Chip oiling first time (1 Viewer)

[Junior24xx]

Hi folks,
Again a newbie question.
When oiling chips, how much oil are we talking about? A dab on a rag or an almost soaking?
thanks

 

[Mr Tree]

VERY little. Just a dollop on a rag will be sufficient for a large number of chips

 

[acl1904]

A dab goes a long way. I then let them air dry (or dry them with a towel or do both) before placing them back in racks.

 

[links_slayer]

What kind of chips?

As others have said, a little goes a LOOOOOOOOOONG way!

 

[200 Motels]

Agreed. I don't even use a rag. I just use my finger. Smallest possible dip, smudge using pointer finger and thumb, smear around edge till glossy. Remove excess right away with (soon to be oily) cloth. Let sit on sheet of paper towel over night. After they've set out for day, get a new cloth and try to remove greasy feeling. Shuffle with dry hands to remove remaining.

It's recommended to clean your chips before oiling them and to only oil chips that would benefit from them. What kind of chips you oiling? Also use mineral oil, also don't oil Nexgens.

 

[UW85]

Chip oiling has been perfected (IMO) -- use something like THIS: shoe polish applicator thingy



Lay out your chips, dab your sponge thingy into the oil, press and twist just a bit, flip over, repeat, sweep edges, towel off any excess. Works great -- have done thousands this way. SO much easier then using a rag or towel to oil. Best of luck. Virgin Baby Whale Oil works best. (that last part was a joke for any PC folks...)

 

[ski_ex5]

Chip oiling has been perfected (IMO) -- use something like THIS: shoe polish applicator thingy

Lay out your chips, dab your sponge thingy into the oil, press and twist just a bit, flip over, repeat, sweep edges, towel off any excess. Works great -- have done thousands this way. SO much easier then using a rag or towel to oil. Best of luck. Virgin Baby Whale Oil works best. (that last part was a joke for any PC folks...)

Yes, that WAS a joke. Nearly everyone knows you should be using nothing other than Virgin Baby SEAL oil!

Kidding aside, I would like to re-iterate what others have said above...
If you're using regular (non-gelled) mineral oil, a little goes a long way.

I'd like to add this caution...
A lot of regular mineral oil, especially if you submerge the chips, can get under the inlays, make them appear darker, and basically ruin the chips.

All that said, I stopped using regular mineral oil a long time ago. Just in case you didn't see it in my response to your other thread, I'll quote myself below. The photo from UW85 is extremely similar to the Kiwi brand shoe polish applicators that I use, and they're great!

Bucking the conventional wisdom (sorry Dave!), for clay chips, I apply the Johnson's Baby Oil GEL quite generously to the chips with a Kiwi shoe polish applicator (thanks to Pug, Dave, and others who suggested this applicator). I want to ensure every ring, H&C, crack, and crevice in the mold is contacted with the GEL. I then leave the chips pretty wet with the GEL for DAYS, and often over a week. Unlike non-gelled mineral oil, the Johnson's Baby Oil GEL will not get under the inlays of the chips to darken them (and I've probably done over 10k chips without a problem). The downside of all this is that removing the excess GEL is a pain, but using bar mop towels for the job makes it a little easier. Along with helping to keep the chips cleaner longer, I also find that this method keeps them looking nice much longer than regular mineral oil. Note that you can get an unscented version of the Johnson's Baby Oil GEL, too; it comes in a pink capped clear bottle.

I even use a very light coat of the Johnson's Baby Oil GEL on Chipco ceramics to help keep them cleaner longer.

The bar mop towels I mentioned can be found at Sams and other warehouse clubs dirt cheap, and they are GREAT for chip-a-holics and other uses around the house.

I just wish I could find a faster easier way to to the whole Baby Oil GEL thing, but it results in nicer looking chips, lasts longer, and helps keep them from getting dirty/grimy with use.

 

[Junior24xx]

Thanks for the responses.... I know I keep asking questions that are old news but I really appreciate your taking the time to answer.
im gonna get oiling with mineral oil as soon as Canada is done pumping the Russians at the work junior.
I will definitely try the gel oil technique on my next batch

 

[OklahomaBill]

I use Dunlop 6554 guitar lemon oil... Basically a light mineral oil for cleaning guitars. It has a very slight but pleasant lemon fragrance that does not linger. The Dab-o-Matic applicator makes it very easy to apply to a poker chip in controlled amounts. Then I just wipe it off with a microfiber cloth.

Not as cheap as a quart bottle of mineral oil from CVS but easy to apply.

 

[BGinGA]

Yes, that WAS a joke. Nearly everyone knows you should be using nothing other than Virgin Baby SEAL oil!

Sorry, but felt the need to correct your erroneous statement.

All joking aside, virgin baby whale oil (freshly-killed) is the absolute stone-cold nutz. Best when applied to chips with a baby seal pelt, also freshly killed. First uttered by JM, many moons ago.

this ends the politically-incorrect segment of the post

 

[spikeithard]

I usually just dab some on my fingers and take a barrel or half a barrel of chips and roll them in my fingers and only get the outside edges wet. Let the nature of the game work the rest of the oil around them if you use them enough.

I have heard good things about freshly killed compared to non freshly killed! A certain special feel and shine

 

[Poker Zombie]

On the few I've tried (samples rule!), I found the method I like the best:

• Knock off any dust on the chips. You can use a toothbrush, but a vegetable brush works well and is bigger.
• Put a little on a lint-free rag by tipping the bottle and plugging the opening with your thumb and rag.
• Run that oil around the clay portion of a bunch of chips, one at a time. Avoid the label - it won't absorb the oil and will increase your drying time.
• Set aside "wet" chips on something that won't be damaged by mineral oil. I use a wooden cutting board, because it should be oiled occasionally anyway. Sometimes I use the tile floor near the door, because when Mrs Poker Zombie comes home I get to make a hilarious YouTube video!
• When the cutting board gets full, wipe the chips with a dry rag and set aside. A little fondling will help remove any oil you missed, and moisturize your hands during the cold, dry winter months.

 

[CO0LHand]

So the Johnson's baby oil gel wets the chips and doesn't get under the label? That sounds like an interesting method, and leaving them soaked for days too.

I am trying to research what to do with the new CPCs coming and this sounds like fun to try!

Thanks.

 

[spikeithard]

So the Johnson's baby oil gel wets the chips and doesn't get under the label? That sounds like an interesting method, and leaving them soaked for days too.

I am trying to research what to do with the new CPCs coming and this sounds like fun to try!

Thanks.

just do my method and do only the edges with a decent amount of oil in the fingers. roll a barrel around in your fingers. you can lightly do the faces but do them if you really have the time.

 

[BGinGA]

just do my method and do only the edges with a decent amount of oil in the fingers. roll a barrel around in your fingers. you can lightly do the faces but do them if you really have the time.

^^ Oiling just the edges works far better for ASM/CPC chips than Paulson or BCC chips. The softer formulas tend to take on more oil and really set the colors on fire (not so much with the harder ASM/CPC chips).

 

[UW85]

All joking aside, virgin baby whale oil (freshly-killed) is the absolute stone-cold nutz. Best when applied to chips with a baby seal pelt, also freshly killed. First uttered by JM, many moons ago.

this ends the politically-incorrect segment of the post

Holy Crap BG -- I literally fell off the couch laughing just now. Friggen hilarious dude....by way of JM. ...still laughing.

 

[Junior24xx]

Just finished oiling. Used a rag and some mineral oil, worked great. The red aztars really look better, the paradice look good too but there wasn't as much of a difference.
Thanks again for all the advice.

 

[200 Motels]

Glad it worked out. My green .50 cent lucky derbys didn't seem to need oiling after a cleaning. Maybe it's something bout green clay.

 

[Messiah]

^^ Oiling just the edges works far better for ASM/CPC chips than Paulson or BCC chips. The softer formulas tend to take on more oil and really set the colors on fire (not so much with the harder ASM/CPC chips).

Sorry but I am a little confused by your post. I am reading this thread for the first time since I just got classic poker chip samples in. They are great but you can tell they have a chalky/not vibrant color. I think I have the cleaning process down, but what oil should I use? Should I just put it on the edges or also the face? I am working on creating custom chips that will eventually have hot stamps for them and it looks like I don't apply the oil to that once I get my chips (correct me if I am wrong).

 

[Mr Tree]

Sorry but I am a little confused by your post. I am reading this thread for the first time since I just got classic poker chip samples in. They are great but you can tell they have a chalky/not vibrant color. I think I have the cleaning process down, but what oil should I use? Should I just put it on the edges or also the face? I am working on creating custom chips that will eventually have hot stamps for them and it looks like I don't apply the oil to that once I get my chips (correct me if I am wrong).

Virgin baby seal oil FTW.

 

[Poker Zombie]

Mineral oil. Oil the samples and determine if you want to oil the whole chip, the edges or none at all. You may wish to consider your usage as well. If you are playing a ton, oiling is less necessary as players' oily hands will eventually do the job, but if you want stellar chips right out of the gate, use oil. I would oil after you have the hot stamping completed though.

 

[Messiah]

Thanks. I just want to test it on the samples before I buy the expensive chips. The colors are also kind of dull so I would like to see what they look like when fully vibrant.

 

[BGinGA]

If you are playing a ton, oiling is less necessary as players' oily hands will eventually do the job...

Sorry, but ^this^ is just wrong. The last thing you want to soak into your brand new pristine chips is nasty organic oils from somebody's hands...... sweat, food grease, boogers, urine, whatever. Pass.

One of the advantages of oiling with mineral oil before chips are put into play is that it provides some protection from the chips absorbing nasty stuff during play. If you play a ton, pre-oiling is even ~more~ important. Making the colors pop is a bonus.


Wipe the chips down with a slightly-damp cloth to remove the factory dust, then get them hot-stamped. Apply mineral oil afterwards (extremely sparingly), wipe off completely, and let air dry before re-racking.

 

[Mr Tree]

Ok here's a serious follow up question. Does anyone ever reapply oil to their chips?

 

[jbutler]

Ok here's a serious follow up question. Does anyone ever reapply oil to their chips?

i can only conceive of re-oiling chips if they've been cleaned (i.e., fully cleaned with soap/water/magic eraser, etc.).

when i only had one clay set i used the same chips for somewhere around 2000 hours (two 10-hour games a week for two years) without them getting dirty enough to need to clean, so i guess it's hard for me to imagine ever needing to put the set through a full cleaning.

 

[Mental Nomad]

Soaps and detergents remove oil.

After cleaning, re-oil.

So oil before use - whether it's first use ever, or first use after cleaning.

When you apply clean oil intentionally, they won't take on dirty oil accidentally.

Oh, and they also look better.

 

[ChaosRock]

Ok here's a serious follow up question. Does anyone ever reapply oil to their chips?

Just like the answer to almost all questions in life Tree, imo, it depends...

If the chips are brand new when you oiled them, I don't think there's a reason to oiled them again unless you wash them, as Butler said...

However, if the chips were used to begin with, I feel they benefit from oiling from time to time, specially if they have not been used in some time...

Those are just general observations but even then, it will depend a bit on the manufacturer and even the different mold...

I find ASM/CPC absorbs the least amount of oil, although it's very much needed, and at the same time, retains longer... I have a set I oiled a couple of months ago and they shine like I oiled them yesterday... BCCs really, really benefit from oiling and the colors pop but they don't shine as much... Some Paulson come pretty shiny already and oiling is just a protection, some come chalky and need oil just like BCCs but don't keep it too long and don't show that much (Casablancas DarkRed/Peach for example)... So it's kinda all over the place really...

I wish I had a yes or no answer for you!

 

[BGinGA]

when i only had one clay set i used the same chips for somewhere around 2000 hours (two 10-hour games a week for two years) without them getting dirty enough to need to clean, so i guess it's hard for me to imagine ever needing to put the set through a full cleaning.

Were those the ASM no-molds? Chips without mold crevices may make crud buildup more difficult, essentially keeping the chips cleaner longer.

There have been a couple of people around here (courage was one, I think) who had enough play time on their home chips to warrant serious cleaning (he even bought an ultrasonic cleaner to do the job better/faster). Some of the posted pics showed grime build-up that rivaled that on some used casino chips sold by TCR.

 

[jbutler]

There have been a couple of people around here (courage was one, I think) who had enough play time on their home chips to warrant serious cleaning (he even bought an ultrasonic cleaner to do the job better/faster). Some of the posted pics showed grime build-up that rivaled that on some used casino chips sold by TCR.

I was using ASM HHRs. I can't recall which chips got mucked up in courage's game, but I would imagine Paulson's and BCC's clay formula make them more vulnerable to crud build-up.

 

[Ben]

Before S@P I cleaned the Via Lactea quarters and re-oiled the whole set. Some needed it worse than others - the chips that have been around since day 1 with no play had gotten pretty dry and were in need. The chips that have seen a lot of play were fine, but got the treatment anyway for uniform sparkle.

The quarters and $1s that have been played the most had gotten slightly dirty around the edges (and with weighted chips it can be hard to tell because when the brass flakes become tarnished it resembles dirt.) I found, through a couple old threads on CT and my own experience, that the best way to clean off that type of minor dirt is WITH oil. Just oil up the edges and then give them a hard, vigorous drying and it comes right off. It was far more effective (and less risky) than using dish soap on them, which I tried at first.