Oiling chips...? Newbie questions..

[tr1kst4nce]

I'm probably gonna buy a custom set of ceramics and also a set of the Pharaoh Club clays... but I noticed a few things while reading. People were saying they were cleaning them when they first got them to get rid of some of the dust that gets on them from being made... and then oiling them.

So... how should I clean them when they come to me? Just a damp cloth?

What about oiling them? What's the purpose exactly and what oil should I use? Technique? etc?

Thanks

[noelsarchs]

Mineral Oil odorless and just the edges lighty if you MUST> Otherwise don't bother. Take a stack of 5 or so and just lightly dip your finger in the oil and rub around the edges. Then wipe thouroughly and don't let the chips stack together for a day or so untii the oil sinks in.

[pug_in_chip]

If you sink the chips into mineral oil, or use the oil too much, it might go kinda under the inlay, coloring it a little. Happened to me, but fortunately it disappeared. After that, I have too only oiled the edges. That goes for Paulson's. As for BCC's, I still like to oil the whole chips with an oily cloth. But still very lightly. In any case, you don't need much oil. And do not oil ceramic chips, only clay.

Check these out too:
http://www.chiptalk.net/forum/poker-...hotstamps.html
http://www.chiptalk.net/forum/poker-...chips-oil.html
http://www.chiptalk.net/forum/poker-...ing-chips.html
http://www.chiptalk.net/forum/poker-...ut-oiling.html
http://www.chiptalk.net/forum/poker-...-per-hour.html

And about the problem I had:
http://www.chiptalk.net/forum/poker-...s-problem.html

[albie]

Pharoahs look much nicer oiled. I don't think you're removing dust; it's more like how a wet stone on a beach looks nicer than a dry one. I didn't clean mine, just oiled them all over, which didn't affect the sticker any.

[UW85]

Having oiled (literally) 10's of thousands, THIS method is the best and safest I've used. That thread is mentioned within one of those Pug listed as well. One note, JM has always said that virgin baby whale oil works best if you can get it.

[albie]

ideally cold-pressed extra virgin baby whale oil imo

[tr1kst4nce]

Originally Posted by albie

ideally cold-pressed extra virgin baby whale oil imo

Are you kidding?

[Riculus]

Don't oil at all. Wipe them down if you want but oil is for those who look at and don't play with their chips.

[mtl mile end]

Originally Posted by Riculus

Don't oil at all. Wipe them down if you want but oil is for those who look at and don't play with their chips.

I guess I'm in the "less oil is better" camp, but not to this extreme. I put a folded rag against the top of a bottle of oil, invert the bottle to put the equivalent of 5-10 drops of oil into the rag, and oil about 10 - 20 chips before reapplying oil to the rag again. I am only putting a minimal amount of oil on the outer raised ring of the chip (nothing on the hotstamp or inlay).

Using a Paulson THC as an example, this will lightly coat the outer ring, but often leave the depressed parts (hats, canes, and incised part of the ring) "unoiled" when I am finished. Over the next day or three, the oil will penetrate down through the hats, canes, and circles, as well as penetrating inward towards the centre. The exact amount of oil can be adjusted by the amount of oil in the rag and the pressure one applies while spinning the chip in the rag. For me, the "perfect" oil job results in penetration stopping just as all the oil meets in the centre of a HS or just at the edge of an inlay (this one's impossible to judge other than to not see any "under inlay" penetration).

This might sound tedious, but I'll bet it's quicker and far more precise than the "shoe polish applicator" method. Also, I've oiled a few hundred HS THC chips and a few hundred (giant? grand? -the big one) inlaid RHC chips with about a tablespoon or two of oil.

[rtv1983]

i would recommend not oiling your chips.