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New Chip Purchase... (1 Viewer)

sicilian_joe

sicilian_joe

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Hey everyone, I'm new to the PCF...but am quickly getting hooked. I've already learned a lot and found myself full of envy because of all the amazing chips people have. Anyways, I run a local poker club with friends and have been using WPT Bellagio Chips for the past several years. They've worked fine, but I really have wanted to get some chips and design the inlays to customize for our club. I had a small budget to work with, and I needed about 600-700 chips so I was looking for something inexpensive but decent. After looking through endless chip shops online, I figured out that I really liked the ProGen 80s...unfortunately, no one had any left. I ended up purchasing the Casino Da Vinci's for between .20-.30/chip (from chipsandgames.com) (Pictured below). They came in today and I'm kind of disappointed with them. They have a chalky residue and feel pretty cheap and fragile. Anyways, my question is how can I clean them and prepare them for my custom inlays and for future poker play. Any suggestions you would have would be super helpful.

Thanks everyone!

casino da vinci chips.jpg
 
I can't speak to the fragility or cheap feeling because I've never had those but the chalky residue is common with new chips. If you were to put the chips into play after a night of shuffling and being used the vast majority of it would be gone and your colors will be slightly darker/richer. A damp rag will speed up the process significantly.
 
Could you show them in stacks so we can see what the chalky residue looks like?
 
I believe those are china clays. I'd probably start just with wiping them with a damp rag. There are a number of threads on oiling cc's...some say it helps, others not.
 
12thMan said:
I can't speak to the fragility or cheap feeling because I've never had those but the chalky residue is common with new chips. If you were to put the chips into play after a night of shuffling and being used the vast majority of it would be gone and your colors will be slightly darker/richer. A damp rag will speed up the process significantly.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your response!
I've never had new clays before...so I may just be overreacting.
Would you just dampen a rag with regular water---or would a different liquid work better?
 
sicilian_joe said:
I could just be overreacting...I've never had new clays before.
Anything you suggest I do to prep my chips for new inlays?
Click to expand...

Warm soapy water would help.

I would also like to see the pinks and whites in stacks as I am considering getting some :-). That would be great thanks.
 
sicilian_joe said:
Thanks for your response!
I've never had new clays before...so I may just be overreacting.
Would you just dampen a rag with regular water---or would a different liquid work better?
Click to expand...
I know there are varying opinions on whether or not to oil new chips, but I always oil before putting them into play. If you oil, be sure to use MINERAL OIL. Other oils, i.e., vegetable or animal based oils, can grow mold over time (so I hear). You just put the rag over the open hole on the mineral oil bottle, tilt briefly to get a dab on the rag, wipe down 10 chips or so, repeat. It's a pain staking process, but that takes care of the chalk dust and brigtens up the chips. They will need 3 or 4 days to dry before you pit them into play.


Good luck!!
 
Seeking Alpha Social Club said:
I know there are varying opinions on whether or not to oil new chips, but I always oil before putting them into play. If you oil, be sure to use MINERAL OIL. Other oils, i.e., vegetable or animal based oils, can grow mold over time (so I hear). You just put the rag over the open hole on the mineral oil bottle, tilt briefly to get a dab on the rag, wipe down 10 chips or so, repeat. It's a pain staking process, but that takes care of the chalk dust and brigtens up the chips. They will need 3 or 4 days to dry before you pit them into play.


Good luck!!
Click to expand...


Awesome!
Thanks so much for your help SASClub!
Would you recommend I do that after I remove the inlay/before I put on the customer inlay, or should I do it after I have put on my new inlays?
 
Can't be a good idea to put oil on something before you put a sticker on it.
Also, do people even oil china clay chips? Real clay chips are much more porous and will absorb oil. China clays are more plasticky - I don't know if they'd absorb oil or if it would just sit on them and make them oily.
 
upNdown said:
Can't be a good idea to put oil on something before you put a sticker on it.
Also, do people even oil china clay chips? Real clay chips are much more porous and will absorb oil. China clays are more plasticky - I don't know if they'd absorb oil or if it would just sit on them and make them oily.
Click to expand...

+1 what he said ^^^^^^. After You put on new inlays. And...you may find that oiling will not be necessary after handling them a bit while putting on the new inlays.

I have seen a couple posts on oiling China clays. Seems like you have to do it more frequently because the oil does not absorb as well. And I think (purely my opinion) you will have to be EXTRA CAREFUL to NOT oil the label. Just the edges around the label. Highly recommend testing a couple of chips before proceeding to all of them.
 
sicilian_joe said:
Would you recommend I do that after I remove the inlay/before I put on the customer inlay, or should I do it after I have put on my new inlays?
Click to expand...
Just do a damp rag wipe for now, and then lightly oil with mineral oil (and wipe completely dry) after you have applied the new labels.

And for the record, they are adhesive-backed labels, not inlays. Inlays are pressed into high-end 'clay' chips using extremely high temperatures and heat during the manufacturing process, and essentially become part of the chip.
 
I threw all my China clays into a Jacuzzi tub to clean 2000 of them quickly. It removed most of the chalk, what was left came off pretty quickly in-game, without leaving any noticeable amount on the table.

The old labels should peel off pretty easily with an X-Acto knife.

I also feel like China clays are cheap and fragile when handling them. They certainly are not as stout as 14g slugged ABS chips, but I've only had 2 break (when I sat on them in the Jacuzzi). None have broken during play, and during a game, you don't even notice the cheap feeling anymore.
 
Poker Zombie said:
I threw all my China clays into a Jacuzzi tub to clean 2000 of them quickly. It removed most of the chalk, what was left came off pretty quickly in-game, without leaving any noticeable amount on the table.

The old labels should peel off pretty easily with an X-Acto knife.

I also feel like China clays are cheap and fragile when handling them. They certainly are not as stout as 14g slugged ABS chips, but I've only had 2 break (when I sat on them in the Jacuzzi). None have broken during play, and during a game, you don't even notice the cheap feeling anymore.
Click to expand...


I dropped one of my chips onto a wood floor and this happened. This is one of the new chips I purchased. Is this normal?? (n) :thumbsdown:

I then picked up the chip and without tons of pressure, I broke it and basically made it crumble.
20170504_102829.jpg
 
Last edited:
Certainly, any good chip can be damaged by a drop onto a hard floor. I also have no doubt that these chips can snap with undue (but not excessive) pressure. In a different thread, @BGinGA accurately points out that China clays are a temporary chip. Mine have lasted for a few years and are going strong, but I have plenty of other chips that they share table-time with.

Other China clays have been known to "break down" over time. The funny smell that is often attributed to CCs it probably due to the chip off-gassing as it breaks down. Sadly, CCs are not a great value compared to CPCs or Paulsons, because they will not be something you can expect to pass down for many generations. Also, CCs are not in play in any reputable casino. The penny-pincher accountants would be all over the CC market if they they could cut the cost of chips down from $250,000 to $62,500, but in the long run (even a very short run in a casino environment) they would be spending that $62,500 many times over replacing the CC chips.
 
sicilian_joe said:
I dropped one of my chips onto a wood floor and this happened. This is one of the new chips I purchased. Is this normal?? (n) :thumbsdown:

I then picked up the chip and without tons of pressure, I broke it and basically made it crumble.
View attachment 96827
Click to expand...
You should either buy a set of dice chips, or start creating videos. Not sure which. Maybe both.
 
Poker Zombie said:
Certainly, any good chip can be damaged by a drop onto a hard floor. I also have no doubt that these chips can snap with undue (but not excessive) pressure. In a different thread, @BGinGA accurately points out that China clays are a temporary chip. Mine have lasted for a few years and are going strong, but I have plenty of other chips that they share table-time with.

Other China clays have been known to "break down" over time. The funny smell that is often attributed to CCs it probably due to the chip off-gassing as it breaks down. Sadly, CCs are not a great value compared to CPCs or Paulsons, because they will not be something you can expect to pass down for many generations. Also, CCs are not in play in any reputable casino. The penny-pincher accountants would be all over the CC market if they they could cut the cost of chips down from $250,000 to $62,500, but in the long run (even a very short run in a casino environment) they would be spending that $62,500 many times over replacing the CC chips.
Click to expand...

I know China Clay's aren't at the top of the chip list...but posts like this make me worry a bit about my new Majestic chip purchase. This post does contain some good information and things to think about. From what I've noticed, many of the "China Clay's are falling apart" threads are a bit older and maybe the newer versions are a little more robust? Hopefully my 2017 china clays hold up for many many years. Time will tell I guess.
 
codeman00 said:
I know China Clay's aren't at the top of the chip list...but posts like this make me worry a bit about my new Majestic chip purchase. This post does contain some good information and things to think about. From what I've noticed, many of the "China Clay's are falling apart" threads are a bit older and maybe the newer versions are a little more robust? Hopefully my 2017 china clays hold up for many many years. Time will tell I guess.
Click to expand...

I've been abusing a stack of Milanos at work, shuffling 24/7 for maybe 1.5 months now. They drop off my desk etc. They look brand new except for some dirt thats accumulated on the chips. Its a short time frame, but the Milanos seem rock solid. The Majestics are made at the same factory/same materials, so your Majestics will be fine.

There was some issue with the Pharoahs when they first came out (that actually looked pretty scary). Try and dig up the thread. And HobbyJohn made a vid somewhere about this sprint mold crumbling during shipping. Looked pretty bad too, a lot of powder etc. Thats all I've come across here.
 
mummel said:
the Milanos seem rock solid. The Majestics are made at the same factory/same materials
Click to expand...
Please provide either a source or proof of this claim.

mummel said:
There was some issue with the Pharoahs when they first came out
Click to expand...
I was a participant in the initial Pharaoh's cc group buy, and do not recall any issues whatsoever. Please provide either a source or proof of this claim.
 
BGinGA said:
I was a participant in the initial Pharaoh's cc group buy, and do not recall any issues whatsoever. Please provide either a source or proof of this claim.
Click to expand...

I read about it at CT. I think it was the initial PGI group buy.

chips3.jpg


BGinGA said:
Please provide either a source or proof of this claim.
Click to expand...

I swear you mentioned it somewhere but maybe Im wrong??? I know the Majestics and Pharoahs come from the same factory. Perhaps I assumed the Milanos do to??
 
It is also important to note: Not all China clays are formulated the same.

The Majsetics are similar (probably the same) as the CPS chips. The CPS chips have held up so far, but I don't expect them to last longer than CPCs.
 
mummel said:
I read about it at CT. I think it was the initial PGI group buy.

chips3.jpg




I swear you mentioned it somewhere but maybe Im wrong??? I know the Majestics and Pharoahs come from the same factory. Perhaps I assumed the Milanos do to??
Click to expand...
Man, give it up. PGI had nothing to do with the Pharaoh's Club chips. NOTHING. Spreading false info isn't helping anyone.
 
In case anyone is interested, I'm returning the chips I received. I'm not a fan of the soft clay chips and they are super fragile. I think my personal preference (since I don't have the coin to spend on Paulson or CPCs) is to get something harder and built to last a bit longer. Maybe a composite or something. My first mistake was not getting a sample. I will definitely not make that mistake again.

Thanks to all of you who put in your thoughts and tried to help! I certainly appreciate it!!
 
BGinGA said:
Man, give it up. PGI had nothing to do with the Pharaoh's Club chips. NOTHING. Spreading false info isn't helping anyone.
Click to expand...

I'm going to keep it civil. Some people in this thread were complaining about something similar with the PGI chips (maybe using the same supplier?). I mixed them up with The Chip Room. Anyway, thread is here if anyone wants to formulate their own conclusion.

Eastony made OPs chips right? I wonder who made The Chip Rooms Pharaohs chips? (March 2014).

http://www.chiptalk.net/forum/threads/pharaohs-club-chips.87494/page-4
 

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