Chip oiling first time (1 Viewer)

[Mr Tree]

I was moving around my cash set and felt like some of the chips, especially the $25s, just looked like they could use it again. My cash set really doesn't see a ton of action so I was wondering if I was crazy or not.

 

[jbutler]

I was moving around my cash set and felt like some of the chips, especially the $25s, just looked like they could use it again. My cash set really doesn't see a ton of action so I was wondering if I was crazy or not.

i'll have to retract my earlier statement that i couldn't conceive of a situation that would require re-oiling other than following cleaning because you've jogged my memory.

i used to use chipco racks for all my chips (h-mold, hhr, plain, hourglass, flame, star, mgk, rhc) and found that if i oiled chips and put them directly into the racks without use and did not use them for a significant period of time following oiling and racking, the halves of the chips that sat in the chipco racks were noticeably dryer than the top halves which were exposed outside the rack.

i always assumed it was because the chipco rack material itself was more porous and therefore absorbed some of the oil from the chips.

 

[BGinGA]

Yeah, you're not the only person who's reported original Chipco racks sucking oil out of chips. I only use them for ceramics, because I don't want any oils getting transferred ~into~ chips from the racks, either (all of mine were used prior to acquisition).

 

[Mr Tree]

i'll have to retract my earlier statement that i couldn't conceive of a situation that would require re-oiling other than following cleaning because you've jogged my memory.

i used to use chipco racks for all my chips (h-mold, hhr, plain, hourglass, flame, star, mgk, rhc) and found that if i oiled chips and put them directly into the racks without use and did not use them for a significant period of time following oiling and racking, the halves of the chips that sat in the chipco racks were noticeably dryer than the top halves which were exposed outside the rack.

i always assumed it was because the chipco rack material itself was more porous and therefore absorbed some of the oil from the chips.

Ok now that makes sense. When I got my chips I had a couple of smaller cases that were just enough to hold my tournament set but not the cash set. Since I had ordered boxes (and had no idea I would have to wait over a year for them) I put the cash set back in the white cardboard boxes CPC sends them in and locked them in a toolbox. If you want to talk about porous those cardboard boxes certainly fit the bill. So they likely sucked a fair deal of the oil back out of the chips. Which also fits since my cash set looked like it needed oil but my tourney set still looks fine.

 

[Mental Nomad]

I suppose you could oil your racks... that should keep them from sucking out as much oil, or at least not as quickly...

 

[Mental Nomad]

Seriously,though, has anyone played with using vegetable oil or linseed oil for chips?

Mineral oil doesn't polymerize, except at very high temperatures. It just slowly evaporates. (Very slowly. "Gel Oil" mixes slow that down.)

Linseed oil, on the other hand, will polymerize at room temperature (if exposed to air). That's why it's used to oil wood furniture; you apply, wipe it down, and over the next 24 hours, a little evaporates, but most polymerizes and turns into a solid. A single application of oil will sink in and polymerize, making the outer layer of wood harder and more water-repellent. Additional layers of oil will start forming a thin film, and form a shiny varnish.

So you wouldn't want to do multiple layers of linseed oil on a clay chip, but I wonder if a single oiling with linseed oil wouldn't make for a more durable, good-looking chip...

 

[jbutler]

Seriously,though, has anyone played with using vegetable oil or linseed oil for chips?

i don't know about linseed oil, but vegetable oil will become rancid after not too long a time and will smell horrendous.

 

[Mental Nomad]

That's surprising.

Flax oil goes rancid quickly, but canola doesn't. A thin layer of canola should polymerize and/or evaporate long before going rancid.

For oil to go rancid, you need to have more than a very thin coat. It's something that usually happens to a cup of oil, or a bottle of oil.

Has anyone actually had vegetable-oiled chips go bad, other than if they oiled them with oil that was already rancid?

 

[BGinGA]

Coach, take me out of the rotation for scientific experimentation until this blows over.

 

[BGinGA]

no delete post option, eh?

 

[atomiktoaster]

"Linseed oil" sold as wood finish often has dryers and other additives. Plus it isn't color neutral. I'd be careful for those reasons.

 

[Puggy]

In 2005 I started my clay chipping hobby. Haven't had constipation ever since.

 

[Mental Nomad]

"Linseed oil" sold as wood finish often has dryers and other additives. Plus it isn't color neutral. I'd be careful for those reasons.

Right - you want to use actual linseed oil, not linseed oil "finish." Which is all I have; if I had pure linseed oil, I would have used it on chips by now.

"Finish" is made oil, lacquer thinner, and varnish... I would neither want to rub that onto my chips, nor smell the stuff for an hour.

Pure linseed oil is pretty much colorless - I think you'd have to put on layers and layers and layers to get even a little yellowing.

 

[courage]

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.

The post is in this thread: http://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/ultrasonic-chip-cleaning.1691/page-3#post-31139

Paulson THC Flamingo $1s. They were originally cleaned/oiled when I got them so this grime accumulated from my weekly game use over about three years (set is used every 3 weeks or so). I guess the clay composition and the colors contribute to the noticeable grime. My muted ASM HHR chips are now showing dirt but it's harder to see.

 

[doakwolf]

Question about mineral oil - I just bought some of THIS because it was the only mineral oil the local hardware store had for sale. Tested on some samples and it just smells more than I expected. I guess I expected almost no scent but I don't know why I expected that.

Can anyone confirm that stuff is suitable based on the information in the link, please? Samples haven't taken on much of a smell but it also didn't really do a whole lot to the look of them.

EDIT: clearly there's not much info on that link haha. It was listed at the store as mineral oil though.

 

[BGinGA]

Uh, no. Go to the pharmacy and get mineral oil, sold as baby laxative. The stuff you got is cutting oil for machinery.

 

[doakwolf]

Uh, no. Go to the pharmacy and get mineral oil, sold as baby laxative. The stuff you got is cutting oil for machinery.

Legend, thanks @BGinGA . I was not really too keen when I noticed this stuff smells similar to engine oil hahahahah. Appreciate the reply.