All I can tell ya is that it works fine, until it doesn't. And by then, it's too late. No snark intended.
Btw, some of the versions of Dawn now contain Oxy.
Ultrasonic Chip Cleaning (9 Viewers)
- Thread starter ski_ex5
- Start date
Btw, some of the versions of Dawn now contain Oxy.
No snark taken! You make an EXCELLENT point, and that’s exactly why I always TEST before committing a large number of expensive chips to any cleaning or oiling process.
Thanks! I noticed that a while back in the grocery store. So far, I’ve been sticking with the original blue “Dawn Ultra”.
paulkersey
Two Pair
Incredible results! Sorry, but what "solution" in your magic eraser? I'm hanging on every word
Nice Cali chips, and nice work!
I *wish* some of my brain cells had been functioning before I manually cleaned the Paulson Cherry chips (again, over 2 hours/rack of manual effort), but I EPIC FAILED to take any BEFORE photos.
Here’s an AFTER CLEANING photo, followed by three AFTER J&J GEL treatment photos.
AFTER CLEANING:
AFTER J&J GEL TREATMENT:
I really want to be able to recreate those cleaning results without the 2 hours/rack of manual effort part.
Magic Erasers require to be wet (actually just damp) to work effectively. Using water is most common, but using a chip-safe cleaning solution as the damping additive can also help speed the cleaning process.Incredible results! Sorry, but what "solution" in your magic eraser? I'm hanging on every word
Half strength Oxy and tap water, and swap the magic eraser out every 70-80 chips. These were magic eraser and Oxy, then Hydrogen peroxide soaks for a week, then once more with the magic eraser and Oxy. Then my oil blend.Incredible results! Sorry, but what "solution" in your magic eraser? I'm hanging on every word
They were an obscene amount of work, but worth it in the end. I need to clean the fracs once I get off my ass.
paulkersey
Two Pair
I tried 2 different manual methods tonight, similar results, but big time difference.
On the left, I used The Pink Stuff and an infant tooth brush. It took me probably a solid 5 minutes of scrubbing, rinsing to check, and re-scrubbing again. It worked, but wasn't overly pleased.
On the right I used a magic eraser dipped in warm dawn dish soap water. It took literally 10 seconds with the eraser, and then probably 20 seconds with the tooth brush to get into the nooks and crannies. Very pleased.
Now I'm just waiting for them to dry before I try J&J gel
On the left, I used The Pink Stuff and an infant tooth brush. It took me probably a solid 5 minutes of scrubbing, rinsing to check, and re-scrubbing again. It worked, but wasn't overly pleased.
On the right I used a magic eraser dipped in warm dawn dish soap water. It took literally 10 seconds with the eraser, and then probably 20 seconds with the tooth brush to get into the nooks and crannies. Very pleased.
Now I'm just waiting for them to dry before I try J&J gel
Dump the tooth brush and get a Sonic Scrubber on Amazon. It'll cut the time even more after erasering it.
Edit - and also grab rechargeable batteries for it. They work fantastic when at full power, but even going down to 60% they stop being as affective. So cycle them out each use and recharge and you never have the issue or a pile of half used batteries.
I tried a soak in dawn and water for a batch of chips and a soak in the hydrogen peroxide for another batch. The peroxide batch cleaned pretty easily so I’m going to do the rest in that.
They get so bubbly
They get so bubbly
If it's bubbling, it's working.
How do I get my poker chips so clean?
Nice.
- Do you have any BEFORE and AFTER photos of the chips? It would help give an idea of what kind and how much filth they had.
- How long did you soak the batch in Dawn, and what concentration did you use?
- How long did you soak the batch in peroxide?
- When you said, “The peroxide batch cleaned pretty easily,” do you mean that you manually scrubbed them after the peroxide soak?
Yep, will post pictures in a bit. I didn't take many though.
The dawn solution only had about 4-5 table spoons of dawn to that water amount.
Peroxide batch I soaked for at least 16 hours.
I did scrub them afterwards because they were pretty filthy and I had to get some of the gunk that was plastered on them off. The peroxide batch took less effort.
Before
After
After
I've found that the peroxide chips sometimes will get dirtier in the bath, as it'll draw out the grime from the clay too. But then look pretty much perfect after a quick scrubbing.
Do you agitate them slightly during the soak? I've been doing that lightly a couple of times a day.
Got it. Thanks for the replies, and the photos!
Not really. If I'm stopping it foaming, it's gonna have to restart, so nothing past when I dumped and refilled. Maybe one stir if I was bored and wanted new faces touched.
I’m never going to try this cleaning method if it’s going to turn a rack into 17 chips
I’d like to think that I speak for all PCF members when I say, THANK YOU for your astute observation that the rest of us obviously missed.
Peroxide soaks result in an 83% reduction in chip count.
Noted.
PHEW! And to think… I was JUST about to use some peroxide on a couple racks of chips.
Now that I think of it, this just *might* explain why I lost eight fingers several years back when I used peroxide on a nasty cut resulting from an accident while using a serrated knife.
Now that I think of it, this just *might* explain why I lost eight fingers several years back when I used peroxide on a nasty cut resulting from an accident while using a serrated knife.
You only lost 8 fingers? I lost 12! And a nose!
5 bucks to drink that.
I’m admittedly not a chemist or a chemical engineer. However, I don’t think it’s even remotely possible to slow down any reaction between the peroxide and dirt/stains on the chips by stirring it. I’d be surprised if it didn’t cause the opposite, i.e. help increase the action of the peroxide.
That said, stirring can certainly *temporarily* reduce bubbles on the surface of the peroxide, and on the surface of the chips. So if you’re doing this for the bubbles, don’t disturb the peroxide!
Honestly, over the course of 24 hours, I highly doubt you could have a measurable effect by stirring or not stirring, ASSUMING that you have things situated such that all the chip faces are all exposed to the peroxide (or whatever else you’re soaking in).
Just purchased at Home Depot:
FOUR times the concentration of the typical 3% hydrogen peroxide solution!
Will it result in 4x the cleaning power?
Will it result in 4x the BUBBLES?
TUNE IN NEXT WEEK - SAME TIME - SAME CHANNEL!
Seriously, in a small test soaking a variety of chips in 3% peroxide + a tiny bit of Dawn Ultra + a bit of yet another cleaning agent, I had some significantly positive results. The best yet, actually (all the black gunk and nearly all the dirt was gone). So, I’m looking to do this on a larger and faster scale. Combined with a “follow up” ultrasonic bath in the cleaner that was used on the Paulson Cherry chips in my previous photos, I’m hoping this will prove to be my new grail cleaning method that requires zero scrubbing or any other handling of each individual chip, and with near zero color fading and no damage to hot stamp foil or inlays. (Apologies to those of you who actually enjoy spending hours/rack cleaning your chips. To each their own!)
FOUR times the concentration of the typical 3% hydrogen peroxide solution!
Will it result in 4x the cleaning power?
Will it result in 4x the BUBBLES?
TUNE IN NEXT WEEK - SAME TIME - SAME CHANNEL!
Seriously, in a small test soaking a variety of chips in 3% peroxide + a tiny bit of Dawn Ultra + a bit of yet another cleaning agent, I had some significantly positive results. The best yet, actually (all the black gunk and nearly all the dirt was gone). So, I’m looking to do this on a larger and faster scale. Combined with a “follow up” ultrasonic bath in the cleaner that was used on the Paulson Cherry chips in my previous photos, I’m hoping this will prove to be my new grail cleaning method that requires zero scrubbing or any other handling of each individual chip, and with near zero color fading and no damage to hot stamp foil or inlays. (Apologies to those of you who actually enjoy spending hours/rack cleaning your chips. To each their own!)
I think you think this way more than I do. My lizard brain just wants clean chips, not much past that.I’m admittedly not a chemist or a chemical engineer. However, I don’t think it’s even remotely possible to slow down any reaction between the peroxide and dirt/stains on the chips by stirring it. I’d be surprised if it didn’t cause the opposite, i.e. help increase the action of the peroxide.
That said, stirring can certainly *temporarily* reduce bubbles on the surface of the peroxide, and on the surface of the chips. So if you’re doing this for the bubbles, don’t disturb the peroxide!
Honestly, over the course of 24 hours, I highly doubt you could have a measurable effect by stirring or not stirring, ASSUMING that you have things situated such that all the chip faces are all exposed to the peroxide (or whatever else you’re soaking in).
I’ve seen some of your work, and sir, you do not have a lizard brain.
But yeah, you’re right…
I work hard to be lazy.
Finally cleaned these bastards. Been putting it off for months. But hey, got a pretty rack now....
paulkersey
Two Pair
Beauty job. What method did you use? Finish with J&J gel?
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