POLL - Paulson Hotstamps & Warping - to Clamp or Not to Clamp? (1 Viewer)

Should you clamp & bake warped Paulson HS chips - or leave them alone?

  • Clamp and Bake 'em - make those chips flat!

    Votes: 10 66.7%

  • Leave 'em alone - the warping and wobbly stacks is part of their character!

    Votes: 5 33.3%
  • Total voters
    15
  • Poll closed .
justsomedude

justsomedude

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So, the Paulson GCRs have been one of my long time "personal grail" sets. Ever since I discovered this addictive and fascinating hobby of chipping back in 2014, those solid GCRs have always been a favorite of mine - and I had longed to obtain a set for my home tourneys. After connecting with a local chipper, I am now the proud owner of a superb 1600 piece GCR set. This is my first Paulson tourney set, and I am thrilled beyond words to have procured these chips!!!

That said, I've now also discovered the "warping issue" that seems to plague numerous Paulson hot-stamps. Based on my research, and some posts I found on The Blue Wall, it seems this effect is common with many hot stamp chips (from the Grand Biloxi, to Caesar's and Avalons, PCR, and all points in between) - and, from what I've read, it seems the warping was present even when they were new.

With the GCRs, I've found that "standard" 20-high stacks are fine, but when I stack to 30 or 40 chips, things get pretty wobbly! And my question is this... does anyone really take the time to clamp/bake Paulson hotstamps - or is the slight warping (and it is relatively slight) just an accepted part of owning/playing-with these types of chips?
 
All my PCR's are like the way you describe. Were like this when new. I just can't bring myself to bake them to flatten them out. Don't want to run the risk of loosing any of the fine cross hatching or detail of the mold. Love the chips, but the instability issue's when stacked bother the hell out of me. I've only put them in play twice in their existence. :(
 
When I got the batch of Lakeshore quarters, approx 10% of the chips were warped. I did the ceramic spacer, bake in a clamp method. It worked pretty good. I did ruin some chips while I learned the process. Works better on slightly warped chips. Heavily warped are almost a lost cause... Though they will improve.
 
Shaggy said:
When I got the batch of Lakeshore quarters, approx 10% of the chips were warped. I did the ceramic spacer, bake in a clamp method. It worked pretty good. I did ruin some chips while I learned the process. Works better on slightly warped chips. Heavily warped are almost a lost cause... Though they will improve.
Click to expand...

Hmmm... How were they ruined? Melted?
 
I've baked some hot stamps recently as well 120-130 for 20mins seems to do the trick, and yeah don't overtighten after you take them out. They come out pretty dead flat though.
 
Bump -- still trying to get more info on this, and added a poll to get a better idea of the community consensus.

word.
 
Calling @BGinGA as well... I saw some of your thoughts on the Paulson HS warping problems over on the Blue Wall... curious as to what your current stance is on this issue!
 
Several years ago I purchased a rack of hot-stamped RHC chips (yellow Paragon quarters) that were a little wobbly in stacks. I arranged the chips in stacks of 10 on a wood cutting board, placed another wood cutting board on top, and then piled on a bunch of books (about a foot high) and left everything in place for about a week. Standard room temperature, no heat. It did make a difference without any visible harm to the chips.

I used wood because I thought it would be more forgiving if this had turned out to be a bad idea.
 
abby99 said:
Several years ago I purchased a rack of hot-stamped RHC chips (yellow Paragon quarters) that were a little wobbly in stacks. I arranged the chips in stacks of 10 on a wood cutting board, placed another wood cutting board on top, and then piled on a bunch of books (about a foot high) and left everything in place for about a week. Standard room temperature, no heat. It did make a difference without any visible harm to the chips.

I used wood because I thought it would be more forgiving if this had turned out to be a bad idea.
Click to expand...

This is a huge help!!!! I was thinking about clamping, but just didn't have the patience to flatten 1600 chips... so I was thinking of making some massive press, similar to what you described.

I was thinking about using steel plates -- do you think that is a bad idea? Is wood the "safer" way to go?
 
justsomedude said:
This is a huge help!!!! I was thinking about clamping, but just didn't have the patience to flatten 1600 chips... so I was thinking of making some massive press, similar to what you described.

I was thinking about using steel plates -- do you think that is a bad idea? Is wood the "safer" way to go?
Click to expand...

My preference is to take a conservative approach because once a chip is ruined, it's ruined forever. If you're thinking of using steel plates and more pressure, try it first with a few expendable chips. Good luck!
 
I recently completed my GCR set and baked nearly every chip. There is a major difference between baked and non-baked. Baking did a great job of flattening the chips. It was easier than I thought, however, I admit it is scary sliding those chips into the oven. It is odd, one set I purchased (I combined 2 sets) had nearly no warping while another was very warped. I did end up ruining 3 or 4 chips but I had a lot of extras. Below are a few observations:

- use ceramic blanks as spacers but note that not all ceramics are flat. Many of my ceramics are more warped than my GCRs.

- find a clamp that is bigger than the chip to evenly apply pressure to the entire chip. The chips I ruined were due to using tiny clamps that only applied pressure to the center of the chips. Created massive spinners.
 
Sprinsd said:
I recently completed my GCR set and baked nearly every chip. There is a major difference between baked and non-baked. Baking did a great job of flattening the chips. It was easier than I thought, however, I admit it is scary sliding those chips into the oven. It is odd, one set I purchased (I combined 2 sets) had nearly no warping while another was very warped. I did end up ruining 3 or 4 chips but I had a lot of extras. Below are a few observations:

- use ceramic blanks as spacers but note that not all ceramics are flat. Many of my ceramics are more warped than my GCRs.

- find a clamp that is bigger than the chip to evenly apply pressure to the entire chip. The chips I ruined were due to using tiny clamps that only applied pressure to the center of the chips. Created massive spinners.
Click to expand...

Thanks for this info... and would you mind providing a little more detail? Specifically, what temps/times did you find worked best for you? What clamp did you use? Anything else I need to know?
 
i had a few racks over the years that i baked using ceramic chips on each end of a 10 chips stack...worked fine, and i have done singles that way also.....and the lesson is do not over tighten when you take them out of the oven.

i did like one method i saw someone use with a caulk gun that looked like a great idea as you could do probably 20 or more at a time....i dont think they baked them just left them under pressure for awhile...you may have found it in your search at CT....
 
Here is the process I used with my GCRs:

- Use a clamp similar to the one in the attached picture. I recommend using a clamp the same size or larger than the chip to evenly compress the chip.

- I was able to do about 10-15 chips at a time with flat ceramic chips between my Paulson chips. Make sure your ceramics are truly flat. Ensure that a ceramic chip is on each end of your stack.

- Try your best to clamp the chips in a straight line (this can be difficult) and try not to shift the chips around once they have been clamped. I was afraid the shifting may cause damages such as scratches.

- I Pre-heated the oven to the lowest mine would go 170 degrees. (Note: most posts I have read say this heat is to high)

- Put the clamped chips on a cookie sheet. Prop up the clamp to ensure no chips are resting directly on the cookie sheet.

- Bake in oven for 12 minutes.

- Let cool at room temperate and gently tighten the clamp as chips cool.

- Once they are cool remove the chips from the clamp.

This process worked well for me, however, please use this advice at your own risk. Chips are much flatter now but even after baking some chips have slight warping. I recommend practicing on any extras you may have. I hope this helps, let me know if you have additional questions.
 

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justsomedude said:
I've found that "standard" 20-high stacks are fine, but when I stack to 30 or 40 chips, things get pretty wobbly!
Click to expand...


PATIENT: Doc, it hurts when I go like this.

DOCTOR: So don’t go like this.

-----

ME: So don’t stack ’em higher than 20.
 

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