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What am I doing wrong?

T

Techmaster-1

New Member
Joined
Aug 29, 2002
Messages
126
ok so I got it and also got the solution and such but I am only readying at a 60% humidity and it has been almost 24Hours. What am I doing wrong?
 
I am no expert, but I have seasoned more than one humi and they are all resting perfectly between 68 and 70% allways, so here is my method.

1. Drizzle 50/50 (PPG and Distilled Water [dh2o] in equal parts) on the Humi Sponge until it will not take more without dripping, then replace in Humidor

2. I wipe down the inside with a cloth wet with dh2o

3. I wait until the wood looks normal again (as in not wet)

4. I repeat step 2

5. I close the box and let it rest, opening every 2 or 3 hours just long enough to read the meter. After about 12 hours it should be stable at 70 to 72%.

6. Add smokes and watch it stabilize at a perfect 68-70%

Works every time I have done it, regular as clock works :D
 
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it has been almost 24Hours. What am I doing wrong?
Click to expand...

Not being patient enough. If this is a new humidor, it could take a couple of days to stabilize. Remember, that's alot of dry wood in there that's soaking up all that humidity. I've heard of people putting a small dish of distilled water in the bottom of a humidor for a few days - it allows the wood plenty of time to soak up lots of moisture. Also, an empty humidor is tough to get up to 70%. I try and keep my humi's about 75% full for optimum humidity.

Good luck! Keep us informed of your progress.

Dave ;)
 
Sorry PB, but I have to disagree with you. If this is a high-quality humidor, you specifically DON'T want to wipe down the sides with water. That will cause the wood to swell, and possibly make the fibers stand out some. It makes for a rough surface. If I had just spent a few hundred bucks on a good humidor, I'd want the sides to be smooth as a.... well - I'll let you fill in the blank on that one. You get the idea.

Dave :D
 
hmmm....I hate waiting it sucks. Well we will see what the night brings me..maybe in a little bit it'll be fine. Also I do have a shot glass filled with dis-H2O in the humidor to try and help it get there a little quicker. also I did not get the 50/50 mix I got the stright stuff and then after filling about a ounce or so up of the sponge I then filled the rest with the dH2O and that seems like about a 50/50 mix
 
I suppose you may be right, and far be it from me to argue with an expert. But then again, Spanish Cedar is afterall spanish cedar, and a small piece such as in my humi should have the same properties as a slightly larger piece in a more expensive humi. And the inside of my humi is smoothe as a .... well, you get the picture.
 
Like Dave said you just need to have a little patience. Sometimes it can take three or four days for the wood to absorb enough moisture to stabilize.

Also wiping down the wood can cause it to warp and affect the seal of the humidor.
 
Let me say this, I have only had a real humi for about 3 and a half months. Prior to that my gars hung out in a Lunch box sized coolerdor. Dave and Shadow would be authorities on the subject, quite before I could be. I know what I did, and I know that my cigars thanked me by being perfectly humidified. If I did damage to my humi, I may discover that later. I would recommend following the advice of the guys with the experience. I did not ask for that advise when got mine, I just did what I felt was right. Maybe I should have asked too, we'll see.
 
Well, I'd never wipe the inside of anything wood down with anything resembling water, a quality humi's wood would swell and crack in no time flat. I think someone said to do the cup of water in the box, and I think that's a good method.

What I did was setup my spongey humi puck thing, put it in the box, 3/4 filled a shotglass with Dh2o, and let it sit for a day (solid day). Then checked humidity. Then left it alone for another day, did the same, and then one more time. I even had a problem 3 months later, and had to transfer everything to a tupperdor to re season the humi. Now, everything is great, but the key was waiting. Mine fluctuate between 65-72 % humidity, which isn't too bad to me, because I like 'em like that. Seem silkier and sexier LOL....

I think there's a few other guys that would be able to give you even better ideas, but ya gotta be paitent, or else you'll end up with either dried out sticks or soggy, plump, bug ridden crap.
 
Hey, I wasn't meaning to say you did it wrong, PB. I was just saying that I personally would not have wiped down the sides.....
If you did it, and it works, then nothings wrong, right?

Dave ???
 
First brotha, make sure your hydrometer is calibrated to +/- %3 and on the back of it with a wax pencil, write it down. ;) So when you forget later on you'll have it right there. Place the dor on the table inside a garbage bag. Take out any dividers, and stick in the largest tupperware that will fit. You are aiming for surface area oppesed to height. Put 4 bottle caps smooth side down and rest the dish on top. Fill 1/2 way with distilled water. Close the humi, take a couple wash clothes, rinse and squeeze them until they are damp, through them in the bag too. Make sure the clothes are not touching the 'dor though. Seal up the bag for 8-10 hours. Check the RH and repeat at nessecary. Works like a charm!

If you have a big igloo, that will work well also. Biggest thing is patience. Once it hits %75 toss in your smokes and your 50/50 credos. If you live in a place where there is high humidity, aim a little lower. Lucky for me, I live on an Island, so even with the AC on in the house, the RH is always above %50. Hope this helps ya.

Emo
:thumbs:
 
well i checked it today and it is like only at 61% I checked and it did hit ahigh of 66% so it says. I have a shot glass filled with dh20 and this has not really helped. So I added a few drops of the pg solution to it and mixed it some and put it back in. Anything I can do to speed this up or should I start over?????
 
PB You probably didn't damage you humidor, but I think irrepairable damage was done to your cigars. They will never live up to their potential. The only way to save them is to send to South Florida for a vacation in the land of high humidity. Naturally ocurring high humidity. Totally different than what you have to go through to get high humidity in Texas. Hell its so damp here if you go outside tonight on my patio to have a cigar you are covered is sweat in 10 minutes.
I will take personal care of your cigars to insure that they are restored. I will test them from time to time and report back to you my test results.
Pepe
 
LMAO@Pepe :p

Good try my friend. Actually, I followed some instructions I read somewhere to do mine, and it worked great. I will likely not follow those instructions again :lookup:

But My gars are fine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the ofer though Pepe, I'll keep that in mind if I ever have dry smokes. you know, like swishers or Garcia Vegas!
 
Techmaster-1 said:
well i checked it today and it is like only at 61% I checked and it did hit ahigh of 66% so it says. I have a shot glass filled with dh20 and this has not really helped. So I added a few drops of the pg solution to it and mixed it some and put it back in. Anything I can do to speed this up or should I start over?????
Click to expand...
Tech...read my post and follow the directions...It works like a charm!

Emo
 
FYI Guys, since it was concluded to be a bad idea to wet the wood inside the HUmi, I thought I would post here why I do it, and where the information to do it came from.

I copied this from the FAQ in Cigar Aficianado web site:

SEASONING A HUMIDOR
It takes time, patience and a little know-how to get a new humidor ready to hold cigars. You're trying to recreate the tropical environments where most cigars are made, and you can't rush the process. Putting cigars into a dry humidor can ruin good smokes.

Most humidors have an interior made of untreated Spanish cedar, the preferred wood for humidifying and aging premium cigars. The wood needs to be humidified, or seasoned, before the box is ready to hold cigars. (Some humidors have varnished or finished wood interiors that don't need to be seasoned.)

Take a new sponge -- make sure it is unscented and free of soap -- and wet it with a liberal dose of distilled water. Wipe down all the exposed wood, including any trays and dividers, and the interior lid. Avoid using a paper towel or a fraying cloth; these will literally leave a paper trail on the wood. After you've wiped down the wood, squirt the sponge with more distilled water, then place it inside the humidor on a plastic bag -- to avoid direct contact with the wood -- and close the lid.

Next, prepare your humidification device according to the manufacturer's instructions. Unless the manufacturer specifically states that you can use tap water, use only distilled water. Tap water contains minerals that will destroy most humidification systems by leaving deposits that will clog the humidor element. Once the humidification element is filled, be sure to wipe it down to remove all the excess water. Rest it on a hand towel for approximately 30 minutes.

Close the humidor with its humidifying element and the damp sponge, and leave it overnight. The next day, refresh the humidification device (it may not need it) and check the sponge. If it is fairly dry, add more distilled water. If it is very damp, leave it alone.

Let the humidor sit another night, and then remove the sponge and plastic bag. The walls of the humidor have now absorbed all the water they need, and now you can safely store your cigars.
 
PB, do you ever re-wet the cedar in your humidor or do you just do it once when you get it? I do it too and have had great results.

:D
 
I actually have only one Humi and I wet it only once, the credo has kept it fine ever since. Mind you, our CP experts have noted the dangers of wetting the inside of the humi, siting that it causes the surface of the wood to become rough and can make it swell enough to cause problems with the fit of the lining. I only posted this to let them know I was not being a crackpot but had actually learned to do that from a professional publication on the internet. :lookup:
 
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