Is there a "don't oil your chips" school of thought? (1 Viewer)

[upNdown]

I see plenty of talk here about oiling your chips, and I don't see much talk about NOT oiling your chips. Is that because people here are good about not thread-crapping, including a non-oiling silent minority, or is everybody oiling their chips?
I don't want to do it.
I think it's a strange thing to do.
I don't want to put in the effort.
I don't like the feel of oil or oily things.
I often see pictures of chips that look over oiled and wet, and I don't want that.
If Paulson chip are chalky when they're minty, I'm in no rush to change that condition.

Am I alone on an island here?

 

[liftapint]

Mint, or casino used? For me, that matters. I feel like I *have* to oil chips that come out of the ultrasonic cleaner after getting casino grime off of them. Because the cleaning method leaves them looking terrible, and a little oil restores the colors.

But I rarely oil minty fresh chips (I have done it on occasion).

 

[links_slayer]

Is that because people here are good about not thread-crapping, including a non-oiling silent minority, or is everybody oiling their chips?
I don't want to do it.
I think it's a strange thing to do.
I don't want to put in the effort.
I don't like the feel of oil or oily things.
I often see pictures of chips that look over oiled and wet, and I don't want that.
If Paulson chip are chalky when they're minty, I'm in no rush to change that condition.

- Not everybody oils their chips.
- If you don't want to oil them - don't.
- If you think it's strange, that's fine.
- It takes less than a minute to oil a stack, so less than 5 minutes to do a rack. Maybe you value your time more than I do mine.
- If your chips feel oily after you oil them you used too much oil.
- See above.
- It's all about personal preference.

Oiling the edges of brand spankin' new CPC chips is a must - although it's almost totally aesthetic.

Just my 2.5 cents.

 

[rowlin]

I am not a big fan of oiling chips.

 

[Parrothedd]

Is oiling considered a 'must' if you hand clean vs ultrasonic?

 

[Seeking Alpha Social Club]

I oil new and old (after cleaning). It's just a personal preference. I like the bright look.

Oiling also helps keep the color from transferring between the chips, especially the white ones.

Plus...it gives me an excuse to handle them

 

[AK Chip]

I went 10 years with out cleaning and oiling my custom set. After I joined the Forum I decided to clean and oil them, wished I had done it from the start.

 

[dew4au]

I never oil mint Paulsons.
I always oil after cleaning casino used Paulsons.
I didn't oil my custom ASM set immediately, but now wish I had. I will be oiling my CPC set immediately upon receipt.

 

[iballman]

My thought is that it speeds up a natural process of people handling the chips, but in a cleaner matter which also adds a layer of protection. Aside from also accenting the colors, it allows me to spend more quality time with my chips.

 

[upNdown]

I went 10 years with out cleaning and oiling my custom set. After I joined the Forum I decided to clean and oil them, wished I had done it from the start.

Interesting.
I guess the simple and obvious answer is that I should oil a few chips sparingly, and see if I like it.

 

[GoStumpy]

100% minty new chips, I'd only oil them if I WANT to make the colors POP. Otherwise preserving the minty chalky feel is 100% terrific.

There are a few different reasons for oiling... Color clarity, uniform color across barrels of chips, and stain resistance.

Think of it this way, when casino used chips are dirty, we clean them and they turn chalky and 'dried out'... it's because we removed all the oils and grease from people's hands... using mineral oil we impregnate (lol) the chips with clean oil instead of dirty greasy hand oil, and in turn, resists any further dirty greasy hand oil from becoming part of the chip.

SO, personally, I wouldn't oil minty new chips, but I oil all chips I've cleaned.

 

[jbutler]

I never oil mint Paulsons, always oil used and cleaned Paulsons, and always oil mint ASM/CPCs. And always only oil the edges for Paulsons and ASM/CPCs.

Not that many people will be faced with the decision now, but I oil the edges and faces of mint BCCs. They are just so insanely thirsty looking sometimes and the oil smooths out the "cracked" look of the faces.

 

[detroitdad]

- Not everybody oils their chips.
- If you don't want to oil them - don't.
- If you think it's strange, that's fine.
- It takes less than a minute to oil a stack, so less than 5 minutes to do a rack. Maybe you value your time more than I do mine.
- If your chips feel oily after you oil them you used too much oil.
- See above.
- It's all about personal preference.

Oiling the edges of brand spankin' new CPC chips is a must - although it's almost totally aesthetic.

Just my 2.5 cents.

Everything he said. Something to think about if you oil. Less is more. I use cap full for 700 ish chips and I have oil left over

 

[detroitdad]

Big improvement with the oiling IMO

 

[dew4au]

Not that many people will be faced with the decision now, but I oil the edges and faces of mint BCCs. They are just so insanely thirsty looking sometimes and the oil smooths out the "cracked" look of the faces.

I dunno, I've seen a few WTS threads here that featured some absolutely parched BCCs. It makes me feel like when I'm watching TV and the "Save the Children" advert comes on that features the dehydrated child clanging plastic jugs together and pleading for water. I just click on "New Posts" again and think, "for just a few cents... those chips could be oiled."

 

[BGinGA]

A picture is worth a thousand words. Here's 2,000 of 'em:

Big improvement with the oiling IMO

......complete with a huge understatement summary.

If those oiled/unoiled pics don't make it clear, well, do what ya want......

 

[upNdown]

Oh I totally get what oiling does for chips that have been ultrasonic ally cleaned.
But I think my perceived resistance to oiling is a big part of my resistance to ultrasonic cleaning - if I don't fade the chips with an ultrasonic cleaner, there's even less reason to oil, right?

 

[TheBigTater]

I never oil mint Paulsons, always oil used and cleaned Paulsons, and always oil mint ASM/CPCs. And always only oil the edges for Paulsons and ASM/CPCs.

Not that many people will be faced with the decision now, but I oil the edges and faces of mint BCCs. They are just so insanely thirsty looking sometimes and the oil smooths out the "cracked" look of the faces.

^^^ This sums it up perfectly ^^^

 

[links_slayer]

If your chips need oiling, oil them. Or dont. Ain't rocket surgery.

 

[BGinGA]

Oh I totally get what piling does for chips that have been ultrasonic ally cleaned.
But I think my perceived resistance to oiling is a big part of my resistance to ultrasonic cleaning - if I don't fade the chips with an ultrasonic cleaner, there's even less reason to oil, right?

Ultrasonic cleaning doesn't fade chips. Cleaning with hot water fades chips.

 

[Numerobis]

"finger oil" does it for me in 1 session

 

[dew4au]

"finger oil" does it for me in 1 session

Whaaat?

You playin with this guy?

 

[Numerobis]

Jack Black or blackjack

 

[gopherblue]

Don't oil your chips.

They'll only be mint once. Let em get oil the natural way.

But I do agree with butler.

 

[72o]

Mint Paulsons are the only exception for me and personally I cannot wait to oil my chips.

But if you like em dull (including mint CPCs, and any cleaned chips) then don't oil.

 

[mummel]

Oiled Milanos vs non-oiled, there is no contest. The oil enchances those chips big time.

 

[dew4au]

Oiled Milanos vs non-oiled, there is no contest. The oil enchances those chips big time.

That's a good point about CCs. I've only had one set, Desert Palms, and some of the solids benefitted while most others didn't. What other CCs benefit? I'd say don't waste your time oiling Desert Palms.

 

[Psypher1000]

I see plenty of talk here about oiling your chips, and I don't see much talk about NOT oiling your chips. Is that because people here are good about not thread-crapping, including a non-oiling silent minority, or is everybody oiling their chips?
I don't want to do it.
I think it's a strange thing to do.
I don't want to put in the effort.
I don't like the feel of oil or oily things.
I often see pictures of chips that look over oiled and wet, and I don't want that.
If Paulson chip are chalky when they're minty, I'm in no rush to change that condition.

Am I alone on an island here?

You're not alone - some folks don't prefer oiling their chips (clearly, as has been documented in this thread). I'll disagree with Dave that even with room temperature distilled water, ultrasonic cleaning with the Lundmark fake TSP still faded my chips - YMMV, I suppose. Regardless, I'll agree with others here that say if they feel or look oily after oiling them, you've used too much oil. When I use a dauber for oiling the edges of my CPC's, I *always* use a small amount of oil - maybe two drops of oil on the entire dauber - and *always* wipe each barrel down with a rag after I'm done.

As for casino-used Paulsons, my experience with them is that even if you only want to oil the edges, that oil is going to slowly work it's way towards the middle of the chip, and you're going to come back in three months and they'll look somewhat oiled on the outer ring and unoiled on the inner ring...soooo, yeah, you're going to oil the whole thing. It doesn't necessarily need to be a lot of effort, though. @MegaTon44 has tweaked the dipping method that @Trihonda first espoused and seems to have had some positive results with it. You can check out some brief instructions/notes here:

http://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/oil-and-water-trick.11038/page-3#post-226519

All of this is immaterial, though, as its simply personal preference. Don't wanna oil? Don't. It's your chip set, your money, and your time. I'd recommend oiling a few to see what's up, and if you like it, great! Oil them. If not, great! Don't.

As for ultrasonic or hand-cleaning...if you're cleaning more than a total of 300 1's, 5's, and/or 25's...ultrasonic those bad boys, and don't think twice. And no matter what method you choose for cleaning, wear gloves - preferably the purple ones.

 

[ovo]

I usually don't oil. I don't like the feel of oiled chips. Plus they attract dirt easier. But if I clean them and there is some fading , I might oil the sides lightly. I haven't used the ultrasonic very much, (just got it), but I haven't noticed any fading, except for a few TRK chips ??

 

[Max D]

I buy mostly well worn Paulson, so after the ultrasonic cleaning I always oil and they look great. As stated before it is a preference, and i prefer mine lightly oiled.