Two humidifiers are better than one (?)

[jaybp30]

I asked this in another thread I started about cracks in my Stradolin but I figure it would be better asked in its own thread. Would using two case humidifiers be any better than filling one more often? Doesn't seem like it would but maybe those oasis crystals only allow so much moisture to be pulled out at a time. I am having trouble maintaining the correct humidity.

[pops1]

Too much moisture can do more harm than too dry. Too dry is bad, but......

[slimt]

Where I live Its not a bad idea. But if my instruments are not being played they stay in there cases.

[jaybp30]

I do keep them in a case when not being played but it's still too dry. I do know too much moisture can be problem as well but right now it is definitely the opposite.

[Gary Leonard]

Do you have a good hydrometer to measure? Can you humidify your abode, or the room they are kept in? Second, what two humidifiers are you talking about? Third, where do you live? Fourth, how good is your case, does it seal pretty tight, or leak like a sieve? You really need to measure the humidity to know.

I think it is best to avoid large swings in humidity. Just one guitar humidifier (the smaller, circular plastic containers with a hard sponge) with a single small hole can raise the humidity in my cases to 56% overnight. I tested this recently when the humidity in my house dropped to 30. I use a Caliber IV which is pretty accurate.

It isn't like your mandolin is going to dry out overnight either. I remember a good thread in I think the Builders section where they were asked how long it would take for a mandolin to be affected by a change in humidity. The answers were across the board I remember, and it was a pretty entertaining thread. Remember, it takes months to dry out a piece of wood before it is used to build an instrument.

I really like this article by Bruce Weber, and it imparts a lot of wisdom regarding humidification. Don't let the title distract you, it covers humidifying a mandolin also.

https://www.montanalutherie.com/cate...midity-damage/

[DHopkins]

Y'all can get scientific if you want to but I just don't want another thing I have to check on.

[jaybp30]

Do you have a good hydrometer to measure? Can you humidify your abode, or the room they are kept in? Second, what two humidifiers are you talking about? Third, where do you live? Fourth, how good is your case, does it seal pretty tight, or leak like a sieve? You really need to measure the humidity to know.

I think it is best to avoid large swings in humidity. Just one guitar humidifier (the smaller, circular plastic containers with a hard sponge) with a single small hole can raise the humidity in my cases to 56% overnight. I tested this recently when the humidity in my house dropped to 30. I use a Caliber IV which is pretty accurate.

It isn't like your mandolin is going to dry out overnight either. I remember a good thread in I think the Builders section where they were asked how long it would take for a mandolin to be affected by a change in humidity. The answers were across the board I remember, and it was a pretty entertaining thread. Remember, it takes months to dry out a piece of wood before it is used to build an instrument.

I really like this article by Bruce Weber, and it imparts a lot of wisdom regarding humidification. Don't let the title distract you, it covers humidifying a mandolin also.

https://www.montanalutherie.com/cate...midity-damage/

I have a hygrometer, seems to work but below 20% it stops registering and that's where I'm at now. Live in CT and it is very dry in winter. Case seems to seal ok, not sure how to tell exactly how much it leaks. I am going to try humidifying the room.

[slimt]

I do keep them in a case when not being played but it's still too dry. I do know too much moisture can be problem as well but right now it is definitely the opposite.

My rooms are at 40 percent all the time all guitars away from outside walls and concrete floors those two will suck the life out of these. The Room temps at 60f

[MikeZito]

I am also in CT and am usually very particular about keeping an eye on my hygrometer. Long story short - keep your instruments in a case when not in use, and get a good size room humidifier that you will probably only need to fill about once a day, and you should do fine.

[CES]

If whole house humidity is an option, go for it. Makes a world of difference, and much less of a headache to check on it a couple times a day than to have to check individual case humidifiers if you have multiple instruments. Realizing this is not financially an option for everyone (the decent ones run 800-2000 dollars depending on what you want), a room humidifier is your next best bet.

[Bob A]

Before I started humidifying the whole house, I used Dampits in my instruments.

The possibility of over-humidifying is real. I have a Gibson Hummingbird in a hermetically-sealed Mark Leaf case. I discovered that the excess humidity had caused the neck block to swell, to the extent that you could see some distortion of the top in the area over the block.

That was the straw that pushed me into addressing the humidity issue in a more efficient way. Messing around with a dozen Dampits regularly was a pain, especially after they changed the internals of the Dampit making them more of a pain to use. (The change from latex to green plastic that deteriorated in a few years also helped).

It's not just musical instruments that benefit from proper humidification, by the way. I end up running about 3-4 gallons a day thru my 3 humidifiers in winter, more when it gets really cold.

[jaybp30]

I think the case is the issue. One case I have I checked last night and the humidity was 50%, the other was 39%. The 39% is the instrument I'm having issues with.

[MikeZito]

Actually, 39% is not too terrible. (I have seen significant problems at levels in the 20's or under, but not at 39.) If I am not mistaken, the factory humidity settings at both Gibson and Taylor are 45%, so at 39 and 50 both of your instruments are pretty comfortably within only 5-6% of 'ideal humidity'. With this in mind, is it possible that the issues are not humidity related? Just a thought.

[ABrown]

I put 2 humidipaks in every guitar and mandolin case. They self regulate so there’s nothing to worry about monitoring. We’re in a bit of a cold spell here in Iowa and I think the RH in our living room was down to %14 yesterday

[jaybp30]

Actually, 39% is not too terrible. (I have seen significant problems at levels in the 20's or under, but not at 39.) If I am not mistaken, the factory humidity settings at both Gibson and Taylor are 45%, so at 39 and 50 both of your instruments are pretty comfortably within only 5-6% of 'ideal humidity'. With this in mind, is it possible that the issues are not humidity related? Just a thought.

I'm not sure it's keeping at a constant 39%. Sometimes it drops to around 30%. It is probably also the 2 foot bridge. I am going to buy a new bridge from Stewmac and try and fit it. The mandolin had the cracks when I got it and I think It's going to be hard to keep them solid no matter what I do short of going back to the luthier (which I'd like to avoid).

[Folkmusician.com]

Agree that 39% isn't bad... not ideal, but not so far off that you should see significant issues.

Did you use the same hygrometer to check both cases? The case itself will act as a humidifier once it has absorbed moisture. This could be a factor. There will always be some fluctuation within a case. More so if your home is not stable. Humidity transfers through the air very effienctly.

[peterleyenaar]

Temperature and humidity also affect the tone of a mandolin, probably best is the temperature and humidity where the mandolin was built, I keep mine at 30% and in a cool room.

[jaybp30]

The where it's made idea seems like a smart idea but This 1949s stradolin was probably made in ???? So probably not doable.