Humidifying Your Gizmo

[Nanohedron]

For in-case humidification of my cittern, I use a plastic travelling soap case with holes cut in the top and a moist sponge inside of the works, and place it in the section of the case where there's room for it: where the head rests. This was per the advice of a local and reliable luthier.

After a recent minor mishap, I thought that my baby had developed a small resulting crack in the back along the center seam. I took it to the luthier for a look-see, and he said it was just a separation in the finish, and that the sound box was completely fine. I was most relieved. He then asked if I'd been humidifying during the summer (it's generally pretty humid here at that time), and I said I had. He said that that was unnecessary overkill, and very probably the reason for the separation as the seasons changed. "You only need to start using a humidifying agent when the leaves start to fall", he said. Bear in mind that my local climate dictates this. He said that if I were for example to go in summer to Arizona with it, I would need to keep it humidified, which I understood.

Just some rambling thoughts about humidification and when. Basically, if you're at about 45% humidity or above, you shouldn't need to otherwise humidify your gizmo.

[buddhu]

Useful info. Thanks.

Humidity and temperature here are pretty moderate and stable, so I don't generally do anything to any of my stringed gizmos on that front.

Perhaps I should check to see if I should be doing something...

[Tyler]

Here in Salt Lake you have to humidify 365 days a year. Most really serious players/collectors will buy a small room humidifier to put into the room where their instruments are stored. The local upscale guitar shop here keeps all acoustic instruments in a huge walk in area that is maintained at a constant humidity level. Here in the desert, keeping your instrument at the proper humidity level can be an exacting science, especially in the winter.
The luthier that services my instruments recommends the soapcase and spunge method too.

[missy]

we have a music "room" which is really our 3 season back porch. With storm windows and an electric, oil filled radiator, it's comfortable on anything by the coldest, windiest days.

I put a 1 quart pan of water on top of the radiator, and have to fill it every day or two. There are also a bunch of plants on the porch, so they are also helping with the humdity level.

Oh - and our instruments are NOT kept in cases, but on stands or hangers on the "inside" wall. This is also where our stereo is located, so they get vibrations from that (helps to "settle in" new instruments).

[Nanohedron]

Useful info. Thanks.

Humidity and temperature here are pretty moderate and stable, so I don't generally do anything to any of my stringed gizmos on that front.

Perhaps I should check to see if I should be doing something...

My understanding is that in most of the British Isles and Ireland, insufficient climatic humidity is not much of an issue year-round. What would be worth checking is indoor conditions in winter. Here in the States, usual forms of central heating really dry out indoor spaces in the cold months, and the the percentage can drop to as low as 10%, possibly less. Your average humidity gauge doesn't register below that mark. I have an inexpensive (about $8.00 USD) but reliable temperature/humidity gauge centrally located in my apartment, and today it reads at 30% humidity.

If a humidification room is a feasible option, that's a sure way to go. Humidifying an entire apartment, depending on its size, may or may not be an inconvenience: when things are bone-dry, you need to use a humidifier and can run through a truckload of water day to day. Here in the US, if your heating system is the of the oldest steam register type, it's not unusual to have to leave windows open even in the dead of winter to mitigate the registers' heat output, which is an all-or-nothing situation, regulated only by the complex's central thermostat and a caring caretaker if there is ever such a thing. That particular technology coupled with no possibility for a humidifying room means either a) instruments at rest must be kept in their cases, and brought out daily to forestall mildew, or b) set up an autoclave for the purpose if there's enough room for it. An armoire or rifle cabinet would work if you are conscious of appearances and don't mind shelling out for more furniture.

[emmline]

I have one of those damp-it things that sticks through the f hole, but I think it might be easier to keep track of moisture with the old soapbox/sponge trick.

[greenspiderweb]

I just got my small room humidifier out again for the Winter, after getting tired of trying to keep up with all the individual humidifiers in my instrument cases. That's just too much work, doing it individually, if you have more than a few instruments around.

Buy a cheap digital hygrometer for about $20-$25 so you know what the humidity is in your room where you keep your instruments, or you can even put one in a case to check the level inside on occasion, as some cases are more airtight than others.

There's some good peace of mind between the pair-the room humidifier and the hygrometer. It makes life a little simpler for those with stringed instruments.

The ideal for stringed instruments is between 40 to 50%, and trying to maintain that when it gets real cold and dry outside, with the heat running inside, can be hard enough with a room humidifier, let alone the small Dampits and other instrument case humidifiers. Although, they can be useful to supplement when the humidity drops to the lowest range in the Winter.