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Oiling chips (6 Viewers)
- Thread starter mummel
- Start date
OP
OP
mummel
Full House
I for one think it DEFINITELY makes the chips look better aesthetically, but it also makes them slippery vs chalky, so thats a con, and it seems like my $5s have faded in the ~5 months I haven't used them. I dont know why? It seems like I will need to reapply oil twice a year at least, even though they were never used. Where does the oil go?
Overall, +1 for oiling IMO. I love the look and dont mind playing with my chips at all in front of the TV.
Overall, +1 for oiling IMO. I love the look and dont mind playing with my chips at all in front of the TV.
iballman
Two Pair
I love the smell of Milano's.
justsomedude
Royal Flush
Ouch... that's not a good sign, and usually means the chips are now worthless. Send them to me for proper disposal.
justsomedude
Royal Flush
In all seriousness... Paul-sons and CPC chips are much softer than china clays. A little residue when oiling is to be expected.
After oiling just 10 Atlantic Club DG Peacock chips, I had blue residue on my rag.
After oiling just 10 Atlantic Club DG Peacock chips, I had blue residue on my rag.
When I oil, I use my hands but I immediately dry them off by twisting them on each face on a dry towel and there is a little color transfer...not much but after doing a lot this way, there will be some color on the towel.
Side note: I hand oiled my 1600 customs the other day and while it didn't hurt my fingers rubbing each chip (I actually enjoyed it
), it effected my fingerprint. I kept trying to unlock my iphone by using my thumbprint but it wouldn't work. I tried resetting my phone and other troubleshooting methods but nothing worked. Then it dawned on me, all that oil rubbing must have did something and worn down my thumbprint ridges just enough so for about a week, I had to type in my password until my thumbprint got recognizable again. 
Side note: I hand oiled my 1600 customs the other day and while it didn't hurt my fingers rubbing each chip (I actually enjoyed it
), it effected my fingerprint. I kept trying to unlock my iphone by using my thumbprint but it wouldn't work. I tried resetting my phone and other troubleshooting methods but nothing worked. Then it dawned on me, all that oil rubbing must have did something and worn down my thumbprint ridges just enough so for about a week, I had to type in my password until my thumbprint got recognizable again.
OP
OP
mummel
Full House
I can confirm that chips lose their oil over time.
I oiled these reds about 5 months ago. They have never been used. They were looking a little lack luster so I oiled them up again this weekend. Clearly a difference.
You'll need to oil China clays at least twice a year
I oiled these reds about 5 months ago. They have never been used. They were looking a little lack luster so I oiled them up again this weekend. Clearly a difference.
You'll need to oil China clays at least twice a year
justsomedude
Royal Flush
I've discovered that this is the ongoing, never-ending, greatest debate within the chipping community, ever since I discovered the chip collecting hobby.
For every 5 people who will tell you that oiling is necessary to "protect" chips, there will be 5 other people telling you that it "just makes the colors pop, and offers no protective value." As the saying goes, opinions are like as*holes - everyone has one, and they all stink.
Personally, I oil some of my chipsets (CPC and Paulsons) because I think it makes them look good - but I don't think those chips are any better "protected." And I'm sure some one will post up telling you the exact opposite. Furthermore, I've found that most China Clays get oiled enough just by putting them in play - skin oil from players' fingers transfer to the chips, and give them a nice color "pop." But if you want that color to be maintained over time (ie, in storage), you'll need to manually apply Mineral Oil every so often.
Now - there is a completely separate debate about whether the oil absorbed by 'real' clay chips (Paulson, CPC, etc.) helps their longevity (ie, dried out/non-oiled chips may be more brittle). I can't comment as to that, as I've never had a chip set long enough to determine if oil (or lack thereof) really helps clay chips in the long term.
When it comes down to it... you do you. If you like oiling chips and it makes you happy... Then friggin do it.
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OP
OP
mummel
Full House
Do this little test if you really don't think so.
Take three brand new Paulson chips. Properly oil one with mineral oil, leave one un-oiled, and rub the other one thoroughly with your fingers once or twice per day for a week (without washing your hands prior).
Pop up some extra-butter microwave popcorn one night. Eat it heartily with your hands with no napkins, all the while fondling the three poker chips.
Once finished, let the three chips sit at room temperature for a week. Then wipe off the three chips thoroughly with a damp cloth, nothing else. Then imagine if you had done all that using shit-smeared hands instead of popcorn butter. Or if you had used grape juice.
If upon close inspection of the three chips afterwards, you still seriously maintain that the pre-oiled chip wasn't any better protected, I'll send you five bucks. Ten bucks if you go the grape juice test route ('cuz I know that one is a safe bet).
Pop up some extra-butter microwave popcorn one night. Eat it heartily with your hands with no napkins, all the while fondling the three poker chips.
Once finished, let the three chips sit at room temperature for a week. Then wipe off the three chips thoroughly with a damp cloth, nothing else. Then imagine if you had done all that using shit-smeared hands instead of popcorn butter. Or if you had used grape juice.
If upon close inspection of the three chips afterwards, you still seriously maintain that the pre-oiled chip wasn't any better protected, I'll send you five bucks. Ten bucks if you go the grape juice test route ('cuz I know that one is a safe bet).
Hobbyphilic
Two Pair
It really comes down to preference.
I'm excited to try oiling my Key West and Paulson chips. We'll see how that works out.
My personal experience with the CPS chips (China clay) is that if we play with them at least twice a month they stay pretty clean/shiny/well oiled. One lady always has her lotion at the table - good grief! I must confess, I use it too sometimes. I find myself wiping them down to keep them from getting too slick. Lotion isn't pure mineral oil, so it's just a mess, NOT recommended!
My craps table Milanos were very dry when we moved. I guess people don't shuffle and play with their chips as much at the craps table. If any of my China clays need oil, it's the Milanos.
Oh, lotion used with my ceramic Tiki Kings turns them into ice cubes sprayed with WD-40.
I don't think I'd ever criticize anyone for oiling chips. If it does nothing other than make you happy, do it. If it adds any other benefit, it's a win win.
If you find yourself thinking, "I'd rather be watching Gone With The Wind while eating raw kale," you might want to cut back on your chip oiling routine.
I am going to be slightly pedantic here. Saying, "oiling your chips increases longevity," is very different than, "I'm not doing that again, it was a waste of time." The second statement isn't saying the first is untrue, just stating a chosen course and opinion.
If we all could stick our heads up a chemical or mechanical engineer's..... brain and look around, we would be having thoughts similar to, "Hypothesis: Oiling chips decreases wear by adding a barrier layer between the chips. We need to calculate and test for erosion due to solid particle impingement with and without the oil. This includes testing material hardness, fatigue, density, Young modulus, cutting energy and deformation energy based on predicated cyclical forces." I bet you can't wait to hear about delta V (where V is the volume lost) decreasing! Oh, and the physical properties of the chips and how that affects the barrier layer is also greatly interesting. (last sentence said in the MOST sarcastic voice you can imagine)
A scientific look at the argument ends in PDE's and may all be undone by one simple question, "will you do it?" The math club is great at proving 2+2=4, I'm still not joining. I maintain it ultimately comes down to preference, like polishing or treating your leather shoes.
Wow, I'm a long winded oaf.
I'm excited to try oiling my Key West and Paulson chips. We'll see how that works out.
My personal experience with the CPS chips (China clay) is that if we play with them at least twice a month they stay pretty clean/shiny/well oiled. One lady always has her lotion at the table - good grief! I must confess, I use it too sometimes. I find myself wiping them down to keep them from getting too slick. Lotion isn't pure mineral oil, so it's just a mess, NOT recommended!
My craps table Milanos were very dry when we moved. I guess people don't shuffle and play with their chips as much at the craps table. If any of my China clays need oil, it's the Milanos.
Oh, lotion used with my ceramic Tiki Kings turns them into ice cubes sprayed with WD-40.
I don't think I'd ever criticize anyone for oiling chips. If it does nothing other than make you happy, do it. If it adds any other benefit, it's a win win.
If you find yourself thinking, "I'd rather be watching Gone With The Wind while eating raw kale," you might want to cut back on your chip oiling routine.
I am going to be slightly pedantic here. Saying, "oiling your chips increases longevity," is very different than, "I'm not doing that again, it was a waste of time." The second statement isn't saying the first is untrue, just stating a chosen course and opinion.
If we all could stick our heads up a chemical or mechanical engineer's..... brain and look around, we would be having thoughts similar to, "Hypothesis: Oiling chips decreases wear by adding a barrier layer between the chips. We need to calculate and test for erosion due to solid particle impingement with and without the oil. This includes testing material hardness, fatigue, density, Young modulus, cutting energy and deformation energy based on predicated cyclical forces." I bet you can't wait to hear about delta V (where V is the volume lost) decreasing! Oh, and the physical properties of the chips and how that affects the barrier layer is also greatly interesting. (last sentence said in the MOST sarcastic voice you can imagine)
A scientific look at the argument ends in PDE's and may all be undone by one simple question, "will you do it?" The math club is great at proving 2+2=4, I'm still not joining. I maintain it ultimately comes down to preference, like polishing or treating your leather shoes.
Wow, I'm a long winded oaf.
Actually, it really comes down to having in-depth knowledge about what one is talking about.
There are many more poker chip material types than just ceramics, china clays, and Paulson chips, especially when it comes to the physical properties affected by oiling. Some materials benefit greatly from properly oiling with mineral oil, other materials do not benefit whatsoever. The two biggest single downsides of oiling chips are recognized when 1) oiling chips made of materials that gain nothing from oiling, and 2) improper oiling (almost always some combination of using too much oil and not adequately removing residual oil afterwards).
However, there is no 'correct' blanket statement regarding oiling that covers all poker chips, and it is a disservice to the general chipping public to make such claims due to inexperience or ignorance.
There are many more poker chip material types than just ceramics, china clays, and Paulson chips, especially when it comes to the physical properties affected by oiling. Some materials benefit greatly from properly oiling with mineral oil, other materials do not benefit whatsoever. The two biggest single downsides of oiling chips are recognized when 1) oiling chips made of materials that gain nothing from oiling, and 2) improper oiling (almost always some combination of using too much oil and not adequately removing residual oil afterwards).
However, there is no 'correct' blanket statement regarding oiling that covers all poker chips, and it is a disservice to the general chipping public to make such claims due to inexperience or ignorance.
Just re-oil the rolling edges (super easy and fast). Take an oil soaked (w/ very little oil on it) rag, grab a barrel out of the rack, then spin the barrel in the rag, coating just the outer edges. This is all that's required. Takes 2-4 seconds per barrel.
Set the barrel on end for a few minutes, and after you're done, take a dry rag to the rolling edges to wipe away excess oil before placing back in the racks.
OP
OP
mummel
Full House
I got some CPS samples recently. They sucked to oil. The cross hatching is severe and I couldn't really get the oil to apply smoothly. I only had a sample set vs a barrel to compare the results but I don't think they had that much of an impact.
John definitely oil your Milanos. They respond beautifully. The results were amazing. Only prob is the oiling doesn't last. See my pic above. You need to oil China clays every 4-6 months if you don't use them very often.
John definitely oil your Milanos. They respond beautifully. The results were amazing. Only prob is the oiling doesn't last. See my pic above. You need to oil China clays every 4-6 months if you don't use them very often.
Mental Nomad
Full House
Science note:
It protects chips against staining because an oiled chip has full pores, so new (dirty) fluids can't come in... and because sticky things don't like to stick to slippery, oily things. Though you've wiped off all the visible oil, there's still oil in them there pores, and dirt slips off.
If you're oiling with mineral oil, you should know that it will eventually flow (fall downwards - you'll notice if you over-oil and then let them stand a long time) or evaporate. It has a very low vapor pressure at room temp, but it will evaporate - and if you're using a very, very small amount (we are), then it will evaporate to be gone. (Technically, mineral oil is a mix of oils, none of which evaporate really well, but all of which evaporate eventually.)
That's because mineral oil is a non-polymerizing oil (at room temp. It can polymerize if you bake it, in theory - unsure how hot.)
If you use a polymerizing oil, however, it won't evaporate. Rather, on exposure to air, it will polymerize, forming a harder, more durable, and more permanent effect. Most plant-based oils qualify... linseed oil, walnut oil... anything sold as a "drying oil." (They don't actually dry, they polymerize to harden.) Even corn oil and olive oil.
I have successfully oiled clay chips from sample sets with canola oil! The usual rules apply - coat, wipe thoroughly. The extra step, however, is to make sure they sit out, exposed to the air, for a few days, so that the applied oil can set (polymerize.) I like this approach for sample sets, because I'm not going to be handling them all the time, but I want them to look good when I bust them out. A polymerized coating won't need replacing so often. Perhaps ever. You do need to take care not to build up repeated layers of a polymerizing oil, however, because you'll start to build up a glaze. Useful when trying to make a piece of wood furniture have a glassy finish, but not so much your poker chips!
It protects chips against staining because an oiled chip has full pores, so new (dirty) fluids can't come in... and because sticky things don't like to stick to slippery, oily things. Though you've wiped off all the visible oil, there's still oil in them there pores, and dirt slips off.
If you're oiling with mineral oil, you should know that it will eventually flow (fall downwards - you'll notice if you over-oil and then let them stand a long time) or evaporate. It has a very low vapor pressure at room temp, but it will evaporate - and if you're using a very, very small amount (we are), then it will evaporate to be gone. (Technically, mineral oil is a mix of oils, none of which evaporate really well, but all of which evaporate eventually.)
That's because mineral oil is a non-polymerizing oil (at room temp. It can polymerize if you bake it, in theory - unsure how hot.)
If you use a polymerizing oil, however, it won't evaporate. Rather, on exposure to air, it will polymerize, forming a harder, more durable, and more permanent effect. Most plant-based oils qualify... linseed oil, walnut oil... anything sold as a "drying oil." (They don't actually dry, they polymerize to harden.) Even corn oil and olive oil.
I have successfully oiled clay chips from sample sets with canola oil! The usual rules apply - coat, wipe thoroughly. The extra step, however, is to make sure they sit out, exposed to the air, for a few days, so that the applied oil can set (polymerize.) I like this approach for sample sets, because I'm not going to be handling them all the time, but I want them to look good when I bust them out. A polymerized coating won't need replacing so often. Perhaps ever. You do need to take care not to build up repeated layers of a polymerizing oil, however, because you'll start to build up a glaze. Useful when trying to make a piece of wood furniture have a glassy finish, but not so much your poker chips!
^ Fact, not opinion. At least in reference to 'clay' chips.
SemiNumerical
Straight
I watch too many of your videos, I read this in your voice in my head, especially the last line. Was very John Hobby (y) :thumbsup:It really comes down to preference.
I'm excited to try oiling my Key West and Paulson chips. We'll see how that works out.
My personal experience with the CPS chips (China clay) is that if we play with them at least twice a month they stay pretty clean/shiny/well oiled. One lady always has her lotion at the table - good grief! I must confess, I use it too sometimes. I find myself wiping them down to keep them from getting too slick. Lotion isn't pure mineral oil, so it's just a mess, NOT recommended!
My craps table Milanos were very dry when we moved. I guess people don't shuffle and play with their chips as much at the craps table. If any of my China clays need oil, it's the Milanos.
Oh, lotion used with my ceramic Tiki Kings turns them into ice cubes sprayed with WD-40.
I don't think I'd ever criticize anyone for oiling chips. If it does nothing other than make you happy, do it. If it adds any other benefit, it's a win win.
If you find yourself thinking, "I'd rather be watching Gone With The Wind while eating raw kale," you might want to cut back on your chip oiling routine.
I am going to be slightly pedantic here. Saying, "oiling your chips increases longevity," is very different than, "I'm not doing that again, it was a waste of time." The second statement isn't saying the first is untrue, just stating a chosen course and opinion.
If we all could stick our heads up a chemical or mechanical engineer's..... brain and look around, we would be having thoughts similar to, "Hypothesis: Oiling chips decreases wear by adding a barrier layer between the chips. We need to calculate and test for erosion due to solid particle impingement with and without the oil. This includes testing material hardness, fatigue, density, Young modulus, cutting energy and deformation energy based on predicated cyclical forces." I bet you can't wait to hear about delta V (where V is the volume lost) decreasing! Oh, and the physical properties of the chips and how that affects the barrier layer is also greatly interesting. (last sentence said in the MOST sarcastic voice you can imagine)
A scientific look at the argument ends in PDE's and may all be undone by one simple question, "will you do it?" The math club is great at proving 2+2=4, I'm still not joining. I maintain it ultimately comes down to preference, like polishing or treating your leather shoes.
Wow, I'm a long winded oaf.
I remember a few years back, when China Clays were kind of a relatively "new chip", I had gotten a set of custom labeled Wall CC's from Palm, & I had researched about oiling then at the time, searching threads on the 'other board, & elsewhere ...
I had decided oil them, but I seem to recall many posters & suppliers of these chips claiming oil would do little or nothing past an initial "shine/color pop & dust off", as compared to the effect oil would have on Paulsons, ASM, BCC's .....
I also remember the oil effect on my chips not lasting anywhere as long as oiled Paulsons, the CC's "faded" quickly, & needed more oil very often to restore the color/shine, as if the oil were evaporating or leaching off quickly ... Perhaps the type of plastic component/ingredient used in CC's is closer to a plastic or dice chip than to what is used in a Paulson or ASM ..
Today there seems to be less posters saying not to oil CC's, yet however many still say they need to be oiled very often or they think the chips are "soaking in the oil ( which I very much doubt, especially after @Mental Nomad 's informative comments above about mineral oil...)
I wonder if there's someone out there oiling their dice chips before every game, to get that shine pop , thinking their official casino weight "clay" chips are soaking up oil !!
I had decided oil them, but I seem to recall many posters & suppliers of these chips claiming oil would do little or nothing past an initial "shine/color pop & dust off", as compared to the effect oil would have on Paulsons, ASM, BCC's .....
I also remember the oil effect on my chips not lasting anywhere as long as oiled Paulsons, the CC's "faded" quickly, & needed more oil very often to restore the color/shine, as if the oil were evaporating or leaching off quickly ... Perhaps the type of plastic component/ingredient used in CC's is closer to a plastic or dice chip than to what is used in a Paulson or ASM ..
Today there seems to be less posters saying not to oil CC's, yet however many still say they need to be oiled very often or they think the chips are "soaking in the oil ( which I very much doubt, especially after @Mental Nomad 's informative comments above about mineral oil...)
I wonder if there's someone out there oiling their dice chips before every game, to get that shine pop , thinking their official casino weight "clay" chips are soaking up oil !!
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China! Where else.
OP
OP
mummel
Full House
LOL people are claiming evaporation, transfer, being soaked up inside the materials. NO ONE KNOWS SHT!
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