Milling size? (1 Viewer)

[Josh Kifer]

I understand. I think to use a special form that supports the chip only at the place of stamping and along the diameter so that it does not spread.

That wouldn't do anything. You gotta use 20-30 psi, and if you press into a form, it's going to press into the other side of the chip.

Think of it this way. The chip is soft and will deform under the pressure it takes. So it's gotta be flat. On the face, the stamps gotta press into the chip fully to get an impression. If you block it out, your blocking the stamp, which means you won't get an image. If you lower the plane which the image has to be imprinted, you gotta lower the face even with the stamped area, which means removing the mold.

 

[HughDrackman]

Jumping into this old thread because I just got some hot stamped TRK solids (unleaded) that I wanted to try milling myself. Is there a specific kind of mill bit I should use? What other pitfalls should I know to avoid? It won't break my heart if a few of these get ruined, so long as I can learn from my mistakes. Any advice would be a big help.

 

[Colquhoun]

Jumping into this old thread because I just got some hot stamped TRK solids (unleaded) that I wanted to try milling myself. Is there a specific kind of mill bit I should use? What other pitfalls should I know to avoid? It won't break my heart if a few of these get ruined, so long as I can learn from my mistakes. Any advice would be a big help.

It must be a bottom-cleaning bit. Some are better than others at being virtually flat on the bottom, but I recommend the bits from Magnate. I used their 7/8" bit and it works great.
https://www.magnate.net/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=2706

You'll want to make some form of jig to hold the chip in a centered position and tight enough that it doesnt spin while being milled. There s a thread here on PCF somewhere with all the milling recommendations, try a search.
It's easy to go too deep when milling. You really dont need to go deep at all for a standard label, and it looks better when the recess is shallow. I try to look at the depth of the mold...like on a THC chip, you mill down about as deep as the depth of the hats, maybe just a bit more. It's also helpful to have a sample label to give it a try to see how well they fit.
Also, I found I couldnt use the depth stop on the drill press, it is too inconsistent. All chips are a bit different, so I needed to do each chip depth manually. Once you start doing a few, you really get a feel of how deep you should go. Go slow, and you can do it in small increments. While you can go up and down with the bit, you dont want to take the chip out and realize it's not deep enough. It's possible to put a chip back in the jig to remove more, but it gets the best result if you remove it once.

edit: Here is the milling thread. Lots of great info throughout:
https://www.pokerchipforum.com/thre...-setup-tutorial-with-details-and-links.55889/

 

[Johnblue]

That wouldn't do anything. You gotta use 20-30 psi, and if you press into a form, it's going to press into the other side of the chip.

Think of it this way. The chip is soft and will deform under the pressure it takes. So it's gotta be flat. On the face, the stamps gotta press into the chip fully to get an impression. If you block it out, your blocking the stamp, which means you won't get an image. If you lower the plane which the image has to be imprinted, you gotta lower the face even with the stamped area, which means removing the mold.

Just spitballing here, and I don’t know if it’s commercially available, but wouldn’t a hotstamp, with a ‘higher relief’ make it possible?

Like if the raised artwork portion of the die was a good 1/4 inch high… I wonder if that’s ever been made, there has to have been a need for that in some process at some point in the history of hotstamping.

 

[Josh Kifer]

Just spitballing here, and I don’t know if it’s commercially available, but wouldn’t a hotstamp, with a ‘higher relief’ make it possible?

Like if the raised artwork portion of the die was a good 1/4 inch high… I wonder if that’s ever been made, there has to have been a need for that in some process at some point in the history of hotstamping.

 

[maxim_666666]

Jumping into this old thread because I just got some hot stamped TRK solids (unleaded) that I wanted to try milling myself. Is there a specific kind of mill bit I should use? What other pitfalls should I know to avoid? It won't break my heart if a few of these get ruined, so long as I can learn from my mistakes. Any advice would be a big help.

How do they look??

 

[HughDrackman]

How do they look??

Haven’t had a chance to mill them yet. I got a wicked case of stomach flu yesterday, and I’m still recovering. Rest assured that when it happens, I’ll have venue and after pictures.