having to cover up their keyboards in the past. Well, I can, but that was because they were worried about spillage, not because they had to look after the keys.
 
Tosser said:
Is it just me, or is just a tad over-the-top having to either "skin" a computer or polish it if one doesn't want it to look tarnished after a few months? I am aware the quality delivered from Apple have been dwindling these last couple of years (hence I finally switched), but kan the new keyboards not even stand up to a couple of months of use?
Or are people just even more OCD than they used to be? I can't think of anyone having to cover up their keyboards in the past. Well, I can, but that was because they were worried about spillage, not because they had to look after the keys.
Click to expand...

Well I know for me, the protection isn't specifically for me, it's more for the resale value - trying to get the most you can. I know there are a few people on this forum where after 2-3 years, they will look for a new computer and don't plan to keep their original so they sell it. Sure the condition doesn't really affect the price but a MacBook Pro in near-perfect condition is better than one that is not.
 
michael.lauden said:
yeah dude... that is a good idea for a BARELY moist cloth. i would just take the keys off and clean them, let them dry out and get all the crap from under them. not as much as a problem (especially compared to the old Apple White Pro keyboard) but crap still gets down there.

IMO it's something to do every 6 months.

and yeah finding keys isn't hard. i'll probably replace mine sometime next year. and put the old ones on an Apple wireless keyboard to match :)
Click to expand...

Really? Can you just pop the keys off? Will you show me?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back