A luthier recently told me he very strongly recommend I switch from an Oasis case humidifier to a Dampit hose humidifier, as the Oasis would not get adequate humidity in the body of the mandolin?
Any thoughts here?
A luthier recently told me he very strongly recommend I switch from an Oasis case humidifier to a Dampit hose humidifier, as the Oasis would not get adequate humidity in the body of the mandolin?
Any thoughts here?
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I agree that an Oasis case humidifier does not provide adequate humidity. Or at least, a single Oasis doesn't.
I installed a SensorPush hygrometer in my mandolin case before I started using an Oasis, I couldn't detect any change in the humidity with or without. I switched to using two Boveda packs, and that I could measure making a difference (although, still not nearly as much as you might expect).
I haven't tried using a Dampit hose.
If you use a Dampit be sure to wring it out, it needs to be damp, not wet. Hence the name, Dampit.
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It could be case dependent. I use them in my violin cases when things get extra cold and the house humidifiers can't keep up. They keep the cases within acceptable range, as measured with calibrated digital hygrometers in the cases. If the environment (case) is at the right level, the instruments will be fine. But not all cases are the same so it could be that. Also, if you don't use distilled water, the oasis units will lose some ability to absorb and release the water.
Both Dampits and Oasises (Oases?) work fine, in my experience.
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I've used Oasis humidifiers for guitars and mandolins without any problems. They seem to "discharge" the water in about a week in both situations. I have always wondered if there is a potential benefit to humidifying specifically in wooden cases. It stands to reason that a well humidified wooden case might be a "buffer" to ambient changes in humidity. Whereas carbon, fiberglass, leather and plastic would not provide such a potential advantage. Of course, the opposite may be true as well. A carbon, fiberglass or plastic case would be resistant to absorbing moisture, preserving more of it for the intended instrument. Anyone wanna do a study? I've often thought of pursuing it out of sheer curiosity.
Doug
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Wood definitely is different than fiberglass. A lot of work has actually been done to measure it. Wood works better for severe environments and changes, especially with an insulated cover. Most of this has been looked at with violins more than mandolins et al though. They're definitely far more sensitive to changes and extremes, with more profound reactions unfortunately. It's been the bane of my existence as a long-time fiddler. But I've done much better here in Maine with wood cases than fiberglass and CF.
I find case humidification to be very frustrating, very hit and miss. One thing to remember is that if you're going to do it, keep a watered-up humidifier in the case all the time, even when the instrument is not in there, because case linings "soak up" humidity, so you actually have to keep the case interior humid.
I keep all my instruments hanging in a humidity controlled closet. The cases are in there too. When I take them places to play out, they are only out of the closet a few hours, so I don't really worry about it.
I use the Oasis and think they are great. The humidity in my case when closed is ~47% rh when measured with an accurate Bluetooth humidity sensor. I leave my mandolins cased in winter when not played. I replace the crystals in the Oasis every year. I have excellent whole house humidification, but that is not adequate since my old house cannot tolerate mandolin appropriate winter humidity levels. My good hard case holds the humidity best. I live in WI and haven’t had any problems since I started to humidify the case.
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