How tight of a seal must a humidor have?

[FireFighter 227]

I have a nice little wood chest from "Hobby Lobby" that would be very nice as a humidor. I have no idea what kind of wood it is made of, and I'm sure we can be certain it's not spanish cedar. I figure, if it will work, that I would just store the cigars inside cigar boxes, within the chest.

Another thought.. I work with a guy who owns a very reputable cabinet manufacturing company. I'm sure I could have him line it with spanish cedar (or do it myself).

Think this would work? I will post pictures of it tomorrow.

EDIT - Here is a picture of the chest as promised:

 

[CigarMan Andy]

It should be lined with Spanish Cedar. If it is not, go to your local B&M and get some Cedar separators from cigar boxes and hot glue a lining inside.

A humidor should not be air tight. The best way that I was taught, was to close the lid with a dollar bil 2/3 inside the box. Pull the dollar bill. If the humidor slides with the dollar, then it is too tight. If it slides out real easy, then it is too loose. It should be hard to pull out wiih out pulling the box. Give that a try. :thumbs:

 

[FireFighter 227]

It should be lined with Spanish Cedar. If it is not, go to your local B&M and get some Cedar separators from cigar boxes and hot glue a lining inside.

A humidor should not be air tight. The best way that I was taught, was to close the lid with a dollar bil 2/3 inside the box. Pull the dollar bill. If the humidor slides with the dollar, then it is too tight. If it slides out real easy, then it is too loose. It should be hard to pull out wiih out pulling the box. Give that a try. :thumbs:

Ultimately, that would be ideal. However, does it NEED to be? Take a coolidor for example, plastic lining and generally using cigar boxes to store the stogies. Worst case, I figured this would be the plan.

 

[CigarMan Andy]

It should be lined with Spanish Cedar. If it is not, go to your local B&M and get some Cedar separators from cigar boxes and hot glue a lining inside.

A humidor should not be air tight. The best way that I was taught, was to close the lid with a dollar bil 2/3 inside the box. Pull the dollar bill. If the humidor slides with the dollar, then it is too tight. If it slides out real easy, then it is too loose. It should be hard to pull out wiih out pulling the box. Give that a try. :thumbs:

Ultimately, that would be ideal. However, does it NEED to be? Take a coolador for example, plastic lining and generally using cigar boxes to store the stogies. Worst case, I figured this would be the plan.

Cigar boxes are almost always Spanish Cedar lined. A working coolerdor works on that premise and usually uses a fan to keep the humidity circulating. Anything including tupperware will work. It's up to you what you are willing to smoke.

 

[FireFighter 227]

It should be lined with Spanish Cedar. If it is not, go to your local B&M and get some Cedar separators from cigar boxes and hot glue a lining inside.

A humidor should not be air tight. The best way that I was taught, was to close the lid with a dollar bil 2/3 inside the box. Pull the dollar bill. If the humidor slides with the dollar, then it is too tight. If it slides out real easy, then it is too loose. It should be hard to pull out wiih out pulling the box. Give that a try. :thumbs:

Ultimately, that would be ideal. However, does it NEED to be? Take a coolador for example, plastic lining and generally using cigar boxes to store the stogies. Worst case, I figured this would be the plan.

Cigar boxes are almost always Spanish Cedar lined. A working coolerdor works on that premise and usually uses a fan to keep the humidity circulating. Anything including tupperware will work. It's up to you what you are willing to smoke.

Gotchya.

With that, what adhesive would be safe to affix the cedar to the inside of this chest?

 

[Not A Nice Person]

Use Elmer's.

It's plenty strong enough for the type of bond you need, and it won't have the outgassing of industrial and solvent-based adhesives like contact cement.

~Boar

 

[Dsav101]

Quite possibly a retarded question, but if a cooler is pretty airtight, why is that bad form for a humi to have such a seal? Thanks!

Don

 

[MadMonk]

If the box you're using is finished, I'd be careful about putting cigars in it. I am familiar with Hobby Lobby's offerings, and they sell unfinished
boxes, and fancy looking finished boxes. The finished offerings smell pretty potent with whatever chemicals are used in whatever country they are built in.

 

[CigarMan Andy]

Quite possibly a retarded question, but if a cooler is pretty airtight, why is that bad form for a humi to have such a seal? Thanks!

Don

A cooler is plastic inside and quite a few people have a small battery operated fan (Oust). The air of for wood. If water stays too long and too heavy in wood, you can get mold. That being said, you don't have that problem with a Tupperdor either. You know who would be a good person to speak to about this would be Humidor Minister. He would know more than I.

 

[Q_The_Cop]

It should be lined with Spanish Cedar. If it is not, go to your local B&M and get some Cedar separators from cigar boxes and hot glue a lining inside.

A humidor should not be air tight. The best way that I was taught, was to close the lid with a dollar bil 2/3 inside the box. Pull the dollar bill. If the humidor slides with the dollar, then it is too tight. If it slides out real easy, then it is too loose. It should be hard to pull out wiih out pulling the box. Give that a try. :thumbs:

Ultimately, that would be ideal. However, does it NEED to be? Take a coolador for example, plastic lining and generally using cigar boxes to store the stogies. Worst case, I figured this would be the plan.

Cigar boxes are almost always Spanish Cedar lined. A working coolerdor works on that premise and usually uses a fan to keep the humidity circulating. Anything including tupperware will work. It's up to you what you are willing to smoke.

Gotchya.

With that, what adhesive would be safe to affix the cedar to the inside of this chest?

When I first built mine I used a thin velcro strip to adhere mine to the sides, because I didn't have enough cedar boxes in it. I have since taken them out and just peeled the velcro off the cooler. No fuss, no muss.

 

[FireFighter 227]

If the box you're using is finished, I'd be careful about putting cigars in it. I am familiar with Hobby Lobby's offerings, and they sell unfinished
boxes, and fancy looking finished boxes. The finished offerings smell pretty potent with whatever chemicals are used in whatever country they are built in.

It is indeed finished and that was another concern. I don't seem to notice the presence of any odors, but its still a concern. Do you think stripping the finish would be a good idea?

 

[Guitar_Gatler]

If the box you're using is finished, I'd be careful about putting cigars in it. I am familiar with Hobby Lobby's offerings, and they sell unfinished
boxes, and fancy looking finished boxes. The finished offerings smell pretty potent with whatever chemicals are used in whatever country they are built in.

X2

Bottom line, you don't NEED spanish cedar to line your humidor. Spanish cedar is used in humidors for it's aroma and ability to hold and release moisture. It's a buffer. In a coolidor it helps to have a buffer because every time you open it up you're going to lose a lot of humidity. If you don't plan on opening your coolidor very often, or have quite a few beads, or gel, or some other humi device, you wont really have to worry so much about it. Plastic doesn't absorb moisture very well so you're looking at a very unstable environment as far as RH goes.

The only thing I would be concerned with at this point is what wood the chest IS made out of, not what it isn't made of. Not all wood likes the constant humidity of a humidor. Hard woods can warp and crack, softwoods can become too soft and pliable, particle board can become brittle and crumble. Some woods can have an unpleasant aroma not suitable for humi use, and some have little to no odor at all. Most woods, though, are going to give you better moisture absorption than plastic.

As far as the seal is concerned, you don't want to have an air tight seal because this won't allow for any air flow. No air flow can cause stagnant air, and wont allow your cigars to breathe and wont allow them to be rid of the gasses they give off in the aging process. However, if you're like me, you don't really have to worry about it because you're in the humi 2 times a week digging through everything. Depending on how big your stash is and how cramped your humi is, you still may have a little bit of an air flow problem and might consider a fan that runs part time to circulate air throughout your humi so you have a consistent humidity throughout and you have plenty of airflow.

 

[NullSmurf]

Bottom line, you don't NEED spanish cedar to line your humidor. Spanish cedar is used in humidors for it's aroma and ability to hold and release moisture. It's a buffer.

THANK YOU!

Spanish cedar is grossly obsolete in the face of humidification beads, or even silica gel. It is a popular aesthetic addition to most humidors and does contribute as a humidity buffer. It also contributes to the aroma, and can affect the taste of cigars over time. You might be surprised at how many cigar boxes do NOT contain Spanish cedar.

Let me add that the aroma of a cigar filled cabinet with cedar lining is indescribably pleasant. However, I'm talking about several board feet of cedar, not just a few strips.

 

[FireFighter 227]

I just did the 'dollar test' on it where you close the lid on a dollar. It pulled out with moderate force, which I assume means a good thing. Didn't slide out easy and definitely didnt pull the box with it.

How should I remove the stain from inside the box? Sand it or use a stripper? I would guess sanding it would be best, that way we can avoid introducing any toxic or foul smelling chemicals to the box.

Thanks