Plastic chip-edge glossy from wear (1 Viewer)

[ttt]

I have this “sample set” of plastic chips that I’ve used over many years to learn poker chip tricks. As a result of contact with oils from my skin, they’ve developed this glossy sheen on their edges which makes them unpleasantly slippery (and difficult to do tricks with). This seems to be the same process that causes plastic keycaps to lose their texture and become a shiny, slippery mess. AFAIK with regards to keycaps, this is pretty much an irreversible process. Prevention is better than the cure: PBT keycaps accumulate oil build-up much slower than ABS keycaps.

I don’t consider this wear pattern to be desirable at all, so my question is: which plastic chips are more resistant to build-up of oil? Are high-end plastics like Matsui, BJ, B&G, or Abbiati better in this regard? Anyone who has played with plastics at casinos, did you notice this problem?

 

[FordPickup92]

@saleen121212

 

[allforcharity]

Probably a combination of physical wear and oil coating. The former you can't do anything about. The latter you can try removing by cleaning with a decent detergent,

I would think plastic chips are least resistant to build-up of oil, since it is less porous than clay and will just accumulate on the surface (but only to a certain degree).

 

[kaimat]

I would just give them a quick scrub in some warm soapy water. Wash them like dishes, shouldn't be too much of a problem. I wouldn't worry too much about plastic chips (however I did once soak a bunch of s2s in oxi clean overnight and that definitely did do damage, so avoid that).

 

[ttt]

So I tried cleaning it and it didn't help, so I think the gloss is from the matte finish being worn down.

My question then becomes: which plastics have edge textures that are durable enough as to not wear like this. I've seen many photos of plastic chips on PCF look quite shiny, and I suspect they have this same problem.

 

[allforcharity]

I think all chips, whether plastic, ceramic, or clay, will eventually end up like this. It's as you said, it depends on how much use they've had.

Having said that, I do have some BJS2 chips that are essentially unused and only lightly handled. They are not slippery at all, but I'm not sure if you're looking for grippy or something in between.

 

[Klobberer]

Try giving them a rub with a magic eraser. Very mild abrasive tha might scuff them up a little.

 

[ttt]

I think all chips, whether plastic, ceramic, or clay, will eventually end up like this. It's as you said, it depends on how much use they've had.

Having said that, I do have some BJS2 chips that are essentially unused and only lightly handled. They are not slippery at all, but I'm not sure if you're looking for grippy or something in between.

The optimal is somewhere in between grippy and slippery, and the ease with which one can perform tricks is a good test for this IMHO. Too far in either direction makes certain manoeuvres difficult.

Do clay chips actually exhibit wear on the texture of their edges? I've seen bicycle tires that are way less shiny than plastics. I have some CPC H-mold chips as well as Gemaco promo's, and once oiled, I actually wouldn't say that either of them have a particularly grippy texture on the edges. The sharp edge inherent to mint clay chips and the increased surface area as a result is what provides sufficient friction. That sharp edge is obviously lost over time, so technically clays don't stay perfect forever, either.

One of the touted benefits of plastics is that they're more durable, and that their edge doesn't wear like clay. This is a positive, but if their edge texture becomes glossy and gross over time then that advantage has been somewhat negated. Different plastics wear at different rates, hence my question about which plastics tend to wear better.