Cigars ruined by glue vapor. Recoverable?

[earful]

Gifted with a really nice humidor last month and put some of my best stuff in. kept my horde at a rock steady 70rh despite a much higher humidity at home. Used the included digital hygrometer but did not stick it on the lid. Separated it from the sticks with an included cedar divider. All seemed well and decided to go for a stick from this humi, just this am. To my horror, pre-light taste of glue. Checked another stick in the humi, same result. Turns out, everything in there now tastes of glue.:argh:

Checked around carefully and it turns out the glue strip on the magnet attached to the hygrometer is emitting a faint glue odor and 3+ wks in close proximity to my best smokes was enough to ruin them, even the ones still in plastic baggies & cello.

Trying to air these fine smokes out now but not optimistic of full recovery. Open to any and all ideas on what to try.:dunno: Nothing left to lose.:hanghead: baking soda perhaps?

 

[tazbigdog]

Best thing to do, since it is now hazardous material is to send them to me for proper disposal.

No really, seperate them to another container, air out the one you have now. After a while the smell should dissipate.

Jeff:cbig:

 

[earful]

Hey Jeff, wouldn't want to poison you, even with these babies. :transform Airing everything out now & keeping my fingers crossed. Thinking of putting a small container of baking soda in the humi as well, to absorb the odors. Thanks for the support! :crosseyed

 

[tazbigdog]

I used charcoal from Petsmart store, in the fish aisle, to kill the smell in my new Avanti winecooler. That worked great.:roundtheh

 

[Wink]

eeeeeeewwwwwww! Seems to me the best thing to do is to air'em out and.....pray! sorry to hear that my brother, good luck!

 

[.jacob]

I used charcoal from Petsmart store, in the fish aisle, to kill the smell in my new Avanti winecooler. That worked great.:roundtheh

That sounds like a great idea.

 

[Jfire]

search activated charcoal (online stores) if you dont want to drive.

 

[PLUSH]

What others have said about the charcoal is good. Also, it really shouldn't be any different than the Drac boxes and the varnish. Man, it was bad. But just are them out and they will be fine.

 

[earful]

thanks guys! activated charcoal it is. will post back after a week or so on how it all turned out. :smile:

 

[ciggy]

Hmmm...I've never heard of this problem before.:scratchhe That's very unusual!!

 

[Alwayslit]

.....air them out. They should be okay.

 

[Nickerson]

Hey Jeff, wouldn't want to poison you, even with these babies. :transform Airing everything out now & keeping my fingers crossed. Thinking of putting a small container of baking soda in the humi as well, to absorb the odors. Thanks for the support! :crosseyed

Baking soda was my first thought as well. Though I don't know if it would absorb the glue odor only. My hopes would be that it doesn't effect the cigars flavor as well.

 

[earful]

Hmmm...I've never heard of this problem before.:scratchhe That's very unusual!!

Yeah, 1st time anyone here has heard of this as well but then these humidors aren't sold locally. Sent an email to the manufacturer/retailer on what happened but they have gone strangely quiet. :angerFU:

 

[earful]

ok. vendor sent back a very sincere email apologizing for the issue. believes that the problem eminates not from the glue (which is odorless in their warehouse) but from the paint/varnish used on the outside of the box (just like what plush said). paint/varnish particles may have gotten absorbed by the porous cedar lining and by the magnet glue as well, then transferred to the cigars. funny thing is that the humi insides smell only of great cedar. could the cedar smell be masking the glue/varnish particles that's gotten inside the box? :crosseyed

they suggest wiping the humi insides down with a wet towel and letting the moisture evaporate through more airing. i guess the theory being the paint/varnish in the cedar will attach to the water particles and escape via evaporation.

will do this a few times and see what happens ... nothing to lose.

i should also mention that the vendor made a very generous offer to send another humidor over. kudos to their customer relations. :kissforeh eace:
will just make sure lightning won't strike twice.

 

[38-50]

I got a couple of the My Father 6 cigar samplers and they smelled faintly of varnish. The cigars tasted of it too. A few months out of their original packaging and the taste had dissipated but was still there. I would keep the affected smokes separate from the rest of your collection while airing them out.

 

[earful]

I got a couple of the My Father 6 cigar samplers and they smelled faintly of varnish. The cigars tasted of it too. A few months out of their original packaging and the taste had dissipated but was still there. I would keep the affected smokes separate from the rest of your collection while airing them out.

Thanks bro will do that. Did you keep the affected smokes in a hum or leave them in the open?

 

[dpricenator]

I did not take time read all the responses, so forgive me if I am redundant on this.

If a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, coat of varnish is applied before the 1st coat has fully dried it could sit under there for months and still not dry. It actually dries through the raw side, i.e. the inside of the humidor. I would ship it back and get a new humi

 

[earful]

That is a very good point bro, this box supposedly has 11 coats! Quality control signed off on June 2010. Might take a while for it to settle down.:squinteye

 

[38-50]

Thanks bro will do that. Did you keep the affected smokes in a hum or leave them in the open?

I put them in a tuperware type container with some beads. You wouldn't want to leave them out in the open unless the humidity in your climate was perfect all the time and even then it might not be a good idea.

 

[earful]

Thanks bro, My simple mind tells me one needs to allow the offending vapor to escape else the offending molecules would just be circulating in the same micro environment. Will try to leave in 'em in the open overnight with 75 rh. We'll see.