Cleaning colored chips with hot stamps - oxyclean BAD (1 Viewer)

[upNdown]

Just started testing cleaning methods for some old hot stamps.
Here’s 3 dirty chips:

Guess which one was soaked in oxyclean for 5 minutes:

As you can see, the color faded noticeably, AND the hot stamp was damaged.

Here, I’ve added a 4th chip - plain soap and water 5 min soak and soft sponge scrub had no noticeable effects to the color, the hot stamp, but it didn’t do much for the dirt, either:

And now that chip after a 5 minute soak in TSP substitute:

Results are much better. No damage to the stamp at all. Honestly, the color looks a bit lighter, though some of that is likely the fact that the dirty dirt is gone.

These are going to be a challenge. I don’t want to fade that deep color at all. But the chips are, overall, filthy. Scrubbing is one way to get the dirt off, but scrubbing with any kind of stiff brush will damage the hot stamp. And the hot stamps on these chips are already at least 75% trashed, so I really want to preserve what remains.
I’d love suggestions.

 

[JeepologyOffroad]

No real way around this when the stamps are pretty much already gone.

Also, color comes back on the oxy soaked chips after oiling right?

 

[BearMetal]

What about an ultrasonic bath using simple green? That should prevent much of the fading and preserve your color. Also, I have done many used hot stamps in an ultrasonic and the only thing that I've seen on a couple of chips is that it turns the gold foil silver. But none of it came off and the vast majority of them came out totally intact.

 

[upNdown]

No real way around this when the stamps are pretty much already gone.

Also, color comes back on the oxy soaked chips after oiling right?

Oil helps, but it’s not perfect.
Here, I’ve oiled the two.

 

[JeepologyOffroad]

I don’t really use oxy often myself. Maybe if soaking it’s best left for white chips. Magic eraser everywhere but the stamp might be an option for you here

 

[upNdown]

What about an ultrasonic bath using simple green? That should prevent much of the fading and preserve your color. Also, I have done many used hot stamps in an ultrasonic and the only thing that I've seen on a couple of chips is that it turns the gold foil silver. But none of it came off and the vast majority of them came out totally intact.

I don’t want to buy an ultrasonic. Every ultrasonically cleaned chip I’ve ever bought has seemed faded and dry. It might not be any worse than hand cleaning with TSP, but I don’t believe it’s any better (though obviously faster.)
Maybe I could try hand cleaning with simple green though. I don’t have any on hand, but I’ll put that on the list.

 

[upNdown]

I don’t really use oxy often myself. Maybe if soaking it’s best left for white chips. Magic eraser everywhere but the stamp might be an option for you here

Yes, oxyclean is a damn miracle with solid inlaid whites. But that’s probably all it’s good for, chip-wise.
Magic erasering around the hot stamps is an option - probably similar results to the torturous electric toothbrush method. But I don’t really want chips with filthy centers . . .

 

[RichMahogany]

I’ve hand scrubbed many hotstamped chips with OxiClean. You used too much and let them soak. I dip them in then scrub with a magic eraser, zero issues

 

[upNdown]

I’ve hand scrubbed many hotstamped chips with OxiClean. You used too much and let them soak. I dip them in then scrub with a magic eraser, zero issues

I’ll try that next, but the magic eraser will kill the hot stamp, right?

 

[JeepologyOffroad]

Once the stamps reach that point even just touching them can kill them

 

[upNdown]

Once the stamps reach that point even just touching them can kill them

These are some funny chips. Across all the denominations, the crystal palace chips’ hot stamps are in various stages of wear. The fives are the worst, and mostly worn to hell. But that’s just the hot stamps - the clay seems incongruously good. No sharp edges of course, but nothing close to bike tires. Even the $5s are either “can still stand on their edge” or just beyond that.
And I love them.
So I’d like to try to save every remaining fleck of gold.

 

[RichMahogany]

I’ll try that next, but the magic eraser will kill the hot stamp, right?

What @JeepologyOffroad said. My hot stamps were okay but I used the Magic Eraser very lightly over them

 

[JeepologyOffroad]

Oh yeah. Completely get that I'm the same way. Really the only option is to clean the center as gently as possible and just get it good enough

 

[upNdown]

I guess I don’t need them to be sparkling clean. Their filthiness is actually part of their charm to me. But the caked on sludge spots have to go, at a minimum.

 

[ekricket]

Use automotive hand cleaner without abrasives. One of the lanolin cleaners. Will dissolve oils and gunk and condition your chips! You have to let them soak a bit with it in them and brush them, but it helps.

 

[upNdown]

Use automotive hand cleaner without abrasives. One of the lanolin cleaners. Will dissolve oils and gunk and condition your chips! You have to let them soak a bit with it in them and brush them, but it helps.

This is interesting. Not sure I’ve ever heard that one. Hmm. I wonder if that’s like that pink goop magic chip cleaner stuff that I used to read about.

 

[ekricket]

This is interesting. Not sure I’ve ever heard that one. Hmm. I wonder if that’s like that pink goop magic chip cleaner stuff that I used to read about.

Yes, Sterlings. This stuff works great on old vinyl upholstery as well, cleans all the deep creases and conditions.

 

[Goronic]

Being that Paulson's are clay is there a limit to how long you should keep them submerged under water. I will do it for as little as I can just to scrub using warm water and a mild dawn liquid soap.

 

[upNdown]

I think I’m going to wait and see how the Sterling’s Magic works - I’ve ordered a tub of that.
I’ve cleaned some more of the $1 chips. Just working on the ones that have those hot stamps that are all orange and dull. I’ve never seen that discussed by the way.

Sometimes you’ll see a hot stamp that doesn’t have a flack of gold left, but that underlying “orange” layer is 100% intact. I feel like that’s the kind or wear caused by improper cleaning method (as opposed to merely heavy use.)
Not sure if that’s the case, but I’ll just work on those, until the other stuff comes in..

 

[BabaGanouj]

So if I dump a rack of milled red solids in some oxyclean for 15 mins, I'll end up with pink fracs?

 

[markleteenie]

So if I dump a rack of milled red solids in some oxyclean for 15 mins, I'll end up with pink fracs?

Only one way to find out....good luck...

 

[upNdown]

This sterlings magic looks like the answer.
I just tried a few, quickly. It is a bit labor intensive - each chip probably took like a minute, and the caked on stuff doesnt come right off (like after a tsp soak) - I had to kind of scratch that crud off - but:
It does a great job of cleaning
Doesn’t seem to damage hot stamps
Doesn’t seem to fade colors, and
Doesn’t seem to require oiling, after.

 

[TX_Golf_N_Poker]

Thanks for posting some great chip cleaning info!