Rack damaged/melted after being stored for a longer time (1 Viewer)

[w00zie]

Due to the pandemic and family-related stuff I took a break from hosting games. Since the end of 2019 my chips sat in their racks without being handled at all.

Now I discovered that one rack seems to have reacted with the chips(?). It looks like it melted in between where the chips sat – see pictures. It's a china rack, I don't remember where I got it from.
The rack had mint AS $1 chips stored in it. Stored in a cabinet with doors. Other racks (different manufacturer) in the same cabinet are not affected. It gets warm in summer in our apartment but nothing too serious.
The good thing is the chips are not damaged at all. They sticked to the rack but show no sign of any damage.

I wonder if someone here has experienced the same before?

 

[OfficerLovejoy]

I'm burning my china racks right now!

 

[upNdown]

Bizarre

 

[ekricket]

Oil

 

[tabletalker7]

I just checked the racks I keep my one ceramic set in that hasn't been used in over a year. The racks are perfect. I do think what you used to oil your chips is damaging the racks.

 

[OfficerLovejoy]

I just checked the racks I keep my one ceramic set in that hasn't been used in over a year. The racks are perfect. I do think what you used to oil your chips is damaging the racks.

You think sulfuric acid was a bad choice?

 

[Schmendr1ck]

I've seen this in a couple of cheap racks, though not nearly to this extent. @ekricket is probably right.

Mineral oil is generally not a good solvent for most plastics at room temperature, and when you oil chips, you shouldn't be using much anyway.

But it's possible that some cheap racks contain plastics that have limited solubility in mineral oil. That, plus the weight of the chips (and maybe some migration of the oil to the bottom edge of the chip over time), could be causing the rack to melt slightly.

 

[w00zie]

Oil

I did not oil them, maybe the former owner did. And who knows what oil he used... Oiled Ambassador $100's stored in a different type of rack did not affect the rack at all. I use mineral oil (Parrafin) from the pharmacy, 100% pure.
So it might be the combination of the specific rack and oil and maybe the temperatures in summer.

Thanks everyone for your answers!

 

[w00zie]

I'm burning my china racks right now!

I'll throw away these for sure. I have to check my whole collection now, birdcage and Apache have been sitting in my apartment for over two years untouched as well.

 

[OfficerLovejoy]

I'll throw away these for sure. I have to check my whole collection now, birdcage and Apache have been sitting in my apartment for over two years untouched as well.

Ok that's it. We need to see pictures.

 

[w00zie]

Ok that's it. We need to see pictures.

Here is the last pic of my modest collection. But some sets have been added since then so it's time for new pictures. I'll try my best to do it within the next few days!

https://www.pokerchipforum.com/thre...ip-hoard-pr0n-thread-of-pcf.11165/post-781784

 

[OfficerLovejoy]

Here is the last pic of my modest collection. But some sets have been added since then so it's time for new pictures. I'll try my best to do it within the next few days!

https://www.pokerchipforum.com/thre...ip-hoard-pr0n-thread-of-pcf.11165/post-781784

Oh wow, so many great sets!
Let me know if you're ever one player short!
How many km from Köln to you?

 

[w00zie]

Oh wow, so many great sets!
Let me know if you're ever one player short!
How many km from Köln to you?

432km from Köln to Freiburg, not the closest unfortunately. BUT Euro Meetup in Autumn??

 

[OfficerLovejoy]

432km from Köln to Freiburg, not the closest unfortunately. BUT Euro Meetup in Autumn??

 

[chipinla]

I just checked the racks I keep my one ceramic set in that hasn't been used in over a year. The racks are perfect. I do think what you used to oil your chips is damaging the racks.

 

[XBobdog]

It could be from the radioactive ultraviolet green dust sometimes found on $25 chips

 

[XBobdog]

That being said. Freiburg is a cool little city. A friend of ours is in school there.

 

[BGinGA]

Due to the pandemic and family-related stuff I took a break from hosting games. Since the end of 2019 my chips sat in their racks without being handled at all.

Now I discovered that one rack seems to have reacted with the chips(?). It looks like it melted in between where the chips sat – see pictures. It's a china rack, I don't remember where I got it from.
The rack had mint AS $1 chips stored in it. Stored in a cabinet with doors. Other racks (different manufacturer) in the same cabinet are not affected. It gets warm in summer in our apartment but nothing too serious.
The good thing is the chips are not damaged at all. They sticked to the rack but show no sign of any damage.

I wonder if someone here has experienced the same before?

View attachment 913742
View attachment 913743
View attachment 913744

I've had similar damage to racks -- Chipco and Paulson, both premium brands -- when storing 39mm Paulson THC mold chips made from 2017-2020, most notably ES cash, ES tourney (both sets), AS cash, BTP, and SB chips. The issue seems to be restricted only to chips with inlays, as none of my hot-stamped chips stored similarly seem to be affected.

I think it's a reaction during slightly elevated tempuratures between the chip trays and either the chip's inlay adhesive (which binds the plastic lamination to the vinyl label) or the finishing solution (used in post-production rolling edge finishing). There is definitely a chemical smell associated with the issue. No chips had been oiled.

It doesn't occur with all similar rack/chip combinations, but enough to be problematic.

 

[Colquhoun]

Could be ammonia. It's used in the manufacture of synthetic fibers (which are in compressed clay chips) and plastic.
Ammonia reacts with acrylic (like clear racks) by making them cloudy.

This chip/rack phenomena may be just a chemical reaction between certain chips with certain racks.

 

[w00zie]

I've had similar damage to racks -- Chipco and Paulson, both premium brands -- when storing 39mm Paulson THC mold chips made from 2017-2020, most notably ES cash, ES tourney (both sets), AS cash, BTP, and SB chips. The issue seems to be restricted only to chips with inlays, as none of my hot-stamped chips stored similarly seem to be affected.

I think it's a reaction during slightly elevated tempuratures between the chip trays and either the chip's inlay adhesive (which binds the plastic lamination to the vinyl label) or the finishing solution (used in post-production rolling edge finishing). There is definitely a chemical smell associated with the issue. No chips had been oiled.

It doesn't occur with all similar rack/chip combinations, but enough to be problematic.

Thanks a lot for sharing your experience! It seemed strange to me that only the AS chips caused that effect – but it seems we have an explanation now, or at least I'm not the only one experiencing this effect.

AS chips in Matsui racks are not affected btw.

Could be ammonia. It's used in the manufacture of synthetic fibers (which are in compressed clay chips) and plastic.
Ammonia reacts with acrylic (like clear racks) by making them cloudy.

This chip/rack phenomena may be just a chemical reaction between certain chips with certain racks.

Must be some kind of reaction then and oil might not be the cause of it.

 

[w00zie]

That being said. Freiburg is a cool little city. A friend of ours is in school there.

Freiburg is lovely, yeah. It's called "Tuscany of Germany" because of the warm climate.