Cleaning Majestic Star $5s (1 Viewer)

[grelco]

I've got 2 racks of Majestic Star 5s to clean. I do not have an ultrasonic machine. It's possible that I will be persuaded to get one after this, but let's not go there quite yet.

For manual cleaning, by hand with soap and a brush, what do I need to know? How long is too long to soak? How hot is too hot for water temp? I just want to avoid making an obvious mistake, any tips appreciated.

 

[RichMahogany]

Not trying to sound like a dick( but probably will anyways *shrug*) you’ve already made an obvious mistake by not using the search function.

This has been asked, and answered, ad naseum

 

[grelco]

No offense taken - I did actually search and read through a bunch of threads, but mostly pertaining to ultrasonic dos and don'ts. If this is common knowledge I would suggest adding a sticky to this section, as the only info stickied relates to ultrasonic.

I will keep searching

 

[Rieguy]

I don't have an ultrasonic either. I recommend one container for dish soap and warm (not too hot) water, and another for just warm water. I do about a barrel at a time before changing the water so it is the temperature I like. All you need is that and a magic eraser, although sometimes a toothbrush can help. Some of the Majestic Stars are absolutely filthy.

First, take the barrel stack between your thumb and finger and dip it in the soapy water. Take the magic eraser and scrub the edges. Repeat until you have gone all the way around or until you are satisfied. Then place each individual chip in the soapy water and then one at a time, use the magic eraser on the faces without drying off the chip. Use the toothbrush for any crevices that are missed. I do this on a towel so the chip does not move at all. When finished, dunk the chip in the clean water and then leave it out to dry. After about 24-48hrs (flip halfway through the time) they should be ready to oil, unless you want to do a follow-up cleaning. Feel free to PM me with questions and know there are other methods with other mixtures, I'm just paranoid about potential chip damage so I've stuck to the above with good results.

 

[Colquhoun]

I like to soak them for a few minutes in warm water with a little Dawn soap added. A natural bristle nail brush works better than a toothbrush.
Scrub gently on one side in a few directions, flip, repeat. Doing 20 or so at a time, then rinse and dry.
I’ve done hundreds this way.

 

[philhut]

I run my ultrasonic at 42 degrees Celsius. This would be reminiscent of warm pleasant bath water. If its hot that requires acclimatization the water is too warm and could warp your chips. I recommend adding salt to your dish soap mix to create a hypertonic solution which will help draw out crud. The result difference of sink/bucket washing vs a ultrasonic is minor but significant. You may have read many complicated posts about using various cleaners and sterile water etc.... I found a simple cheap method with a 6L ultrasonic that I bought off of amazon for ~$70 Canadian (price is higher now due to the nonsense/inflation).
My recipe for a 6L ultrasonic with tap water, dish soap and salt for great results.

 

[grelco]

@Rieguy Thank you - very helpful info.
@Colquhoun Thanks. I didn't want to soak them too long but figured it would help quite a bit to let them sit for a while.
@philhut I may eventually get one, the 6l version is ~$120 USD now on Amazon...the 3L for $80 is probably the most I would want to spend given the volume i plan to run through it. Not likely more than 500 chips or so (I say, at this time) in addition to the 200 majestics stars.

 

[natumes]

The ultrasonic is worth it. Wish I had bought mine from the get go.

I used to put a whole barrel in warm soapy water and pull them out one by one to brush. I used a small kitchen brush from Walmart that worked well. Rinse in clean warm water, wipe it off and let them sit to dry.

 

[philhut]

@Rieguy Thank you - very helpful info.
@Colquhoun Thanks. I didn't want to soak them too long but figured it would help quite a bit to let them sit for a while.
@philhut I may eventually get one, the 6l version is ~$120 USD now on Amazon...the 3L for $80 is probably the most I would want to spend given the volume i plan to run through it. Not likely more than 500 chips or so (I say, at this time) in addition to the 200 majestics stars.

If the chips are really dirty I only put about 20 in the basket, if its just minor dirt the basket can do about 200 chips. I'm sure the 3L would be fine. Back when I bought mine the 6L was cheaper than the 3L so price made the decision.

Same principles should apply though.

 

[grelco]

Alright guys - I've cleaned them, I've oiled them with mineral oil following the large thread in here. They look great. BUT - they don't shuffle that well because they're pretty grippy. While they aren't wet with oil, I think maybe there's too much on there. Do I wash them again, or is there something else to do - let them sit out longer? They've been sitting for ~24 hrs with no noticeable improvement. I would not say I used a ton of oil on them, and I did wipe them dry a few times since.

 

[Colquhoun]

Mineral oil doesn't really evaporate. I recommend wiping them off as much as possible with a dry cloth.
Whatever oil that is going to soak in, has likely done so...any remaining oil at this point is unnecessary.
I would think having to wash them again would be a last resort.

 

[grelco]

They also smell like cigarettes still. I was imagining some kind of degrease/febreeze treatment...has anyone tried wiping them with dryer sheets or something?

 

[satisfyingbutton]

I can't say that it will work for certain, but I used Simple Green when I cleaned my racks and I don't notice the smoke smell any longer.

Since you already cleaned them this is less important, but I found great results using a brush sold in the local restaurant supply store as a "cutting board" brush. They are much sturdier than, say, a toothbrush - I would recommend them for anyone hand scrubbing. You can also rub the chips against the brush kind of like a washboard, which was a little easier on my hands.

 

[philhut]

They also smell like cigarettes still. I was imagining some kind of degrease/febreeze treatment...has anyone tried wiping them with dryer sheets or something?

My NCV chips stunk like a spittoon when I got them. I threw away the boxes they arrived in that had nasty chewing tabaco like stains. The chips are odorless after cycling in my ultrasonic and cleaned up amazing. if they still stink after piling the only way to get that out is another cleaning. I suggest hand tolerable warm water (42celcius is what I set my U/S to) with dish soap and salt. By using an hypertonic solution you will draw out gunk by osmotic pressure and possibly the stink.

 

[grelco]

What do you guys think of this - i soaked them in a vinegar and water mixture and tumbled them around a little bit, then rinsed and dried. I then oiled the edges very lightly. This helped the smoke smell. BUT - they still don't shuffle. I went back to some 'new' ones out of the box that I hadn't done anything to, and they didn't shuffle either. They're just too grippy - so it wasn't excess oil, it's just the texture of the worn chip.

But then I tried something controversial on a sample barrel and scrubbed the edges with a dryer sheet, which left that soapy kind of feeling residue you feel when you touch a dryer sheet. I then buffed them with a towel (just the edges, holding it like a stack of quarters). This resulted in a kind of polished/buffed edge texture, which makes the colors look great actually, and now they also shuffle. Controversial technique?

Before and after:

 

[Colquhoun]

I oiled used HSI $5 chips right after I got them. Big mistake....IMO, oil should be reserved for new chips and REALLY older, parched chips.
Smooth casino-used chips just don't need it, and can actually make them feel worse.

 

[BigSlick4523]

I got this method from someone on here I cannot remember it was months back so shout out to this person

I get Arm & Hammer with Oxi Laundry Detergent = Costco has a huge jug like 250oz for $15

I get a bowl that is like 30oz or above depending on how many you want to clean at once

use 75-80% Laundry Detergent VS 20-25% warm water

let them soak for like 30mins to 1hr or longer if you want I usually do the 30-60mins

I take them out I scrub the sides 20 at a time holding them between my thumb and pointer finger with a medium toothbrush

then I just fill up my bathroom sink with warm water and a lil bit of dawn dish soap and I scrub each chip

then I put them under a fan and let them dry they dry much quicker with the fan

only thing is with this method it does dry the chips out like crazy so Oiling is the way to go

I have never oiled a chip in my life never read up on how to do it

 

[LeLe]

They also smell like cigarettes still. I was imagining some kind of degrease/febreeze treatment...has anyone tried wiping them with dryer sheets or something?

The majestic star are really dirty, I added degrease to remove the dirted stain and using ultrasonic

Plus I used tools like toothpick and magic easer to remove the small hidden sticky part

The smell should be gone by then after you oiled them

Thread 'Just spend my off-day …'
https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/just-spend-my-off-day-….84407/

Above is the link to it and below is the before and after pic