Bakeneko65 with MT3 Black Speech
Finally decided to give this keyboard a try - along with PBT MT3, Nyogel in place of dielectric grease, and some Tecsee UHMWPE & polycarb switches called Snow Globes.
Actually my second attempt with Nyogel (thanks again @ajoflo for the suggestion), this time with a more balanced amount vs my previous over-application. I’m very pleased so far; the stuff is thick and sticky - and also more elastic than BDZ.
On the legends
Keen-eyed Elvish readers among you may notice an out-of-place key or two, and many more may notice the upside-down spacebar. I think it still works visually thanks to the absence of English and long trails both on the top and bottom of many characters - even if it outs me as a Tolkien casual.
On reflection, it looks like that while the kitting physically supports many layouts, the legends were designed with a classic nav cluster in mind; I couldn’t have 65% nav keys that were both row and legend correct. Thankfully, I can’t read Elvish.
Either way,
I think this is one of the coolest looking keyboards in my collection - and yet another pairing that just seemed obviously right as soon as I saw it.
I’m really loving this keyset so far, and I’m enjoying the modest bouncy reverb from the soft gasket o-ring I’m using for the build.
With these currently stock switches and FR4 plate (and without any foam to speak of), the keyboard has an almost dry, crunchy sound accompanied by some slinky spring-jiggle. If I use my imagination, I can see a large band of mail-wearing orcs, trudging upon freshly-scorched earth…
The shiny finish on this case is a nice change of pace from the usual. I didn’t buy the keeb and keyset with each-other in-mind, but after comparing the case with a handful of grey sets this one looked like the move. (Susuwatari, Paperwork, and Nines also look great with this color)