Placement of Herco

pdxuke

pdxuke

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Based on the advice of my fellow UU'rs, I have purchased a bunch of Hercos for my wood ukes. Whilst they are soaking, I need advice about placement in the cases, because I'm still confused.

All my cases are delux, form fitting style cases. Not a lot of room. Certainly no room at the body. Might be able to place the Herco under the headstock. If not, that leaves the little compartment under the neck. It has a cover, of course...

So...

Where should I place it? For those of you who use them, where do you place your Herco? Won't the lid in the compartment defeat the purpose? I imagine a pushpin in the compartment lid might prop it open a bit.

Suggestions needed!:confused:

Thanks!
 
No. The compartment won't work. I have 2 herco-types by the body and one near the headstock. I have space in my case to put them by the body. Check your case out. I find the hercos don't give me enough humidity and I recently made the humidifiers Spots gave instructions for. Try them. They're easy to make and work really well.
 
I have switched to the Oasis uke humidifiers for the same reason, although I do still keep the Hercos in the case's compartment as well. They hang inside the body of the uke from the strings. They are more expensive, but a small price to pay to insure that my ukes make it through another heating season damage free.
 
I know this post isn't going to help, but I tossed the one Herco I had. Too big for the case and I feared it would dent my uke.

I replaced it with the Grover humidifier which is a thin sponge encased in a perforated flexible plastic tube. I loop it near the headstock.

The Grover may need more frequent re-soaking than the Herco but it easily fits in any size uke case.
 
Finding a spot for the Hercos is always a problem. I also have switched to using the Oasis, the blue ones that can attach to the side of the case either with a stick on magnet, that's the method that I use, or a slip on clip. They cost a lot more but are well worth it.
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You can postion them so that they are not touching the uke.
 
I have found the Herco's are a bit big to fit well in a uke case, besides not being to effective, when I asked one of the guys in our local shop about them he said " if you spit in your case it'll work about as well as a Herco". I have a couple that I use in guitar cases up near the headstock but I also have Planet Waves in body humidifiers in them too. My favorite is the Planet Waves Small Instrument humidifier, they will hold enough water that I only have to fill them once a week, and they fit well behind the headstock in a uke case. I'm going to try and make some like Spots described too, but it may be a while until I can get around to it.
 
I usually keep mine in the compartment under the neck. IIRC, Aldrine formerly kept his under the headstock of his Kamaka with a pile of other stuff. I don't know how well it works though, since we don't really have humidity problems in Hawaii.
 
I recall (and I'm going completely off memory here) that MGM said something about a test being performed which stated that it doesn't matter where in the case the humidifier is stored. Having said that, even without any knowlege of what I just stated, I would never leave a humidifier lying out in any place where it could come in contact with the uke. That's just me, I guess. I see no problem with leaving it in an inner compartment within the case.
 
soupking said:
I recall (and I'm going completely off memory here) that MGM said something about a test being performed which stated that it doesn't matter where in the case the humidifier is stored. Having said that, even without any knowlege of what I just stated, I would never leave a humidifier lying out in any place where it could come in contact with the uke. That's just me, I guess. I see no problem with leaving it in an inner compartment within the case.
Click to expand...

Here's what I settled on:

Since Mike (MGM) is the one that sent me my first Herco, I'm going to assume that it works well enough, and considering we have reasonable humidity here in Portland, I'm giving it a try. I've discovered that by opening the flap in the compartment and placing it behind the headstock, the flap stays open and the Herco fits within the compartment without touching the uke. That's what I've done in all my cases, and I think that will be fine for now.
 
In keeping with the theme of this thread - what brand humidifier is recommended? It seems as though people are all over the board with which brand is good/bad. Right now all I've got is an old plastic pill bottle with holes in it and a damp sponge crammed inside. Is that sufficient?
 
J_Tay81 said:
In keeping with the theme of this thread - what brand humidifier is recommended? It seems as though people are all over the board with which brand is good/bad. Right now all I've got is an old plastic pill bottle with holes in it and a damp sponge crammed inside. Is that sufficient?
Click to expand...

It may be. To be sure though, you need a hygrometer. I had thought all was well until I did the hygrometer test. Let's just say I was close to getting cracks it was so horrible. My Moore Bettah deserves and needs more humidity.
 
I've been using Oasis humidifiers on all my ukes, but a recent check with a new hygrometer suggested even a bit more humidity would help. I have added one or two of the DIY humidifiers and am checking to see how they help. Both the Oasis and the DIY are so handy since they fit in such smaller places.
 
Right now humidity in my house is 33 %.I have a herco and a home made humidifier in a tenor case and a planet wave hygrometer that reads 38 %. I am keeping a close eye if it gets to low I will be putting my ukuleles in the bathroom.Apparently it is the most humid place in the house when we take showers.
 
soupking said:
I recall (and I'm going completely off memory here) that MGM said something about a test being performed which stated that it doesn't matter where in the case the humidifier is stored. Having said that, even without any knowlege of what I just stated, I would never leave a humidifier lying out in any place where it could come in contact with the uke. That's just me, I guess. I see no problem with leaving it in an inner compartment within the case.
Click to expand...

Yes, MGM did say that. I remember reading that thread and it assuring me that what I was doing was fine. As long as it isn't in the outside pocket, he said it was fine. In related advice, it is generally a good idea to keep your case closed after taking your ukulele out so you can keep the environment on the inside relatively isolated and stable. A guitar setup guy told me that, so he would probably know.
 
Well after consulting MGM, one of the humidifiers he recommends is the Herco. So I picked one up and hopefully it will do the trick. You all think I can put it in the accessory compartment of my uke case? Would the top door being closed negate the humidifying effects?
 
sukie said:
It may be. To be sure though, you need a hygrometer.
Click to expand...

More specifically, you need a good hygrometer. I was relying on a fairly inexpensive analog hygrometer until I compared it against another fairly inexpensive analog hygrometer and found them in serious disagreement. (One of them was sold to me by a clarinet accessories dealer, and clarinetists worry even more than uke players about cracks -- as they should, considering what a good wood clarinet costs. So you'd think it'd be accurate. You'd be wrong.) I ended up comparing a bunch of such hygrometers and concluded none of them could be trusted. A couple of good digital hygrometers, on the other hand, seemed to give valid and consistent results, and I rely on them now.
 
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