Not quite a coolerdor...
but a decent size, nonetheless. I have a few questions for you folks. Here is what I picked up:
I'll have more pics up tomorrow of the insides, and the dimensions. Its currently locked in my trunk and covered in snow. Eff dat noise.
I'm going to make this into a humidor. I'll order Spanish cedar online, re-panel the inside with is, craft fittings for the most commonly used quality digital hygrometer and whatever humidification I decide to use, give the exterior a decent cleanup, and figure out how to seal it.
My questions are going to be answerable once we see the interior and see its dimensions, yes, but will consist of things like:
What sort of layout is optimum in a more-horizontal-than-vertical housing, as far as shelves or no shelves?
Has anyone here worked with Spanish cedar before, and know of pitfalls one might not expect?
The trick behind "sure seal" looks to be using the seasoned, hydro-filled wood to press against the walls, effectively sealing it. Seem accurate enough?
I am thinking 1/4" planks of Spanish cedar; would there be a noticeable effect of sizing up to 3/8 or something, as far as maintaining humidity goes?
Sure to be a spot of contention, I'm thinking Heartfelt Beads in their tubes. Would anyone see a problem with this?
Another thing. This chest has loads of character. Pretty cool; came through New York from some foreign country back in the day, its hard to read a lot of it. Lock still works, but I'll probably WD-40 it a bit. All in all, I'm looking forward to this side project!
Lastly, I'm not QUITE sure if it goes here, or if it'll be successful, so feel free to boo me into oblivion or something if this is stupid and cannot work.
I'll have more pics up tomorrow of the insides, and the dimensions. Its currently locked in my trunk and covered in snow. Eff dat noise.
I'm going to make this into a humidor. I'll order Spanish cedar online, re-panel the inside with is, craft fittings for the most commonly used quality digital hygrometer and whatever humidification I decide to use, give the exterior a decent cleanup, and figure out how to seal it.
My questions are going to be answerable once we see the interior and see its dimensions, yes, but will consist of things like:
What sort of layout is optimum in a more-horizontal-than-vertical housing, as far as shelves or no shelves?
Has anyone here worked with Spanish cedar before, and know of pitfalls one might not expect?
The trick behind "sure seal" looks to be using the seasoned, hydro-filled wood to press against the walls, effectively sealing it. Seem accurate enough?
I am thinking 1/4" planks of Spanish cedar; would there be a noticeable effect of sizing up to 3/8 or something, as far as maintaining humidity goes?
Sure to be a spot of contention, I'm thinking Heartfelt Beads in their tubes. Would anyone see a problem with this?
Another thing. This chest has loads of character. Pretty cool; came through New York from some foreign country back in the day, its hard to read a lot of it. Lock still works, but I'll probably WD-40 it a bit. All in all, I'm looking forward to this side project!
Lastly, I'm not QUITE sure if it goes here, or if it'll be successful, so feel free to boo me into oblivion or something if this is stupid and cannot work.
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Comments
Now, keep in mind, you don't know WHAT that trunk has been through. You are going to want to seal off every square inch of that thing. Leave no chance for anything to seep into the humi part. I would sacrifice a bit of space (you have PLENTY) to ensure the outside is sealed off.
You may be looking into electronic humidification for something that size. It's going to be hard to maintain a decent rH until you can start filling it. That thing is going to laugh at 100 sticks. Also, for you hyrgos...I'd look into the wireless type. The weather readers? You should be able to read multiple areas with one receiver.
I found an old trunk at a thrift shop and thought it would make a great trunkidor. A friend who does woodworking offered to convert it for me if I would pay for the supplies. He11 yeah! After nearly three weeks he called to say it was done. He told me he had sealed all of the cracks with aquarium sealant, lined the interior with Spanish cedar laminate and he built a full length removable tray to go in it. I used a pound of HF beads for humidification and put weather stripping around the lid. It worked great for about six months.
While digging through it one day, a huge piece of the laminate came off. Underneath was the original wood of the trunk. He was supposed to put four layers of laminate on it. Then the corners began to crack. Long story short, my friend shafted me.
If you take your time and use the right materials you can turn the trunk I to an awesome humidor. If you find something horribly wrong with it during the retrofit process, I'd use the measurements to build a new trunk that could be easily antiqued to look like the old one. Best of luck, bro, can't wait to see the final product.
Hey! Let's ask Lee!! He'll know what to use! LOL
As I said, you don't know what that trunk has been through. If you let any of the rH get to the trunk itself, whatever (might) have spilled on that trunk, is going to get a bit rehydrated. Then you have the chance of it seeping back inside. I may be way off here, but if it were me I'd play it safe and take extra care to make sure the trunk and humi are 100% sealed off.
I do have an alternative suggestion that could get you rolling with little or no real construction hassles. Find a cooler that will fit inside the trunk.