Humidor / humidiy quetstion

[hikari]

Hello evey one

i am new here and new to humidors i have purchesed
a vector hm -404

http://www.vectorkgm.com/catalog/tem...ors/hm-404.cfm

ok first off i tryed to calibrate the hygrometer but could not figure out how to take it out of the case to do it and didnt want to brake it so i have left it in the case and did the testing in the case.

what i did was used a snapple bottle cap filled it up with salt and added a little pater to it intill it looked a bit pasty. i then put it in the top shelf and left it for 6hrs
i then went back and set the hygometer to 75 and closed the case again looked back again and was a diffrent readying agin so set it to 75 again.

im assuming i should of done the bracking in prosidure to the case first?
my readings were not low they were high like 80

i just woundering set up the humidty block with 50/50 and put it in and getting the same reading a steady 80

i will being going out tonight after work to pick up some distilled water to brake in the box

any suggestions or comments?

[Roham]

Moisture wouldn't be steady enough if the box isn't broken in. If you can, go buy a little digital hygrometer. That is a for sure way to know. And they can be had for under $20 (us) I have two of the little habana cigar shaped hygrometers. They are awsome and well worth the money. I actually used it to set up the analog hygrometers in one of my humidors, hehe. Very nice humidor by the way. I love the different trays.

[hikari]

Ok picked up some distiled water and i have lightly wet down the indside of the himidor with a new sponge and placed a wet sponge on a peace of plastic and have let the box sit

I have also taken a digital therm/hygrometer from radioshak ( not able to calerbrat this )
and placed it in a zip lock bag with some salt and water in a small cup. to see how much the digital meter is off.

once both of these tasks are done i will put the digital meater in the box for 6hrs and adjust the anolog meater to match...


thanks for your comments there always welcome

ill post how it turns out at the next stange

[hikari]

OK

i have finished the bracking in of the humidor

I have also finished the salt test on my digital hygrometer
http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...t%5Fid=63-1032 this is what i had laying around the house

its way 8degres low so i think

anyway i have put it in the box and have left it for 6hrs and reset the anolog hygrometer

well i got up today and it seems they are not in sinc anymore the anolog seems 5degres higher then the digital

I dont know what i am doing wronge. or if the anolog or digital is messed up

also is there anywhere i can buy a new anolog that will fit this case are they all the same size? also how do these come apart i asume the back screws off ( was to tight didnt want to mess with it )

[Kenyth]

You shouldn't wet down the inside of a humidor like that. You can damage the liner. At any rate, do the salt test in a plastic freezer bag. Calibrate the hygrometer while it's still in the bag right through the plastic.

[hikari]

Ken


Eveything i have read told me the you have to cure a humidor which said to lightly wet a sponge with distiled water and wipe down the inside of the box then put the wet sponge on a peace of plastic inside the box for a few days


also yes i have done the salt test in the past but my prob is that my analog hygo does not come out or at lest i dont wanto brake it by forcing it

I have salt tested my digital hygo determined it is for by 8 degrees and now i am trying to sync the anolog with the digital

[MMAB]

Ken makes a good point.

Many dealers and manufacturers suggest "wetting down" the interior of a new humidor. It does afford a quick break-in period for the humidor....BUT.....

Wetting any unfinished wood surface causes the grain of the wood to become raised. It makes the cell structure expand rapidly causing a rougher surface. While this in itself doesn't really damage the humidor, it may take away the smooth finish of the cedar. But it is also possible that warpage may occur since you are rapidly changing the humidity of the surface of the wood whereas the lower portions remain drier. The wet surface expands while the deeper area remains dry and unchanged. This can cause warpage of the cedar liner.

Again, this one time probably won't hurt anything, but in general it's a good practice to allow a new or dry humidor to humidify slowly. This is best done by simply placing a wet sponge in a dish or on plastic in the humidor and letting the humidor absorb the moisture naturally over the course of about five to seven days.