Flattening chips - question (2 Viewers)

[Nanook]

2+ hours

I am also guessing you are using too much pressure. I have never had a chip break, much less break a ceramic chip. The idea is to slowly bend the warped chips back to the shape of the (Flat) ceramic chip, not force the ceramic chip into the warped shape of the clay chip. You clearly did the opposite... It takes a little heat and a little pressure and some time. Too much of one and lack of the others is not better, clearly it is worse....

Those clamps you are using are probably not giving you good feedback on just how tight you are actually making them. With quick clamps you just need a little squeeze and then after about 15-20 minutes of cooling I give them another light squeeze then just let them cool for a total of about an hour or so. At the 1 hour mark they are cool to the touch and likely room temp all the way through. Nothing more is going to happen at this point. You won't do any harm by letting them sit longer, but they are not getting any flatter either.

If after your first attempt they are not flat then just run the entire set through again. I have had a few chips where I have had to run them through the process 3x, but that is pretty rare.

 

[Colquhoun]

Yes, 2 hours should be plenty. It could be a troublesome chip and might require 2 or three rounds.

 

[TheOffalo]

I am also guessing you are using too much pressure. I have never had a chip break, much less break a ceramic chip.

I wasn't the one who broke the ceramic chip, but appreciate the feedback. I've been doing somewhat as you describe, tightening just enough to hold the chips together, then an extra squeeze of the handle when the heating pad timer goes off, and then letting it cool completely too the touch, or at least 2 hours.

What I haven't tried yet, which I'm doing right now, is heating the chips and blanks in the heating pad first (trying 140F for 10m) before putting them in the clamp. Will see if that produces better results. The chips I'm flattening have already gone through it twice, so I won't necessarily be able to tell if it's this different method or just the fact that it's the third time, but doesn't really matter as long as the chips come out flat.

 

[Colquhoun]

I wasn't the one who broke the ceramic chip, but appreciate the feedback. I've been doing somewhat as you describe, tightening just enough to hold the chips together, then an extra squeeze of the handle when the heating pad timer goes off, and then letting it cool completely too the touch, or at least 2 hours.

What I haven't tried yet, which I'm doing right now, is heating the chips and blanks in the heating pad first (trying 140F for 10m) before putting them in the clamp. Will see if that produces better results. The chips I'm flattening have already gone through it twice, so I won't necessarily be able to tell if it's this different method or just the fact that it's the third time, but doesn't really matter as long as the chips come out flat.

Oh, this is the only way to do it. I’m afraid that stacking then trying to heat them is too hard for the heat to get all the way into the center of the chip.
Just one layer of chips and fold over the pad…10 minutes and clamp it up.

 

[Nanook]

Oh, this is the only way to do it. I’m afraid that stacking then trying to heat them is too hard for the heat to get all the way into the center of the chip.
Just one layer of chips and fold over the pad…10 minutes and clamp it up.

Yep, agree 100%

 

[dmoney]

I am also guessing you are using too much pressure.

This was me. I covered the chips and two spacers on both sides with the Heating pad for 15 minutes, then clamped them. This was just a test … I will probably heat for only 10 minutes, and be more careful clamping when I have the proper materials.

 

[Rieguy]

This was me. I covered the chips and two spacers on both sides with the Heating pad for 15 minutes, then clamped them. This was just a test … I will probably heat for only 10 minutes, and be more careful clamping when I have the proper materials.

I've missed a bit of this thread recently, but I would strongly recommend 43mm blank ceramic spacers (and a ribbed flattening rack). Having neither is likely to result in either lips on the edges or maybe even some squishing of the chips. Depending on the amount of chips you are planning to flatten, it's a relatively low expenditure that is well worth it.

 

[Marius L]

This was me. I covered the chips and two spacers on both sides with the Heating pad for 15 minutes, then clamped them. This was just a test … I will probably heat for only 10 minutes, and be more careful clamping when I have the proper materials.

I also wouldn't use sunfly hybrids for this. Seems sketchy since they are in fact not completely flat. You would need ceramic chips that are entirely flat.

 

[dmoney]

I would strongly recommend 43mm blank ceramic spacers (and a ribbed flattening rack)

I also wouldn't use sunfly hybrids for this.

I have both ceramic spacers and the ribbed flattening rack on the way. As I mentioned I as a little overeager and probably should have just waited!

 

[Goldfish]

Update on my flattening experience for any interested. As you all may recall, I use the heating pad method, with plastic clamps. Previously, I heated the chips and the ceramic spacers and then clamped them for 2 hours. I found that the chips were not getting as flat as they could be because the plastic clamps were not straight. In fact, I found that some of my ceramic spacers were bending/warping as well. So, now, I do not heat up the ceramic spacers and I added metal plates to my plastic clamps to keep everything straight. Everything else about the process remains the same. This appears to work better for me. I have now done about 4 racks with this new method and it seems to be working a lot better.

 

[Colquhoun]

Update on my flattening experience for any interested. As you all may recall, I use the heating pad method, with plastic clamps. Previously, I heated the chips and the ceramic spacers and then clamped them for 2 hours. I found that the chips were not getting as flat as they could be because the plastic clamps were not straight. In fact, I found that some of my ceramic spacers were bending/warping as well. So, now, I do not heat up the ceramic spacers and I added metal plates to my plastic clamps to keep everything straight. Everything else about the process remains the same. This appears to work better for me. I have now done about 4 racks with this new method and it seems to be working a lot better.
View attachment 1087977View attachment 1087978

Wow, how hard are you clamping?
I found it only takes a minimal amout of pressure, just enough to hold the barrel in the clamp, to be suficcient. More than that, can possibly lead to flattened cross-hatching.

 

[Goldfish]

Wow, how hard are you clamping?
I found it only takes a minimal amout of pressure, just enough to hold the barrel in the clamp, to be suficcient. More than that, can possibly lead to flattened cross-hatching.

Not clamping that hard at all. But the plastic clamps were not level at all. The metal plates have fixed that problem.

 

[asam2006]

I added metal plates to my plastic clamps to keep everything straight

Did you tape the metal plates to the clamp surface? How do you know the metal plates are level?

 

[Goldfish]

Did you tape the metal plates to the clamp surface? How do you know the metal plates are level?

Maybe I should have said flat instead of level. The plates are taped to the clamp surface.

 

[Goldfish]

I am a flattening machine these days……

 

[asam2006]

@Goldfish , Where do you get the metal plates for your clamps?

 

[Goldfish]

@Goldfish , Where do you get the metal plates for your clamps?

I got mine at Lowe’s. Home Depot probably has them also.

 

[dmoney]

Before/in progress/after

 

[Marius L]

Before/in progress/after View attachment 1092583View attachment 1092584View attachment 1092585

@Ethan Recognize these taco shells?
Well done @dmoney.

Curious to know if these are noticeably shorter in a barrel than other chips after flattening?

 

[Ethan]

Before/in progress/after View attachment 1092583View attachment 1092584View attachment 1092585

 

[dmoney]

Curious to know if these are noticeably shorter in a barrel than other chips after flattening?

Barely noticeable, but yes there is a slight difference. These are about the mintiest chips I own, for comparison.

 

[OfficerLovejoy]

Is there a flattening showcase thread?