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Re-Seasoning my humidor

FireDragon

FireDragon

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Don't wipe down the small desktop, it could stress the wood. This might be OK for a larger desktop humidor, but my experience wiping down small humidors is not good. You'll get raised grain at the very least, but with a smaller humidor with lighter construction, warpage is a real possibility.

I haven't tried one but the Boveda seasoning packet sounds like a very good idea, or failing that, use a water pillow or a gel-based humidifier. There is no substitute for time. Keep the cigars in a zip-lock freezer bag or a lunch container until the humidor is ready.
 
FireDragon

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Some of those smaller humidors are just Spanish cedar veneer, they don't absorb much water which means you could get warping.
 
Horseshoe

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Never apply moisture to the wood! Allow the wood to absorb the moisture through other means. The sponge method or Boveda seasoning packs. The sponge method: take a new sponge and get it wet with distilled water, it should be wet but not dripping. Place the sponge on a saucer or lid. Never place it on the wood itself! Now this is the hard part. Close the lid, and WALK AWAY! Let it sit for at least 3-5 days. It will take the rH to 80 and hold there.

Ok so why do you not want to wipe down the humidor? Cracking, and warping. The smallest of cracks, smallest warp and may have ruined your humidor seal. Sure. Roll the dice. But why when a sponge and distilled water is more efficient and cheap!

I forgot to add: your trying to condition the wood not make it wet. It takes time to get the wood conditioned and it can not really be "rushed." If you rush this process it can give you problems when you start putting cigars in the box. RH may start to swing and it will be a headache to pull out the sticks and do it the proper way so it doesn't have issues.
 
cgraunke

cgraunke

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danmdevries said:
Do not recommend applying water directly to the wood, especially in cheap chinese humidors - the veneer is about the thickness of paper (which is the reason this method seems to work without ill effect) and behind it is pressboard (which absorbs moisture readily, but will quickly deform-faster than solid wood). This construction is why they are even able to dry out. A solid constructed box will not dry out if left closed.

Another reason not to use these cheap Chinese humidors.

But back to your question. One: do not apply water directly to the wood. There are no shortcuts especially with this type of construction. If you want a shortcut, buy Bovedas and put them and your cigars in a tupperware container and be done. If you want some cedar in there, buy yourself some Spanish Cedar trimmings off ebay and toss em in.

I give away those Chinese humidors to friends/family that are interested in cigars. BUT.... before I do, I tear them apart, put a sheet of lexan in the floor (factory is 1/8" pressboard over felt, extremely porous), line the sides with 1/4" Spanish cedar, and replace the "seal" with an actual fitted set of sealing slats made from 1/4" Spanish cedar.

I know of one that I rebuilt that was neglected for a year, with a single Boveda, and was still sitting at 60% (with a crunchy Boveda) at a year and a month when I asked about it.

As an experiment, I threw a 65 Boveda in a factory stock cheapo humidor to see how long before it dried up. Just a little over two months and it was crispy.

Buy tupperware and Bovedas and stop worrying about maintaining your humidors. Or, spend the cash (or time) to buy (or build) a quality wooden humidor.
Click to expand...
Horseshoe said:
Never apply moisture to the wood! Allow the wood to absorb the moisture through other means. The sponge method or Boveda seasoning packs. The sponge method: take a new sponge and get it wet with distilled water, it should be wet but not dripping. Place the sponge on a saucer or lid. Never place it on the wood itself! Now this is the hard part. Close the lid, and WALK AWAY! Let it sit for at least 3-5 days. It will take the rH to 80 and hold there.

Ok so why do you not want to wipe down the humidor? Cracking, and warping. The smallest of cracks, smallest warp and may have ruined your humidor seal. Sure. Roll the dice. But why when a sponge and distilled water is more efficient and cheap!

I forgot to add: your trying to condition the wood not make it wet. It takes time to get the wood conditioned and it can not really be "rushed." If you rush this process it can give you problems when you start putting cigars in the box. RH may start to swing and it will be a headache to pull out the sticks and do it the proper way so it doesn't have issues.
Click to expand...
Thank you guys!
I cringe every time I see someone recommend "wiping" the wood, but I've given up on typing out the explanation every time. I think I'm going to start a text file of commonly needed responses so I can just cut and paste when needed. Anyway, nothing good ever comes from rushing things. Listen to these gents. Give your humidor the same respect you give your cigars. Take the time to do it right.
 
danmdevries

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cgraunke said:
Thank you guys!
I cringe every time I see someone recommend "wiping" the wood, but I've given up on typing out the explanation every time. I think I'm going to start a text file of commonly needed responses so I can just cut and paste when needed. Anyway, nothing good ever comes from rushing things. Listen to these gents. Give your humidor the same respect you give your cigars. Take the time to do it right.
Click to expand...
http://xkcd.com/386/

 
FireDragon

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I saw a cheap humidor on eBay that recommended filling a dish full of water and putting the humidor upside down in the dish. I am not kidding!

I have one of those cheap humidors and did the wiping thing, and it didn't do anything good for the wood. Lesson learned. The bottoms of many humidors are too thin and easily warped, as are the Spanish cedar baffles.
 
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