DIY Humidor for Your Cigars
Setting up your first DIY Humidor can be exciting but it can also be one of the most frustrating things you will ever do if you don’t take the proper precautions.
If you are looking for a way to preserve your precious cigars, then you should consider building your own humidor. By doing so, you can ensure that they remain in prime condition for years to come. I am going to give you some very important tips that will help ensure your success when building your first homemade humidor.
If you are going to build a humidor, start with the best materials available.
You need to store your best cigars in a humidor because it will help them last longer. If you are not storing your cigars in a humidor, then they will be vulnerable to many problems including drying out and cracking.
To make your humidor efficient you need the best seal around the lid which is essential for maintaining humidity within the humidor that is needed to keep your cigars fresh.
Do-it-yourself humidors can be as simple or as complex as you like. Many DIY humidors are made of wood and adobe bricks with a glass door, but there are also more elaborate designs that use acrylic sheets for the interior walls. Some people prefer to keep their humidors closed and hidden, while others prefer to display their humidor in a decorative cabinet.
Types of Homemade humidors:
- Ice chest
- Wooden boxes with foam inserts.
- Acrylic container / Tupperware
There are several ways you can build your own homemade humidor. You can make a basic wooden box with foam lining or purchase one from a hobby store. The interior of the box should be lined with cedar chips. The foam should be cut to fit the box, and then placed in it before you close the lid.
You can make a humidor out of an old cigar box or wooden crate. Use cedar shavings to line the interior of your homemade humidor; this will help to prevent mold and mildew from growing.
You can use a wood or plastic box with holes cut in the lid for air circulation. The cedar shavings should be placed on top of the lid before you close it, so that they will remain moist.
What Materials are needed to make a Humidor?
- sponge or Humidifier
- Distilled water
- Hygrometer
- Spanish cedar
You need to use the right kind of wood for your homemade humidor because it needs to have proper humidity levels so that it will be able to hold the right amount of moisture.
You need to make sure that you use a humidifier in your homemade humidor because it will help regulate the humidity levels and keep them at an optimal level.
Make sure that you don’t place your homemade humidor near any heat sources.
Building a great homemade humidor requires 3 things:
1. Wood or container: if you are going to use cedar or another “soft” wood, you should do so only if you have a source for free-floating heartwood which has been recently cut from the log. This is the most sought-after portion of the cedar tree. It is the part that gives cedar its wonderful aroma and flavor. Unfortunately, this is the portion of the tree that is least likely to be available to the home craftsman.
2. Distilled Water (moisture): water is the “magic elixir” that brings everything alive! And, time is the one “elixir” that is never to be underestimated. You see, water is needed to make the wood swell and to create an environment in which desirable fungi can grow. However, this is true only if there is sufficient water present.
3. Time: is also essential because it takes time for the water to penetrate the wood cells and for the swelling process to take place. In fact, a very rough estimate is that it takes about 2-1/2 months of daily watering for a 4-inch layer of wood to achieve maximum humidity. However, this does not mean you have to wait 2-1/2 months to start using your humidor. In fact, you should start using it as soon as your first layer of wood has achieved maximum humidity. Why?
How much water do you need for a Humidor?
How much water your humidor will need depends on the following variables:
1. The Type Of Wood You Are Using (harder woods like oak need more moisture than softwoods like cedar)
2. How Old The Wood Is (younger wood needs more moisture than older wood)
3. The Overall Humidity Of The Area In Which The Wood Will Be Stored (a drier place will need more water than a humid place)
How to add water to your humidor:
The easiest way to add water to your humidor is to buy some distilled water and put a few bottles in your humidor once the humidity level drops below 65 %. It is preferred to keep track of the humidity levels using a hydrometer. You need to maintain the internal humidity in the range of 70 to 75 percent. If you keep your humidor at a level higher than 75 you risk mold growing on your cigars. If you keep it too dry then you risk cigars drying out.
Maintaining your Humidor:
You need to clean your homemade humidor every week so that it will always be in good condition and you can store more cigars in it. Simply because the longer you wait, the more likely it is that mold or some other undesirable fungus will grow in your humidor. And, if this happens, it will be almost impossible (next to impossible) to get rid of.
What kind of wood should you use for your DIY Humidor?
Don’t use any kind of cedar for your DIY Humidor because this is not a healthy material for storing cigars. You need to use a good quality cedar because it will be able to absorb the right amount of moisture. Use cedar and, if possible, use wood that has already been used to make some other type of furniture.
Conclusion
So get started with the materials needed and let us know what type of humidor do you want to build?