ASM Wear (1 Viewer)

bergs

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I've hosted about 50-60 sessions with my Truman's House ASMs and I've just started to notice the slightest (almost imperceptible unless you're looking for it) stack height differences between some of the chips.

The purple quarters are just a sliver shorter than the other stacks - this was definitely not the case when I first got them or starting using them. Edgespots are still relatively sharp and such - just noticed the height difference is all.

Granted, most of the people that play with these are, like myself, prolific shufflers.

What have people seen for historical wear and tear on their ASM chips? Are there difference base colors that wear faster than others? Seems like a silly question but having been on the tour I know that the composition for each base chip is slightly different.
 
i wonder if you see greater wear on your quarters by virtue of their denom. i tend to shuffle chips of the lowest denom in my stack (makes eye-balling my chip count easier while shuffling) and i think others do, too.
 
i wonder if you see greater wear on your quarters by virtue of their denom. i tend to shuffle chips of the lowest denom in my stack (makes eye-balling my chip count easier while shuffling) and i think others do, too.

Agreed on this. I rarely shuffle big denoms because I rarely have them :(
 
p.s. i came into this thread fully expecting to see a line of ASM sweatshirts, sweatpants...basically sweat everything.
Haha me too!! I want an ASM hat. :D
 
yep I tend to think most shufflin is done with the smaller amounts. most times its because its what is the largest stack in front. For some reason the fracs seem to collect up far too easily for me ha
 
Since I got my original Via Lactea chips in Sept. 2013 I've hosted probably 60 games with them - mostly getting the same 400-500 chips into play each time. After that many games you can definitely tell a difference - they don't look "worn" per se, but the stacks are slightly shorter than they used to be, the edges could use a quick wipe with soap & water (most noticeable on the quarters - they get the most play as they are all in play immediately, and dirt shows a lot more on them than my retro blue $1's.) Most unfortunately of all, the brass flakes start to tarnish and lose their luster pretty quickly. :( Is there any possible way to polish tiny brass flakes in poker chips???
 
Most unfortunately of all, the brass flakes start to tarnish and lose their luster pretty quickly. :( Is there any possible way to polish tiny brass flakes in poker chips???

Never cared much for the brass flake look, so tarnished (and less noticeable) is perfectly fine with me. But if so inclined, try one or more of the following (on a test chip you care nothing about first, please....):

- Tiny dab of Brasso* on a cloth, rub it around the rolling edge. Rinse or wipe with water-wet cloth afterwards.

- Buff using a cloth polishing wheel and Dremel tool at slow speed (surface-mounted, not hand-held).


* available at The Home Depot
24023058-ce6b-42b1-a945-8f9f398e8dd9_400.jpg

DISCLAIMER: I have no idea what the ingredients may do to ASM/CPC chips. The formulas for Brasso differ from country to country, too -- so something that works in the US may be lethal for chips when purchased elsewhere:

The material safety data sheet for Brasso in North America lists isopropyl alcohol 3-5%, ammonia 5-10%, silica powder 15-20% and oxalic acid 0-3% as the ingredients. The label of Australian Brasso lists "Liquid Hydrocarbons 630g/L; Ammonia 5g/L", but contains kaolin and quartz instead of silica for abrasives.The material safety data sheet for Brasso liquid in the UK lists the ingredients as C8-10 Alkane/Cycloalkane/Aromatic Hydrocarbons, Quartz, Kaolin, C12-20 Saturated and Unsaturated Monobasic Fatty Acids, Aqua and Ammonium Hydroxide.


Just a hunch, but the US version is probably the safest of those three for chips. I wouldn't use hydrocarbons on ASM chip materials, even if just a test.


Dremel rotary tool (advise using a mounted -not hand-held- variable-speed model at low speed):

512E EZ Lock Finishing Abrasive Buffs 320 Grit (ideal for removing tarnish from brass)
http://www.dremel.com/en-us/Accessories/Pages/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=512E
512E_lg%20r41158v15.jpg


422 Felt Polishing Cone (use with 421 Polishing Compound)
http://www.dremel.com/en-us/Accessories/Pages/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=422
Dremel%20Rotary%20Tool%20Accessory%20422%20(EN)%20r19788v15.jpg


421 Polishing Compound (removes dull oxidized film and polishes metals)
http://www.dremel.com/en-us/Accessories/Pages/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=421
Dremel%20Polishing%20Compound%20Polishing%20Compound,%20421%20(EN)%20r19791v15.jpg




Off-topic, but I had no idea that Dremel is now selling a 3D model printer -- $999 at The Home Depot or Amazon.com:

keyfeature-img01_0_0.png
 
Last edited:
Never cared much for the brass flake look, so tarnished (and less noticeable) is perfectly fine with me. But if so inclined, try one or more of the following (on a test chip you care nothing about first, please....):

- Tiny dab of Brasso* on a cloth, rub it around the rolling edge. Rinse or wipe with water-wet cloth afterwards.

- Buff using a cloth polishing wheel and Dremel tool at slow speed (surface-mounted, not hand-held).


* available at The Home Depot
24023058-ce6b-42b1-a945-8f9f398e8dd9_400.jpg

DISCLAIMER: I have no idea what the ingredients may do to ASM/CPC chips. The formulas for Brasso differ from country to country, too -- so something that works in the US may be lethal for chips when purchased elsewhere:



Just a hunch, but the US version is probably the safest of those three for chips. I wouldn't use hydrocarbons on ASM chip materials, even if just a test.


Dremel rotary tool (advise using a mounted -not hand-held- variable-speed model at low speed):

512E EZ Lock Finishing Abrasive Buffs 320 Grit (ideal for removing tarnish from brass)
http://www.dremel.com/en-us/Accessories/Pages/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=512E
512E_lg%20r41158v15.jpg


422 Felt Polishing Cone (use with 421 Polishing Compound)
http://www.dremel.com/en-us/Accessories/Pages/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=422
Dremel%20Rotary%20Tool%20Accessory%20422%20(EN)%20r19788v15.jpg


421 Polishing Compound (removes dull oxidized film and polishes metals)
http://www.dremel.com/en-us/Accessories/Pages/ProductDetail.aspx?pid=421
Dremel%20Polishing%20Compound%20Polishing%20Compound,%20421%20(EN)%20r19791v15.jpg




Off-topic, but I had no idea that Dremel is now selling a 3D model printer -- $999 at The Home Depot or Amazon.com:

keyfeature-img01_0_0.png

Can it print chips with custom spot colors? If so you have my attention.
 
Wowzers. Even trying that would put me at a whole new, never-before-seen level of chip-geekdom. Considering... ;)
 
I've experienced the same slight reduction in stack height attributable to wear in all my chips: ASM customs, BCC customs, and Paulson PNYs.
 
I concur. [emoji12]

Seems dependent on denoms in play. My shortest stacks are the $1 chips prolly because of $1/1 mixed game and I've added onto the $5's more often and recently.

It's indeed a "sliver", maybe 1/4 of chip thickness for a barrel. I don't mind, maybe someday they'll all fit in Paulson or Chipco racks.
 
Avoiding creating a new topic so I'll bring back an old thread instead... I was curious about CPC chip thicknesses. I have a colour sample set here and could tell some of the chips are thicker than others so grabbed the verniers... My bright white measures 3.5mm and my dayglo peach is 3.2mm as an example. That's a couple of mm over a barrel meaning different racks will be needed. That said, this is just a sample set of solids. Maybe they were sitting around at the factory for a while. I don't know.

Do you guys with custom sets find the thickness of (brand new) chips is fairly consistent? Doesn't really matter, I can put them in 70mm racks with lids instead of fitted racks if need be.

(p.s. most of the others are an even 3.3mm)
 
Avoiding creating a new topic so I'll bring back an old thread instead... I was curious about CPC chip thicknesses. I have a colour sample set here and could tell some of the chips are thicker than others so grabbed the verniers... My bright white measures 3.5mm and my dayglo peach is 3.2mm as an example. That's a couple of mm over a barrel meaning different racks will be needed. That said, this is just a sample set of solids. Maybe they were sitting around at the factory for a while. I don't know.

Do you guys with custom sets find the thickness of (brand new) chips is fairly consistent? Doesn't really matter, I can put them in 70mm racks with lids instead of fitted racks if need be.

(p.s. most of the others are an even 3.3mm)
Are you sure it's the color and not the mold? Some of the molds like the A mold are extremely consistent whereas the Md-50 has a lot more unevenness.
 
Are you sure it's the color and not the mold? Some of the molds like the A mold are extremely consistent whereas the Md-50 has a lot more unevenness.

These samples David sent me are all A molds. I've measured and re-measured 3+ times to be sure.
 
I bought my HH mold some time before 09 and they were uneven right out of the box. Green was the color that didn't stack correct.
 
I know that feeling.. My CC Pharaoh's 5c chips can fit 22 to a rack and my 25c can only fit 19 and it causes questions. New players always think I've shorted them a 5c chip at cash-in until I explain the lack of QC in China :(
 
Avoiding creating a new topic so I'll bring back an old thread instead... I was curious about CPC chip thicknesses. I have a colour sample set here and could tell some of the chips are thicker than others so grabbed the verniers... My bright white measures 3.5mm and my dayglo peach is 3.2mm as an example. That's a couple of mm over a barrel meaning different racks will be needed. That said, this is just a sample set of solids. Maybe they were sitting around at the factory for a while. I don't know.

Do you guys with custom sets find the thickness of (brand new) chips is fairly consistent? Doesn't really matter, I can put them in 70mm racks with lids instead of fitted racks if need be.

(p.s. most of the others are an even 3.3mm)

All of my customs are the same in racks. No worries. Manufacture date is Spring 2015.
 
Uneven thicknesses in new chips is are probably my biggest fear. Having uneven stacks in a cheap set is one of the things that drove me to search out sites like CT and PCF in the first place. Even my ceramics have different thicknesses depending on when they were made, which was disappointing.

I'm toying with the idea of a custom solid tourney set (colours would be light green, black, lavender / imperial blue, canary yellow, orange/mandarin red), but if I'm going to spend a significant amount on chips, having even stack heights out of the box with mint chips is a must. What molds have the least variance?
 
I only have experience with the horse head mold chips and as stated before only the green chips had uneven stacks.
set has red, green, black, purple and yellow
 
Uneven thicknesses in new chips is are probably my biggest fear. Having uneven stacks in a cheap set is one of the things that drove me to search out sites like CT and PCF in the first place. Even my ceramics have different thicknesses depending on when they were made, which was disappointing.

I'm toying with the idea of a custom solid tourney set (colours would be light green, black, lavender / imperial blue, canary yellow, orange/mandarin red), but if I'm going to spend a significant amount on chips, having even stack heights out of the box with mint chips is a must. What molds have the least variance?

I must be the lucky one.
3 custom and 2 mint non custom ASM sets with 4 different molds and stack height has been consistent across all colors. Host weekly games but only have 1 chip shufflin maniac in the group but under the right lighting angle I have noticed faint scratches across the inlay. Another reason to not shuffle your precious and expensive chips.
 
Another reason to not shuffle your precious and expensive chips.

I don't know if I can avoid doing that when I get my CPCs. I may need to get some shuffling chips then.
 
I must be the lucky one.
3 custom and 2 mint non custom ASM sets with 4 different molds and stack height has been consistent across all colors. Host weekly games but only have 1 chip shufflin maniac in the group but under the right lighting angle I have noticed faint scratches across the inlay. Another reason to not shuffle your precious and expensive chips.

Not very realistic. Shuffle away damnt
 
They are poker chips, part of the fun is breaking them in. I like seeing mine get dirty, finger grime, slowly get rounded edges. It means I have used them for what they are intended. If I want crispy mint ones, Ill just order more!
 
My CPCs have a slight height difference between denoms, but not within the same denom. The difference is quite small @ 20 chips, but a little more perceptible @ 40 chips. I couldn't even tell you which are taller now, because it was a non issue (unlike the Milanos where the difference was an issue). Because I tend to stack in stacks of 10 (I just don't have enough chips to get stacks of 20), it remains a non-issue.
 

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