Foam doesn’t hurt chips?? (1 Viewer)

DZPoker

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Ok, it sounds absurd as a title but hear me out...

I’ve been back and forth on how I want to store chips. As much as I’d love to display at home...it’s just not in the cards for me. So I’ve been leaning toward the Pelican/Apache case route.

One thing that keeps coming to mind though...

In the gun world, long term storage in a clam shell case leads to rust from the foam leaching the oils from the metal. Rarely recommended.

I know chips aren’t metal and they’re not ‘coated’ in oil...but I’d just like to hear from anyone who has stored chips this way for years issue free before I go that same route. Anyone able to vouch for the technique??

(And before someone says it...yes...they’ll routinely come out to play. But those hours hardly compared to hours locked in over time!)

Thanks in advance all!

-DZ
 
I’d never store chips by themselves in foam, most people put them in racks inside of the foam.
 
Thanks all for the replies! I was hoping to simply and store/transport with one solution (we travel between two houses a fair bit) but there’s enough doubt above that I’m sold now on not doing so!
 
Thanks all for the replies! I was hoping to simply and store/transport with one solution (we travel between two houses a fair bit) but there’s enough doubt above that I’m sold now on not doing so!

I'm trying to get a reasonable balance between the two with a medium-duty birdcage with 3/8" thick acrylic that can handle both as display and light transport.
 
I'm trying to get a reasonable balance between the two with a medium-duty birdcage with 3/8" thick acrylic that can handle both as display and light transport.

Something like this could work...thanks for the suggestion!

For what it’s worth, the chip cases that Paulson sold for storage of home use chips had plastic or wood trays with foam on top to keep everything tight.

I’d probably be comfortable with foam specifically selected by a chip company. Random foam material X concerns me more though. Sounds like my Holy Grail would be to find one of these cases though. A guy can dream...right!?!?
 
Thanks all for the replies! I was hoping to simply and store/transport with one solution (we travel between two houses a fair bit) but there’s enough doubt above that I’m sold now on not doing so!
Dunno your specific intentions, but I have chips -- in racks -- stored in pelican-style travel cases that contain foam, and there are zero chips touching any foam whatsoever.

It's a non-issue imo.
 
@BGinGA you’ve definitely piqued my interest. That sounds perfect. Can you explain how? A rack upside down on top of each? Racks with lids?
 
DZPoker, BG is using racks I think. I'll let him explain how he does that, but there are several ways. I use 4x25 boxes with lids and keep in my Pelican for long term storage as well as transport. No chips touching foam. Until this post I'd never heard for foam having an issue, but mine is stored at room temperature.
 
A rack upside down on top of each?

Yeah, I'm pretty sure this is BGinGA's setup. Chips stacked two racks high with upside down racks on the top. I'm sure there must be some pics in the Apache/Pelican/Member's Mark case threads.

I do the same just without the racks on top for the most part. If there's still a gap between the chips and the lid foam I just add some of the pluck foam I removed to better secure them. Didn't think it would be an issue, if I'm wrong I'll be needing a few more racks or I'll just use the Warneke boxes instead.
 
@BGinGA you’ve definitely piqued my interest. That sounds perfect. Can you explain how? A rack upside down on top of each? Racks with lids?
Yep, either way works fine. I prefer tighter-fitting racks than either Matsui-style or racks with lids, so I just cap off a stack of racks with an upside-down rack.
 
@BGinGA you’ve definitely piqued my interest. That sounds perfect. Can you explain how? A rack upside down on top of each? Racks with lids?

This is what I do, an extra rack flipped on top. It’s always nice to have a couple extra racks, because most likely if you’re taking them somewhere there aren’t many supplies there.

Besides traveling with them in an Apache case, I keep mine displayed in a birdcage. It’s really not that cumbersome to move them between the two since they stay in racks

1CD5A371-D463-4787-AA14-F65501C287E0.jpeg
 
Thanks @BGinGA and @DJ_Fett ! The picture definitely helps! I’m a big fan of @upNdown ’s confidence too!

Maybe I’m just overthinking this!
 
We store all of our chips in Apache cases, I put about a 1" thick layer of foam u der tht bottom row of chips to elevate the top row to compress into the foam inside the top. There fore my chips are always in contact with the foam!

I have had my chips in these cases for about a year now. Some have not been touched in 6 months. My chips are all hand washed and compression oiled by me, before racking them and pressing them into the top foam. I am extremely particular about my chips and see absolutely zero evidence of any residue from the foam on the chips.
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Ever even thought about any issues with this before and will keep an eye on it for sure!!

Fellow Chipper Ben
 
Also I don't see how this is any different than the aluminum and leather cases that are made to store chips snug in single row cases as shown in these pics

Going back to my original post, they sell similar cases specifically made for guns too but leaving a gun in them long term (vs just to travel) causes rust. That’s really what made me question the technique with chips (Again, different material and situation but just caused me to wonder!).

But great to hear personal experience to the contrary so many thanks for chiming in!
 
Thanks all for the replies! I was hoping to simply and store/transport with one solution (we travel between two houses a fair bit) but there’s enough doubt above that I’m sold now on not doing so!
Is your issue with wanting a single storage solution one of space, or just not wanting to take the time to pack up when you want to take them to another location? I use both, with the chips in racks that I bought from a PCF vendor 3D3P Poker @One Eyed Dollar I simply move the 7 racks of chips I want to take somewhere from my display cabinet to the Apache. Only takes a minute or two.

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20200714_144918.jpg
 
Is your issue with wanting a single storage solution one of space, or just not wanting to take the time to pack up when you want to take them to another location?

It’s the packing/unpacking. First-world problem, I know...but we spend a lot of time between two houses. We like to play in both so it’d just mean an extra step every weekend. As lazy as it sounds, I can just see us starting to leave them behind after a while if we can’t just grab ‘em.
 
It all depends on the foam. Open cell foam could potentially lead to issues like you mentioned with firearms. Closed cell foam will not. My Royal chips are in a custom cut out closed cell foam inside of an AR case. Zero issues even with the top of the case being egg carton open cell foam.

I think with poker chips you won't have any issue but if you're really worried go with closed cell foam. It doesn't absorb stuff.
 
I think the worry is less about the type of foam...but the manufacturer and the chemicals used. I could easily see a cheap foam from who knows where staining chips. The use of racks to prevent contact over long periods of time seems the best insurance.
 
I think the worry is less about the type of foam...but the manufacturer and the chemicals used. I could easily see a cheap foam from who knows where staining chips. The use of racks to prevent contact over long periods of time seems the best insurance.
So you’re saying don’t store thousands in chips in $2.99 worth of foam? :LOL: :laugh::p

I won’t say it’s not possible but I’d find it astonishingly surprising if it ever happened.
 
There’s been plenty of complaints over the years of camera equipment getting damaged by deteriorating foam in camera cases. The better cases will fare better, but it’s not unreasonable to think that the chemical makeup of foam can break down over time, causing various types of damage.
 
There’s been plenty of complaints over the years of camera equipment getting damaged by deteriorating foam in camera cases. The better cases will fare better, but it’s not unreasonable to think that the chemical makeup of foam can break down over time, causing various types of damage.
I'd be more concerned about the effects of plasti-dip treated foam on clay chips, if in direct contact.... mostly because it's an unknown long-term variable.

But in either situation, chips are typically not in direct contact with the foam, unlike camera equipment or guns stored in foam-lined containers.
 
Is case foam abrasive enough the put micro scratches on acrylic for like dealer buttons and plaques? Kind of like you have to use microfiber for glasses. I know acrylic will eventually mess up, but just trying to minimize unecessary "wear".
 
I'd be more concerned about the effects of plasti-dip treated foam on clay chips, if in direct contact.... mostly because it's an unknown long-term variable.

But in either situation, chips are typically not in direct contact with the foam, unlike camera equipment or guns stored in foam-lined containers.

That’s why I went away from open cell (PnP) foam and now only use closed cell foam in all my MM & Pelican cases. Open cell foam by itself probably isn’t so bad on materials that chips are made from but after coating it with PlastiDip it turns nasty. Just the off gassing alone was enough to change my mind on PlastiDip. I’m not worried about the hard closed cell foam and seldom do the chips even touch it when in racks.

It could be a really long term problem, but unless you are setting them up stored in a case for years on end without pulling them out it isn’t a problem that I see.

Open Cell Foam

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Closed Cell Foam

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