Restoring Mitch's Chips (1 Viewer)

[Potsie1]

It will be a while before I'm finished as these chips are worse than any I have ever tried to bring back from the dead. I will update this post as I move along but wanted to give you a few pics of where I'm starting and some progress Im making. I finished a sample of the chips to kind of see what they will look like.

I had to put them all in an ultrasonic bath of ivory and the tiniest amount of TSP just to get the first few layers of caked on dirt dust grime off. You literally couldnt even handle these they were so disgusting.

After preliminary cleaning and drying I experimented with a few methods. I settled on a method I developed(at least I havent seen it before). Basically I make I very high concentration of TSP and water in a little dish and carefully apply it around the dry chip avoiding the hot stamp. The chips are lined up on a paper towel. After letting the chip soak for about 8-10 minutes I use a higher power sonicare ultrasonice toothbruth dipped in the tsp to scrub the edges. Then I use a low powered Oral B ultrasonic toothbrush heavily dipped in running water to wash and scrub the top of the chip removing the TSP and cleaning the chip in full including the hotstamp. I then flip the chip over and repeat. You can see how filthy the chips were even after ultrasonic cleaning on the paper towel photo.

These chips will literally have to be handled one at a time. I feel like Im an archaeologist painstakingly digging up a dinosaur.

2nd to last picture of 24 blue chips have the top two rows cleaned and bottom two rows dirty. Last photo is of the cleaned but unoiled chips.

 

[BGinGA]

Christ, all that and you're still gonna need to bake 'em to get them unwarped and flat? Not to mention that many look bleached from sun exposure, and others appear to have mold damage -- with no easy fix for either condition.

Not worth it to me, even if the chips were free. Bless you for your patience in attempting to salvage these. Somewhere, a chip god is smiling down at you.

 

[manamongkids]

Christ, all that and you're still gonna need to bake 'em to get them unwarped and flat? Not to mention that many look bleached from sun exposure, and others appear to have mold damage -- with no easy fix for either condition.

Not worth it to me, even if the chips were free. Bless you for your patience in attempting to salvage these. Somewhere, a chip god is smiling down at you.

and somewhere Mitch is just staring down at you shaking his head

 

[Marius L]

looks like a good start. good luck! seems like a lot of work for sure

 

[stocky]

I'll give you $10 to drink that water....

 

[Potsie1]

I LEARNED THAT IF YOU SET YOUR OVEN TO 140 AND IT DOESNT GO THAT LOW IT AUTOMATICALLY SETS ITSELF TO 350!!!!!!!
Wasted about 50 green chips and ten blues. not a good start. Please cry with me.

EDIT: Like this post if you feel my pain. It will make me feel better.

 

[manamongkids]

I LEARNED THAT IF YOU SET YOUR OVEN TO 140 AND IT DOESNT GO THAT LOW IT AUTOMATICALLY SETS ITSELF TO 350!!!!!!!
Wasted about 50 green chips and ten blues. not a good start. Please cry with me.

EDIT: Like this post if you feel my pain. It will make me feel better.

View attachment 32779

Yum, green eggs and ham

 

[Psypher1000]

These chips will literally have to be handled one at a time. I feel like Im an archaeologist painstakingly digging up a dinosaur.

That's the Lord's work right there, Potsie. Peace (and a wrist brace) be with you while you work on these.

Last photo is of the cleaned but unoiled chips.

That's a *phenomenal* job. Well done!

For as much work as you're putting into restoring them, I feel like they ought to go into a museum somewhere.

 

[TheBigTater]

I remember seeing these chips when originally listed and thought that they had been buried in muck, then baked in the furnace of a sun. You have much patience my friend to try and resurrect Mitch's former discs of clay.

View attachment 32779

Oh my, something has gone terribly wrong here...

 

[Potsie1]

@Shaggy I finished your nickels. I will be sending you 19. 1 is cracked. I kept 3 for sample sets I'm making which is why there is 22 in the picture. Considering where they started I think they look good. Having said that, they are really rough chips. At least now theyre presentable. I wanted everybody else to see the progress as well. PM me your address.

 

[Shaggy]

sweet, PM on the way. Thanks for your effort and your generosity. Good chip karma to you.

 

[BGinGA]

This pic needs to be accompanied by the standard mythbusters warning/disclaimer.....

Also, to maintain a more uniform heat/temperature across the entire stack, place extra ceramic blanks on the ends -- especially if using a metal clamp (which will channel more heat into the ends, hence your bubbled end chips).

 

[Potsie1]

Also, to maintain a more uniform heat/temperature across the entire stack, place extra ceramic blanks on the ends -- especially if using a metal clamp (which will channel more heat into the ends, hence your bubbled end chips).

Good advice. Yes I use metal clamps and spacers. I would think extra cereamic blanks on the end and fewer chips at a time in the middle would also help with uniform pressure.

 

[BGinGA]

The primary area where you need significant change is temperature.