Really nice work! I’ll definitely keep this in mind for when I start lubing my retooled blacks. 
Now this… is science!
This is great. It’s more or less what I suspected it would be and it is specially helpful with the springs. I can see how lube guides will improve based on your experiment.
Have you tried about doing it with stabs?
Oh this is nice, will use your method with my next batch of vints
It should be noted that it’s generally not advisable to lube the inside of little cylinder and peg at the bottom of the switch, as the lube can create a vacuum seal that pops every time you press the switch, like blowing bubbles.
I have not done this kind of testing on stabs, but I think it’s a good idea!
Zeal stabs would probably work for this kind of test. Cherry stabs, being black, would need a different approach… Maybe applying Wite Out to the sliders?
I know what you mean, some people call it “lube farts”.
I disagree though, I think this area should be lubed, just not with too thick of a coating. You’d only get lube farts if you applied too much, or if you’re using a thin oil and it drips / runs down to the bottom. I always lube this part with grease such as Tribosys 3204 or Krytox, and I’ve only experienced the problem you’re describing once, and it was because I was testing a thin spray-on grease which I sprayed onto the housings and let the excess drip out. This was just an experiment, but the result was that there was a very thick coating inside the spring guide tube. I got lube farts on some of the switches as a result. None of my other switches had this problem.
Do you find that lubing the contact point of the leaf and slider reduces tactility on tactile switches?
also, you could always drill out the bottom and lube away
Lube away… /snicker… twss? 
I think it does a bit, yes, but for tactile switches I try to use switches / stems / housings that have an intense enough tactility that they still feel tactile even when the contact point is lubed.
That makes sense. Do you find the reduction in tactility to be predictable, or are there too many variables?
I think if you use the same lube enough you become familiar with how it might affect a switch and so you can judge whether to use it or an alternative and also how much to use. Because this is all so subjective it just really comes down to trial and error.
Agreed, but the thought of lubing a set of switches only to decide that the tactility was reduced too much from lubing the contact point and having to reopen them to remove said lube is 
I have only tried lubing a few types of tactile switches, including:
Outemu Ice dark purple (old) stems - Lubed with GH Thick lube blend
Holy pandas - Lubed with GH Thick lube blend
Zeal Zilents - Lubed with Tribosys 3204
Aliaz - Lubed with Tribosys 3204
Cherry Clear - Lubed with Tribosys 3204
Novelkeys Royals - Lubed with 205g0
Hako Royals - Lubed with Chinese grease similar to Krytox 204
In all cases, I found that the tactility was reduced, but the only switch where I felt like TOO much tactility was lost was Aliaz. I think that’s because the Aliaz has a very mild tactile bump to begin with, it’s not very tactile even in stock form.
The rest of the switches still felt tactile enough to me with lube on the stem bump and leaf, and I felt like it was worth it. Something I should mention is that sometimes when I lube a tactile switch and I’m not careful to keep the coat really thin, it feels less tactile at first, then starts to recover some of the lost tactility as the switch gets used more. I think maybe that’s because the leaf rubs away the excess lube leaving only a thinner layer than I started with.
I agree with @cijanzen that you really need to try it out to get a feel for it and whether you are happy with how it feels.
Thanks, that’s helpful. I’ve only recently started lubing switches, despite being in this game for several years now. I completed a build last night using 67g Zealios that I lubed with 3204. I only applied lube to the housing side rails, the part of the stem that goes into said rails, and the column on the underside of the stem that goes into the barrel on the bottom housing. I will have to try applying a thin coat on the stem bumps next time.
I would also suggest lubing either all 4 flat sides of the stem, or the inside ridges of the switch top itself, as there is definitely some friction between the switch top ridges and the flat parts of the stem.
Yeah, I saw your photos. Nice work, by the way.
I think I’ll leave this build as is so I have a reference to which to compare subsequent builds where I apply more coverage.
Dunk the entire switch in a vat of super lube. If it makes lewd noises you’re doing it correctly.
Great work Walker! I’m really happy that this kinda justifies a lot of what we do hehe. This is definitely a must see guide for anyone interested in switch lubing!