Ultrasonic Chip Cleaning (19 Viewers)

[BearMetal]

Okay, but you mention only color. Do you think the fading and the dryness go hand in hand? Maybe they do with TSP, I’m not sure. But I’ve cleaned chips with oxi that have faded (a fading never to be restored by oil) but not all dried out.

That's a good question. When an average chip comes out after 1 minute and is still wet, it looks great! Totally clean and nice saturation. But then the water dries and you can see they've faded as well. The oil brings them right back and they stay looking really healthy. So, in this case, perhaps it does.

You leave a chip in there for 10 minutes and it's no dryer than than the 1 minute chip; but it's colors are messed up. Not even oil can bring it back correctly.

 

[horseshoez]

We've all also had that chip that accidentally falls out of the salad spinner and you don't find it for a good 20 minutes

Hence why I dip my hand after every cycle and make sure nothing is on the bottom. I never go to the next until I’ve skimmed my hand across the bottom. I recommend everybody do that so you don’t leave a couple on the bottom throughout the entire process only to find them at the end.

 

[Goldfish]

I just spent the afternoon cleaning my animal house 1.0 set (with @Gear labels).
I use 12 cups of distilled water, with 3 tablespoons of TSP, temp at 43 degrees Celsius, 40 chips in the salad spinner for 20 seconds, then into a quick bath of cool water, wash them around for 5 seconds then pour then into the wire basket, run some tap water over then for a few seconds then dump them into towel. Chips are fine, and the @Gear labels appear fine. All the hooker juice comes off. They are not completely minty new looking, but good enough for me.

 

[eames]

Wanted to say thanks for all the advice in this thread. I recently bought the Vevor ultrasonic and have been really pleased with the results following this process to clean some very dirty chips.

 

[extreme517]

Thanks so much @ski_ex5!!! I should've done this years ago, but finally bit the bullet. Super fast and easy...1200+ chips without breaking a sweat!

 

[Bacon Dad]

So I just mix this in with the dogfood? Neat!
View attachment 1286239

So dog food can be used to clean chips too!
Got it.

 

[Bacon Dad]

Thanks so much @ski_ex5!!! I should've done this years ago, but finally bit the bullet. Super fast and easy...1200+ chips without breaking a sweat!

View attachment 1302973

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Do you have a before and after pic of the same chip?

 

[extreme517]

Do you have a before and after pic of the same chip?

 

[NotRealNameNoSir]

Okay! Finally taking the plunge, followed steps in OP. Worried a bit about fading on these old beatup roulettes. Tried a minute for these and when Im comparing before and after, I think some of it is dirt and just cleaner but also think Im losing a bit.

Shown with one chip that didnt go through (left, out of column). Ive only seen these with the THC looking like they got filled it, so some of it may be my mind playying tricks now that its uniform, but seems rounder too. Only did a few to test.

 

[allforcharity]

Okay! Finally taking the plunge, followed steps in OP. Worried a bit about fading on these old beatup roulettes. Tried a minute for these and when Im comparing before and after, I think some of it is dirt and just cleaner but also think Im losing a bit.
View attachment 1306328
View attachment 1306321
Shown with one chip that didnt go through (left, out of column). Ive only seen these with the THC looking like they got filled it, so some of it may be my mind playying tricks now that its uniform, but seems rounder too. Only did a few to test.
View attachment 1306330

Don't be afraid to keep the chips in the ultrasonic for 2, even 3 minutes I necessary to get off all the gunk. You'll be oiling them after, anyway.

I've used a needle to get the most stubborn gunk out of the cane area.

 

[NotRealNameNoSir]

Don't be afraid to keep the chips in the ultrasonic for 2, even 3 minutes I necessary to get off all the gunk. You'll be oiling them after, anyway.

I've used a needle to get the most stubborn gunk out of the cane area.

This is comforting. Once inside they don't look as faded as they first did outside with my eye protection on. My main focus is not permanently damaging them, I love that green color.

Good call on the needle, I've had good success doing a simple toothbruth, then using a dental pick for the outer ring, gotta get into that cane as well.

Edit: And wow my resolution and pictures are bad, thank God I'm no longer dating, pictures are hard.

 

[NotRealNameNoSir]

This is comforting. Once inside they don't look as faded as they first did outside with my eye protection on. My main focus is not permanently damaging them, I love that green color.

Good call on the needle, I've had good success doing a simple toothbruth, then using a dental pick for the outer ring, gotta get into that cane as well.

Edit: And wow my resolution and pictures are bad, thank God I'm no longer dating, pictures are hard.

Beautiful!! 5 minutes just stirring, dawn in water.

 

[NotRealNameNoSir]

Beautiful!! 5 minutes just stirring, dawn in water.
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View attachment 1311258

Good motivation to finish the last 50 labels.

 

[ski_ex5]

Thanks so much @ski_ex5!!! I should've done this years ago, but finally bit the bullet. Super fast and easy...1200+ chips without breaking a sweat!

You’re very welcome, of course.

Regarding the issue of color fading mentioned in several recent posts…

Many years after my original post, “Lundmark TSP” (or as I like to call it, “Lundmark Not Really TSP” - but hey, it works better than real TSP) remains my go-to for very effective and relatively low effort chip cleaning in an ultrasonic bath. I’ve cleaned somewhere around 100k chips, and that’s not an exaggeration.

That said, some degree of color fading occurs with ANY cleaning solution, and even in just plain hot water (search for some old replies in this thread regarding hot water pre-soaks)! Purple, red, and green seem to be more susceptible to fading than other colors.

Because of that, over the years, I’ve experimented with alternate cleaning agents and methods. Recently, I tried something different/new, and it had better results, although I used a manual process, and spent over 2 hours to clean just a single rack of chips. (Ouch.)

Take a look at the Paulson “Cherry” chips in photo below (the spots are Paulson “Peach” and “Metallic Gold”). These chips have *not* been oiled; they’ve only been cleaned:

Manual labor aside, I was pretty happy with the results. While the chips don’t look “wet”, as chips do when they’ve been oiled, they don’t look dried out. I’d say they look “hydrated”. These chips are now soaking in J&J gel, and look edible!


Now… if I can manage to combine that with ultrasonic cleaning to add “fast and easy” to the effectiveness (is that a word?), I’ll take more photos and post details of the method.

I’m quite optimistic, or I wouldn’t have posted this, but nothing is guaranteed…

 

[toothpic]

You’re very welcome, of course.

Regarding the issue of color fading mentioned in several recent posts…

Many years after my original post, “Lundmark TSP” (or as I like to call it, “Lundmark Not Really TSP” - but hey, it works better than real TSP) remains my go-to for very effective and relatively low effort chip cleaning in an ultrasonic bath. I’ve cleaned somewhere around 100k chips, and that’s not an exaggeration.

That said, some degree of color fading occurs with ANY cleaning solution, and even in just plain hot water (search for some old replies in this thread regarding hot water pre-soaks)! Purple, red, and green seem to be more susceptible to fading than other colors.

Because of that, over the years, I’ve experimented with alternate cleaning agents and methods. Recently, I tried something different/new, and it had better results, although I used a manual process, and spent over 2 hours to clean just a single rack of chips. (Ouch.)

Take a look at the Paulson “Cherry” chips in photo below (the spots are Paulson “Peach” and “Metallic Gold”). These chips have *not* been oiled; they’ve only been cleaned:

View attachment 1324477

Manual labor aside, I was pretty happy with the results. While the chips don’t look “wet”, as chips do when they’ve been oiled, they don’t look dried out. I’d say they look “hydrated”. These chips are now soaking in J&J gel, and look edible!


Now… if I can manage to combine that with ultrasonic cleaning to add “fast and easy” to the effectiveness (is that a word?), I’ll take more photos and post details of the method.

I’m quite optimistic, or I wouldn’t have posted this, but nothing is guaranteed…

Ski,
What's the hand cleaning method you use?

I've been hand cleaning as well using a sonic scrubber and oxy detergent.

 

[ski_ex5]

Ski,
What's the hand cleaning method you use?

I've been hand cleaning as well using a sonic scrubber and oxy detergent.

You might have missed the fact that I spent way over 2 hours on a single rack to achieve the results in my photo! I’m hoping to figure out a way to do it *much* faster, and then I’ll share the details.

I’m unfamiliar with the manual “sonic scrubber” you mentioned.

In any case, you’d get the job done much better and faster if you used the Lundmark TSP (which isn’t really tri sodium phosphate; it’s sodium metasilicate) instead of any Oxi detergent. (That’s from personal experience.)

 

[toothpic]

You might have missed the fact that I spent way over 2 hours on a single rack to achieve the results in my photo! I’m hoping to figure out a way to do it *much* faster, and then I’ll share the details.

I’m unfamiliar with the manual “sonic scrubber” you mentioned.

In any case, you’d get the job done much better and faster if you used the Lundmark TSP (which isn’t really tri sodium phosphate; it’s sodium metasilicate) instead of any Oxi detergent. (That’s from personal experience.)

Nope! I read it just fine and I have more recently started to clean all of my chips by hand so I'm familiar with how much work it is to get done. I've found that cleaning by hand will clean the chips well but is also more gentle on the chips if you're careful. Don't soak too long, don't use too hot of water, don't use too much detergent. Red base chips tend to suffer the most from looking extremely parched after a run through the ultrasonic cleaner but still can look dry when being cleaned by hand so i was rather amazed that your already clean chips are still so vibrant.

Even though it takes a long time to clean the chips, I've enlisted some helpers with this manual process and will have more helpers in the future. Below is my oldest son helping me clean. In his hand is the SonicScrubber I was talking about. I got it on Amazon and it runs on 4 AA batteries. It can go through the batteries quickly so I have spare rechargeable ones on deck and ready to be swapped out.

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/SonicScrubber-Household-Electrical-Cleaning-Brush/dp/B01LVV6THF/ref=sr_1_5?crid=6UTMAUJ65YFE&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.8T2hebrMFdhgRp2J1QkXFRQcIybv-DNaDZUvMA6ZZFlLfnSOCbkMiVGLcHp-bk0R1fly_qY7TZn-yDUnm6tMinAGth6G1chwzDmXVm8fZ-HfQNaXT_rfrstcQFZ-IyZ0TryuJIpUzyx6ZGwQaGvt794ne2FeVG0T93tNJdLpSknb-8ZORgVGPxeDkfjy7arPbD_owqgnIG67P6hH6P5LuJ84Z8jdXck15GQjmDK7nTCeb2fuw9X7_NyYIAtEyG0EWE4y69YNPEhbjvOr9yxW-eLkZzx6fiHsbF1dP-v8RBA.pNNVhDdpZ2ynPPameh_Waxu0dcfgEBphNRg15wU1pNY&dib_tag=se&keywords=sonic+scrubber&qid=1715026850&sprefix=sonic+scrubbe,aps,111&sr=8-5

 

[facinfears217]

Found a few for a bath and oil ! Now just need 300 more and they’ll be listed for sale! Not sure y I clean and oil before I sell haha

These roadies and horseshoe are not going anywhere though lol

 

[NotRealNameNoSir]

Found a few for a bath and oil ! Now just need 300 more and they’ll be listed for sale! Not sure y I clean and oil before I sell haha View attachment 1325080
These roadies and horseshoe are not going anywhere though lolView attachment 1325081

Aaabsolutely begging for hotstamps, my gosh. GLWS eventually.

 

[morspeed]

I have used this method on thousands of chips and it works extremely well. Only thing is mineral oil does not keep them gleaming. It seems to dry out.

 

[paulkersey]

You might have missed the fact that I spent way over 2 hours on a single rack to achieve the results in my photo! I’m hoping to figure out a way to do it *much* faster, and then I’ll share the details.

I’m unfamiliar with the manual “sonic scrubber” you mentioned.

In any case, you’d get the job done much better and faster if you used the Lundmark TSP (which isn’t really tri sodium phosphate; it’s sodium metasilicate) instead of any Oxi detergent. (That’s from personal experience.)

Just curious how this new hand method is working for you? I tried your original method: lundmark tsp not tsp and the ultrasonic and it did a fantastic job at cleaning... But it left my reds a little faded. Hoping some mineral oil will bring it back to life, but I'm now thinking I should look for a more gentle method

 

[ski_ex5]

Just curious how this new hand method is working for you? I tried your original method: lundmark tsp not tsp and the ultrasonic and it did a fantastic job at cleaning... But it left my reds a little faded. Hoping some mineral oil will bring it back to life, but I'm now thinking I should look for a more gentle method

Well, I’m TRYING to make it NON-MANUAL. Spending over 2 hours to clean a rack of chips isn’t my idea of fun, not to mention the fact that it offends my sense of efficiency.

I’m making progress, but so far, without resorting to manual effort, I’m having a little trouble removing HJ - black globs on the chip face, and in the rings and canes.

I remain hopeful that I’ll hit on a different balance of viscosity vs. concentration that does a thorough job of cleaning the worst of the filth. I’m also trying the addition of some other chemicals, hopefully without creating something ridiculously toxic!

On that thought, I can imagine a TV commercial like those from the drug companies, with a bunch of ridiculously happy attractive people around a poker table…

YES, with Chleancor® in your ultrasonic, your chips will be perfectly clean with zero effort, and you’ll be the envy of your friends at poker night!​

​

Side effects include skin redness, irritation, death, and other serious complications.​

No joke, I recently saw an actual drug commercial that listed complications including, “…death, and other serious complications”! I mean, WHY are you worried about “other serious complications” after DEATH?!

 

[paulkersey]

So true, but you're find that your hand method is doing a better job of preserving the chip color? I'm just a little gun shy of using the ultrasonic for my expensive reds. But maybe I just need to do it for a shorter time and remove them from the water asap. I washed them for 60 seconds during my trial run

 

[Gear]

No joke, I recently saw an actual drug commercial that listed complications including, “…death, and other serious complications”! I mean, WHY are you worried about “other serious complications” after DEATH?!

 

[JerBear]

I think I’ll need to read through this thread for this answer, but is there a go-to option to clean hotstamped Paulsons? Just won an auction and I’m pretty new to this so I don’t want to screw anything up. I take it the ultrasonic may take off the foil? Thanks!

 

[ski_ex5]

I think I’ll need to read through this thread for this answer, but is there a go-to option to clean hotstamped Paulsons? Just won an auction and I’m pretty new to this so I don’t want to screw anything up. I take it the ultrasonic may take off the foil? Thanks!

First of all, congratulations on your new awesome set! Once cleaned and oiled (use J&J GEL), they’re going to look amazing.

If you carefully follow the instructions in the OP, you will not damage the hot stamps. I’ve cleaned over 12,000 Paulson hot stamps without a problem.

However if you choose NOT to follow the instructions, you CAN damage/dull the hot stamps with too much heat and/or time in the Lundmark ultrasonic bath.

All that said, PLEASE WAIT a bit, as I’m working on a VERY significant improvement to the ultrasonic chip cleaning with a different cleaning agent, and without heat. The benefits include:

• Significantly less color fading
• Less drying out of the chips
• Even safer for hot stamps
• Less (perhaps zero) risk of over-doing it with regards to time
• Less irritating to skin if you’re accidentally splashed

Scroll up a bit to my post on May 5th to see some photos of some red chips that I did manually to get an idea of the effectiveness - those chips aren’t even oiled!

Anyway… I’m really excited with the initial results, and I’m tweaking the cleaning mixture and method to maximize the effectiveness and minimize effort. As soon as I’ve finished, I will post all the details either in this thread, or possibly a new one.

I’m not 100% positive yet, but it’s looking like I might never use the Lundmark ultrasonic bath in the OP ever again.

 

[paulkersey]

First of all, congratulations on your new awesome set! Once cleaned and oiled (use J&J GEL), they’re going to look amazing.

If you carefully follow the instructions in the OP, you will not damage the hot stamps. I’ve cleaned over 12,000 Paulson hot stamps without a problem.

However if you choose NOT to follow the instructions, you CAN damage/dull the hot stamps with too much heat and/or time in the Lundmark ultrasonic bath.

All that said, PLEASE WAIT a bit, as I’m working on a VERY significant improvement to the ultrasonic chip cleaning with a different cleaning agent, and without heat. The benefits include:

• Significantly less color fading
• Less drying out of the chips
• Even safer for hot stamps
• Less (perhaps zero) risk of over-doing it with regards to time
• Less irritating to skin if you’re accidentally splashed

Scroll up a bit to my post on May 5th to see some photos of some red chips that I did manually to get an idea of the effectiveness - those chips aren’t even oiled!

Anyway… I’m really excited with the initial results, and I’m tweaking the cleaning mixture and method to maximize the effectiveness and minimize effort. As soon as I’ve finished, I will post all the details either in this thread, or possibly a new one.

I’m not 100% positive yet, but it’s looking like I might never use the Lundmark ultrasonic bath in the OP ever again.

Appreciate you being the Guinea pig for all of us and look forward to your new method. Thank you!

Looking back, somewhere along the line the advice switched from mineral oil to J&J oil gel? I can't seem to find it. Do you literally soak them in it?

 

[JerBear]

First of all, congratulations on your new awesome set! Once cleaned and oiled (use J&J GEL), they’re going to look amazing.

If you carefully follow the instructions in the OP, you will not damage the hot stamps. I’ve cleaned over 12,000 Paulson hot stamps without a problem.

However if you choose NOT to follow the instructions, you CAN damage/dull the hot stamps with too much heat and/or time in the Lundmark ultrasonic bath.

All that said, PLEASE WAIT a bit, as I’m working on a VERY significant improvement to the ultrasonic chip cleaning with a different cleaning agent, and without heat. The benefits include:

• Significantly less color fading
• Less drying out of the chips
• Even safer for hot stamps
• Less (perhaps zero) risk of over-doing it with regards to time
• Less irritating to skin if you’re accidentally splashed

Scroll up a bit to my post on May 5th to see some photos of some red chips that I did manually to get an idea of the effectiveness - those chips aren’t even oiled!

Anyway… I’m really excited with the initial results, and I’m tweaking the cleaning mixture and method to maximize the effectiveness and minimize effort. As soon as I’ve finished, I will post all the details either in this thread, or possibly a new one.

I’m not 100% positive yet, but it’s looking like I might never use the Lundmark ultrasonic bath in the OP ever again.

Thank you so much for this detailed reply. I will gladly wait until I learn your updated method. Thanks again.

 

[ski_ex5]

Appreciate you being the Guinea pig for all of us and look forward to your new method. Thank you!

Looking back, somewhere along the line the advice switched from mineral oil to J&J oil gel? I can't seem to find it. Do you literally soak them in it?

My own preference has always been to use the J&J gel (Amazon Basics baby oil gel is an acceptable substitute). It lasts longer, which not only keeps the chips looking good, but also keeps them from picking up dirt and grime from your players’ hands. I discovered that last part when, following the common wisdom of the time, I didn’t bother treating my white Paulson fracs, and within just two games, there was noticeable dirt and grime on them.

Anyway… generously apply the J&J gel with a Kiwi brand shoe shine applicator. You can usually find them in the grocery store. Twist the shoe shine applicator over the chip faces, ensuring that you get the gel in all the rings, hats & canes, and/or other molding. If you have some Gemaco soft white plastic shipping racks, put the oiled chips in the Gemaco racks to soak. If you don’t have any Gemaco racks, you can line some regular racks with aluminum foil and put the wet chips in there.

I always let the chips soak in the J&J gel for at least a week before wiping the excess off with bar mop towels (get them in the mega-pack cheap at Sam’s Club). The longer you let them soak, the longer the treatment will last.

DO NOT EVER put your oiled chips directly in PGI era ChipCo racks (clear, hard, and I think made from polystyrene) - not even after they’ve been wiped! The mineral oil will melt the plastic in the PGI ChipCo racks, effectively cementing the chips to the racks. Doesn’t do the racks any good, either. Don’t ask me how I know this. The original ChipCo racks (which are an almost rubbery acrylic that will not crack or break if you drop them, and somewhat cloudy looking) are fine. Real Paulson racks (any vintage) are fine for your oiled chips, too.

Something else I’ve noticed: If you store your racked oiled chips in an acrylic birdcage, they will remain looking great a LOT longer!

Hope that helps!

 

[ski_ex5]

Thank you so much for this detailed reply. I will gladly wait until I learn your updated method. Thanks again.

You’re very welcome. I can’t wait to share the details. I’m honestly very excited about this, and if you looked at the photo in my May 5 post, you’ll get and idea why. Even after drying out for a day after being cleaned, the chips almost look oiled. After getting some J&J gel, they are stunning!

Congrats again on your new set. I lived in N.O. a couple of years, so I would have liked that Harrah’s set, but I’m blessed to already have an absolutely stupid number of sets, and I’m fighting the addiction.