Fixing a Squeaky Key on a Mechanical Keyboard

I’ve been very pleased with the Das Keyboard 4 Professional model. With its Brown Cherry MX switches, it makes typing a pleasure. But over the past few weeks, I noticed that my Delete key would “squeak” when pressed. At first I didn’t pay much attention, but over time, it really began to bother me.

My research led me to a compound called White Lithium Grease, by Permatex. It can be had for about $6 and should be available in most hardware stores.

The Delete key is special, in that it has a metal stabilizer holding it. I pinpointed the squeak to the moving parts of the stabilizer. Each time I would press the Delete key, the metal stabilizer inserts would rub against the plastic clasps holding the Delete key.

For this operation, I needed my trusty WASD keyboard puller.

With very light force, I popped the Delete key out, taking care not to fully remove it from the stabilizer.

Next I removed a few of the adjacent keys to give myself more room to work with.

A pin drop of White Lithium Grease was all that was needed. I applied it at the point where the plastic holders were rubbing against the stabilizer. I had to tilt the keyboard to apply the lube in the right places.

The whole operation took less than two minutes. And now, my keyboard’s Delete key no longer squeaks. Some keyboard enthusiasts will lube their keyboard’s keys once a year. I prefer to deal with the task on an “as needed” basis. Do you work on a mechanical keyboard? How often do you need to properly maintain the keys? Share your mechanical keyboard maintenance tips below.

-Krishna

Krishna March 29, 2018 Das Keyboard, squeaky Das Keyboard key, squeaky Delete key, squeaky key stabilizer, squeaky keyboard, squeaky mechanical keyboard, White Lithium Grease