Computer Keyboard Autopsy

Ever wondered what the inside of a keyboard looks like?  I took this old broken one apart to see if there were parts I could scavenge for art projects...

Took out the Phillips head screws and removed the bottom cover.

This little circuit board attaches to the big plastic circuits under each keypad.  Looks to be machine soldered. 

Couple of capacitors and resistors on the board.  We'll want to remove the capacitors before using for anything else. 

This plastic layered circuit is printed by machine on plastic.  Two layers of circuits are separated by another thin plastic layer.

Then there is a funky little rubber membrane that goes in underneath each key.  So if you spill coffee, you probably won't kill your keyboard right away.

And we get down to the keys.  They snap in from the front and have two little snap hooks to hold each one in place.  A pair of needle nose pliers will snap them out.

And there's a key.  We'll see what sort of stuff I can use this for. 

Alternate Use for I-rock Bling Pad as a Gel Mono Print Plate

Gelli Arts has introduced a new "gel" monoprint plate.   I bought one and have been trying unsuccessfully to get some to sell in our ebay store.  They're going like hotcakes, apparently, and the company's not that interested in selling to me.

You can see the Gelli Arts on  their web site.

When Imaginsce's new little GEL bling pad arrived in stock, I connected the dots and said, "Wow, I bet this would do some cool monoprints!"  And it does! 

See the pictures--I squirted some acrylic paint on, rolled it with a brayer, textured it with bubble wrap and a squeegee and pressed cardstock to it.  It works perfectly, just like the Gelli Art gel plate. (Those are 6" x 6" for $19.99 and 8" x 10" for $29.99).  

You have to wash off the paint right after you're done using.  And you don't want to texture with sharp objects--that'll scratch it.  Inks will change the gel's color, so if you use them, be warned about that. 

Differences:  The Gelli Art plate is 1/2" (12mm) thick while the bling pad is only 1/8" thick (3.175mm)--so it will tear if you treat it roughly.  The Bling pad also has the Imaginisce logo impressed on the front.  So...I just used the back.  The bling pad's way cheaper at $5.99 if you want to try gel monoprinting without making your own plates.