To oil or not to oil, New CPC's (2 Viewers)

Oil them

  • Yes

    Votes: 61 93.8%
  • No

    Votes: 4 6.2%

  • Total voters
    65

Jambine

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I've had these a few months and still can't decide. Finally oiled a barrel of each. I guess I already know the answer, but I'll ask it anyway

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I agree with Links. I only oil the edges. Less is more when your oiling chips btw.

Yes less is more. The truth is I was never in doubt about oiling these. And although I do oil the entire chip, the process involves very little oil and a lot of removing that little bit.
 
Yeah I oil the whole chip. Plus it's damn near impossible to just oil the edges and not get some oil to seep onto the face of a few. And as soon as you see how much better the faces looks as well, boom you're hooked and decide to oil the whole thing. And yes, very little oil especially on the face is all that is needed.

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Edges only for me if you have to. I find it acts like a dirt magnet especially on the chip face.
 
Soooooooo, mineral oil usp, correct??
I have been using Johnson and Johnson baby oil from day 1. But it's literally just mineral oil and a fragrance. The fragrance never stays. So yeah, mineral oil.

Also, water and oil trick works wonders for CPC chips. I can dunk a chip in warm water with a little squirt (lol) of oil in the bowl, then dry it to damp, let sit and then an hour later, dry it completely and done. Super fast and easy.

Some people like to use clamps and oil a barrel, edges only and yes, it will soak into the clay. Takes about 24 hours from what I've seen to get all the way from edge to middle.

The only thing I don't recommend is submerging in oil. Sometimes the oil reaches the inlay and discoloration appears. I have had this happen to National Poker Series inlays which are bright white. I am terrified to use only the tiniest amount of oil for any bright white inlay.

InPlay chips for example have yellow based inlays, you would never notice and you can be liberal with oil and never have to worry.

Case by case basis but rule of thumb is that you can always oil more but you can't take oil out easily. It will happen naturally over time as chips dry out. Takes 6 months to several years in storage for this to happen. Humidity in your area greatly affects the amount of time. Also the chemistry of the chip matters too. CPC chips stayed oiled longer. BCC chips seem to dry out faster. China clays dry out fastest. Paulsons last very long oiled.

That's my experience at least.

One edit: you can artificially remove some oil by using water and dish soap. This can dry out the chips after you let them air dry for awhile. But if the inlay has been compromised, like in the case of my bright white NPS. It stays discolored forever. Can't fix it. Luckily only have about 3 chips like that. I don't like to experiment with more than one chip at a time when I try a process the first time.
 
I agree on the oil/water trick. You can oil an entire set of chips in like 30 mins.

I use a strainer, set inside a bigger bowl. This allows for easier dunking, and removal of the chips all at once. You don't need much oil, and you want to mix up the chips for 20 seconds. The number of chips you can do at a time is only dependent on the size of your bowl.
 
I’m new to Paulsons but I prefer the lighter matte finish of a non oiled chip. I know I’m in the minority on this subject. :cool:
 
I’m new to Paulsons but I prefer the lighter matte finish of a non oiled chip. I know I’m in the minority on this subject. :cool:

Jordan, that’s a fair opinion. However, the one advantage to higher quality chips, like Paulsons or CPC, is the availability of brighter vivid colors... the China clay chips are notoriously bad at making vivid colors, and they are often muted or dull/matte. This might explain the draw to having colors “pop”, which oiling does accomplish.

On a side note, here’s my set all matte and chalky vs having the rolling edges oiled, and put into play once..

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I know which one I prefer.
 
Jordan, that’s a fair opinion. However, the one advantage to higher quality chips, like Paulsons or CPC, is the availability of brighter vivid colors... the China clay chips are notoriously bad at making vivid colors, and they are often muted or dull/matte. This might explain the draw to having colors “pop”, which oiling does accomplish.

On a side note, here’s my set all matte and chalky vs having the rolling edges oiled, and put into play once..

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I know which one I prefer.

Those oiled chips I must say do look impressive! They almost look like different chips due to the contrast in colors.
 
In the somewhat foreseeable future I will be milling about 1200 (maybe even 2400) Paulson THC hotstamp chips and putting labels (a la Gear, of course) onto them.

I'm assuming best order of operations is mill/clean -> oil -> dry -> label

Or do some people label first before oiling? (Laminated labels)
 
Oil the edges and then lightly wipe the outer rim of the face. Never oil the inlay area. A very small of oil is needed no need to slop it on, a little dab will do ya'.
 

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