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Self labeling silliness (5 Viewers)

valleychips

valleychips

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So, in what you all will probably find to be a cardinal sin of chipping... I have dice chips. I used my home laserjet printer on some vinyl round stickers so that I could add denominations. At first, it looked nice. But pretty quickly, I saw that the toner was chipping/scratching off the stickers. Even sharpie marker ink doesn't stay on these suckers once the chips are pushed around in a pot and smack against each other.

Is there any good way to do home printed vinyl stickers? Or am I being a (cheap ass) fool and my time/money are better spent upgrading to pre-labeled chips?

I imagine it's that last option, but I wanted to check. Thank you for your input!
 
valleychips said:
(cheap ass) fool and my time/money are better spent upgrading to pre-labeled chips
Click to expand...

Edit: I suppose if you really want though, you could write in the denom with an engraver on the chips and then sharpie on top. Should retain the sharpie in the engraved area even if the surface is worn (to ekricket's point on recess).. but sounds like a lot of effort vs getting nicer denominated chips.
 
Last edited:
valleychips said:
So, in what you all will probably find to be a cardinal sin of chipping... I have dice chips. I used my home laserjet printer on some vinyl round stickers so that I could add denominations. At first, it looked nice. But pretty quickly, I saw that the toner was chipping/scratching off the stickers. Even sharpie marker ink doesn't stay on these suckers once the chips are pushed around in a pot and smack against each other.

Is there any good way to do home printed vinyl stickers? Or am I being a (cheap ass) fool and my time/money are better spent upgrading to pre-labeled chips?

I imagine it's that last option, but I wanted to check. Thank you for your input!
Click to expand...
It’s because the stickers are the high spot in the dice chip. If there was a recess the printed area would not take such a beating. You could also laminate them as well if you had a recess to handle the height.
 
IMG_4207.jpeg
 
valleychips said:
So, in what you all will probably find to be a cardinal sin of chipping... I have dice chips. I used my home laserjet printer on some vinyl round stickers so that I could add denominations. At first, it looked nice. But pretty quickly, I saw that the toner was chipping/scratching off the stickers. Even sharpie marker ink doesn't stay on these suckers once the chips are pushed around in a pot and smack against each other.

Is there any good way to do home printed vinyl stickers? Or am I being a (cheap ass) fool and my time/money are better spent upgrading to pre-labeled chips?

I imagine it's that last option, but I wanted to check. Thank you for your input!
Click to expand...
honestly for the price you're paying for all of that you can get you a set or ceramics or china clay and be set. Chips don't have to be thousands of dollars a set unless you want them to be.
 
Many of us on this forum started at some point with dice chips, myself included. Like you, I also put cheap, homemade sticker labels on them.

You'll need laminated labels to protect the printing. I think you can do that at home, but I don't know what that entails. You can also buy laminated vinyl labels online from certain vendors.

The best option would probably be to get a set of Tina ceramics.
 
Thank you! And also... yikes!! Ah, it was a foolish plan on my part to begin with. That's okay. Lesson learned
 
Hey all,

So I'm very likely ordering a set of Tinas.

While I'm waiting four months for them... I still have those dice chips for which I printed out denomination labels on vinyl stickers. To restate it: the problem is that, as poker chips normally collide in pots, the toner has chipped off the stickers.

Because I still have to use these chips for almost the rest of the year, I want to re-sticker them. But! I'd like to add some kind of protective coating over the stickers so that they remain legible (basically, an anti-scratch coating).

I was considering clear nail polish (cheap, easy to apply, somewhat anti-abrasive). Or floor polish. Or clear caulk. A wise user of PCF also suggested Krylon spray (the problem is spray isn't accurate enough -- or I'm not -- for me to get only the label and not the chip... but maybe that's not a big deal?).

Does anyone have thoughts on the above or new ideas? Thank you
 
We played for years with non-denominated faux clays and I only had to tell new players once (maybe twice) what each color represented. Not having denoms never really caused an issue.

If I was you, I'd just skip all that sticker fuss and leave them without denoms until you get your Tinas.
 
How are you cutting the labels? Spraying on a protectant like Krylon should be done on the sheet before removing the labels from the backing sheet (for next time, if you have to remake labels).

If you want to try to spray on already applied labels, then you could create a "stencil" from cardstock or something, with a hole the same size as the label cut out, and you can put the chip under the stencil and spray to only get it on the label. (For more efficiency, you could cut multiple holes on a piece of cardstock, so you can spray multiple chips.)

I do agree, it might be wasted effort. For the times I've had to play on non-denominated dice chips, I usually take a chip of each color and tape it onto a sheet of paper or piece of cardboard, and write the denoms next to it, and either prop up the "legend" nearby or put it on the table for reference.
 
Good suggestion! That said, I think I found something that hopefully can do the job and can be painted on with a brush. Took a lot of scouring:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/r.html?C=3E92MSAD2LHAU&K=29E3TNU1V0XGE&M=urn:rtn:msg:20250714190902367955a0c9bb4c898e548edd3b30p0na&R=152D8HH9LXAKD&T=C&U=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09KZ3GZKQ?ref_=pe_125775000_1044873430_t_fed_asin_title&H=K0SCLHUF4QQJ9REVZGKR9K3AU2IA&ref_=pe_125775000_1044873430_t_fed_asin_title

Described as anti scratch and anti scuff, and meant for items including shoes. So I hope that it would protect against the typical poker chip uses. Will report back.
 
You might try Modge Podge. It’s what people paint on jigsaw puzzles after they are completed to hold them together and display them.
 
Well, then my smoking hot, dirt cheap offer wouldn't do you any good. You may find a set of Tina's come up for sale, before you order a set, that may work for you. Just keep an eye on the marketplace.
 
On lighter chips, I’m sure a black stamp would show nicely. They also make white and even gold metallic ink pads that may be used on dark chips, but I’m unsure at the longevity of those. If the indelible black inkpad is anything like the ink in a black sharpie marker, it should last.
 
valleychips said:
Good suggestion! That said, I think I found something that hopefully can do the job and can be painted on with a brush. Took a lot of scouring:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/r.html?C=3E92MSAD2LHAU&K=29E3TNU1V0XGE&M=urn:rtn:msg:20250714190902367955a0c9bb4c898e548edd3b30p0na&R=152D8HH9LXAKD&T=C&U=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09KZ3GZKQ?ref_=pe_125775000_1044873430_t_fed_asin_title&H=K0SCLHUF4QQJ9REVZGKR9K3AU2IA&ref_=pe_125775000_1044873430_t_fed_asin_title

Described as anti scratch and anti scuff, and meant for items including shoes. So I hope that it would protect against the typical poker chip uses. Will report back.
Click to expand...

Partial update: "Painted" all the chips (the labels, anyway) on both sides with two quick, light coats of this clear Angelus Flat 4-Coat Scratch-Resistant Leather Sealer. Using cured chips, I briefly tested rubbing chip edges against the center labels, and I noted zero damage. Which means, it seems thus far like this liquid urethane indeed worked. It didn't have a detectable odor, was easy to apply with a small paintbrush (granted, I didn't care about being neat because these are just temporary chips 'til end of the year), and it dried very fast (given the small amounts used and the non-porous surface). Happy about that so far. If you look very carefully, you can see where it's been applied in those areas where I unintentionally went past the label. But it's nothing that you'd notice when using the chips in play.

On that note, the real test will come with a few actual cash games played. Will report further on the outcome after a few weeks and include pics if helpful.
 
I have some murdered 43mm chips that I need to get in play for this weekends tournament. Gear will make the labels in a few weeks, till then...I'm thinking to write denominations ok sticker and place it on the chip.

Will keep the thread posted
 
valleychips said:
Partial update: "Painted" all the chips (the labels, anyway) on both sides with two quick, light coats of this clear Angelus Flat 4-Coat Scratch-Resistant Leather Sealer. Using cured chips, I briefly tested rubbing chip edges against the center labels, and I noted zero damage. Which means, it seems thus far like this liquid urethane indeed worked. It didn't have a detectable odor, was easy to apply with a small paintbrush (granted, I didn't care about being neat because these are just temporary chips 'til end of the year), and it dried very fast (given the small amounts used and the non-porous surface). Happy about that so far. If you look very carefully, you can see where it's been applied in those areas where I unintentionally went past the label. But it's nothing that you'd notice when using the chips in play.

On that note, the real test will come with a few actual cash games played. Will report further on the outcome after a few weeks and include pics if helpful.
Click to expand...

Pics or it didn't happen.
 
What denominations do you have and how many of each? I have four racks of two different color Majestics sitting around. If it will stop you from spending another second or another dime on dice chips, I will send them to you to use for free until your Tina's come in.
 
GreatWhiteDope said:
What denominations do you have and how many of each? I have four racks of two different color Majestics sitting around. If it will stop you from spending another second or another dime on dice chips, I will send them to you to use for free until your Tina's come in.
Click to expand...
Very kind of you, and thanks for the offer. But don't worry, I won't be spending any more time or money on dice anything haha. I'm mostly keeping the forum posted because PCF has been very helpful to me, and if this can help someone else down the line who is in the "waiting on nice chips" phase, that would be paying it forward. Take some info, give some info kind of mindset.
 

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