About a week ago, I found out that Matsui has a few different materials in their line up. I checked with the sales rep and she confirmed that there were 2 different color kits; the regular color kit, which I assume was used for there high end and also an ABS color kit. She said she would check with the factory to see if there are any other materials. Only a few molds are available for sharp edges, not sure if that is dependent on the material. Also, I’m not 100% positive on which material I sanded, but don’t think is the ABS.
Making Matsui’s less slick (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter yone
- Start date
The Emerald Bay chips are ABS and the WPS are whatever their regular offering is. Note that even if the chip is ABS, the edge spots are always the regular material.
Anyway, I have an 8000 grit diamond lapping plate so gonna give this a go with some WPS chips.
Anyway, I have an 8000 grit diamond lapping plate so gonna give this a go with some WPS chips.
madforpancakes
Straight
I tried a 3000 grit sandpaper for a shuffle stack of Emerald Bay chips. Initial results are promising, although I don't know that I'd want to sit there and sand a whole set. Definite improvement over the initial slickness though not quite as rock solid as the videos @yone posted. Perhaps that comes down to the difference in materials between the ABS and nylon plastics, or I didn't sand enough. I did each chip face for about 10s of swirling over the sandpaper.
So I used my 8000 grit lapping plate and it doesn't make much difference. It's likely because it's actually "3 micron/8000 mesh" so probably a whole lot smoother than 7000 grit sand paper.
It's worth saying that the "grit" in sand papers is highly variable, manufacturer to manufacturer - especially the cheap versions. A cheap 8000 grit may be the same as a quality 2000 grit... For example, if you look for 3M 8000 grit, it's called 1 Micron Green Polishing Paper.
It's worth saying that the "grit" in sand papers is highly variable, manufacturer to manufacturer - especially the cheap versions. A cheap 8000 grit may be the same as a quality 2000 grit... For example, if you look for 3M 8000 grit, it's called 1 Micron Green Polishing Paper.
Poker Zombie
Royal Flush
It's interesting that you should mention this, as it is contrary to what I know of sandpaper.
Abrasive particles (typically aluminum oxide or silicon carbide) are attached to paper or cloth. The particles are sifted through a screen to determine the grit rating. The rating is based on the number of holes per inch in the screen. Therefore a 2000 grit has 2000 holes in 1", while a 8000 grit has 8000 holes per inch. To get that many holes, the holes must be much smaller.
I'm not a woodworking expert, but it seems unlikely that one's 2000 grit would ever be the same (or even close to) another's 8000 grit.
What you say is completely right but the thickness of the wires making the mesh screen will also impact the hole size. My DMT plate is labelled 3 micron/8000 mesh whereas the 3M is labelled 1 micron/8000 mesh. Both are quality manufacturers and perhaps both are correct - using different thickness wires in the mesh giving different size holes!
I used to buy sand paper from Harbor Freight but should have known better. Some grits were far coarser than they should have been and others were much finer. And another problem is that the "sand" wasn't uniformly adhered to the paper so it would often come off and cause grooves when sanding. I now only use Abranet which has the added benefit of being porous so my dust collection sucks away the dust as it's produced. One thing I've learned wood working is not to cheap out on sand paper.
It was a different brand from the sample pack I bought, definitely nervous now
Amazon has a good return policy so don't let that worry you. Just check them out and see if they're the same quality as what you got first time - if not, return them!
So far I have sanded 800 chips with 1,500 grit 3M sandpaper. The chips feel fantastic! They stack and shuffle much better. The 7,000 grit I ordered from Amazon was a different brand as the sample pack; they also did not cut the chip down as well. I tried wet sanding, which seemed more efficient (sand paper lasted longer). However, the chip sticks to the wet sandpaper and made it more difficult to move across. Using a different grip to compensate, I sanded some skin off my thumb to the point it was bleeding. I would have posted it the thread ’what's the dumbest way you hurt yourself’, but was I was little embarrassed that it would have been the absolute dumbest.
https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/whats-the-dumbest-way-you-hurt-yourself.49946/
https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/whats-the-dumbest-way-you-hurt-yourself.49946/
MrCatPants
Full House
Curious to hear how this goes for others as well. Definitely piqued my interest on what to do with my Emerald Bay's.
MrCatPants
Full House
Any updates from additional trials?
Just finished sanding a barrel of Emerald Bays. Used 3M 2000 grit (auto WETORDRY variety). Did about 10 figure eights on each side but probably could benefit from more.
The results are much better stacking, definitely not as slippery as before sanding. Can't tell that much difference in chip appearance after sanding. If you are thinking about doing it, seems like a fairly harmless project.
The results are much better stacking, definitely not as slippery as before sanding. Can't tell that much difference in chip appearance after sanding. If you are thinking about doing it, seems like a fairly harmless project.
Poker Zombie
Royal Flush
I just used this method - 3M 2000 grit, mostly figure eights, 8-10 per side - on some cheap, and very slippery, World Poker Tour chips that I relabeled for use on the airplane tray poker table. The results...
Unsanded:
Sanded:
No visible damage to the chips. So did it have an effect?
You bet!
Sanded next to the green CPC chips, Unsanded next to the white Paulsons. CPC and Paulson used to compare relative slipperiness compared to CPC and Paulsons. 2 sided tape used to hold the first chip down. Stacks of 5 chips each.
Now I'm still not recommending cheap chips over clay, but for those that cannot stand "slippery plastics" but cannot afford clay, this is a reasonable alternative - provided you are willing to sand an entire set.
Unsanded:
Sanded:
No visible damage to the chips. So did it have an effect?
You bet!
Sanded next to the green CPC chips, Unsanded next to the white Paulsons. CPC and Paulson used to compare relative slipperiness compared to CPC and Paulsons. 2 sided tape used to hold the first chip down. Stacks of 5 chips each.
Now I'm still not recommending cheap chips over clay, but for those that cannot stand "slippery plastics" but cannot afford clay, this is a reasonable alternative - provided you are willing to sand an entire set.
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MrCatPants
Full House
I've done this on a rack of the Emerald Bay's now and it does help as well. just a pain in the butt 
WedgeRock
Royal Flush
So 2000 grit 3M is the consensus?
MrCatPants
Full House
It worked for me. I finished the whole set of emerald bays, employing child and early arriver labor
It's a pain in the ass, but it helps to some degree. Still not as sticky as cross hatched clay chips, but not constant and immediate tumbling hazards the way they are out of the box.
CantSpellPoker
Straight
I've only done 2 barrels, haven't gotten around to doing my full set of Emerald Bays, but I was pleased with the results I got with 2,000 grit.
Geremie
Full House
WedgeRock
Royal Flush
If its like that stuff I put on my windshield to shed rain, it'll wear off eventually.
rrobyrrroby
Two Pair
Anyone can recommend this treatment (7000 grit sand paper) for ceramic chips?
Poker Zombie
Royal Flush
I would be very reluctant to sand ceramic chips. The image is printed directly onto the chip. Any sanding is bound to cause the image to fade. In addition, the running edge of the chip is a wrapped piece of plastic. Sanding may catch the plastic edge creating a rough or frayed rolling edge.
I have not tried it though. Actual results may vary. Different ceramics may yield different results.
WedgeRock
Royal Flush
I'd agree, tho.
Images on ceramics do not go through the chip the way plastic goes through Matsuis...
So with a big set of Matsui Zens in my future, have people done any more of this? I have a sample of Matsui radisons I may try this on tomorrow
MrCatPants
Full House
the sandpaper? it helps.
Yes the sandpaper. But also more specifically wondering if 3M 2000 grit, dry, with 8-10 figure eight passes is the consensus. Compared to a lot of similar topics on PCF this one seems kind of underdeveloped so I’m wondering if there’s more knowledge people can share about the process
MrCatPants
Full House
I did 10 second scrubs with decent pressure on each side - it improved them, but they still are not cross hatched or anything so still more slippery than most other chips.
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