Looks like Nyogel comes in a few varieties - which do you use for stabs? The description of the product in general does make it sound suitable.
Iād go with 767A. This is the exact product I bought from Amazon. When applying, less is most definitely more.
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So would you say that Nyogel does a good job at mitigating tick?
The XHT-BDZ is interesting, at least. I used a pretty thin coat, much less than I normally would with dielectric grease but more than I would use on something like a switch stem. I did get some ticking back in a few keys, but it definitely helped.
I wonder if the ātā stands for titanium - that stuff is very white.
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Oh totally. Itās like tacky, maybe even sticky 205g2. Itās really weird. Anything it comes in contact with, itāll leave a tacky residue on it. Since itās best to apply it with a syringe, you can make sure it gets exactly where you need it to go, and more importantly, stay there. Also, this stuff wonāt drip onto your PCB since you apply so little.
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Awesome! That sounds pretty ideal - I went ahead and picked up a tube.
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I bought a ton of 3204 a long time ago so I just use that for everything (except stabsand springs) because I have so much. I use christolube for stabs and tri-flow for springs because I always have tri-flow around for my bike
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Subject lines that make sense to Hobbyists but might land the board in strange google search queriesā¦
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Iāve been using the XHT-BDZ for a week or two now, and itās definitely worn-off a fair bit. Itās definitely better than nothing, but at least the way I applied it, not sufficient to defeat the ticking.
That other stuff I ordered is supposed to be in tomorrow - looking forward to trying that.
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Any update on the āsticky 205g0ā lube stuff? Kinda raising the dead here, but thought Iād ask.
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Iāve used a little so far, and āstickyā is a pretty good description in terms of it clinging to surfaces.
With 100 series oils, they sit in a pool at the bottom of the tub with maybe a sheen on the walls. If you wipe your brush on the rim it will flow down to the pool.
200 series grease more or less stays where you put it with flow observable over time rather in the moment; if you glom some on the side it will pretty much stay there, maybe eventually make its way down while more or less retaining its shape.
The mix behaves like one; it maintains a smooth pool that immediately responds to gravity like 100 oil, but itās more viscous and moves more slowly.
Thereās an even, smooth, and fairly thick coating of the stuff on the walls of the tub - it definitely has flow and responds to gravity, but it seems like when it gets down to a certain thickness / mass / whatever it has enough viscosity to stay put until otherwise acted-on.
Wiping your brush on the rim will make a smooth blob that eventually homogenizes into whatās stuck to the walls.
If what Iām seeing there translates to behavior in switches, well - I think I can see why :3ildcat has been using a 100 / 200 mix for all these years.
So far Iāve only used it to smoothen-up some stabs, but I do intend to do my next batch of switches with it, so Iāll definitely let you know how that goes.
It did a fine job of making the stabs smooth but isnāt thick enough to stand up to stab rattle like thick greases are. It does seem like it would be great for switch springs and rails though.
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Thank you! Gonna experiment with mixes now.
The mixes do work well & feel great IME, the big drawback is though, that mixes will separate over time if the board is left unused for any decent period of time.
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Finally tried XHT-BDZ. Left shift key on one of my board was ticking when pressed to a side, an annoyance minor enough to ignore but taking up mindshare as a forever TODO item was more annoying so decided to fix it.
Pulled apart the keyboard, removed all the switches and stabs. After removing all the stab wires, I scraped all the extra 205g0 I needled into the stab housings over time as best as I could stand doing. Then I put on a rubber glove and used a disposable brush to put some XHT-BDZ onto ends of new set of stab wires. When I was done, I put everything back together faster than I thought I could.
All the keys with stabs now feel noticeably more solid. And all the minor ticks and rattles are now gone. Not sure for how long but I consider this a success until then.
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I usually use dielectric grease on stabilizers, but on lighter < 45 gram switches I use a lighter grease like Super Lube or 205g0 to avoid sluggishness. The downside is that it starts making noise after a few months of use.
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A few month sounds about right for 205g0 although I think it has more to do with frequent modding or travelling than use. When a keyboard left alone, 205g0 seems to last quite a while. No solid evidence though. Just casual observation that rattles tend to appear after Iāve tinkered with a keyboard.
Stabilizer with wires coated with XHT-BDZ feels noticeably solid, like there is no empty space inside for rattle. Hope thatās a sign itāll last longer than months.
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TIL following details about XHT-BDZ use:
- Friction - Use as little as possible on parts where wire rubs against plastic. Like part where wire clips into and rotates as stab moves and part of stem where wire goes through. Too much will leave stab feeling overly dampened.
- Cushion - Use normal amount at wire ends so when the wire strikes against stab stem or housing, there is a cushion of the lube.
I now have two boards I need to open up to remove some lube from stabs.
With first board (Polaris), left-shift and return keys were fine (one of the reasons I love Tsangan which just needs 3 stabs) but space bar felt like a kitten that hasnāt eaten for a week. Tried every trick I knew but nothing worked.
With second board (LM60), all 3 stabs felt weak. Thatās when it it dawned on me that too much XHT-BDZ on the parts mentioned above was the problem.
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Good stuff bud. Just curious, but what stabs are you using? Iām still tinkering with those Staebies trying to figure out a way to smooth the scratchiness.
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Iām using used Cherry screw-ins with new wires. I had my ālatest stabā phase then, after a few incompatibility issues, found myself preferring Cherry stabs so tried a few used ones from my growing pile of used stabs and they were just fine even though I did a half-assed job of cleaning them (a side-benefit of using hot-swap PCB. if this was soldered PCB, Iād have been more fussy). But I used a new wire for XHT-BDZ to grab on to as someone advised (I think it was you but I could be wrong :-).
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Iām reopening this discussion now that there are more lubricant options available such as 205g2, 207g0, and 207g2, along with the new TX AP stabilizer, Iām interested to know your top recommendation for 2023. My initial attempt with XHT-BDZ on TX AP yielded average results; I achieved better outcomes with 205g0. However, I still need to conduct further investigation since many individuals seem to prefer BDZ more.
Also, it appears that many people still prefer using dielectric grease with TX stabilizers, although I havenāt personally tested it myself.
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Soo, Iāve used this mix on my spacebar pretty much daily for 2 years now (give or take 6 month depending on count).
And I would say itās as good as the day I lubed it. 
To bad I donāt know what ratio I used when mixing. 
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