Keyboard grease (midi or synth)

[u/runcyclexcski]

I apologize in advance, as I realize this question may sound "out there". I am looking to get a midi keyboard or a synth with weighted keys -- for my wife who plays, and to learn/experiment myself. I've initially set my mind on the Studiologic SL73 or 88 (or a kit that uses FATAR keyboards). Out of curiosity, I watched how these keyboards are made and I was very impressed. What got me worried was the grease they use for the keys which I did not know about before. Does anyone happen to know what that grease is? They had a bucket of it and were applying generous amounts to every key with a brush. I am sure it works great, but I have extreme allergies, and most kinds of synthetic lubricants/oils are sadly a trigger. Do they make keyboards w/o grease, but, say, using PTFE or other "naturally slippery", solid materials?

Thank y'all in advance!

[u/StandardMechanics]

That's a really specific concern and I don't think it's out there at all, allergies can make seemingly small details a huge deal. I've never seen a manufacturer disclose the exact grease formula they brush on during assembly, it's probably some bulk industrial lithium or silicone lube they buy by the drum.

Most weighted actions use some kind of damping grease to keep the mechanism from being noisy and clunky, so finding one that's completely dry is gonna be tough. You might have better luck calling a place that does keyboard repairs, they'd have a much better idea of what's actually inside different models and if any run without lubricants.

[u/FreeRangeEngineer]

What triggers your allergies? Skin contact? If so then you can clean the surfaces you'll touch if you're concerned about it. The grease is really only present on the inside and the underside of the keys, so not areas you would touch during use.

That said, keyboard manufacturers tend to keep the recipes secret because the grease does influence the performance characteristics of the key bed.

Products like https://www.synth-parts.com/en/products/keyboard/fatar-keyboards/7048/silicon-grease-for-fatar-keyboards-20g may be of interest to you, though. Replacing the grease is possible if you're willing to disassemble the key bed and wash/wipe/clean the keys using soap and isopropyl alcohol.

[u/DaggerStyle → u/FreeRangeEngineer]

I thought isopropyl alcohol isn't recommended since it can damage some plastics/rubber. It's safe to use on circuit boards and other electrical components though...?

[u/lewisfrancis]

Don't know what Fatar keybeds use, but FWIW the lubricant that came with my Sequential Pro-One keybed refurb kit was Dow Corning #7 silicon grease.

[u/AnansiNazara]

I have never heard of keyboard grease… that being said, as someone with a (thankfully relatively/ comparatively mild) peanut allergy… I can empathize.

[u/redfoxrockssocks]

Having serviced a number of keyboards over the decades, it doesn't seem super common that there is grease in the key mechanism. I'm not the absolute authority on that, but it doesn't seem that common to me, at least.

And I don't know how sensitive you are to, say, white lithium grease (which is common in these applications), but it shouldn't be migrating out of the instrument.

Are you sensitive enough that you're triggered when those materials are contained in devices? That sounds like it would be debilitating, as there are synthetic greases in everything from car doors to kitchen gadgets...

[u/ShredsHardcock → u/redfoxrockssocks]

Lol, how would a person even ride or drive in a car with such a severe allergy?

I am highly skeptical of the veracity of Chuck from Better Call Saul here's report about his debilitating grease allergy.

[u/tobyvanderbeek]

Keyboard grease? Is that like blinker fluid?

[u/lewisfrancis → u/tobyvanderbeek]

Nope. It's a real thing I discovered when I refurbished my Sequential Pro-One keybeds and found you could order the rubber bushings pre-greased or grease them yourself.

[u/tobyvanderbeek → u/lewisfrancis]

I mostly go for synth modules without keyboards. How many keyboard synths have key grease?

[u/lewisfrancis → u/tobyvanderbeek]

¯_(ツ)_/¯

A cursory Google returned a whole bunch of synths, even 88-note keybeds, which surprised me.

[u/FreeRangeEngineer → u/tobyvanderbeek]

From my personal experience, I'd assume all synths with full-size keys to have it. Haven't seen it on any keyboards/controllers with smaller keys.

[u/strichtarn]

It's worth trying to contact the manufacturer for

[u/DaggerStyle]

I really don't see how you will ever come into contact with the grease. You could get a touchplate keyboard like buchla or a ROLI keyboard...

[u/AllCopsAreBozos]

lol