Beginner Questions (Ask Them Here!)

[bobarian]

Joe, Your salt may not be we enough. You want a slurry, wet but not a solution of dissolved salt. Salt test a minimum of 24 hours. If you think the hygrometer may be bad, wrap it in a moistened paper towel for a few hours and it should read near 100%.

[rack04]

I recently pulled a 300 ct humidor out of retirement. During it's 9 month retirement it sat completely empty. Due to my immediate need for this additional space I was only able to season it a couple days. I have 8 oz of 65% humidity beads and the hygrometer has been calibrated. The humidor has approximately 200 cigars in it. I've noticed that I can't reach humidity levels above 58%. Last night I went as far as to wipe down the inside of the humidor with distilled water. This helped raise the humidity to 65% but this only lasted a couple days. I think this humidor is soaking up moisture like a sponge because it sat for such a long time empty. Any thoughts?

Originally Posted by rack04

I recently pulled a 300 ct humidor out of retirement. During it's 9 month retirement it sat completely empty. Due to my immediate need for this additional space I was only able to season it a couple days. I have 8 oz of 65% humidity beads and the hygrometer has been calibrated. The humidor has approximately 200 cigars in it. I've noticed that I can't reach humidity levels above 58%. Last night I went as far as to wipe down the inside of the humidor with distilled water. This helped raise the humidity to 65% but this only lasted a couple days. I think this humidor is soaking up moisture like a sponge because it sat for such a long time empty. Any thoughts?

I broke a 50 count humidor out of retirement a few months ago and it took about three or four rounds of seasoning before it held humidity. I didn't put cigars in until it held humidity for a few days. Good luck

[N2Advnture]

Originally Posted by Beer Doctor

I broke a 50 count humidor out of retirement a few months ago and it took about three or four rounds of seasoning before it held humidity. I didn't put cigars in until it held humidity for a few days. Good luck

Originally Posted by rack04

I recently pulled a 300 ct humidor out of retirement. During it's 9 month retirement it sat completely empty. Due to my immediate need for this additional space I was only able to season it a couple days. I have 8 oz of 65% humidity beads and the hygrometer has been calibrated. The humidor has approximately 200 cigars in it. I've noticed that I can't reach humidity levels above 58%. Last night I went as far as to wipe down the inside of the humidor with distilled water. This helped raise the humidity to 65% but this only lasted a couple days. I think this humidor is soaking up moisture like a sponge because it sat for such a long time empty. Any thoughts?

I have found that the best way to properly season a humidor is to simply place a bowl of water in the humidor and leave the lid closed for 7-14 days.

This ensures that the wood has absorbed it capacity of water vapor and will hold humidity properly.

I do not recommend wiping down the wood directly with water as this may cause the wood to warp, possibly ruining the seal.

I hope this helps

~Mark

I have a wooden humidor that keeps fairly good humidity but it only holds about 50. I was wondering if I could use a water tight plastic box like the ones you use on a boat to keep things dry. Anyone ever tried it?

[68TriShield]

Originally Posted by BrokenSkeg

I have a wooden humidor that keeps fairly good humidity but it only holds about 50. I was wondering if I could use a water tight plastic box like the ones you use on a boat to keep things dry. Anyone ever tried it?

A good zip lock bag will work fine. A air tight container isn't the best for storage.