Clay vs. Ceramic. Ingredients? (2 Viewers)

[bondneedschips]

This is a very basic question. But I can't find an answer.

In pottery, ceramic is created by firing clay. You use clay, create something, then put it in the kiln to bake it and create ceramic.

So what are clay chips made of?
What are composite chips made of (besides the metal slug insert)?
What are ceramic chips made of?

I'm not arguing that clay and ceramic is the same thing. I'm just curious about the actual ingredients/chemicals used to create them and what is the same and what is unique to each?

 

[Colquhoun]

Clay chips are not clay, and ceramic chips are not ceramic.
Clay chips (compression molded chips) are most likely a combo of plastic (or polymers), some minerals, fibers, metals (for weight) and colorants, that can soften at a fairly low temperature.
I’ve heard ceramics are polyester, but they are at least a plastic that is very hard, durable and brittle…and has similar qualities to fired ceramics.

 

[bondneedschips]

That makes perfect sense! But that raises the question of how or why they got the names?

I thought the Vegas set I bought years ago was nice, but had no clue being that. Now I own a small variety of the Amazon plastic, American Gaming Supply (not a fan), and some clay and ceramics from Apache. So far Apache is my favorite. And clay over ceramic. Now I'm in a low priority hunt for some of the 1950's versions purely out of curiosity!

 

[QuietMaple]

I'm no expert,, but I did find this explanation on chiplab.com:

Define 'clay' and are these compression clays?

The term "clay" in the poker chip world is a bit of a misnomer — virtually no modern poker chips are made from actual clay. Our 'clay' chips are made primarily from a mix of polypropylene (a plastic) and barium sulfate (a mineral filler). The barium sulfate is what gives the chips their satisfying weight and that slightly chalky, textured feel that players love. And yes, barium sulfate is completely safe — it's so non-toxic that it's actually used in medicine as a contrast agent for X-rays.

These are not compression-molded clay chips. True compression clay chips — like those made by Paulson (used in many major casinos) or ASM/Classic Poker Chips) — are manufactured through a different and more expensive process. Compression molding involves placing a composite material (typically a proprietary blend of clay, calcium carbonate, chalk, sand, and other minerals with binding resins) into a heated mold under high pressure. This process creates an extremely durable chip with a distinctive sound, feel, and edge texture that many enthusiasts consider the gold standard. However, compression clay chips come at a significantly higher price point (more than 4x times the cost in most cases).

Our polypropylene/barium sulfate composite chips offer an excellent feel and weight at a more accessible price

 

[bondneedschips]

I'm no expert,, but I did find this explanation on chiplab.com:

Hey! Greatly appreciated. That might or might not be their proprietary version, but it's a nicely detailed description that DOES help and I really appreciate it!

 

[Eriks]

I'm no expert,, but I did find this explanation on chiplab.com:

Holy shit, that’s the first time I’ve seen a manufacturer/seller of sluggos/China clays (whatever this product is) telling the truth about this.

 

[QuietMaple]

Holy shit, that’s the first time I’ve seen a manufacturer/seller of sluggos/China clays (whatever this product is) telling the truth about this.

Yeah I was kinda surprised to stumble on this too.

 

[BigGrizz]

I was thinking about this recently. Paulson is super secret about their blend but wouldn't it be possible for anyone serious (a competitor or counterfeiter) to just run a lab analysis on any of their chips?

 

[BGinGA]

I was thinking about this recently. Paulson is super secret about their blend but wouldn't it be possible for anyone serious (a competitor or counterfeiter) to just run a lab analysis on any of their chips?

A chipper (or two) around here have done this in the past, with limited (and pretty un-useful) results.

Part of the problem is that 1) different mixed components are used for different colors, and 2) some binders used 'burn off' during processing (thus are not shown in lab results in accurate percentages).

 

[Tommy]