hanging solid wood uke on wall...too risky?

weeshan

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Hi all,

Just a question about solid wood ukes and humidity. I really like hanging my ukes around my house so they are part of the decor, and all are played daily. I have my Kala walnut laminate, Maccaferri Islander, Harmony etc. all hanging. I just got an Ohana SK-35...solid mahogany. A good basic workhorse of a uke. I would love to hang this one on the wall as well but my instruments drying out and cracking really has me concerned. Is it too big of a risk? I dont own anything over $300 currently so its not like Im hanging Kamaka's and Martins all over. I live in the Pacific Northwest (Oregon) so we get a lot of rain and higher humidity but in the house during the winter it can get pretty dry. Would putting a humidifier inside the soundhole of my instruments help when they are hanging on the wall or only if they are in a sealed case? Ive also heard laminates may not crack but they can warp etc.

I really hate to put this new solid uke in a case. I love having all of mine out and easily accessible.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Shannon
 
You really won't know until you have an idea what your house humidity levels look like during dry winter heating season. I recommend the Caliber IV hygrometer which can be had around $25 on amazon, and in my experience is the most accurate of the cheaper digital hygrometers available.

You can also look at the room that its being stored - some people invest in a room humidifier, or if you have an aquarium or willing to get one, those are fantastic at keeping rooms nice and humid. Some people don't mind humidity issues and will play and enjoy even if it buzzes a little or has sharp fret ends, so you have to determine how invested you are in that particular instrument.
 
I was told by Oasis that a humidifier is only effective when the uke is in a case. I live in Socal and keep three solid wood ukes hanging. I use a whole room humidifier.
 
Humidifying your house also has side benefits, such as reduced dry skin, nose bleeds, etc., but it is a pain. We did that for a while until my wife couldn't stand the noise and both of us got tired of cleaning humidifiers. I've solved that problem by limiting myself to (mostly) humidity-hardened ukes.
 
You state it get's "quite dry" inside in the Winter. You need to determine exactly how dry before you will know whether you will "need" hydration or not. I am sure what kind of heat you have matters. I live in E. Central Florida and I have no worries.
 
I converted a shelf to a humidity controlled display case. I live in Los Angeles and shortly after I started playing uke 3 years ago, I had my solid ukes hanging in that shelf before I enclosed it and one of my ukes cracked from the bridge toward the tail when it got too dry. I lined the seams inside the shelf with foam insulating tape, had plexiglass doors made at Lowe's, got two hygrometers, a digital and an analog. I use two trays of water with covers that I slide on and off, or remove completely to control the humidity, very little work to do.

1 Shelf.jpg
 
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uc.jpg This is not a wall mounted cabinet, but the same rules apply. The glass was replaced with museum quality UV Acrylic that is made for cabinets. I keep a good hygrometer and thermometer inside. The cabinet does not receive direct sunlight. The humidity stays good in the summer, but in the winter I place small, open containers of distilled water inside the case to keep it between 45 and 50%. I have an old, gutted wall clock that I am going to modify to hold a single ukulele. The same rules will be applied. I think that the total cost of the cabinet and modifications was under $500.00
 
I live in West Virginia where in my home it is too humid in the summer and too dry in the winter. I keep everything cased and keep the cases to hand. Takes less than a 10 seconds to unzip/flip latches and pull out a ukulele. It is second nature at this point to case and uncase them them, and I play several of them every day.

Even if excess humidity and dryness was not an issue, I am apparently a terrible housekeeper as an uncased uke in my house gets mighty dusty. I even have my nearly indestructible Outdoor Ukulele in a gig bag.
 
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