moving to plastic

kuzi16

I am thinking of converting almost all of my cigar storage over to plastic. i have one humidor that i want to keep because it has a lot of sentimental value (the one the folks here got for me for my 10k post, you guys rule).
winters here in NE Ohio are cold and my heater sucks the moisture out of the air like no other. upkeep on the wood humidors in frustrating for 6 months of the year. the one plastic humidor i have holds the Rh even in the driest of times.

my only issue is organization.
boxes are great but they are not efficient. has anyone come up with a better solution?

The_Kid

I deal with the same thing but in the opposite. I fight with too much humidity for a good portion of the year here in Seattle, My coolidors are solid where my humi's require more attention.. I use a dehumidifier to help stabilize the outside air, so maybe a humdiifier would work in your situation.. As far as organization evereything in my coolidor is in boxes so sometimes I have to move some stuff around to get to the sticks I want, but not that big of a deal.. I dont use any oust fans and maybe I should but it hasnt really been an issue for me,, hoping it continues to gow well.. Good luck

kuzi16

The Kid:

I deal with the same thing but in the opposite. I fight with too much humidity for a good portion of the year here in Seattle, My coolidors are solid where my humi's require more attention.. I use a dehumidifier to help stabilize the outside air, so maybe a humdiifier would work in your situation..

i figured it would work in the opposite direction as well i just didt realize how well. thats good to hear. i mean who knows where the future will take me and thats just one less thing that ill have to deal with if i move to plastic now.

the only issue with having a humidifier in the room with the humidor is that it is my bedroom and the wife may not like that as a concept.
...and i would have to buy a humidifier. may just be cheaper to buy a few containers and move on with life.

The Kid:

As far as organization everything in my coolidor is in boxes so sometimes I have to move some stuff around to get to the sticks I want, but not that big of a deal.. I dont use any oust fans and maybe I should but it hasnt really been an issue for me,, hoping it continues to go well.. Good luck

yeah... boxes seem to be the standard. and it makes a bunch of sense. i mean, they stabilize the humidity, they hold cigars in some sense of order, they are inexpensive. I guess i would feel better about them if they didnt waste so much space. the walls of most plastic containers slope up and out and boxes create a lot of dead space. plus boxes wont fit exactly in there creating even more dead space. i could fill in those dead spaces with singles but the sharper edges of box can damage singles.

i dig through my cigars quite a bit and i dont want to dig through an ocean of singles in a big bin. and i also dont wanna hinder my efforts with boxes where i cant see.

i was thinking something along the lines of plastic zip-loc bags that are left open. im thinking there may be issues with that once they get stacked in the humidor. the protection would be there, the space would be utilized efficiently, but i have some concerns about air flow.

im sure there are other issues with that plan that you guys will throw out there. im just looking to explore options before i jump into this. heck, i may just end up using boxes like everyone else does, i mean it is the standard for a reason.

BigT06

My loose cigars are stored in gallon ziploc bags. I write the brand on the top of em and place then where I can flip through the top of the bags like a rolodex and pull whatever bag I want. I will snap some oics tomorrow so you can see what I mean. I leave the bags unsnapped, of course.

kuzi16

BigT06:

My loose cigars are stored in gallon ziploc bags. I write the brand on the top of em and place then where I can flip through the top of the bags like a rolodex and pull whatever bag I want. I will snap some oics tomorrow so you can see what I mean. I leave the bags unsnapped, of course.

awesome. this is what im talking about. no humidity issues in the bag?

BigT06

kuzi16:

BigT06:

My loose cigars are stored in gallon ziploc bags. I write the brand on the top of em and place then where I can flip through the top of the bags like a rolodex and pull whatever bag I want. I will snap some oics tomorrow so you can see what I mean. I leave the bags unsnapped, of course.

awesome. this is what im talking about. no humidity issues in the bag?

Humidity rock solid. Best move I ever made for storage. I can store about 250 more cigars this way than in empty boxes, and takes 1/10th the time to find what I want.

jliu

BigT06:

kuzi16:

BigT06:

My loose cigars are stored in gallon ziploc bags. I write the brand on the top of em and place then where I can flip through the top of the bags like a rolodex and pull whatever bag I want. I will snap some oics tomorrow so you can see what I mean. I leave the bags unsnapped, of course.

awesome. this is what im talking about. no humidity issues in the bag?

Humidity rock solid. Best move I ever made for storage. I can store about 250 more cigars this way than in empty boxes, and takes 1/10th the time to find what I want.

for sure plus one to this. In the gallon zip loc bags, I put in a cedar sheet and use boveda packs. I can snap some pics too when I get home from work. it works really well.

stephen_hannibal

I'm doing the same thing Kuz.
Planning MECHACOOLIDORASAURUS v2.0 right now.

Steve2010

I switched a few months ago. The average humidity here runs 45% so that plays havoc with wooden humis.

I have mine separated by:

Maduros
Non-Maduros
Cubans and Opus

I've been using 65% Boveda packs and the digital hygro in each one shows a steady 67%

I'm at work too, so I'll post pics later.

jeep edson

i use 2 huge tuperware bins filled with boxes and my rh is solid. i would like to see the bag idea as i know what you mean about lost space.

bigharpoon

I made custom shelves for my loose/singles cooler. Obviously this isn't an option for everyone as it takes a decent amount of tools to build anything but the most important thing is to come up with some sort of system that works better than boxes. When I ditched my boxes I nearly doubled my capacity and all the cigars were easier to find. Digging through old boxes full of singles is harder than you realize.

Roberto99

I've been thinking of making the move to plastic also. In the interim I had a large clean cooler that I put my humidors inside for the winter months along with some silica to give me an added layer of protection from the low humidity here. Kinda lazy I know but it is working! I'm planning on building a built in cabinet humidor in my basement soon and will be looking into the best way to protect it from the low humidity. I will be needing some advice in a month or two when I tackle the project.

Shaun.Harrison87

I am making some new trays for my Ice Chest Humidor this weekend with MWeber...I will post them when they are finished as well as how they will it into my ice chest.

Steve2010

The smaller one holds the singles, the larger one has fivers in the little bags CCOM and CI sends:



A peek inside the larger one:



The smaller one:



I have the same setup for non-maduros, as well as one for my Opus' and Cubans.

kuzi16

bigharpoon:

I made custom shelves for my loose/singles cooler. Obviously this isn't an option for everyone as it takes a decent amount of tools to build anything but the most important thing is to come up with some sort of system that works better than boxes. When I ditched my boxes I nearly doubled my capacity and all the cigars were easier to find. Digging through old boxes full of singles is harder than you realize.

i have tools. do you have pics?

kuzi16

steve... all those ziploc bags are open?

bigharpoon

kuzi16:

bigharpoon:

I made custom shelves for my loose/singles cooler. Obviously this isn't an option for everyone as it takes a decent amount of tools to build anything but the most important thing is to come up with some sort of system that works better than boxes. When I ditched my boxes I nearly doubled my capacity and all the cigars were easier to find. Digging through old boxes full of singles is harder than you realize.

i have tools. do you have pics?

Yup: http://www.cigar.com/cs/forums/thread/459722.aspx

You can make all of this with a table saw, sander and glue. I rabbeted out the bottom of each side so when I put the bottom slats in the sides still stick down a little. You can do the rabbit with a table saw, just run the sides through the saw up on edge and take out half the thickness of the side however high up you choose. That way when the trays nest on each other there is some air space and any cigars that are slightly proud of the top don't get squished.

The bottom slats, sides and interior partitions can all be glued in place. No nail gun needed. You can keep all the side and partition pieces in place with tape and/or clamps until the glue dries. Flip it upside down and glue the bottom slats in. They rest on the step cut rabbit joint and stay in place via gravity until the glue dries. Regular titebond II glue is fine, once it's dry it won't off gas. A wet painter's cloth is what you want to clean up the glue with during assembly - before the glue dries and sets up like concrete.

No fancy joints are needed, butt joints work fine and the glue is plenty strong. I loop two circles of small diameter line around each tray to act as handles making it easy to lift them out and put them back in, no built in handles necessary. When the trays are all nestles the loops lay flat on top of the cigars.

The design takes a little while to maximize capacity. The assembly is easy. For me it took a little while because I milled mine out of larger wood stock so there was a lot of cutting and sanding just to get my pieces ready, but again nothing too hard, just labor. Feel free to ask any questions you may have along the way. Hope this helps.

JDH

bigharpoon:

kuzi16:

bigharpoon:

I made custom shelves for my loose/singles cooler. Obviously this isn't an option for everyone as it takes a decent amount of tools to build anything but the most important thing is to come up with some sort of system that works better than boxes. When I ditched my boxes I nearly doubled my capacity and all the cigars were easier to find. Digging through old boxes full of singles is harder than you realize.

i have tools. do you have pics?

Yup: http://www.cigar.com/cs/forums/thread/459722.aspx

You can make all of this with a table saw, sander and glue. I rabbeted out the bottom of each side so when I put the bottom slats in the sides still stick down a little. You can do the rabbit with a table saw, just run the sides through the saw up on edge and take out half the thickness of the side however high up you choose. That way when the trays nest on each other there is some air space and any cigars that are slightly proud of the top don't get squished.

The bottom slats, sides and interior partitions can all be glued in place. No nail gun needed. You can keep all the side and partition pieces in place with tape and/or clamps until the glue dries. Flip it upside down and glue the bottom slats in. They rest on the step cut rabbit joint and stay in place via gravity until the glue dries. Regular titebond II glue is fine, once it's dry it won't off gas. A wet painter's cloth is what you want to clean up the glue with during assembly - before the glue dries and sets up like concrete.

No fancy joints are needed, butt joints work fine and the glue is plenty strong. I loop two circles of small diameter line around each tray to act as handles making it easy to lift them out and put them back in, no built in handles necessary. When the trays are all nestles the loops lay flat on top of the cigars.

The design takes a little while to maximize capacity. The assembly is easy. For me it took a little while because I milled mine out of larger wood stock so there was a lot of cutting and sanding just to get my pieces ready, but again nothing too hard, just labor. Feel free to ask any questions you may have along the way. Hope this helps.

Very nice looking shelves. You did a good job. I'm thinking of making some shelves like this for my 400 count humidor. Where did you get the spanish cedar?

bigharpoon

JDH:

bigharpoon:

kuzi16:

bigharpoon:

I made custom shelves for my loose/singles cooler. Obviously this isn't an option for everyone as it takes a decent amount of tools to build anything but the most important thing is to come up with some sort of system that works better than boxes. When I ditched my boxes I nearly doubled my capacity and all the cigars were easier to find. Digging through old boxes full of singles is harder than you realize.

i have tools. do you have pics?

Yup: http://www.cigar.com/cs/forums/thread/459722.aspx

You can make all of this with a table saw, sander and glue. I rabbeted out the bottom of each side so when I put the bottom slats in the sides still stick down a little. You can do the rabbit with a table saw, just run the sides through the saw up on edge and take out half the thickness of the side however high up you choose. That way when the trays nest on each other there is some air space and any cigars that are slightly proud of the top don't get squished.

The bottom slats, sides and interior partitions can all be glued in place. No nail gun needed. You can keep all the side and partition pieces in place with tape and/or clamps until the glue dries. Flip it upside down and glue the bottom slats in. They rest on the step cut rabbit joint and stay in place via gravity until the glue dries. Regular titebond II glue is fine, once it's dry it won't off gas. A wet painter's cloth is what you want to clean up the glue with during assembly - before the glue dries and sets up like concrete.

No fancy joints are needed, butt joints work fine and the glue is plenty strong. I loop two circles of small diameter line around each tray to act as handles making it easy to lift them out and put them back in, no built in handles necessary. When the trays are all nestles the loops lay flat on top of the cigars.

The design takes a little while to maximize capacity. The assembly is easy. For me it took a little while because I milled mine out of larger wood stock so there was a lot of cutting and sanding just to get my pieces ready, but again nothing too hard, just labor. Feel free to ask any questions you may have along the way. Hope this helps.

Very nice looking shelves. You did a good job. I'm thinking of making some shelves like this for my 400 count humidor. Where did you get the spanish cedar?

A somewhat local hardwoods supply store. It was rough cut big pieces but WAAAAAAY cheaper than anything you'll ever find on the internet. In my searching, the internet is a stupid expensive place to buy Spanish Cedar of any kind. I recommend calling around your area, there is a good chance it's worth the drive.

Steve2010

kuzi16:

steve... all those ziploc bags are open?

Yea, some are...some aren't.

BigT06

Hopefully I will finally have time to snap some pics of mine tonight for you kuzi. I've been crazy busy!

kuzi16

nice shelves. i will have to consider that.

BigT06

here's what I meant by a rol-o-dex type system for the bags... (I will start another thread with updated pics of the whole set up)

kuzi16

i like that system quite a bit.

im gunna buy my plastic tomorrow.


i guess this means i will have humidors for sale here soon. details to follow.

Lee.mcglynn

I use both boxs and bags...ill put a small boveda pack in all the bags just to be on the safe side and I like the boxs to stabalizer the humidity. I have no complaints...my cooler is the most stable out of everything else!!

Lee.mcglynn

I also use a hygro with a probe so I can see the temp and humidity without opening it up so it's stress free

blurr

I'm in pretty similar weather here in western pa. When I switched to plastic rubbermaid, it was the best decision I made. Just use big bins, and I store in boxes with beads and fans. Rarely have to recharge, maybe once every 3 months and the stability is amazing compared to a wooden humi. Plus in say a64 quart container, I can stack, I don't know maybe like 20 boxes, probably more. I have picks somewhere that need updated since I started stocking Cuban boxes last year.

BigT06

kuzi16:

i like that system quite a bit.

im gunna buy my plastic tomorrow.


i guess this means i will have humidors for sale here soon. details to follow.

Sweet. I really like thay system for aging, too. Tou couldn't see in the pics I took, but on the right side up under the boxes of CCs I have several bags of Johnny Os that I just write the date and the vitola on the bags. That way I can just peak at the dates to know when they are ready to smoke. I have also done that with open boxes. Just take the sticks out if the box when there are not enough left to justify them staying in a box and write the box date on the bag. Very simple, worry free storage.