Humidifiers?

PoiDog

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I realize that having a humidifier is a good idea - especially for those of us who live in the desert known as Southern California, and I am in the process of getting one.

My questions are:

1. Is it better to buy one (like Planet Waves) or to follow Aldrine's tutorial and just cobble one together out of foam and a pez dispenser?

2. If it is better to buy one, which would be one you experts would recommend?

3. Can I use the humidifier in a sturdy gig bag (the aNueNue gigbag is really well padded & strudy - 20mm padding with a sort of veleveteen inside lining), or will that result in mold and other nasty effects to the bag?

Mahalo in advance for the tips!
 
I've made a few DIY humidifiers for my ukes, with pill bottles and some moisture crystals bought at a local garden store. But in my opinion, you can't get an accurate take on when the things "need" more water: the crystals don't change color and they don't go down in size that much once you hydrate them.
I think the best device is the Oasis humidifier: you can see that moisture is being taken up in the case because the tube collapses gradually. Filling is a snap. If the crystals that come with it get spilled out or lost, they are easily replaced. Also, the device hangs within the instrument, from the strings, thus hydrating the most important part of the uke first, the body itself. I've used them in hard and soft cases, there is little possibility of mold resulting from this, I think.
It is a good idea to humidify, I had a sad experience a couple years ago with a little Pono. : (
My $.02.
 
...you can't get an accurate take on when the things "need" more water: the crystals don't change color and they don't go down in size that much once you hydrate them...
Actually, if you use clear containers, and just enough crystals, it's pretty easy to judge the amount of moisture left. When the cyrstals are fully hydrated they are almost transparent (unless you have too many - when you have too many they can't absorb their full quota so they stay milky). As they begin to dry out they turn first to kind of a crackle finish, then to milky, then begin to actually visibly shrink and become loose in the container.

It's kind of interesting making these things - they actually hold more water when they have just the right amount of crystals. When you have too many crystals and they can't fully hydrate the crystals themselves are taking up space that would otherwise be water.

Yes, I've actually weighed them on a precision reloading scale after hydrating with varying amounts of crystal - that's the curse of an being an engineer - you ain't happy without knowing the details that bore other folks to tears. LOL

John


John
 
I use a Dampit that I put in the case with my tenor. Some folks here said in a thread recently that they push these things all the way into the soundhole and leave them in while they're playing. I don't do that.
 
+ 1 on crystals in a pill bottle w/ holes. Cheap & works great. You can see when the crystals shrink a lot, then soak in more distilled water. Buy higher quality crystals that change size by about 50x.

Lot's of good threads on UU for humidifiers.
 
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