So, fellow chippers, I'm in the midst of preparing a bunch of chips to accept textured stickers (from @Gear, natch), and I wanted to share some observations regarding removal of vinyl and paper.
Specifically, my project involves turning CdM 1's into CDI98 25 cent fracs, CdM 200's into CDI98 $5000 (of which I have already done 180, detailed elsewhere), and CdM 50's into CD98 $25000. All the CdM 200's I had previously done all had vinyl inlays, as did the CdM 1's I recently received. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that about 75% of the CdM 50's I've done so far (60 done, 45 to go) had paper inlays!
I will not go deep into the general process, as there are already good threads on inlay replacement, with many pictures and video, but will summarize my experiences as follows:
a) Vinyl inlays
As you are peeling away the laminate layer with your pliers, it is generally considered a good sign if the vinyl inlay underneath completely or partially pulls away with the laminate. This indicates that the epoxy holding the inlay to the chip surface is very weak, and will likely pull off using just your fingers or maybe with some light scraping, which may be made easier with the nail polish remover (aka NPR, I prefer non-acetone). Vinyl inlays are easy to remove when the epoxy is weak because the vinyl does not tear as easily as paper (it wants to stay in one piece), and has flexibility and maintains integrity when being lightly stretched. Since the vinyl is non-porous, the NPR is basically there to help dissolve the remaining epoxy and give a little lubricant layer to allow your cutter to slide between the inlay and the chip surface. It is best to pull from a piece of inlay that you've pried up from the outer edge.
If the vinyl inlay does not pull away with the laminate, you know that the epoxy bond is still strong so you're going to have to do a lot of scraping to get the vinyl off, and it is extremely unlikely to come off in one, or even a few, big piece(s). Scraping a vinyl inlay off the surface of a chip takes the longest time and requires a lot of small, precise, and forceful movements. Because of the need for applied force, be aware to avoid damaging the chip unnecessarily (by gouging into it, or slipping and marking the mold or other surface elements toward the rim).
b) Paper inlays
Paper is obvious because it is fibrous. There are basically three layers of paper that go into an inlay. The top surface, of course, has the printed part, then there's a middle layer, and the bottom layer is epoxied to the chip surface. Most of the time the top printed layer will come off with the laminate, and if not (or not completely) then it is a fairly simple process to rip the rest off with your fingers, or it can be softened up with a little NPR first. Because the inlay is porous, the NPR now acts as a lubricant and helps to separate the paper layers from each other, and also separate the fibres from within each layer. So, after the printed paper layer comes off, you can add a couple drops of NPR right onto the second layer and then do a quick, strong scrape with your cutter to remove the second layer, which will quickly gum into a wet ball at the end of your blade, which is fine because it will keep you from damaging the edge of the recess as you keep scraping. Seriously, it is almost impossible to do wrong here, you can scrape with wild abandon, no precision needed.
After the second paper layer is scraped off, you're left with a small amount of the third layer still adhered to the chip. You've probably already scraped away a certain percentage of the third layer in the last step because you will see the base chip colour through gaps in the white paper layer. You will need a couple more drops of the NPR to coat the third layer before scraping that off as well, but the remaining thin layer comes off fairly easily. It just takes a little bit more time and a little more precision, but very little force. Paper labels rarely come off as neatly as vinyl labels, as it is difficult to remove every single visible fibre from the chip surface, especially those in the corners of the recess.
All-in-all, it is a time-consuming process no matter how you do it. In general, I see a wider range of time required per chip for vinyl, whereas paper seems to be more predictable.
Vinyl inlay removable (both sides) takes me about under 2 minutes per chip if the epoxy is weak throughout, or over 4-5 minutes per chip if the epoxy is very strong.
Paper inlay removal is essentially a scrape-fest, but less precision required, and it take me about 3 minutes per chip.
I'd be very interested if people have similar, or indeed perhaps contrary, experiences in this regard.
Specifically, my project involves turning CdM 1's into CDI98 25 cent fracs, CdM 200's into CDI98 $5000 (of which I have already done 180, detailed elsewhere), and CdM 50's into CD98 $25000. All the CdM 200's I had previously done all had vinyl inlays, as did the CdM 1's I recently received. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that about 75% of the CdM 50's I've done so far (60 done, 45 to go) had paper inlays!
I will not go deep into the general process, as there are already good threads on inlay replacement, with many pictures and video, but will summarize my experiences as follows:
a) Vinyl inlays
As you are peeling away the laminate layer with your pliers, it is generally considered a good sign if the vinyl inlay underneath completely or partially pulls away with the laminate. This indicates that the epoxy holding the inlay to the chip surface is very weak, and will likely pull off using just your fingers or maybe with some light scraping, which may be made easier with the nail polish remover (aka NPR, I prefer non-acetone). Vinyl inlays are easy to remove when the epoxy is weak because the vinyl does not tear as easily as paper (it wants to stay in one piece), and has flexibility and maintains integrity when being lightly stretched. Since the vinyl is non-porous, the NPR is basically there to help dissolve the remaining epoxy and give a little lubricant layer to allow your cutter to slide between the inlay and the chip surface. It is best to pull from a piece of inlay that you've pried up from the outer edge.
If the vinyl inlay does not pull away with the laminate, you know that the epoxy bond is still strong so you're going to have to do a lot of scraping to get the vinyl off, and it is extremely unlikely to come off in one, or even a few, big piece(s). Scraping a vinyl inlay off the surface of a chip takes the longest time and requires a lot of small, precise, and forceful movements. Because of the need for applied force, be aware to avoid damaging the chip unnecessarily (by gouging into it, or slipping and marking the mold or other surface elements toward the rim).
b) Paper inlays
Paper is obvious because it is fibrous. There are basically three layers of paper that go into an inlay. The top surface, of course, has the printed part, then there's a middle layer, and the bottom layer is epoxied to the chip surface. Most of the time the top printed layer will come off with the laminate, and if not (or not completely) then it is a fairly simple process to rip the rest off with your fingers, or it can be softened up with a little NPR first. Because the inlay is porous, the NPR now acts as a lubricant and helps to separate the paper layers from each other, and also separate the fibres from within each layer. So, after the printed paper layer comes off, you can add a couple drops of NPR right onto the second layer and then do a quick, strong scrape with your cutter to remove the second layer, which will quickly gum into a wet ball at the end of your blade, which is fine because it will keep you from damaging the edge of the recess as you keep scraping. Seriously, it is almost impossible to do wrong here, you can scrape with wild abandon, no precision needed.
After the second paper layer is scraped off, you're left with a small amount of the third layer still adhered to the chip. You've probably already scraped away a certain percentage of the third layer in the last step because you will see the base chip colour through gaps in the white paper layer. You will need a couple more drops of the NPR to coat the third layer before scraping that off as well, but the remaining thin layer comes off fairly easily. It just takes a little bit more time and a little more precision, but very little force. Paper labels rarely come off as neatly as vinyl labels, as it is difficult to remove every single visible fibre from the chip surface, especially those in the corners of the recess.
All-in-all, it is a time-consuming process no matter how you do it. In general, I see a wider range of time required per chip for vinyl, whereas paper seems to be more predictable.
Vinyl inlay removable (both sides) takes me about under 2 minutes per chip if the epoxy is weak throughout, or over 4-5 minutes per chip if the epoxy is very strong.
Paper inlay removal is essentially a scrape-fest, but less precision required, and it take me about 3 minutes per chip.
I'd be very interested if people have similar, or indeed perhaps contrary, experiences in this regard.
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