Beginner Questions (Ask Them Here!)

[bobarian]

Originally Posted by NCRadioMan

Interesting. I've had manufacturers recommend it for stains and lots of mold growth.

I've done it with fantastic results numerous times but I have also worked in a wood shop with no mask too.

Although I have read different accounts, I do not think the dust is actually toxic. But it is more of an irritant than something like pine or oak.

[CigarNut]

Originally Posted by NCRadioMan

...but I have also worked in a wood shop with no mask too.

That explains SOOOO much

[pnoon]

I think it depends on what a "small humidor" is.
If it is a 75 count or less, I would just buy a new one.

Posted via Mobile Device

[T.G]

Originally Posted by pnoon

I think it depends on what a "small humidor" is.
If it is a 75 count or less, I would just buy a new one.

Posted via Mobile Device

I'm not sure you'll ever be able to get the smell of the rum out of there.

Also, the lower cost humidors are typically constructed from a almost paper thin SC veneer applied over press board, so the stain could easily have penetrated all the way through the entire veneer.

I'd go with Peter's suggestion and, if this is a nice looking humidor, just keep it and use it to store cutters, lighters, matches, punches, etc...

Thanks for all the great information. I think i will just try to clean it and use it as storage for my cutters and lighters. It is about a 50 cigar humidor so i dont think it is worth saving.

[T.G]

No problem, it's a common misunderstanding, I made it myself many years ago too.

I suppose you could knock the pin out with a roll punch but I would worry that the pin could be a press fit and if it is, once you knock it out, the hole will be left expanded, so that when you go to put the pin back in there won't be enough pressure to hold it there.

I've heard some people claim great success with deburring a blade by crumpling up some aluminum foil into a cylinder type shape and then cutting it with the cutter a bunch of times. I tired it once with a cheapie double guillotine, I can't say if it helped any or not, but it didn't hurt it.

[bobarian]

Maybe try a dedicated knife shop? They should have experience sharpening lots of different kinds of blades.

As i stated in the new user thread I've only recently gotten back into cigars after several years off. I reconditioned my old humidor and put a new battery in a digital hygrometer that I had. It was accurate a few years back and thus I did not do a salt test (doing one now). For the few months it has been set up it has been sitting nicely at 69/68RH with 1+/- from time to time.

I had my first terrible experience with tunneling, something that hasn't happened to any of my cigars in my humidor yet. This was on a fresh Oliva G that had only been in the box for about 10 days.

I have read that weather conditions can have adverse effects on the cigar as well. I was smoking on my covered porch during a thunderstorm so it was cool (relatively speaking for a southern summer evening) but humid. The first inch of the robusto smoked well but at about the 2" mark it began to tunnel terribly. So much so that even after two attempts at a relight i was only able to smoke about another inch or so to the point that it had tunneled so deeply that i could not successfully relight it and had to give up. So was it weather, a cigar that was just too moist, or even a combination of both? As I stated i'm doing a salt test on my digital hygro as we speak so in 24 hours i'll come back and state what the actual RH has been.

[T.G]

Originally Posted by Whiskeytown

So was it weather, a cigar that was just too moist, or even a combination of both?

Probably a bit of both. If you get your humidor down closer to 65RH and you'll likely have less burn problems, although when you're smoking in 90%-100% humidity air, things can easily go awry.

[longknocker]

Originally Posted by T.G

Probably a bit of both. If you get your humidor down closer to 65RH and you'll likely have less burn problems, although when you're smoking in 90%-100% humidity air, things can easily go awry.

I Have The Same Problem In Mobile. When You Store @ 65RH & Smoke In 95-100% Humidity, Cigars Absorb The Moisture, Taste Harsh & Burn Awful!

In a related question, when you guys pick a cigar to smoke how long before lighting up do you remove it from the humidor? Is it a good idea to do a "rest" stage between removal and smoking to allow any surface moisture to dissipate?

[T.G]

Opinions vary, but I've found that unless you are in an extreme climate, leaving it out of the humidor for a short period of time won't change anything, so it really doesn't mater. You can take it out and light up right away, as typically it would take a day or more to give off a significant amount of moisture.

[Cornrow_Wallis]

If your cigars are too wet for your tastes you can always dry box them for a day or two to bring the humidity down, might help with the burn problems.

thanks guys.

i know it says to wait 24+ hours before making a final reading during a salt test but how long does it truely take to equalize inside the airtight bag?

[T.G]

Originally Posted by Whiskeytown

thanks guys.

i know it says to wait 24+ hours before making a final reading during a salt test but how long does it truely take to equalize inside the airtight bag?

Depends on the volume of the bag and how dry the air was when you started, but you should be seeing something pretty close to the final reading after about 8 hours.

[Blak Smyth]

I bought a new humidor and the analog hygrometer will not read above 45 after 5 days.
I have put it in my neighbors humidor that is stable at 69.
He has an analog and a digital meter reading 69-70.
If mine still only reads at 45 after two days in his humi should I be able to recalibrate it to the 69-70 that his units read?

I will get a digital unit but can't afford it this week.

[jesseboston81]

Originally Posted by Blak Smyth

I bought a new humidor and the analog hygrometer will not read above 45 after 5 days.
I have put it in my neighbors humidor that is stable at 69.
He has an analog and a digital meter reading 69-70.
If mine still only reads at 45 after two days in his humi should I be able to recalibrate it to the 69-70 that his units read?

I will get a digital unit but can't afford it this week.

Analog hygrometers generally are not able to be recalibrated, so until you get something else you'll just have to remember the difference that yours is off by--which sounds like 24-25.

Edit: If you've salt tested your analog hygrometer and it reads 45 even in the salt test (in other words, it reads 45 no matter what the ambient RH is), then you have a more serious problem of a hygrometer that is broken and not just inaccurate. In that case, get a digital hygrometer as soon as you can.

[T.G]

Originally Posted by Blak Smyth

I bought a new humidor and the analog hygrometer will not read above 45 after 5 days.
I have put it in my neighbors humidor that is stable at 69.
He has an analog and a digital meter reading 69-70.
If mine still only reads at 45 after two days in his humi should I be able to recalibrate it to the 69-70 that his units read?

I will get a digital unit but can't afford it this week.

You can check on the back of the hygrometer for a recessed screw, usually a standard slot head, that you can turn to adjust the reading, although, in reality, a large percentage of the cheap analog hygrometers that come included with humidors are junk and not even worth worrying about. Not all are bad, there are some very accurate analog ones out there, just they seem to be far and few between - and typically confined to the more expensive humidors.

You can pick up a decent, reliable hygrometer for about $8 at wal-mart believe it or not. The AccuRite 00613.


They are a little on the large side though, so if space is at a premium, they might not work for you.

There is another hygrometer at wal-mart that is about a buck less, it's a small white one, looks like a kitchen timer - very hit and miss. They used to be decent, now, they seem to just be junk. Make sure you salt test whichever one you get.

[Blak Smyth]

Originally Posted by T.G

You can check on the back of the hygrometer for a recessed screw, usually a standard slot head, that you can turn to adjust the reading, although, in reality, a large percentage of the cheap analog hygrometers that come included with humidors are junk and not even worth worrying about. Not all are bad, there are some very accurate analog ones out there, just they seem to be far and few between - and typically confined to the more expensive humidors.

You can pick up a decent, reliable hygrometer for about $8 at wal-mart believe it or not. The AccuRite 00613.


They are a little on the large side though, so if space is at a premium, they might not work for you.

There is another hygrometer at wal-mart that is about a buck less, it's a small white one, looks like a kitchen timer - very hit and miss. They used to be decent, now, they seem to just be junk. Make sure you salt test whichever one you get.

Yes, I have an adjuster screw on the back of my analog hygrometer.
I did not know I could get a digital at Walmart. Very good info thanks.

[Blak Smyth]

can you write a date on cello with a permanent marker?