Can I use Rubbing alcohol to remove chip grime? (1 Viewer)

[philhut]

Some of the majestic star 100 ncv chips I bought in the last sale refuse to have their edges come clean. I have used the ultrasonic, wiped them down etc but still the rolling edges remain with hand grime. Thinking I may be best to use isopropyl alcohol 50% (from the $store) to break up the grime a bit before using in the ultrasonic.

Anyone have exp with super grime edged chips that just wont come clean? The rest of the chips cleaned up well, somehow after the same treatment the t100's (actually brown not black) still look like a years of hand gunk is on the border. Short of sandpaper will alcohol help? Destroy the chips or just frustrate me more. The rest of the set is great, I just want the 100s to not look like they came from the auto shop.

(These chips were put through US @ 40-42 celcius, 15 seconds per side then brushed with a tooth brush on each face and edges wiped with a course sponge to loosen dirt then run 15 sec per side again and rinsed. Here are similar results with other chips re:1k's. These are leaded 36mm chips that have seen a lot of use. Any way to get them looking cleaner on the edges? All the other colors cleaned up well.

Same process used as comparison for affect

 

[BearMetal]

Is it grime, or is it just heavily used and no longer smooth? I have never had any issues with the ultrasonic not really removing grime, or color transfer. It usually does a fantastic job.

With that said, I do use 92% isopropyl alcohol when I remove labels from Paulsons, and I have really never seen any issues with any type of reaction. I've even left one stubborn chip soaking in the alcohol and it really didn't do anything to it. So as far as trying to use alcohol to clean the edges, I don't see a downside. But I also don't think it's going to do much if the ultrasonic in combination with fake TSP didn't.

 

[philhut]

Is it grime, or is it just heavily used and no longer smooth? I have never had any issues with the ultrasonic not really removing grime, or color transfer. It usually does a fantastic job.

With that said, I do use 92% isopropyl alcohol when I remove labels from Paulsons, and I have really never seen any issues with any type of reaction. I've even left one stubborn chip soaking in the alcohol and it really didn't do anything to it. So as far as trying to use alcohol to clean the edges, I don't see a downside. But I also don't think it's going to do much if the ultrasonic in combination with fake TSP didn't.

If I use my fingernail I can scrape off small amounts of whatever is on the chips. Some barrels have been through the process 3x and are only slightly better after each run. No doubt the 100s saw the most play, possible some special people of Gary compound? No other chip had caused this for me.

I have 992 t100's so would like a simple solution that gets the job done once and for good. Part of a F-it just because I always wanted a 100 player tourney set that I could afford.

 

[Colquhoun]

The issue is that the chips have those synthetic (or natural) fibers in them, and when they are lathed during production, those fibers protrude all along the edge, almost like end-grain in wood.
I’ve seen those fibers can get stained, and are very hard to get completely clean.
On the chip face, the fibers mix in with the plastic and lay down in a horizontal orientation, but they all stick out and are trimmed along the edge. That’s why the edges often look “fuzzy”.

 

[BearMetal]

If I use my fingernail I can scrape off small amounts of whatever is on the chips. Some barrels have been through the process 3x and are only slightly better after each run. No doubt the 100s saw the most play, possible some special people of Gary compound? No other chip had caused this for me.

hmmm ... The only time that I've ever seen this is with really old chips, and no amount of cleaning had fixed them. The edges had just been damaged to the point where the pitting was making it trap dirt and look yucky.

But with that said, I really don't think that alcohol would cause any problems so you could certainly try it.

 

[KHarp1]

The issue is that the chips have those synthetic (or natural) fibers in them, and when they are lathed during production, those fibers protrude all along the edge, almost like end-grain in wood.
I’ve seen those fibers can get stained, and are very hard to get completely clean.
On the chip face, the fibers mix in with the plastic and lay down in a horizontal orientation, but they all stick out and are trimmed along the edge. That’s why the edges often look “fuzzy”.

Wonder if a super fine grit sandpaper without help to smooth those out? Maybe lay a sheet on a firm, solid surface and lightly roll the chip around on its edge. When I say super fine I'm talking 2000 grit, or above. I use to get 10,000 from a tool maker at work, felt like an eyeglass cloth. Was used for polishing metal. Something like that might smooth out any frayed edges. Just a thought.

 

[chippitydoodah]

Try an alcohol prep pad and wipe a small area and see what appears on the wipe.

 

[cpiaaq]

Magic eraser might do the trick, it’s minimally abrasive and has lots of chip cleaning success behind it.

 

[allforcharity]

Why not use magic eraser? Dampen a bit. Put in the center barrel in a rack and do the exposed surface, rotate and repeat. Should have clean edges with 3-4 rotations. Make sure fit is comfortably tight.