Initial Impressions of First Cleaning/Oiling (1 Viewer)

[MegaTon44]

After having the opportunity to clean and oil 375 Paulson hot stamps, I figured I would share my amateur opinion on what worked (and did not work) for me.

Cleaning

• Products (links included)
  • Battery Operated Kids Toothbrush (Extra Soft Bristles) = $4.99
  • Dawn Platinum = $2.77
  • Nitrile exam gloves (protect fingers and hot stamps) = Cost varies based on count
  • Warm Water
  • 2 Quart Bowl x 2
  • Bath towel
  • Paper Towels
• Impression
  • Even with a decent soak (maybe 15-20 minutes), stubborn casino gunk was still a challenge with toothbrush alone. Considered soaking longer, but I've read conflicting opinions and wanted to avoid risk.
  • Electronic toothbrush saved some movements, which made the process more manageable (Kevin the minion definitely put in work )
  • Ultrasonic cleaning seems like a much more efficient option if 1000's of chips need to be cleaned in the future. Definitely evaluating ROI to see if it is overkill for me
  • Process is long and tedious, and I often found myself drifting off into delirium, sometimes even speaking to my dog:
    • [scratching off a huge piece of gunk] "Is this shit?" [smelling it] "Doesn't smell like shit, but it could have lost its scent by now." [putting up to dog's nose] "What do you think, Lucky?" [gives me a look of pure disappointment]
    • "Who would put this on poker chips? Dirty motherf**ers" [repeated on multiple occasions]
  • Water in soak bowl was absolutely disgusting, even when replacing after each rack

Oiling

• Products (links included)
  • Mineral Oil = $5.49
  • Foam Daubers = $2.99
  • Dollar store bar rag x 2 = $2.00
• Impression
  • USE VERY MINIMAL OIL!!! Though I read it many times in this forum, my first few chips came out gross
  • I hypothesized that these foam daubers could be easier than the shoe polish applicator (less wrist involvement during slight twisting), but I certainly could be off base
  • Process
    • Grab a freshly cleaned (but dry) barrel of chips
    • Brush edges with VERY LIGHTLY oil-tipped dauber (the smaller one)
    • Lay out on towel
    • Stamp and twist slightly on one side (with biggest dauber)
    • Flip and repeat
    • Wipe off excess oil from each chip
    • Repeat for all barrels/racks
  • I found oiling to be more enjoyable than cleaning, but it pissed me off when I found casino gunk that I missed when cleaning. Note to self - Clean Better!

Anyway, I hope you found this helpful. Or at least laughed, either with me, or at me because of my rookie mistakes

P. S. I didn't oil the chips on the poker table as I figure it can seep into the felt. Purely for lighting purposes.

 

[tigon]

For really soiled chips, TSP works better than dishsoap for Paulsons with inlays, but it will wreck hotstamps. Toothbrush bristles aren't stiff enough to work some stubborn dirt out without a lot of work. I use a dishwashing brush or nail brush when the crud is thick. Most dirt you should be able to wipe away with a microfiber shop cloth.

For lightly used chips, you often don't need to soak them in water/soap/TSP. Just wipe the dirt off with a microfiber cloth and some mineral oil. Two birds one stone.

I've cleaned a lot of chips like this and if you lay some towels out and put a dialogue heavy show on Netflix it's not that bad. But my single biggest piece of advice if you have more than a few racks to clean is this: get an ultrasonic machine.

 

[Trihonda]

Great learning experience. Post some pics of the chips before/after...

I use a nail brush when cleaning.. Stiffer bristles, enough to get the grime, but soft enough for the HS. And I don't like the idea of soaking them for 20 minutes in any type of solution. Seems like the toothbrush thing would take forever?

As to oiling, why anyone would hand daub chips ever is simply crazy. Especially when you're already getting the chips wet during cleaning. Using the oil/water trick is so beyond easy. You can oil a rack of chips in just a couple minutes, if not less.

You're just dunking them into a warm water bowl, with a tablespoon (or two) of min oil added. Seems like it wouldn't work, but it does.. Amazingly well. Then you dump 'em out onto a towel to dry...

Oh well, Sounds like you got the job done with the daubers, and I bet your chips look amazing. Can't wait for pics!

 

[12thMan]

Pics of the chips!!!!

 

[MegaTon44]

Great learning experience. Post some pics of the chips before/after...

I use a nail brush when cleaning.. Stiffer bristles, enough to get the grime, but soft enough for the HS. And I don't like the idea of soaking them for 20 minutes in any type of solution. Seems like the toothbrush thing would take forever?

As to oiling, why anyone would hand daub chips ever is simply crazy. Especially when you're already getting the chips wet during cleaning. Using the oil/water trick is so beyond easy. You can oil a rack of chips in just a couple minutes, if not less.

You're just dunking them into a warm water bowl, with a tablespoon (or two) of min oil added. Seems like it wouldn't work, but it does.. Amazingly well. Then you dump 'em out onto a towel to dry...

Oh well, Sounds like you got the job done with the daubers, and I bet your chips look amazing. Can't wait for pics!

I was planning to try this the next time I oil chips. I like the science behind having the lower density oil resting on top of the higher density water. I'm sure it is excellent coverage. Honestly, I just wanted to do the first one more manually to understand the amount of oil needed (or lack thereof) to cover a certain amount of chips. It actually wasn't too painful of a process.

Pics to come. Wanted to give the chips one last pat down before posting. Thanks!

 

[Jambine]

.....and I bet your chips look amazing. Can't wait for pics!

^ That ! ^

 

[MegaTon44]

Before pic added (reds and greens). After pic as soon as I get home.

 

[MegaTon44]

After pics added as well. Thanks so much for all of your feedback. I hope to use your advice and post even better pics next time!

 

[BiGGyT]

here's how they looked before

looking much better

 

[MegaTon44]

here's how they looked before
View attachment 33208
View attachment 33210View attachment 33209

looking much better

Thanks for posting! Since the $1 chips were cleaned previously, I just wiped them down with a damp cloth and got any major gunk/dust off them (wasn't too much). I also took one of the bar rags I used to dry the $5s and $25s after oiling and gave them a little shine (sweeping the edges as well by rolling each barrel in my hands).

I have a home game on Friday and didn't want to get sidetracked and not finish, but I'm sure I'll get motivated at some point to do a full clean/oil of the $1s, while also doing some more precision cleaning on the $5s and $25s (ie. getting the gunk out of the very fine grooves in the chips).

Long process, but definitely rewarding.

 

[Jambine]

.....Long process, but definitely rewarding.

They look great. Nice cash set