Humi project gone wrong ???

D

Dinosaur Jr

ChestBeater
ok, i need some help from some of you who've built humi's before.

I've finished building my humidrawer (http://www.clubstogie.com/vb/showthread.php?t=161313 shows some of it) and I've just started with the finishing. The drawer is made of oak and lined with cedar. The lid is a mix of oak and glass. I've stained all the oak (including the inside of the lid) and I've applied two coats of polyurethane. I'm now realizing that it probably wasn't the best idea to apply stain and poly to the inside of the lid, but it's too late now. I'm worried that the smell will bleed into the cigars.

So what do I do?

1. Do I junk the lid and rebuild? It took me a long time :(
2. Do I just wait until the poly smell goes away? How long will that be?
3. Can I sand off the inside of the lid? I think it will still have stain that's soaked into the wood.
4. Can I seal the inside with something else more natural now, and seal in the poly smell?

Any ideas would be appreciated!!!
 
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My rule in humi construction is to use no finishing products on the inside....if this cannot be avoided use something natural...

with that said you will most likely get some poly flavored smokes...you can try sanding...but in the end you may end up re making the lid since you will have to sand into the wood quite a bit to get all the poly....try it out and see...

hope that helps..
 
First, I'm not pro, and second I have never built a humi. But I do know my way around woodworking.

If you asked a painting pro they might be able to give you an idea as to something you could put ON TOP of the last layer of poly. Something like a clearcote. Maybe there is some kind of coating you can apply that would lock in that scent. Trouble is the humi might not "hold" your humidity, though I'm not sure if that matters if its just the lid.

If you had done the ENTIRE inside (which you didn't) then the humidity would essentially be lost every time you opened the lid. I might be wrong but I think you want some of the wood to hold the moisture so there isn't any huge fluctuations with humidity. (I could be wrong though)

Let us know what you did.
good luck, it looks great
 
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screwbag said:
you can try sanding...but in the end you may end up re making the lid since you will have to sand into the wood quite a bit to get all the poly....try it out and see...

hope that helps..
Click to expand...

I would try sanding first as mentioned. It would be easier than a re-build and if it doesn't work your only out a little time.
 
wattsd said:
If you asked a painting pro they might be able to give you and idea as to something you could put ON TOP of the last layer of poly. Something like a clearcote. Maybe there is some kind of coating you can apply that would lock in that scent. Trouble is the humi might not "hold" your humidity, though I'm not sure if that matters if its just the lid.

If you had done the ENTIRE inside (which you didn't) then the humidity would essentially be lost every time you opened the lid. I might be wrong but I think you want some of the wood to hold the moisture so there isn't any huge fluctuations with humidity. (I could be wrong though)

Let us know what you did.
good luck, it looks great
Click to expand...

No there is nothing like that. It needs to de-gas. It takes a long time for this to happen, weeks. It should be dry enough so sand it to raw wood and leave it raw. Any oil or clear coat will impart it's special what ever to your cigars so leave it raw and with time it will darken and take on cigar smells:D.
 
I could sand it and leave it raw, but there would likely be some stain that has soaked deep into the wood no? Wouldn't this cause issues with smell?

thanks all for your thoughts.

germantown rob said:
No there is nothing like that. It needs to de-gas. It takes a long time for this to happen, weeks. It should be dry enough so sand it to raw wood and leave it raw. Any oil or clear coat will impart it's special what ever to your cigars so leave it raw and with time it will darken and take on cigar smells:D.
Click to expand...
 
I'm no expert but I did stay at a holiday inn express once :D

I believe it will be fine given enough time to de-gas. Let it sit in a hot garage or somewhere out of direct sunlight but somewhere it gets warm. That should help dry it out. As for the people who think it’s a bad idea, go take a look at all the picks in the show us your humi thread. See all those really nice looking shiny boxes sitting in cabinets and vinos right next to lose cigars, how’s that any different? A lot of boxes are varnished on the outside and people have them tucked in cabinets, coolers and vinos with no problem.

Chas
 
Good point. You win the award for making me feel like there's hope. thanks. :)

ChasDen said:
I'm no expert but I did stay at a holiday inn express once :D

I believe it will be fine given enough time to de-gas. Let it sit in a hot garage or somewhere out of direct sunlight but somewhere it gets warm. That should help dry it out. As for the people who think it’s a bad idea, go take a look at all the picks in the show us your humi thread. See all those really nice looking shiny boxes sitting in cabinets and vinos right next to lose cigars, how’s that any different? A lot of boxes are varnished on the outside and people have them tucked in cabinets, coolers and vinos with no problem.

Chas
Click to expand...
 
a good sanding might do the job....even if some is soaked deep in the grain it shouldn't be too bad...just let it air for quite a while....then season the drawer and see it it smells funny once humidified...that's the only way to tell maybe?
 
Dinosaur Jr said:
Good point. You win the award for making me feel like there's hope. thanks. :)
Click to expand...

:tu

Heres an example that only took me 3 or 4 deep to find:

CIMG1808.jpg


Theres a few highly lacquered opus coffins and a few boxes on the bottom with loose cigars in the same cabinet and Im sure they are all fine :cool:

Chas

Btw nice cabinet too :)
but the white owls :confused::confused::confused:
 
Thanks for all the great feedback. It's sounding like a good sanding might be the way to go and then line with cedar if possible.

if anyone is looking for reasons NOT to build a humi, PM me.

screwbag said:
a good sanding might do the job....even if some is soaked deep in the grain it shouldn't be too bad...just let it air for quite a while....then season the drawer and see it it smells funny once humidified...that's the only way to tell maybe?
Click to expand...
 
ChasDen said:
:tu

Heres an example that only took me 3 or 4 deep to find:

CIMG1808.jpg


Theres a few highly lacquered opus coffins and a few boxes on the bottom with loose cigars in the same cabinet and Im sure they are all fine :cool:

Chas

Btw nice cabinet too :)
but the white owls :confused::confused::confused:
Click to expand...

Good point:tu They are dry and when you smell those boxes :)r) they won't have any smell. Lacquer is a natural product (bug juice) with drying agents
and would still need to de-gas and would have done so before cigars are put in them.
 
Guys, I've sanded the inside of the lid with 80 grit and it took the poly and stain off. Orbital sander, belt sander and a lot of elbow grease did the job. So I'm back in business. Thanks for your guidance.
 
Wish I would have seen this before now :(


Polyurethane has no ill effects towards taste, and after 4-5 coats with sanding in between, it hides everything.


I used a poly clear-coat in a few spots inside of my homebuilt tower simply to waterproof it to prevent mold growth if I spill water around the humidifier.
 
Thank again everyone for your input on this. I'm finished the humi project (finally) and it's being seasoned as we speak. I'll post some pics once the seasoning is done.

Chris, herf anytime with you bro. Come on down to the big smoke and let's get at it.
 
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