Milano Chips: Review and Cleaning & Oiling Process (2 Viewers)

[YhYh02]

Hello, New to the forum here. I just bought about 450 milano chips for a pretty good price (USD$7.30 or SGD$10). So I’ll like to document my journey of cleaning and oiling them using tips i’ve learnt in various threads.

First of, here are the chips i bought uncleaned and unoiled with the factory dust still on them.

First Impressions: honestly, I was not that impressed with them. I’ve been playing poker for awhile using dice chips and metal slugged ABS chips like the monte carlo.

The milanos are supposed to be an upgrade, but they looked very very dusty, and they smelled absolutely rancid, like burnt rubber. I am hoping that after some cleaning and oiling, the smell won’t be anywhere near as strong and the colours will pop more.

More to come.

 

[YhYh02]

Update 1: I have cleaned about 100 of the red chips, and they do look a little nicer. (See pics for the before and after of some cleaned chips)

However, I have some questions before i continue tomorrow. Dawn soap isn’t available, so i used mama lemons dishwashing soap.

I dip about 10-20 chips each time for a few minutes into the water before wiping them with microfiber cloth to get rid of the factory dust.

The water has gotten a little dirty with a very very slight tinge of pink (not really visible in the pic)

Questions: Is it OK to use mama lemons dishwashing soap? I am a little concerned that it’s making the colours come off. Dawns isn’t available here.

Secondly, even after cleaning, there is still some chalky dust that stays on the chips and in the grooves. how do i get rid of them? do i need to use a toothbrush or something?

Thank you all for reading and answering my noob questions and I hope to provide more updates as I continue the process.

 

[dkersey]

I oiled my milanos and it made a big difference.

And here is someone else's experience with milanos: https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/oiling-1000-milanos.13081/

 

[YhYh02]

Update 2:

I have been informed that my milanos are very likely to be fake. However, I’ll still continue with the process, and post my findings here since mineral oil and soap and water doesn’t cost a lot.

I can also use these chips as a placeholder, until I get better ones.

 

[allforcharity]

Fake Milanos? What's next, fake dice chips?

 

[YhYh02]

Update 3: I’ve cleaned the factory dust off most of the chips. Made a huge difference. I’ve put the cleaned and uncleaned once side-by-side to illustrate the difference. Hope to finish the cleaning process by tonight or by tomorrow.

 

[upNdown]

I have been informed that my milanos are very likely to be fake.

Fake Milanos? I’m curious. Why does somebody think they’re fake?

FWIW, Milanos (and China clays generally) are know for poor quality control, in terms of color consistency, label differences, roundness, etc. Whether that means actual quality control issues or that there are different manufacturers, I don’t know.

 

[mdt11]

I played with Milanos the other night and thought they were the best CC chips I've handled and played with. Of course, as others have mentioned, QC will vary wildly among CCs so one person's experience with them may not be the same as another's.

 

[YhYh02]

Fake Milanos? I’m curious. Why does somebody think they’re fake?

FWIW, Milanos (and China clays generally) are know for poor quality control, in terms of color consistency, label differences, roundness, etc. Whether that means actual quality control issues or that there are different manufacturers, I don’t know.

i think because Milanos are supposed to have this tapered edge, which is missing in mine.

Also, because mine look more plasticky? I’m not sure how to tell personally, because i’m very very new to chips that aren’t metal slugged ABS or dice chips.

 

[ThinkingFold]

i think because Milanos are supposed to have this tapered edge, which is missing in mine.

Also, because mine look more plasticky? I’m not sure how to tell personally, because i’m very very new to chips that aren’t metal slugged ABS or dice chips.

Those appear to be standard Milanos. They have always had beveled edges like that. And China clays will always have a more plastic feel compared to Paulson ( casino chips ).

 

[YhYh02]

Those appear to be standard Milanos. They have always had beveled edges like that. And China clays will always have a more plastic feel compared to Paulson ( casino chips ).

ya my chips lack that beveled edge, cuz that last photo is not mine. Right now, i only own the red and green chips shown in my first post.

 

[ThinkingFold]

ya my chips lack that beveled edge, cuz that last photo is not mine. Right now, i only own the red and green chips shown in my first post.

Ah, interesting. I misread your post. Link to where you purchased yours from? I think I read someone posting that Tina sells China Clays.

 

[YhYh02]

Ah, interesting. I misread your post. Link to where you purchased yours from? I think I read someone posting that Tina sells China Clays.

I got them second hand from a second-hand market app in Singapore.

Didn’t think much of it cuz I didn’t know fake milanos existed; and because honestly even if they are fake, for that price (SGD10) and the fact that it came with a case, I really couldn’t complain.

 

[dkersey]

After you finish the oiling, wait a few months. Some may benefit from a second coating.

After that, you'll be good to go. 99.9% of the population will think they are playing with top of the line casino chips!

 

[CdnBeerLover]

Not necessarily fake, but old. Milanos were re-done in 2017 (I think) and that is when the heavily beveled edges appeared. The older version did not have a significant bevel. My sample below is from 2015 or so.

 

[YhYh02]

Not necessarily fake, but old. Milanos were re-done in 2017 (I think) and that is when the heavily beveled edges appeared. The older version did not have a significant bevel. My sample below is from 2015 or so.

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ahhhh thanks! that’s great to hear if true.

 

[upNdown]

Not necessarily fake, but old. Milanos were re-done in 2017 (I think) and that is when the heavily beveled edges appeared. The older version did not have a significant bevel. My sample below is from 2015 or so.

View attachment 1443210

View attachment 1443211

Interesting!
I actually have one left from a sample set I bought in 2016. Taking a close look at the beveled edges, you can see how inconsistent it is on a single chip.

 

[YhYh02]

Update 4: Have finally finished cleaning all the chips. I can’t seem to get rid of some of the factory dust on the chips. I have decided to attempt to oil the chips, and see if the chips will take to the oil.

My mineral oil will arrive in 1-2 days, so I’ll post my findings then. Hopefully, the oil will get rid of some of the factory dust that are still stuck to the chips despite my hard rubbing with cloth.

Also, the smell has quite noticeably improved. It no longer stinks up my whole room. Whether it is due to the removal of the factory dust or the fact that it is now finally exposed to air after such a long time, i don’t know. But at least, the chips are useable now.

 

[YhYh02]

Interesting!
I actually have one left from a sample set I bought in 2016. Taking a close look at the beveled edges, you can see how inconsistent it is on a single chip.


View attachment 1443246

View attachment 1443247

Ahhh that’s very interesting. I don’t think my chips has any of the bevels on any of the chips though.