Un-Warping Paulsons Few Pic's (1 Viewer)

[RussB42]

This is how I un-warped my Paulson's today. This is the 1st time I used this type of C-Clamp.

I put them between Plain Ceramic's with a large washer on each end. Snugged down the clamp rather tight. I made sure the chips went into the Cup Cake Hole in the pan , so they were not touching anywhere.

I then put them into the Oven at 170 deg. for about 15 minutes or so, took them out and let them cool .

They came out just great.

They are Vegas World Tourney Chips, from the early 1980's.

 

[slisk250]

Awesome! I have a few warped uncirculated Paulsons I'll try this on.

 

[RussB42]

UPDATE---Had to go to 185 Deg, as after a day cooling using 170 Deg the chips were not as flat, as I wanted them.

 

[Mental Nomad]

You might also want to play with keeping it at a lower temperature, but holding them there longer.

 

[RussB42]

Ok, My oven won't go lower than 170 Deg.

 

[RussB42]

After the chips cooled some ,I put them in the Frig, still in the clamp, and maybe this did the job...

Sorry, about all the wishie-washie but thought I had it figured out.

Maybe now I do....

 

[maxim_666666]

oo I spent a lot of experiments ....
the main thing that the chip had to warm up completely ...
but still need to be careful.

 

[Shaggy]

Here is a link to the thread on CT that seems like the most agreed upon path to un-warping chips. C-Clamp with ceramic chips between each chip. Time and Temps are discussed.
-deleted- linked to wrong post.

 

[ski_ex5]

Russ, I have flattened hundreds of Paulson chips with about a 95% success rate (not so much with ASM chips, though). "Success" for me is defined as having a rock solid stack of 20 chips with no wobbling whatsoever, not just the day of the flattening, but a week later. Here are a few comments from my experience...

I realize your oven won't go below 170˚, but I strongly recommend lower temperatures (even with Paulsons), and use longer times if necessary.

Your c-clamps are a MUCH better choice than ratchet type clamps. However, realize that you can apply a VERY high clamping force with the c-clamps, enough to squash the chips, especially with the high temperatures you're using. I recommend tightening the c-clamp on the chips JUST ENOUGH to squeeze them flat.

Don't put the clamped chips in the refrigerator. Period. Just let the chips cool to room temperature on their own. This requires patience, as it sometimes takes more than an hour, but I have found it makes a HUGE difference in the success rate.

Also, while the chips are cooling, especially in the first half hour or so, check that the clamp is snug every 10 minutes or so. Again, use just enough force to keep the chips flat while cooling - don't over-tighten, or you can squash the chips. As the chips cool and contract, they get loose in the WOOD clamps that I use, though I'm not sure if that will be the case with your METAL c-clamps.

I know this post is about flattening Paulsons, but I want to caution everyone that contrary to popular opinion, ASM chips are significantly softer than Paulsons. It is VERY easy to ruin a clamped ASM chip in the oven, even at temperatures 120˚ and lower. Specifically, the cross-hatching gets partially mashed flat, and worst of all, the sides/edges of the chips bulge from the chip being squashed, even with a minimum of clamping pressure.

Hope that helps. Good luck!


(calling Mr. Cheddar...)
I'd suggest moving this post to the "Poker Chip Maintenance" forum, where I have a thread on the same subject:
http://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/flattening-warped-chips.3903/

 

[RussB42]

Russ, I have flattened hundreds of Paulson chips with about a 95% success rate (not so much with ASM chips, though). "Success" for me is defined as having a rock solid stack of 20 chips with no wobbling whatsoever, not just the day of the flattening, but a week later. Here are a few comments from my experience...

I realize your oven won't go below 170˚, but I strongly recommend lower temperatures (even with Paulsons), and use longer times if necessary.

Your c-clamps are a MUCH better choice than ratchet type clamps. However, realize that you can apply a VERY high clamping force with the c-clamps, enough to squash the chips, especially with the high temperatures you're using. I recommend tightening the c-clamp on the chips JUST ENOUGH to squeeze them flat.

Don't put the clamped chips in the refrigerator. Period. Just let the chips cool to room temperature on their own. This requires patience, as it sometimes takes more than an hour, but I have found it makes a HUGE difference in the success rate.

Also, while the chips are cooling, especially in the first half hour or so, check that the clamp is snug every 10 minutes or so. Again, use just enough force to keep the chips flat while cooling - don't over-tighten, or you can squash the chips. As the chips cool and contract, they get loose in the WOOD clamps that I use, though I'm not sure if that will be the case with your METAL c-clamps.

I know this post is about flattening Paulsons, but I want to caution everyone that contrary to popular opinion, ASM chips are significantly softer than Paulsons. It is VERY easy to ruin a clamped ASM chip in the oven, even at temperatures 120˚ and lower. Specifically, the cross-hatching gets partially mashed flat, and worst of all, the sides/edges of the chips bulge from the chip being squashed, even with a minimum of clamping pressure.

Hope that helps. Good luck!


(calling Mr. Cheddar...)
I'd suggest moving this post to the "Poker Chip Maintenance" forum, where I have a thread on the same subject:
http://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/flattening-warped-chips.3903/

Thanks Very Much for this info. I thought I had it figured out, but my eyes are now open and it's not as easy as I had originally thought.

I have a Rack each of the Vegas World $5 & $100 Hot Stamped Solid Color Chips that I am doing form the 1980's.

 

[maxim_666666]

ski_ex5, +1
totally agree!
do not rush ... after heating they are soft as a children's plasticine ...
and the higher the temperature, the more they will be softer ..

 

[Potsie1]

Thanks to you guys here and chiptalk I used this thread successfully. here are some of my pics. gap on clamp is 2 inches. Ceramic blanks are a must. 19.99 for 100 on eBay.

 

[atomiktoaster]

Thanks to you guys here and chiptalk I used this thread successfully. here are some of my pics. gap on clamp is 2 inches. Ceramic blanks are a must. 19.99 for 100 on eBay.

Nice results. Are those starbursts?

 

[72o]

Sweet. Looks well worth the effort.

 

[slisk250]

Is there any of you that bought a rack of ceramic blanks and want to sell about 10 of them?

 

[Potsie1]

Nice results. Are those starbursts?

I wish they were. They're hot stamped paulsons but one side has initials and the other side is stamped 1.00. Got a couple racks of red and some other odds and ends. Was in vegas and walked from Freemont street to go see the pawn stars pawn shop. It was so lame. A few coins, guns and watches was all they had. However one street away was an antique store. Managed to find about 6 racks of chips hidden on a shelf. Had to carry the chips around for about 4 hours around the casinos till we caught a cab back to the strip. My wife just shook her head and sighed.

 

[Potsie1]

Is there any of you that bought a rack of ceramic blanks and want to sell about 10 of them?

I'll kick you 10. No charge. Just pm me. I'll ship them out tonight when I package my other items.

 

[RussB42]

I don't have any extra...