Fixing a seal on a humidor

[stogiecat1984]

Hey all! So, recently my brother sent me my old humidor that he was holding in storage for me for roughly 12 years or so.

I've since gotten the HUGE Boveda 80% pack and put it in the humidor for 2 weeks to season it. I had my calibrated digital hygrometer in there as well. I was diligent in NOT opening it for the two weeks, and checked it this morning after 15 days. The hygrometer reads 58% humidity and the Boveda pack is starting to feel very gritty and crystalized. I have a bad feeling that years in storage may have caused a leak around the seal.

I've been doing some research online on how to fix the seal, and I keep coming up with putting clear, odorless, food-grade silicone around where the lid meets the bottom edge, and letting it cure with the lid open for 3-4 days. This seems like it would work, but I'm unsure if I should take the chance.

Has anyone used this method before, or perhaps have some other opinions on how to fix it? I really want to be able to use this humidor since I got it as a birthday present all those years ago from my brother. It's a beautiful burlwood Thomas Christiano box, made in Italy, with very a nice Spanish cedar lining. 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Jimmie the Mum]

Can you post a pic of it? How big is it etc.
Two weeks is a long time not to look at it. I know Boveda tells you to do this but I'm not a big fan of that method.
Personally, I would start over & seasoned it with distilled water.
You could speed up the process by first wiping it down with distilled water (just wipe not soak). Use a cloth & dampen it.
Then, put a bowl of distilled water in the microwave (heat it up, don't boil it) & put that in the humidor.
Let it set & let the humidor / Spanish cedar soak up the steam. I would do this over a few days depending on how big your humidor is.
You can also do a leak test.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CZpvH9L...e=youtu.be

What humidification device will you use going forward?

[stogiecat1984]

Jimmie, it's your standard size humidor, about 25-30 cigars.



I was hoping, if it all went well, that I would continue with a big Boveda 69%.

[stogiecat1984]

I do believe I will try your tips though!

[MaytagMan]

Yeah, if it was in storage for that long and the ambient humidity was low, you could see some leaks develop, and if the humidity is super high you could see some bowing. The joints don't look like they are pulling apart or anyting, so I'd probably check for potential leaks first just to see what things look like.

Take it into a bathroom, turn on a flashlight, put it inside, close the lid, and turn off the bathroom light. If you see light, that is a point where air can escape.

[stogiecat1984]

Yeah, if it was in storage for that long and the ambient humidity was low, you could see some leaks develop, and if the humidity is super high you could see some bowing.     The joints don't look like they are pulling apart or anyting, so I'd probably check for potential leaks first just to see what things look like.

Take it into a bathroom, turn on a flashlight, put it inside, close the lid, and turn off the bathroom light.   If you see light, that is a point where air can escape.

I've heard of the flashlight tip, but never knew how to actually do it. Thanks for the tip! I did exactly that, and found light coming from the back where the hinges are, and from the right side.

[Jimmie the Mum]

It is pretty. Hopefully, you can get it to the point of using it. 
Maytag knows best, that's why he's a repairman.
I would season it and ck on the temps to see if they stay steady.

[Tonto]

How is the humidor doing now, any better?

[stogiecat1984]

So I tried fashioning a seal around the entire edge of the box where the lid meets the box, using clear packing tape, cut to fit, and it seems to have made quite a difference. Put a new 84% Boveda back in, along with my properly calibrated digital hygrometer, and so far the RH is up to 75%. Going to leave it for two weeks and see what happens. Thanks for all the tips and advice, my friends!