So it begins aka poker chip making quest (1 Viewer)

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I will be posting pictures of all my progress here.

Got the hot stamp machine set up and did some savage stamping over some worn down THCs.

Haven't figured out temperature and time yet, but will work on that tomorrow. Also...accidentally spelled my name backwards :(
 

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Seems not hot enough based on what I've done but will try...

@AK Chip what were you using to remove the flashing?
https://www.amazon.com/Bates-Single...jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

These work great. Index finger goes on the back of the blade, middle finger supports the base of the chip, chip held in other hand. Rotate chip around while dragging the blade across the face - the width of the blade helps prevent gouging into the face, but you need to pay attention.

Bonus tip - wrap a bandaid around your middle finger before you start or you'll have a bunch of nicks on your finger and will need it after.
 
Great info thanks guys.

So far I have purchased:
-pigments
-all kinds of chemical fillers
-micro lathe
-flocked cotton fibers from an airline supply company (wtf?!)

Some questions you all might be able to help with:
1. What are inlays made of? Seems to be some kind of plastic?
2. Which type of clay would you guys think would be used for this process? (Compression molding)

Thanks!
 
Great info thanks guys.

So far I have purchased:
-pigments
-all kinds of chemical fillers
-micro lathe
-flocked cotton fibers from an airline supply company (wtf?!)

Some questions you all might be able to help with:
1. What are inlays made of? Seems to be some kind of plastic?
2. Which type of clay would you guys think would be used for this process? (Compression molding)

Thanks!
For inlays, you should start by trying to put some thick Gear laminated labels on a slug and compressing it to see how that turns out. That’s probably the simplest way to get close to the material of an inlay. And remember, you don’t have to use a textured label to get a textured inlay, it’s all about the mold.

For the clay, I’d experiment with natural clay and polymer clay. Test with both individually, and try to mix them with the pigments, chemical fillers, and cotton fibers in different quantities. If neither turn out well, it’s back to the drawing board.
 
First thing you've gotta know is that clay chips are made out of plastic! They use some fine clay minerals ("barite") as fillers.

We don't know the formulas used in clay chips today, but we do have a formula that TR King once used in at least some of their chips. The main ingredients were vinyl, barite, and lead silicate. Read over this thread for details: https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/trk-chip-dye-formula-revealed.63453/

Inlays have been printed on both plastic and laminated paper.

Can't wait to see how this project goes!
 
Also note that broadly speaking plastics come in two varieties: thermoplastic and thermosetting.

We're pretty sure that the clay chips made by TR King, Paulson, ASM, etc. all use thermosetting plastics. This means that they will soften and melt when heated and harden again when cooled (which thermoplastic plastics also do), but also if they are heated to a high enough temperature, under a high enough pressure, for the right length of time, then they will harden permanently and will not melt again after that.

When you go looking for the right combination of plastics and fillers (like barites and cotton and powdered metal and so forth) be sure to consider at what temperatures and pressure they will cure (harden permanently) and consider how you'll reach those temperatures and pressures.

Alternately, you might press your chips out of thermoplastic materials. Rather than hardening them permanently, you could heat them up enough for them to soften, then press them in your mold, and let them harden as they cool.
 
First thing you've gotta know is that clay chips are made out of plastic! They use some fine clay minerals ("barite") as fillers.

We don't know the formulas used in clay chips today, but we do have a formula that TR King once used in at least some of their chips. The main ingredients were vinyl, barite, and lead silicate. Read over this thread for details: https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/trk-chip-dye-formula-revealed.63453/

Inlays have been printed on both plastic and laminated paper.

Can't wait to see how this project goes!
I was thinking about adding something like this to my post, but yes, many compression molded chips don’t have very much (or any) clay in them. Regardless, I think it would be helpful to see how it turns out using some different types of clay along with those additives before going completely for plastic.
 

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