I was thinking of getting a old IBM keyboard and having it painted white
Or, get an old IBM and do the hydrogen peroxide and oxi clean trick to it. Mmmm, industrial grey!
If you got the skills to convert it, the best IBM to go for IMO is the Model F. Model M is great as well, but easier to find and use, since it just requires a simple AT to PS2 or USB adapter, where the Model F gets much more complex.
@tacticalbread: Really? I always thought that those keyboards looked nice.
they look nice, but they are complete ass to type on.