Vintage Flecks Fouling - why, and how to fix? (7 Viewers)

[Gus]

I picked up a cheap box of vintage Elks HHR chips knowing they were in rough shape. Does anyone know what causes this green staining/fouling, presumably originating with flecks of metal? Is this brass oxidizing or uhh, corroding? Perhaps the equivalent of rust, but for brass? I know brass jewelry will turn your skin green, so is that what's happening here?

Is there any known quick fix (doubtful!), or a way to keep it from getting worse (simply keep in a dry area?).

Thanks all, figured it might be a fun project to try to clean these up. In the meantime they shuffle great by my mousepad.

 

[Machine]

MOLD! I think its likely mold, test soaking one in hydrogen peroxide, check on it every 30 mins for the first chip you test with.

You might also be able to use an eraser, though that will be challenging to get down into the recessed areas.

Also I would not advise that oxyclean might help, but if you do think about it you should do a ton of research before you use it, I DON'T use very often, because it can do more damage than good.

 

[NotRealNameNoSir]

Agreed, looks mold until proven otherwise, especially when its little dots like that in clusters.

 

[Gus]

Shucks, I've got bleach, acetone, vinegar, isoproyl alcohol, etc... but no hydrogen peroxide on hand. Will have to pick some up later and run the experiment!

 

[ekricket]

Shucks, I've got bleach, acetone, vinegar, isoproyl alcohol, etc... but no hydrogen peroxide on hand. Will have to pick some up later and run the experiment!

You could try the vinegar/salt thing in case it’s corrosion of metal in the mix.

 

[Thomacetti]

You could try the vinegar/salt thing in case it’s corrosion of metal in the mix.

This...it is oxidation due to copper flakes that oxidized

What happens when copper is oxidized?


Copper will start to react with the oxygen in the air to form copper oxide. The copper oxide will continue reacting to oxygen over time. As the copper oxide continues to react with carbon dioxide and water in the air it coats the surface with that iconic blue-green patina colour.

Should be able to remove with magic eraser & soapy water...then dry and oil.

Ps. be very carefull with chemicals and old BurtCo or ASM chips....they react like alka seltzer to a lot of stuff

 

[Gus]

This...it is oxidation due to copper flakes that oxidized



Should be able to remove with magic eraser & soapy water...then dry and oil.

Ps. be very carefull with chemicals and old BurtCo or ASM chips....they react like alka seltzer to a lot of stuff

Thanks for the info! I'll try cleaning as you suggest as well as the hydrogen peroxide way and report back. Cheap old chips, will only sacrifice one or two to this experiment

 

[chippitydoodah]

This...it is oxidation due to copper flakes that oxidized



Should be able to remove with magic eraser & soapy water...then dry and oil.

Ps. be very carefull with chemicals and old BurtCo or ASM chips....they react like alka seltzer to a lot of stuff

MAGIC ERASER??? Are you trying to kill us all???

 

[AlbinoDragon]

This...it is oxidation due to copper flakes that oxidized



Should be able to remove with magic eraser & soapy water...then dry and oil.

Ps. be very carefull with chemicals and old BurtCo or ASM chips....they react like alka seltzer to a lot of stuff

It's the brass flakes, but it is still oxidation of the metal flakes in the chip. You see this on old used Burt chips for sure.

 

[Taghkanic]

I have a large set of HHRs which were produced between 1968-1972. I have not seen anything like this on them.

 

[ekricket]

In the meantime they shuffle great by my mousepad.

Hmmm, if it is mold it might not be a good idea to particularize it. I mean it kinda looks like the corrosion thing, but it also kinda looks like mold the way it’s all across the face of a couple chips.

 

[bigblind]

i"m going with oxidized brass flakes

 

[bigblind]

i've never seen it this bad, maybe David from CPC might have a suggestion

 

[CardRally]

 

[CardRally]

30 minutes in diluted vinegar solution and a magic eraser does the trick

 

[Gus]

that’s incredible!

 

[CardRally]

If you run into problems PM me. I almost bought that exact lot. Enjoy them!

 

[Gus]

If you run into problems PM me. I almost bought that exact lot. Enjoy them!

We're all just hanging out on PCF as a break from browsing eBay listings right?

Once I've gone through all the big sellers I can pretend that I've seen it all.

But the problems is that all the real gems are storage unit flippers who happen upon some rare poker chips and then describe them so poorly they won't show up in any reasonable search query... how to crack that nut is the question

 

[ekricket]

and then describe them so poorly they won't show up in any reasonable search query..

Pocker chips is the proper search term for those

 

[CardRally]

I was just typing out my pocker chips joke haha! You are spot on!

 

[CardRally]

I want to provide some clarity in case it may be helpful.

The chips shown were cleaned in cold water using dish soap and a scrub brush. Chips were then clean but some oxidation still remained. A solution of water and white vinegar was mixed at a ratio 9:1. Chips were soaked for around 30 minutes and then finished with a magic eraser.

I did not experiment further as the first batch came out great. Lastly, I’m not sure if this would affect the hotstamps because mine were already faded.
Good luck!

 

[Tonysquander]

I want to provide some clarity in case it may be helpful.

The chips shown were cleaned in cold water using dish soap and a scrub brush. Chips were then clean but some oxidation still remained. A solution of water and white vinegar was mixed at a ratio 9:1. Chips were soaked for around 30 minutes and then finished with a magic eraser.

I did not experiment further as the first batch came out great. Lastly, I’m not sure if this would affect the hotstamps because mine were already faded.
Good luck!

How did they smell and @Gus did you try it on yours? Any after pics?

 

[CardRally]

Before cleaning the chips had the musty old chip smell.
After cleaning and the vinegar they had no noticeable smell. No residual vinegar smell to me.
I replaced the foam and cleaned the case as the foam was the main source of the musty smell. The new foam made the case smell like new shoes for a couple weeks, which I consider a bonus