KVR Audio

walidantar · Post by **walidantar** » Sat Oct 16, 2021 7:50 pm

can i lubricate keybed with solder-paste grease?
my midi controller had some keys playing notes at the highest velocity, i resolved it by just cleaning it didn't need any repairs or changing contacts ..
i washed the rubber contacts with water and wiped the sensor boards of the keybed with an alcohol-like used to clean the face (human face)

i've totally de-assembled the keybed and washed it's chaises and the keys and maybe was a mistake i've cleaned/removed the grease from chassis, keys & the rubber bushings .. i've put a grease used for lubricating car pats, it's black & thick .. it by itself made the keys as heavy weighted - i mean the lubricating has a major effect of the feel & the action of the keybed despite the tension of back-springs or the weights added under the keys , the black keys has the problem , till now after about two weeks still just fine, however the issue is with the white keys .. returns back very very slowly .. i removed and cleaned the black grease from the keys, the chaises and the rubber bushings as much as i can as lubricated the keys & the rubber bushing with wd40 , the problem solved just for few hours until the wd40 dried - so the white keys still not playable or usable .. and very slow to return back .. i have at home solder paste .. i want to ask if it works? and also how to properly remove any excess grease that is thick for cars from the rubber bushings so they don't be anymore sticks? i tried several types of soaps but seems didn't clean up totally

walidantar · Post by **walidantar** » Sat Oct 16, 2021 8:07 pm

maybe the black grease i used has reacted with the rubber

thecontrolcentre · Post by **thecontrolcentre** » Sat Oct 16, 2021 8:21 pm

I cant imagine why you thought grease would make your keys more sensitive. I would use a lubricating switch cleaner like Servisol Super 10. I used it to clean some dodgy rotary encoders recently.

sinkmusic · Post by **sinkmusic** » Sat Oct 16, 2021 8:22 pm

I fear that you didn't do it the right way. You should proceed with caution when trying to service a keybed.
The less stuff you put on rubber parts, the better, because they can either dry (and loose their elastic feel or deteriorate) or, at the opposite, get bigger.

You should only use water and soap to clean them (do NOT use WD40!). Do NOT soak them up with alcohol either.
You may try a tiny drop of silicon oil with cotton buds to lubricate it.

But really, with that kind of things (and given the amount of information available on YT and various forums), if you don't know what you're doing (and not being able to name the kind of grease you used is a hint), don't do it.

sinkmusic · Post by **sinkmusic** » Sat Oct 16, 2021 8:26 pm

walidantar wrote: ↑Sat Oct 16, 2021 8:07 pm maybe the black grease i used has reacted with the rubber

Yes, most likely.
I think it's just like you gave food to the bushing, and they just got fatter.

Which amount of that stuff did you use?
(for what it's worth, as far as I remember, when I serviced the keybed of a Pro-One, I used two drops of silicon oils for the whole 49 keys).

walidantar · Post by **walidantar** » Sat Oct 16, 2021 9:13 pm

a amount somehow is a lot, but i then did remove the grease as much as i can .. the black key have no issues at all, i used similar amount and it didn't get affected in a bad way

walidantar · Post by **walidantar** » Sat Oct 16, 2021 9:17 pm

back-side

thecontrolcentre · Post by **thecontrolcentre** » Sat Oct 16, 2021 9:23 pm

That's for cars not keyboards. It says on the tin that its for high temperature applications. Use something that's actually designed for electronics (not WD40).

walidantar · Post by **walidantar** » Sat Oct 16, 2021 9:42 pm

i didn't research before i used it, i though grease is grease then when i found an issue with the action, i searched and knew grease are different types for different uses

GW · Post by GW » Tue Dec 28, 2021 4:01 am

That stuff is too thick and messy. You will need to wipe it all out. I've used white lithium grease on keybed parts and thought it worked well.

Millzi · Post by **Millzi** » Sat Jul 16, 2022 9:34 pm

A few years ago i stripped down a roland juno 1, the whole keybed, i remember getting hold of some specialist grease that was specifically for lubricating keybed/keys, it came in a very small clear pot and was white, i still actually have it but i can't remember what it is or where i got it from unfortunately.

BertKoor · Post by **BertKoor** » Sun Jul 17, 2022 6:28 am

Doubt it was the soldering stuff, which is very acidic. Rubber does not like that me thinks.

maanga · Post by **maanga** » Sun Jul 17, 2022 12:33 pm

Use silicon grease used for lubricating gas stove regulator valves. They never dry unlike any other grease.
Just apply thing layer. (it is expensive than regular grease and do not react with rubber, metal or plastic. Regards