pariah223 Posted February 25, 2009 Report Share Posted February 25, 2009 I live in upstate NY, so the humidity in these parts up here varies dramatically. On top of that, my shop is never the same because i only heat it when i use it. The quesiton i have is, to build a more stable guitar.. am i better off keeping the guitar and wood in my 40% humidity maintained room when i am not working on it, and only bringing it in the shop to work on it? Or could that cause problems itself with all the fluxuations? I am just trying to find a good compromise here and regulating humidity in my shop is not possible at this point in time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pariah223 Posted March 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2009 well i guess if no one has the answer to this question... my next question is, how do you guys work around humidity issues.. i cant be the only one with horrible fluxuation in humidity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitar_player Posted March 4, 2009 Report Share Posted March 4, 2009 I'm in southern New Hampshire and am in the same situation as you. I don't know weather you are building electrics or acoustics because acoustics are much more important to have humidity control around. I work in an insulated shop but it's only heated when I'm working. For electrics I really wouldn't worry too much about it. During the winter it's not as big of a deal as in the summer, if I build any acoustics this summer I'll probably buy a dehumidifier as of right now I am keeping the parts upstairs and only bringing them down when I work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodenspoke Posted March 4, 2009 Report Share Posted March 4, 2009 I live in upstate NY, so the humidity in these parts up here varies dramatically. On top of that, my shop is never the same because i only heat it when i use it. The question i have is, to build a more stable guitar.. am i better off keeping the guitar and wood in my 40% humidity maintained room when i am not working on it, and only bringing it in the shop to work on it? Or could that cause problems itself with all the fluctuations? I am just trying to find a good compromise here and regulating humidity in my shop is not possible at this point in time.Heat and humidity are two different things. Growing up in NY I starting my building in an unheated basement, I learned build in the winter and when the humidity goes up stop building. So you have a few months of building bliss between November and June. If you are doing this for a living then you need a climate controlled environment. You want your wood as dry as possible when building. Expanding wood after a build is less damaging. Contacting wood or shrinkage after the building stage will rip joints apart. Same reason you want to install flooring in the winter when the wood is at its smallest physical size. In the summer when the floor expands do to humidity changes the joints stay tight. Back in the winter they go back to the installed size with no gaps. This of course is a rough example for a guitar build but the principals apply to all wood projects. As far as wood storage and temperature. You want to keep the humidity constant with the wood so storing it in a different area rather than your work space is problematic. Of course unless you acclimate your wood in the shop prior to building. Moving it in and out is not recommended. As far as heat goes it makes no difference except when it changes humidity levels or effects the proper curing of glue and finishes. Or you are freezing your butt off while you work, LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pariah223 Posted March 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2009 well heat can be an issue because when i turn my heat on, the humidity in my shop is about 45.. by the time the room gets warm, the windows are foggy, the cast iron is rusting, and the humidity is about 65+.. haha.. but i think i understand now, was just trying to find a loophole because i have more time to build in the summer than the winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Workingman Posted March 6, 2009 Report Share Posted March 6, 2009 Wow heat usualy dries a room out. Do you have forced air with a humidier on the sysem? If so you could turn it off when you are heating your shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Herr Posted March 6, 2009 Report Share Posted March 6, 2009 the humidity in my shop is about 45.. by the time the room gets warm, the windows are foggy, the cast iron is rusting, and the humidity is about 65+.. Turn the humidifier on your heater off or down, and your humidity will go down. I say that jokingling, because you would have done that already, and the only heaters I know of with built in humidifiers are forced air heaters, which aren't common in a shop. Is this what you have? The windows getting foggy and the cast iron getting rusty, is the moisture in the air condensing on the cold surfaces. (which would lower your humidity) Not saying that I don't believe you that the humidity went up, it just goes against what I know, (or thought I knew) cast iron is rusting Have you taken measures to rust-proof your tools? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pariah223 Posted March 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2009 i dont know anything really about humidity and heat and all that stuff.. I was just going by what my humidity meter was telling me.. It could be wrong considering it is like a 10 dollar unit.. ill have to look into this and do some more testing... something doesnt add up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodenspoke Posted March 7, 2009 Report Share Posted March 7, 2009 i don't know anything really about humidity and heat and all that stuff.. I was just going by what my humidity meter was telling me.. It could be wrong considering it is like a 10 dollar unit.. ill have to look into this and do some more testing... something doesn't add up. 2+2=10? Do you have an open system steam radiator, The 100lb monsters with a steam release valve? That may add lots of humidity to the shop as it spews out moisture. The fix is find a new place to live or suffer with the cold and wear a jacket. I do remember steam heat drying out my house when I was a kid, but then again I wasnt really paying attention at that age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godzilla Posted March 8, 2009 Report Share Posted March 8, 2009 If your shop is below freezing, any humidity is obviously frozen. When you turn on the heat on it thaws out. I've seen this on my job in new construction a lot when the season changes from winter to spring....concrete especially. I would suggest to keep it above freezing and get a little ventilation going. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoodWood Posted March 19, 2009 Report Share Posted March 19, 2009 I keep mine in home made plastic/duct tape bags with a hygrometer in each bag, to stabilize the humidity. That way I know its at a constant. Check hygrometer accuracy with salt/water technique. Its a pain to have to stabilize everything and let it aclimate, but unless youhave a constant shop humidity, its the smartest way to do it I can think of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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