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Ultrasonic Chip Cleaning (26 Viewers)

tabletalker7 said:
No changed required to the OP? I am a little worried about the heat and ceramics. Only asking because the Post Oak Poker Club chips arrived today and they were DEFINITELY used in that card room :vomit:
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You don't need to use warm water with an U/S if you don't want to. Mine has the option to turn the heater off. I normally use it to 40c, which I wouldn't expect would harm a Sunfly.
 
For all those who keep asking about the Harbor Freight ultrasonic cleaner ........... it depends on your usage as to whether or not it will work out good for you. With all the nooks and crannys in Paulson molds I wouldn't recommend it. It seems under powered for that. For me, only having ceramics, it was perfect.
 
tabletalker7 said:
No changed required to the OP? I am a little worried about the heat and ceramics.
Click to expand...
No worries. Ceramics are pretty heat-tolerant. The base material is almost melt-proof, and it takes quite a bit to affect the dye-sub printing (like 300F).
 
@Josh Kifer Milling AND Cleaning Co. Only the brightest white chips will make the cut for our Mirage tourney set.

E92D7F86-1FEE-4DBF-8482-709E45F24149.jpeg
 
PokerDots said:
View attachment 479983

Just used an US cleaner for the first time (courtesy of @steam) The cleaning speed and power is amazing!

Anyone has these white stains after using their ultrasonic? Any ideas on how to get rid of them? Thanks!

I tried wiping them down with a wet cloth about 7-8 times but they keep coming back. Cant remove the metal container only so I’m not sure how safe spraying it with lots of water is.
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we use bar keepers friend...this is the best stuff to clean stainless steel..
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Bar-Keep...-Remover-and-Polish-Powder-12-Ounces/19299769
 
I have searched the forums and have been unable to identify why SMS was chosen as the preferred solution for US cleaning of poker chips (I'm not counting "because its better than X" when X is clearly non-functioning for this specific purpose). Also, the recommended amount to use seems quite dilute. Using a saturated solution of SMS would likely cause less color fade assuming accurate (i.e. non-volumetric) measurements to prevent accidental crystallization within chip pores. The silicates should provide a barrier from the sodium hydroxide by deposition onto any metals (pigments) within the chip. This would makes SMS a good builder for an alkaline detergent, but is not a detergent alone. I believe a better solution would be to use a weak-acid bath instead, utilizing STPP as the builder to SIGNIFICANTLY reduce surface tension but with an initial dunk in silicated water (not SMS though as this would buffer against the acid in the US, leaving salts in your chip) to protect against the phosphate sequestration within the chip. This would allow for a shorter duration in the US bath as well, which further reduces the physical damage occurring within the plastic binder (clay). Has anyone tried using a citric acid bath in their US? Or alot of people might have pH down if they grow anything (strong acid, but highly buffered). Or Cafiza seems ideal (anyone who owns an espresso machine has this). Bar Keeps makes a fake Cafiza as well sold in supermarkets, but I'm not really sure what's in it, but may also be a candidate.
 
@Pinkdan I think that's still too much. The water is quite still in mine, yet the dirt just dissolves off the chips. They're too precious to risk harming them. My little Outposts with their puppy dog eyes need to be loved and coddled.
 
allforcharity said:
You don't need (or likely want) this level of agitation. The salad spinner is only for a gentle way to tumble the chips so that the surface area of all chips have a chance to be exposed to the detergent solution (instead of bring stuck together by surface tension).
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BearMetal said:
@Pinkdan I think that's still to much. The water is quite still in mine, yet the dirty just dissolves off the chips. They're too precious to risk harming them. My little Outposts with their puppy dog eyes need to be loved and coddled.
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This is why I ask the experts. Thanks guys for saving me from a big mistake. I’m gonna just cop this bad boy and call it good: https://www.ebay.com/itm/181434466620
 
Pinkdan said:
I’m gonna just cop this bad boy and call it good
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I think that's the best choice. These machines are proven to work very well when you follow the instructions here on PCF:
  • De-gas the water or used distilled
  • Phosphate free TSP
  • 30s to 90s depending on chip/dirt
  • Salad spinner for gentle agitation
Reach out with questions and have fun!
 
BearMetal said:
I think that's the best choice. These machines are proven to work very well when you follow the instructions here on PCF:
  • De-gas the water or used distilled
  • Phosphate free TSP
  • 30s to 90s depending on chip/dirt
  • Salad spinner for gentle agitation
Reach out with questions and have fun!
Click to expand...
Awesome thank you! What’s the recommend TSP these days?
 
Pinkdan said:
I have roughly 2500 chips to clean. So you’re saying 1 lb will clean 2000 chips?
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I've put 2000 through my U/S and it was roughly 1 1lb bag of TSP. However, this is over 7 or 8 sessions with the U/S. Some sessions were longer, while others were only for 100 or 200 chips. If you're doing 2500 chips, you might be able to get away with a single 1lb bag since you'll have fewer water changes. But, I wouldn't want you to run out with only a few hundred to go.
 
BearMetal said:
I've put 2000 through my U/S and it was roughly 1 1lb bag of TSP. However, this is over 7 or 8 sessions with the U/S. Some sessions were longer, while others were only for 100 or 200 chips. If you're doing 2500 chips, you might be able to get away with a single 1lb bag since you'll have fewer water changes. But, I wouldn't want you to run out with only a few hundred to go.
Click to expand...

Great info thanks again! I’m excited to clean all these chips so I can play with them
 

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