Yellow keys?

I just bought a second hand Analog keys, everything is in great condition but the keys are yellow in comparison to my other keyboard, is this a common issue with the AK or was this exposed to sunlight/smoke? if so…can anyone recommend a way to bring them back to white?

I bought a second hand one end of last year, also had yellow keys.

Rest of it did not have a scratch on it, so it was clearly looked after.

I seem to remember reading somewhere that some white plastics (if that is the correct word) are just prone to yellowing.

It was probably sunlight exposure. It doesn’t stop you from playing though

so my question remains, is it possible to clear the yellow out of it?

The keys on my AK became yellow-ish during two years. Maybe three years. It didn’t get much sun light exposure, though because I always used a keyboard cover…

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I don’t feel so bad then. Yes my cover is decent too.

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Here’s what second hand synth seller and synth repair parts seller Syntaur says about how to whiten keys. This is a general approach so no doubt could be changed around. I think this requires disassembly and removing the keys.

https://syntaur.com/DIYdocs/DIY0018.html

You might also consult with Fatar, to get their advice. (Please someone correct me, i’m pretty sure they are the supplier for the AK.) They also could likely sell you replacement keys or the whole assembly. Of course there’s also Elektron service.

EDITED

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that would’ve been an easy treatment if it wasn’t for the removing of the keys, but thanks for the suggestion.

It’s defo a common AK issue that the keys colour over time. When I had one, and one of the keys broke, the replacement Elektron (kindly) sent was bright white and really didn’t match! :see_no_evil:

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Dip it in cofffee. Then you got an original set . (I’m joking). It is a good set of keys for compact playing though.

At the end of the day I look as it like battle wounds on my gear. It adds charm. It reminds me of someone buying an expensive watch then scratches appear everywhere. You realize resale value has dropped but to you it’s still worth its price brand new.

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Here’s a Wikipedia page with a lot of suggestions.

Would seem to me risky to try to apply this sort of formulation to a keyboard without taking it apart.

Different plastic formulations will obviously be more resistant to yellowing. Seems to me that getting the right plastic should be a no brained for keyboard makers.

With the AK, once it’s white again, slather on a good coating of SPF 30 lotion. (I’m joking too.)

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https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/commercial-specialty-vehicles-us/applications/vehicle-visibility/