Now Fall is officially here...

[Flowerpot]

Heating season is here for some of us, approaching for others (not quite yet her in AZ). Inside relative humidity will be dropping like a rock, causing problems for the unprepared. How are you all situated for keeping your instruments humidified?

[Jasper]

Good question...last year I had a brand new mandolin whose manufacturer shall go un-named. It had a non-adjustable truss rod, and during the winter the neck bowed slightly, causing a very persistent buzz, that was only curable by using a higher fixed bridge. Well this did the trick, but the action wasn't nearly as nice after the addition of the higher bridge. So what does one do to keep the humidity up on the mandolin?

Jasper

[John Flynn]

Good. I have calibrated, digital humidity gauges, one mounted in my mando case and one on the bookshelf in the room I play in. The case also has a home-made humidifier that mounts in it. It is a plastic soap case (like you might use camping) with about 20 holes drilled in the top and a sponge inside that I keep damp. The room I play in has a Hunter electric room humidifier. Still, in the very coldest months it is a stuggle to keep the mando in a 45% to 55% RH enviornment. I figure the closer I can come the better, though.

[JiminRussia]

I keep a humidifier in my case year round. For my mandos I put one of those green rubber snake like things witrh a sponge in the middle (I can't think of the name of it right now). In my guitar case I keep one of those and an old soft pastic pill bottle with four vertical slices cut into the side. I filled it with some absobant material, actualy pieces of a product that my wife uses once a month. It works real well for about a week to ten days. Yeah, yeah, I can hear you guys snikering already, so let's keep it clean, huh?

[mikeyes]

I have a small music room that has two humidifiers in it and a humidity gauge on the wall. I keep all of my instruments in this room (including the piano) and that is where most of the music is made in our house. The two humidifiers are not that expensive and they preserve my (many) instruments.

[John Craton]

For my mandos I put one of those green rubber snake like things witrh a sponge in the middle (I can't think of the name of it right now).
It's called a Dampit, and violinists use them religiously in the winter. They're cheap (around $7.95) and can end up saving you considerable repair expenses down the road. The way I use them is to soak them in a glass of water for a few minutes -- the inner sponge will soak up the water -- wipe off the excess, then insert it into the f-hole. It will dry out after a day or two, depending on your humidity, so check it regularly. Only problem is, I've not found a really good way to use it in oval-hole mandos. Just dropping it inside seems too cliche, but whatever works. Any imaginative ways to deploy the dampit sans f's? Maybe let the little round button suspend the thing between strings? (Haven't tried that, but it just came to me.)

[GVD]

I filled it with some absobant material, actualy pieces of a product that my wife uses once a month. It works real well for about a week to ten days. Yeah, yeah, I can hear you guys snikering already, so let's keep it clean, huh?

Clean? You mean like cleaning the orange juice off my monitor that just came shooting out of my nose after I read your post?

GVD

[jasona]

Maybe let the little round button suspend the thing between strings? (Haven't tried that, but it just came to me.)
That is what its for, if you are talking about the plastic thingy with the hygronomer that came with the dampit. Clip the string and lower it into the soundhole.

[mandodebbie]

In Manitoba, we have dry winters. This summer was exceptionly humid, however. My mandolin case is made one of those soft materials used for schoolbook bags and tents. So, since my mando itself is a cheapy, I don't feel it needs any special measures against humidity/dryness apart from the case. I used to wrap my old guitar in a blanket before I "put to bed " every night. (And then my Ex "loaned " it to a friend. I hope it's nice and warm up in Northern Saskatchewan.) http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif

[Steve G]

I've got a Sears room humidifier. It's about two feet high on wheels and it works great. I think I paid about $60 for it. I try to keep the room at about 30 or 40 per cent (half way on the dial). Here in north central Arizona the humidity is about 10 - 15 per cent right now. In fact it's so dry that if I pet my cat at night you can see sparks. The cat's dry too.

[jasona]

I got a room humidifier from Target last year for like $40. Its very useful in the summers here in SoCal because air conditioning (vital when living in the near desert!) dries the air just like heating. Having the humidity up in the closed bedroom (where I keep the mando) also helps my sinuses too!

[Bradley]

We just had a new furnace installed a few months back.I chose not to have the factory humidifier installed and opted to buy one at Lowes...Very easy to install with basic handyman skills and costs about $75-$100. With about 2 hours work my whole house is taken care of.

[Emmiemando]

I had no idea that I was supposed to keep my precious mando humidified (what's humidified???). Is this mandantory for the up-keep of my baby?http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif

[Bradley]

Yes especially after the first couple of years it is a good idea. It greatly reduces the risk of dryness causing visible problems to the finish and bindings as well the
structure of the mando(neck,interior bindings...etc)

[Bob DeVellis]

Here in North Carolina, this time of year is anything but dry. Cooler weather means that air conditioning isn't running and the weather patterns (especially this year) keep ambient moisture levels high. So indoor humidity can easily reach 60-65%, about as high as you'd want it to get before risking mold growth. A sudden cold, dry snap that requires cranking up the heat can pull the relative humidity down to the 35-40% range. This is too dry in its own right but is even worse if the instrument has been sitting at 60% humidity prior to the drop. Sudden drops in humidity are even worse than constant low humidity. So, now is an especially important time of year to monitor instrument humidity. Obviously, this is more an issue for older than newer instruments, but even new ones will benefit in he long run from avoiding "humidity shock."

[Bob A]

Alex Timmerman, a poster from the Netherlands, suggests wrapping mandolins in silk cloth; he says the silk will absorb excess humidity when it's high, and also release it slowly when it's dry, acting as a sort of buffer. I've never heard of this before, but Alex is quite knowledgeable and I've no reason to doubt him. Don't know if it would save you when things get down to 25% in the dead of winter.

[TommyK]

Silk the perfect humidistat? I'm skeptical. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif

[duuuude]

So, I guess just sneezing on it occasionally won't cover it? http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif

[John Flynn]

So, I guess just sneezing on it occasionally won't cover it?
No, but spilling beer in it every now and then helps. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[duuuude]

No, but spilling beer in it every now and then helps. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif
Cool, I'm covered for another year or so then. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[Flowerpot]

Just remember, the optimum is between 40% and 60% RH (Relative Humidity) and under 0.08% MAC (Mandolin Alchohol Content). http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[John Craton]

Just remember, the optimum is between 40% and 60% RH (Relative Humidity) and under 0.08% MAC (Mandolin Alchohol Content). # http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif
Tha MAC is <0.10% in Minnesota. But definitely watch the RH as it gets awfully dry up there in the winter. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif (I try to keep my studio at 55-60% RH.)

[Gotterdamerung]

When I bought my Weber, I asked the manufacturer about humidity. The answer from Weber was that far more problems are caused by over-humidifying than by drying. They said, of course, that if the mando was stored near a wood-stove or the like, then they would recommend something, but otherwise, their mandos are sufficiently constructed to withstand changes in humidity.