Source for silicone pushbuttons

[Mosaic]

I'd like to get silicone pushbuttons on a pad so i can cut off the buttons I need for any given project. Perhaps around 5 to 10mm diameter each etc.

Seems that this is not readily available.

Can anyone make a suggestion here?

 

[MrAl]

Buy a cheap remote and disassemble it?

 

[Mosaic]

That won't do. This may end up in production.

 

[KMoffett]

Google:silicone pushbutton pads
You'll find vendors like this:Rubber button pad products, buy Rubber button pad products from alibaba.com

Ken

 

[Mosaic]

Well...DIY to the rescue. Made a mold from unsanded grout, used the shank end of a 10mm Drill bit as it has a nice chamfer. Glued an O ring piece of 14 gauge wire around the bit shank as a lip for the button mold. It doubles as a depth limiter for the mold as well. Placed in the press and produced an 'ice tray' layout of button molds. Applied a bit of lubricant...vaseline and charged with 3M silicone. Two days later....perfect buttons, matched to the drill bit hole. Near zero cost.

 

[3v0]

I love this sort of DIY.

DID YOU TAKE ANY PICTURES ?

 

[MrAl]

Hi,

Yeah, i'd like to see some pics too. I used to mold my own potentiometer knobs. Needed one once for a signal generator but it had to be 4 inches in diameter. A jello mold plus some plastic resin, equals one big gigantic knob

 

[Joe G]

wow , i didn't think anyone else did that, except i use old pieces of drywall, or plaster of paris, i drilled the holes and used another piece to squeeze out the excess silicone
or fiberglass. it does work great , i've also made parts out of wax for those custum parts and when plaster is dry, replace the was with your silicon or material, look at
"lost wax casting"

 

[MrAl]

Hi again,

Oh yes, that sounds like a good idea too. Doesnt the surfaces come out a little rough looking though, or maybe it doesnt matter?

You can often find nice molds around the house too. A bottle cap sometimes makes a good mold because it has a nice smooth inside and you can find various sizes around. I used a paint can top once too to mold a night light where the neon bulb was encased in the plastic resin which came out the same size as the paint can top (spray paint can top).
Numerous other things can be used for molds too, without any modification. Usually plastic things that can be deformed to get the piece out once it hardens.