What the heck is "composite clay"? specifically sopranos vs plastic?

shadesofgrey · #1 (**permalink**) 05-03-2007, 01:59 AM

I dont want to threadjack spikes thread anymore than i already have

So, in another thread today we started down the path of talking soprano chips.

I ended up posting some text from DCG on the 6-stripe sopranos... while doing so I noticed that fauxes and other "plastic" chips are referred to a "composite clay"... there is a difference between fauxes / super diamonds vs. sopranos.

I've owned a ton of these over the last year and have always been under the impression they were clay or partial clay. I have multiple sets of clay chips so i do know the difference between plastic chips and clay chips.

--- warning, chip destruction ahead ---

At first, people were saying sopranos are slugged plastic chips... which they are not.. there is no metal slug.

In the spirit of whatever, i slaughtered an old soprano.

first I snapped it in half to show there was no metal slug.

Most people were certain that the sopranos are plastic... they sure dont feel plastic to me, well at least not like fauxes or dice or other "composite" chips.

So i thought to myself, "how can i test a chip to be clay?" grind it up into a powder... plastic wont grind up into a powder right? so i gave the chip the old mortar and pestle test...

My next thought was heat... clay wont melt right? but i ran out of time tonight... i'll torch this mess soon enough

But what the heck is "composite clay"? from what i can see its just a marketing term because of the vast variation between "composite clay" chips.

the sopranos almost feel like a resin, but not plastic - there is a significant difference in the feel.... i dont think i could grind up a faux by hand. i dont even know if i could bust a faux in half with my hands.

what are the sopranos made out of? if its not clay, what the heck is it?

Vince · #2 (**permalink**) 05-03-2007, 02:24 AM

Hey,
I think Composite Clay chips are generelly all metal slug free chips about 10 gram.
I.E. Desert Palms Pure Clay are considered Comosite Clay, because if they were pure platic, they wouldn't be like 10 gram, maybe just 3-4 gram.

Composite Clay Chips are, as the name says, a compostion of plastic and clay to add some clay feeling and wheight.
And they are injection molded as well.

But I couldn't find a detailed consideration of real clays and composite clays, except the manufactoring processes that composites are injection, and real clays are compression molded.

Captn_All_In · #3 (**permalink**) 05-03-2007, 11:21 AM

I typed a whole bunch of stuff but then it didn't make any sense....

I think there has to be something added to "clay" chips. I would think that real clay alone would be to brittle on its own. Also how would the color permeate the chip? Clay chips must be some kind of powder base that is mixed with several other ingredients to produce the final product which is then put under pressure and heated to form the chip. I wish I knew some chemists who could figure out what they were made of...not to reproduce them, just so I knew what they were!!

I also think that there is something added to plastic chips to make them feel less like plastic and more like something else (i.e. sopranos, kingpins). Also the stuff they add to the basic plastic must be used in varing amounts to produce the differences in chips. Again...I don't know what this stuff is, I am just verbalizing my thoughts...

Yeah I realize now that I have not contributed at all to this discussion...sorry to have wasted those 2 min of your life....

the3rd · #4 (**permalink**) 05-03-2007, 11:38 AM

Material scientists can make plastic feel like wood, glass or just about anything else. The only true way to get to the bottom of this is getting the information from mfg. of the chips (even if they are willing to share the info, they might not know exactly) or getting a Soprano and a Paulson of the same color and do a spectrometer test. If anyone asked me who on this site would know somebody who had access to the equipment, I'd say SOG.

palmimports · #5 (**permalink**) 05-03-2007, 11:45 AM

Chips are primarily ABS. You can call them clay, composite, plastic, abs-- theyre ALL abs primarily.
Plastic
Raw plastic ( rare) or recycled ( most common)
Now, take this purely abs chip and toss in a handfull of calcium carbonate ( chalk) to soften the feel and whallah-- you got composite chips.

In fact-- take som bok choy some soy sauce and some hair from a camel and whallah-- STILL composite.

But- still primarily abs

Take a flame and if your chip melts and gives off a blue flame-- its plastic.
If it doesnt melt or burn or exhibit a blue flame then its probably mostly calcium carbonate or another ingredient which doesnt melt of burn.

Our solid 6 stripe clays dont burn-- dont melt- are they clay? Nope-- god knows what it is but the primary ingredient isnt abs.

Same with our new compression chips-- have no idea whats in them- its like finding out KFC/s batter ingredients-- or coca cola. Good luck.

Spike · #6 (**permalink**) 05-03-2007, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by palmimports

Chips are primarily ABS. You can call them clay, composite, plastic, abs-- theyre ALL abs primarily.
Plastic
Raw plastic ( rare) or recycled ( most common)
Now, take this purely abs chip and toss in a handfull of calcium carbonate ( chalk) to soften the feel and whallah-- you got composite chips.

In fact-- take som bok choy some soy sauce and some hair from a camel and whallah-- STILL composite.

But- still primarily abs

Take a flame and if your chip melts and gives off a blue flame-- its plastic.
If it doesnt melt or burn or exhibit a blue flame then its probably mostly calcium carbonate or another ingredient which doesnt melt of burn.

Our solid 6 stripe clays dont burn-- dont melt- are they clay? Nope-- god knows what it is but the primary ingredient isnt abs.

Same with our new compression chips-- have no idea whats in them- its like finding out KFC/s batter ingredients-- or coca cola. Good luck.

Thanks. Now i need a New Black Chip

shadesofgrey · #7 (**permalink**) 05-03-2007, 01:05 PM

I think joe is right! abs w/ camel hair

This sucker burned like crazy.. I was pretty amazed. I didnt think it would burn what so ever and it went up in flames FAST! it has to be some sort of plastic.

Look I made my first chip w/ no mold