That time of year - mando humidifiers?

[mcgroup53]

Been using the Oasis humidifier in my guitars and like it well. No drips, easy to tell when it needs replenishing. Wondered what people prefer to impart humidity in an F5? I would use an Oasis case humidifier but I don't tend to keep the mando in the case all the time, and it's a StreamLine Price case that doesn't have a lot of extra room.

there's an Oasis uke humidifier that might work, and a Planet Waves Small Instrument system that would fit my case. I hated the Dampit system, too much leakage.

What's your experience?

[Mike Bunting]

I have a small room that is easy to humidify with a room humidifier. An Oasis fits in my Pegasus case when I travel. I have had no problems in having my instrument out of its room/case for several hours at a time and we have a very dry climate here.

[Phil Goodson]

I like the Oasis, but I also use the Planet Wave humidi-paks.

[Markelberry]

I just recently turned the furnace on here in South Indiana and I live in a small cabin and most of the heat run up the stairs,so the days of leavin em out of the case are about done. I have no humidifier in the upstairs and don't have them currently for my instrument cases and was wondering if the redneck method would work?meaning I was thinking if I dampened a cloth and put inside the case inside something that kept it from getting anything damp that would work for now? thoughts? It is not sopping wet , wrung it out until just damp and I thought I would check it every so often. I usually play every day.

[rastamypasta]

I use the oasis case humidifier on both of my mandolins. It is great. I just attach the metal strip with the double sided tape right under headstock area. Seems to do its job... actually probably time for a refill.

[Bertram Henze]

Yes, the time is coming again. So I'll cut off a slice off one of these little sponges you get for doing the dishes, water it, put it into that small plastic box with holes in it and put the box in the case. Re-watering once a week, approx.

Spring will be welcome, because the sponge will be smelling a bit musty by then.

[Steve Ostrander]

I use the Kodak humidifier. Put a small piece of sponge into a film container and punch a few holes in it. Works great and it's cheap.

[loess]

Yes, the time is coming again. So I'll cut off a slice off one of these little sponges you get for doing the dishes, water it, put it into that small plastic box with holes in it and put the box in the case. Re-watering once a week, approx..

Here's a pictorial step-by-step of Betram's method (using a ziploc bag instead of a plastic box) that Bryan Kimsey wrote up. I also posted this a month ago in a similar discussion about humidification (http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?99328-Mandolin-humidifier&p=1208641#post1208641):

http://www.bryankimsey.com/humdifier/

[marcodamusician]

omg nooo. Do you all know how easy it is to make a humidifier for the case? Let me show you what kind of humidifier goes into all of my stringed instrument cases.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRAy-a-2bps

[marcodamusician]

oh and fyi, i put two sponges in a travel soap box. in my guitar cases i have two of these and the guitars can sit for three to four weeks without me needing to re-moisten the sponges. The two sponges in one box seem to hold moisture for longer and feed off of each other. That was my idea and it worked. I get my soap boxes from the container store for around a buck and they are recycled plastic. Sponges come from a dollar store.

[Bertram Henze]

...travel soap box. in my guitar cases i have two of these and the guitars can sit for three to four weeks without me needing to re-moisten the sponges.

Assuming that the sponge completely fills the container, it is clear that the time between reloading is directly proportional with linear container size - volume increases with the 3rd power of size, transpiring surface only with the 2nd; therefore, a container of double the size holds 8 times more water but gives off that water only 4 times as fast => it takes twice as long to dry up.

The two questions to answer are
- how much transpiration flow does the instrument need / can the instrument take? Equilibrium is reached only when your instrument is as damp as the sponge, so watching/experimenting is essential.
- how big a container does fit in the case?

[eastman_315]

I use the Kodak humidifier. Put a small piece of sponge into a film container and punch a few holes in it. Works great and it's cheap.Me too, except I cut up a small piece of that thick, absorbent cloth you buy at rv/boat shows & the like, roll it up, dampen it, then put it in to the holey film can. I drilled 1/4" (I think) holes all around the can. I even have a few with largish buttons sewn on to the film can caps to slip between the strings (like a button-hole) of my guitars, allowing them to hang into the sound-hole. I put them wherever there's space in the case & they seem to work fine. I use those brass cigar humidor hydrometers velcro'd into each case. I know they're not the best but I reset them in the shower occasionally & they've worked well enough for me.

Frank

[JeffD]

I don't make stuff if I can buy it. I just don't. I am not a maker, I am a player.

I have a room humidifier in the room I keep my instruments in, and that seems to work well.

[JeffD]

I don't make stuff if I can buy it. I just don't. I am not a maker, I am a player.

I have a room humidifier in the room I keep my instruments in, and that seems to work well.

[eastman_315]

I have a room humidifier in the room I keep my instruments in, and that seems to work well.I just moved into a smallish "music room" in my house & am thinking about a small humidifier. Probably the best way to go.

Frank

[Leon Peoples]

I am going to try a Room Humidifier this year, too many instruments to be putting in cases and checking for problems, but have used the sponge in a box trick, no problems so far.
Just thought I would leave everything out on stands/racks and try something different.
best/joe

[Mike Bunting]

I don't make stuff if I can buy it. I just don't. I am not a maker, I am a player.

I have a room humidifier in the room I keep my instruments in, and that seems to work well.
That's what I've done forever.

[marcodamusician]

Room humidifier is next on my list when I define a room for all of my instruments. :)

[JeffD]

I have been toying with the idea of sealing and humidifying a closet I have that would fit all my instruments. Easier than humidifying the whole room. I know I saw a thread or something about this (or was it on a cigar forum??) but there is a special paint you can get that will seal up the closet and it then holds the humidity better.

I have a friend who has a walk in humidified instrument display room, like they have at a guitar store, and he keeps all his guitars, mandolin and a banjo on the walls in that room. Nice, but tell the truth I am just not a display on the wall type guy. I like knowing they are all snug in their individual cases.

[mcgroup53]

Any recommendations on a room humidifier?


That's what I've done forever.

[Mike Bunting]

Any recommendations on a room humidifier?

I'm afraid I won't be very helpful. The Honeywell model that I've used for the last 6 or 7 years is not in production anymore. It has worked well in my small instrument room.
This one looks like it might be ok.
http://www.humidifiers.com/essick-air-ep9-500-multi-single-roomevaporative-pedestal-humidifier-nutmeg

[PJ Doland]

I use the Kodak humidifier. Put a small piece of sponge into a film container and punch a few holes in it. Works great and it's cheap.

What is a "film container?"

(I'm old enough to know. I'm just messing with you.)

[Folkmusician.com]

We use a standard home humidifier in the shop. I would recommend one that is rated for roughly double the sq footage you will be humidifying. Otherwise it will be on all of the time and you will be refilling mid day.

At the shop there is a large Essick ($150). This holds around 5 gallons. And there are times it will use it up over night. Usually, we refill once per day.


At home we use a Honeywell QuietCare 9 ($100). The one at the shop works best, it is on a lot less and is not as loud. The quite care rattles on low fan settings and is really annoying. :)

The shop is 1500sq ft, our house is 1400sq ft.
Both humidifiers are rated for right around 3000sq ft, but seem perfect for half that.

You will need to swap filters semi regularly and clean the humidifier every now and then. Some things will start to smell musty once the humidity levels come up. Our house isn't so bad, but at the shop with cardboard and hundreds of instruments, it can get a slight musty smell. We have a dedicated dust filter with a charcoal filter installed. It gets windy here, so we occasional open the doors and the place will clear out in a minute or two. We do this off and on when sanding things, or especially doing finish work. The charcoal filter takes care of the rest. Anyway, don't let this scare you off. The humidity is healthy for humans too. The house does not get the musty smell (no stacks of boxes and such). :)

[Steve Greer]

After many years of trying many different ways to humidify I finally found what works best for me. I installed a Honeywell True Steam humidifier on my furnace. It has a hum stat that I set at 46 percent humidity and it does not need the furnace to run to work. If there is a call for heat my furnace burner comes on. If there is a call for humidity the true steam starts boiling water for steam and the furnace fan kicks on to blow the steam around to the ducts. It keeps my house at 46 percent all winter. It has an outside thermometer to lower the amount of steam so you don’t get condensation on the windows when it drops to real cold outside but I do not notice my hydrometer in my music room dropping below 46 percent109042