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Thread: In a Dry Climate

  1. #1
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    Default In a Dry Climate

    My new baby is on the way! Like any other new parent to-be, I'm worrying. Today, I am worrying that since she is coming from a humid place to this very dry climate, is there anything I should do to keep my baby from being damaged? Rub her with lemon oil weekly? Get some moisture in her hard shell case somehow? She will have to live in this land of natural mummification for 3 months, then she will go with me to the Smokey's. I just don't want anything bad to happen to her in the meantime. Thanks in advance for any suggestions anyone can give me.

  2. #2
    Registered User Mike Arakelian's Avatar
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    Default Re: In a Dry Climate

    Get yourself an in-case humidifier. Musician's Friend sells several, but I would recommend the Oasis. Keep the humidifier filled with water (distiller water is best), and keep it in your case. It's best to leave the mandolin in the case when you're not playing it. Knowing how dry it gets in Colorado (we used to live in Littleton), you might also think about getting a portable room humidifier if you don't already have one. Good luck and have fun with your new Mando.
    Last edited by Mike Arakelian; Jan-22-2014 at 7:31pm.

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    Middle-Aged Old-Timer Tobin's Avatar
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    Default Re: In a Dry Climate

    +1 for the Oasis case humidifier. That, with a reasonable amount of common sense, will prevent problems. Get the package that includes a hygrometer so you can monitor humidity levels.

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    Default Re: In a Dry Climate

    Since you'll be moving in 3 months to a place where no humidity modification should be necessary, save your money and use a ziplock bag with holes cut in one side with a damp sponge inside (or even a washcloth or folded up paper towels). Put it in your case in the space under the headstock. There should be enough room there for it to not be in contact with the mandolin. Just be sure that the wet whatever is not so wet that water will get out of the bag. If the plastic bag seems just too casual for you, a plastic soap dish (like for travel) can be bought for a dollar, if you have a drill to make some holes in the top.

    If I'm wrong about not needing to humidify in the Smokeys, someone will correct me, and you can spend the $20 bucks for a better solution. I'd recommend spending it on a selection of picks to get you started on finding the right one for your tastes. I'm sure you've noticed there are more than a few threads about that!

    PS If you're in the Denver area the Denver Folklore Center sells the Oasis, as well as being a great place for all sort of Mandocentric stuff.
    Last edited by rfloyd; Jan-22-2014 at 7:47pm. Reason: Typos!
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    Registered User John Flynn's Avatar
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    Default Re: In a Dry Climate

    Humidity is tough. Everyone has their own solution and I think I have tried most of them.

    One thing is a basic: You can't solve the problem if you don't have any information about it. A basic is having a calibrated hygrometer in the space that you are thinking of humidifying so you know how much of a problem you've got and more importantly, when you got it solved so you don't go too far. There are ones on the market now that are inexpensive and accurate enough, if you calibrate them.

    In my humidification journey, I've have had a hard time getting a case humid enough when it is really dry and cold out, whether using commercial humidifiers or sponges in containers, even in multiples. It is equally hard to get a whole room humidified enough, much less a house. It has taken a lot of water and sometimes two humidifiers just to keep a room up to 50% RH. BTW, ambient humidity is only one of your humidifying problems indoors: Forced air heat is an equal contributor.

    Shown below is my new solution and it seems to be working. I've taken half a closet to humidify four (with room for more) instruments. I have used simple leather hangars that attach to the tuning pegs to hang them. Behind the headstock of the guitar, on the wall, is an inexpensive, but calibrated, hygrometer. On the lower right is my ultrasonic humidifier, which also has a hygrometer built in with an auto-shutoff for the humidity I set. The one on the wall is just a double-check. I got the closet up to 50% RH very quickly and it is automatically staying there with not a lot of distilled water usage. I think it might go a week without refilling, but I'll have to see about that.

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    Default Re: In a Dry Climate

    John,
    Will the humidifier make your golf balls fly farther?

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    Registered User John Flynn's Avatar
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    Default Re: In a Dry Climate

    Quote Originally Posted by George R. Lane View Post
    John,
    Will the humidifier make your golf balls fly farther?
    LOL. Not sure why you ask. I don't play golf. I guess I'm missing the joke, but it wouldn't be the first time!

    When I used to play golf, they often landed in the water, so humidity was not a problem!

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    Default Re: In a Dry Climate

    An old plastic film container with holes and sponge is what I use when I need one. A cheap soap dish or plastic bag works as well. It all depends on the room in your case. Putting it in the closed / box area is not what you want. It has to be open to the instrument to do any good. When I need one is in the winter when I have the gas heat on. In Kentucky the rest of the year I don't need one. The thing to remember about a cellulose sponge is when they dry out they pull moisture rather than dispensing it . So check it often. 40 to 60 percent humidity is the target range. Don't depend on the gauge built into your case . They are wonky / undependable. R/
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    Registered User Toni Schula's Avatar
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    Default Re: In a Dry Climate

    My luthier recommends to put a medium sized raw potato into the case. This should be sufficient as an interim solution. I use it during winter, when humidity is low due to heating.

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    Default Re: In a Dry Climate

    Bauzl , good point, It is said the "old timers" used half a potato or apple in their cases. An apple would smell nice as it dried. Many kept rattle snake rattles to discourage mouse habitation also. I believe Bill Monroe is said to have kept one in his mandolin. I bout a fiddle many years ago that came rattle equipped. R/
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    Registered User Miked's Avatar
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    Default Re: In a Dry Climate

    Quote Originally Posted by Tobin View Post
    +1 for the Oasis case humidifier. That, with a reasonable amount of common sense, will prevent problems. Get the package that includes a hygrometer so you can monitor humidity levels.
    The Oasis case humidifier works well for me. During these winter months with the furnace running all the time, I'm pretty focused on my instruments not drying out. I've also got a humidifier for the house which is keeping it near 40%. Without that it gets so low that the hygrometer stops registering.
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    but that's just me Bertram Henze's Avatar
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    Default Re: In a Dry Climate

    I have the sponge thingie, too. The downside is that the sponge tends to smell a bit musty after a few weeks. Tonight I will try to kill those fungi by using Tennessee whiskey instead of water.
    the world is better off without bad ideas, good ideas are better off without the world

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    Registered User Jesse Harmon's Avatar
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    Default Re: In a Dry Climate

    Drinking whiskey won't kill the fungi but at least you probably won't mind the musty smell.

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    but that's just me Bertram Henze's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jesse Harmon View Post
    Drinking whiskey won't kill the fungi but at least you probably won't mind the musty smell.
    Nah - for external use only. I was presented with the bottle by people who didn't know I drink Scotch. But it's great for disinfection.
    the world is better off without bad ideas, good ideas are better off without the world

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    Middle-Aged Old-Timer Tobin's Avatar
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    Default Re: In a Dry Climate

    Quote Originally Posted by Bertram Henze View Post
    I have the sponge thingie, too. The downside is that the sponge tends to smell a bit musty after a few weeks. Tonight I will try to kill those fungi by using Tennessee whiskey instead of water.
    This may be a dumb question, but if you put whiskey in the sponge and put it in your case, won't that fill your case with alcohol vapor as it evaporates? Is that harmful to the finish of your mandolin?

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    Registered User Jesse Harmon's Avatar
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    Post Re: In a Dry Climate

    Nah - for external use only. I was presented with the bottle by people who didn't know I drink Scotch. But it's great for disinfection.

    So, Scotch for you, whiskey for the mandolin. I see how it's going to go if I get invited to your place for a drink.

  18. #17
    but that's just me Bertram Henze's Avatar
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    Default Re: In a Dry Climate

    Quote Originally Posted by Tobin View Post
    This may be a dumb question, but if you put whiskey in the sponge and put it in your case, won't that fill your case with alcohol vapor as it evaporates? Is that harmful to the finish of your mandolin?
    I have thought about that, too. I guess it would have to condense on surfaces to do any harm, and even the water does not do that (and shouldn't).

    BUT, maybe I should refrain from inhaling when opening the case?
    the world is better off without bad ideas, good ideas are better off without the world

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    but that's just me Bertram Henze's Avatar
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    Default Re: In a Dry Climate

    Quote Originally Posted by Jesse Harmon View Post
    I see how it's going to go if I get invited to your place for a drink.
    If you drop by, Jesse, you can drink anything you like - and you'll need it after that long stroll across the Atlantic
    the world is better off without bad ideas, good ideas are better off without the world

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    Default Re: In a Dry Climate

    I have a whole room humidifier. I strive for 50% it is unbelievable how much water you can pump into the air in a day. The air feels warmer and you can breathe better when you are not breathing dry air. I keep all valuable instruments in cases during the cold season. I don't like case humidifiers, I wonder if they contribute to musty, stinky cases.

  21. #20
    Registered User Toni Schula's Avatar
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    Default Re: In a Dry Climate

    Quote Originally Posted by Jesse Harmon View Post
    Drinking whiskey won't kill the fungi but at least you probably won't mind the musty smell.
    They make Vodka from my potatoe, not Whiskey

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    Middle-Aged Old-Timer Tobin's Avatar
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    Default Re: In a Dry Climate

    Quote Originally Posted by Bluejay View Post
    I have a whole room humidifier. I strive for 50% it is unbelievable how much water you can pump into the air in a day. The air feels warmer and you can breathe better when you are not breathing dry air. I keep all valuable instruments in cases during the cold season. I don't like case humidifiers, I wonder if they contribute to musty, stinky cases.
    I think musty, stinky cases are the result of excessive moisture being trapped in there and the case not being opened for a long time. But even with a case humidifier, if you're opening it up and playing the mandolin on a regular basis, it's not an issue. In fact, I would think that if your case is overly humid, leaving it open while you're playing the mandolin would give it a chance to air out. Whereas if the whole room is overhumidified, it never gets to dry out.

    but humidity is humidity. Whether you're keeping the entire room at 50%, or just the inside of your case at 50%, it shouldn't make any difference to your mandolin or the inside of your case.

  23. #22
    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
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    Default Re: In a Dry Climate

    I have way too many instruments to use case humidifiers. I have a whole house humidifier which I fill up constantly esp since it is really cold here in the East and we have forced-air heating which dries everything out. This also helps with respiratory problems. Much healthier to live in reasonably-humidified air. In the summer we have the opposite problem and run dehumidifiers.
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    Default Re: In a Dry Climate

    I think it's because the bag in the lower left looks like a golf bag.

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    Default Re: In a Dry Climate

    Me ... well, I'd drink the whiskey and use some white vinegar on the sponge. Whiskey fixes my nose and the vinegar kill the fungi and smell. Just sayin'.

    Quote Originally Posted by Bertram Henze View Post
    I have the sponge thingie, too. The downside is that the sponge tends to smell a bit musty after a few weeks. Tonight I will try to kill those fungi by using Tennessee whiskey instead of water.
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  27. #25
    but that's just me Bertram Henze's Avatar
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    Default Re: In a Dry Climate

    Done it, and it seems to work - the whiskey lends a mellow pleasant smell to the case interior. I have experimented with vinegar before, and I find that smell too stingy, even resembling sour sweat after a while.

    Next winter I'll try those potatoes, I guess they'll go well with Irish music, with or without phytophthora infestans...
    the world is better off without bad ideas, good ideas are better off without the world

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