Working with Carbon Grease
Carbon grease is a material that quickly contaminates the whole workspace including clothes and shoes. Always wear gloves as soon as carbon grease is applied to the membrane and use a disposable underlay. If you value the clothing you are wearing, immediately change a glove if it becomes dirty in order to avoid any further contamination.
Before painting, put some of the carbon grease from the tube into a plastic cup for easier handling.
Painting the active area
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- Attach the stencil for the active area to one side of the membrane. The stencil can be seen through the membrane.
- It can be helpful to leave a small section of the stencil loose for easier removal later.
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- Carefully paint the area on the opposite side of the membrane using a thick layer of carbon grease. This way the stencil can be reused.
- Stay within the boundaries of the stencil. If a small amount of carbon grease gets outside the painted area, you can paint the leads through that area as described in this section.
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- If multiple spots of carbon grease escape the active area, that actuator should be thrown away.
- Hold the actuator up to a light source. Light will show through in any spots not covered.
- Fill in any areas that present themselves.
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- After the first side is painted, remove the stencil and paint a thick layer of carbon grease on the second side so it matches the previously painted area.
- Make sure the entire area is covered by grease.
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- Stay within the boundaries of the previously painted area.
- A small amount of carbon grease escaped the active area in the video on the left, but it was not significant enough to redo the actuator.
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Save any leftover carbon grease and cotton swabs for step 4.