Switch Lubing Guide
Why do I need to lube my switches?
You may have heard of some people recommending you to lube switches. But what difference does it make? And do you still need to lube your switches even if it came lubed from the factory? We will go through these questions so that you can make an informed decision on what is best for you.
Lubed vs Unlubed
The primary reason for lubing switches is to reduce friction, which can make your keypresses smoother, without any of the plastic scratchiness. On top of that, it can also get rid of any spring or leaf pings, which is very annoying if you have sensitive ears.
The other reason is to deepen the tonality of the switch, making it sound deeper, closer to achieving "thock".
Hand-lubed vs Factory-lubed
Most switches nowadays come with good factory-lubed and can be used straight out of the box. But why do some still prefer to go through the hassle of spending a few hours opening up and disassembling every single switch, lubing them, and then reassembling them? It is mainly due to the consistency of hand-lubing.
Factory-lubed switches have a high chance of inconsistent lubing, resulting in certain switches sounding more muted than the rest that are in your keyboard. That being said, factory lubing methods are improving, so when is it okay to use switches straight out of the box? While “worth it” is subjective, a general rule of thumb is: if there’s no noticeable spring or leaf ping, the scratchiness is minimal, and the switches don’t sound thin or plasticky, they’re probably good to use stock. Just make sure the whole batch is consistent, not just a single switch.
How do I lube my switches?
To start off, you would need some tools to ease your whole process, and if you do not have those, you can find it here:
- Switch Opener
- Brush
- Krytox 205g0 (recommended for linears)
- Krytox 203g0 (recommended for tactiles)
- Krytox 105 (for springs)
- Stem Picker (optional, but strongly recommended)
- Tweezer (optional, but recommended)
-
Lube Station (optional)
Lube Station is optional, but can help with organisation especially when you lube a big batch of switches.
Getting started
There are 4 main components of a mechanical switch, which are the Top Housing, Bottom Housing, Stem, and Spring. All of which we will be going through down below.
To start off, open your switches with a switch opener, disassemble it, then organise the 4 components accordingly (to have a smoother lubing process).
We would recommend lubing in this order:
- Bottom Housings (optional)
- Springs
- Stems
- Top Housings (optional)
1. Lubing the Bottom Housings (optional)
We recommend Krytox 205g0 for linears, 203g0 for tactiles
There are 2 schools of thought regarding lubing the bottom housings. One is lubing it, and the other is omitting it from lubing entirely.
If you were to lube the bottom housings, we would recommend getting a small amount of lube on your brush, and apply a thin coat of lube on the surfaces of the leaf*, slider rails, and the inner part of the center mast (about 2-3 swipes for each surface). You want to make sure that it is evenly coated, no globs of lube appearing on any surface. Remember, less is more, you do not want your switches sounding like fart sounds or overly muted.
*lubing the leaf is generally not recommended for tactile switches, as it can reduce the tactility of the switch
As for those that does not lube the bottom housing, their train of thought is that to lube only the stems, as the lube will spread from the stems to the bottom housing, saving time and effort.
2. Lubing the Springs
There are 3 main methods to lube springs, being hand-lubing, donut-dipping, and bag-lubing.
Lubing springs by hand is pretty straight forward, generally using a brush to spread Krytox 205g0 throughout the spring to give it an even coat. This method is the most consistent but also the most time-consuming.
Bag-lubing is the easiest method among these 3, and is also the method we prefer, as it is the most effective in terms of time and effort. It is just basically putting all of the springs in a bag, drip some Krytox 105 (we recommend 1 drop for every 10 springs), and just shaking it vigorously to ensure every spring is coated with lube.
Donut-dipping is essentially dipping one end of the spring into the lube container (Krytox 205g0 recommended) and putting the lubed side onto the bottom housing. This method is faster than hand-lubing, but uses the most lube, thus, it may not be the most cost-effective.
After lubing the springs, place it onto the bottom housings. Springs are generally recommended to be lubed, as it reduces the pinging noises of springs.
3. Lubing the Stems
We recommend Krytox 205g0 for linears, 203g0 for tactiles
To lube the stems, we recommend getting a stem picker to pick the stems up, so you can easily access all 4 surfaces of the stem. Just like lubing the bottom housings, get a small amount of lube on your brush, and apply a thin coat of lube onto the surfaces of the front, back, slider rails, legs*, and the pole (about 2-3 swipes for each surface). You want to make sure that it is evenly coated, no globs of lube appearing on any surface. Again, less is more, we do not want to overlube the stems as it may affect your keypresses.
*lubing the legs is generally not recommended for tactile stems, as it can reduce the tactility of the switch
After lubing the stem, place it on the spring, make sure that the legs are facing the leaf of the bottom housing.
Continuing on the stem-only method (not lubing the bottom housing), you can do this for switches that are not too scratchy stock or if you want to maintain the tonality of the switch. As lubing both the bottom housing and the stem may result in the switch sounding deeper than its stock form.
4. Lubing the Top Housings (optional)
This step is really optional unless you want your switch to sound deep and dampened. If you were to lube the top housings, lubing just the rails of it will do.
Reassembly of Switches
Place the top housing onto the stem and close the switch. Do make sure that the thicker part of the top housing is aligned with the leaf of the bottom housing before closing it.
Summary:
Switch lubing is entirely up to your preference. Some would find it extremely worth it, especially if it does what they are looking for. Some even find it therapeutic. While some would find it a waste as the eventual outcome is not worth the time, effort, and cost put in.
But that is what this hobby is about, it is all preferences. There is no right or wrong, only what suits your need.
Disclaimer:
Take this Switch Lubing Guide as a rough guideline, as we find this to suit what we are looking for. Feel free to experiment around lubing to find a method best suited for you!