Some newbie humidor questions

[alchemize]

It is red cedar. I should have asked first - all that time I spent building a pretty box. Oh well, live and learn.

I've been opening it up every night to try and dry it out a little bit also...

Thanks!

[bigpoppapuff]

get rid of the red cedar....

[Jonsey5484]

Welcome aboard.....I agree, get rid of the wood inside. Unless it is spanish cedar, it does not belong near your cigars. I built a coolidor out of a 60qt. cooler. I don't have any wood inside of it and I have the beads and it keeps at 70% no problem. As long it has a good seal, it will hold the humidity.

[Mazeman]

Once you get rid of the cedar, you may need something to keep your cigars in within the coolidor. Most cigar stores will give (or sell you cheaply) old cigar boxes. Pick up some nice wood one and put your cigars in there, then in the collidor.

80% humidity for a week won't kill the cigars. Once you get the beads, your job will be a whole lot easier.

[TheSilentChamber]

If you urethane the shelves you made then you can still use them. It will completely block the smell.

[ggiese]

I just toddle down to my local cigar shop and pick up his left over cedar boxes. I fill them with my cigars and place them into my collidor... Works VERY well for me!!!

[MadurosRock]

Yeah, it's pretty confusing that they labeled Spanish cedar as such, somone a long time ago, jsut thouhgt that it had a cedary smell, and named it thusly. but yeah, only spanish cedar for shelves, and definatly only the kiln-dried if it's gonna touch your sticks (the non-kiln-dried [or under-kiln-dried] can sometimes "weep" sap, and get all sticky.) I'd assume that if you're putting a box or something on the shelf, then any spanish cedar'd be ok (i'd still only reccomend the kiln-dried). ggeise probably has the best idea, just waltz down to your local cigar shoppe, and ask if you can have any extra boxes, or if you can't find them, then various online shoppes usually sell empty boxes in like 10-packs for fairly cheap, and if they say "no", i think you'll see an occasional empty box on cigarbid.com (or eBay for that matter).

As for your hygro's, the chances are that they're both off in different directions, do the salt test to find out, your analog may just need adjustment.