Finishing inside and outside of a humidor

Shellac…

-- 温故知新

Build Your Own Humidor

-- No sane man will dance ~ Cicero

Thanks for the link, but it suggests poly on the inside and as I said in my post, I’m concerned about odor. I’ve found other posts on this website that argue against any finish on the interior surfaces of humidors. i agree that that’s certainly the best option…if it works. but, imagining 70% humidity on the inside of a box and 30% outside during a Vermont winter makes me have dark visions of cracks, buckles, and loud splintering noises—cedar lining or no cedar lining. maybe shellac is the answer (as hobomonk suggests), but it doesn’t seem any less smelly than poly. maybe the shellac odor dissipates more quickly?

-- dave : vermont

I wouldn’t concern myself with the large swings in humidity. If your stock is dry you shouldn’t have any problems with movement/checking.
I lived in very dry Reno, NV for 14 yrs., and now live in very wet NW Washington. My four Diamond Crown humidors have disclosed no ill effects from temp./humidity swings, and neither have my 1000+ cigars.

Build your “naked” humidor first. Let the sucker dry/rest until you can not discern any finishing odor (I’d figure maybe a week since it’s summer). THEN, line your build with Sp. Cedar. Remember to remove any resin bleeding with denatured alcohol; which is also a good mold remover if you ever need to slay that demon).

-- No sane man will dance ~ Cicero

Brad- I appreciate the advice, very helpful. (I also like your box.net link; lots of great information. I downloaded Shackleton’s oil+wax article—his shop’s right down the road from me.) So, if I understand you, you’re suggesting that I use my regular oil finish on the interior (just like on the exterior), let it air out for a week or so, and then line the box with cedar?

That sounds a bit too simple. But I like it.

-- dave : vermont

Welcome to LJ’s Brad, you have some wonderful projects out there…...

On my humidors, I DO NOT put ANY finish on the interior. IMO, even if you let it dry, the small humidity from the humidifier MAY bring out some of the odor of the danish on the interior. I’ve never done it that way, but again, IMO.
I also use danish + wax on the exterior, but nothing on the interior. I have never had a problem with any of my humidors that way. This is after 11 humidors in the past 2.5 years…...

Again, IMO and my own experience. Always open to others experience…...

Can’t wait to see your finished humidor as a project!

-- Gene, Majestic Eagle Woodworks, http://majesticeagleww.etsy.com/, http://www.flickr.com/photos/majesticeagle/

Gene- I really appreciate these thoughts. I am so intrigued by the idea of not finishing the interior at all. Your past, positive experience gives me confidence that it would work. it just goes against my instincts, and I’ve had a few spectacular failures due to wood movement. so, i’m a bit paranoid. i will certainly post pictures when i’m done. i’m actually making four; one for me and three for my friends who smoke cigars. i found some awesome wood, so as long as they don’t blow up, they should be quite nice.

-- dave : vermont

I have never put any finish on the inside of my humidors, and never had any warp, crack, etc. I DONT glue the spanish cedar to the interior either, just a nice semi-tight fit. When the cedar is seasoned and you close the lid there should be what I call a nice “air cushion” and “snap” of the lid when closed.

-- a good woodworker can fix his mistakes, agreat w/w can fix them before anybody see's them

Another vote for no finish…though I’m not an experienced humidor builder. On the humidor I made for myself, I left the interior unfinished after a long decision making process like you are going through right now! I also fit the sp cedar to a snug press fit…though I did glue the lid liner so not to battle it falling if it shrinks at all.

If you wanted at least some barrier on the inside what about a salad bowl finish or similar? Not on the sp cedar but on the inside of the walnut. That would offer some moisture resistance and would not smell. I use that on the inside of my regular boxes. That would however force you to press fit, and not glue, the liner…which has worked just fine for me.

hope that helps you decide one way or the other.

Greg

-- "Hey, you dang woodchucks! Quit chuckin' my wood!"

Greg- Thanks for the comment. Yes, i think I have been convinced that no finish is the way to go. The other aspect that I had not considered when I posted my original question is the fact that the design I am using for the boxes has the grain running horizontally around the box. So, it occurred to me that any movement will be up and down, not side to side, and I think (I hope) this will help to prevent any catastrophic damage. i’m using plywood for the bottom and have left some space on the tops for movement. so, i think i should be ok. I also will use your suggestion not to glue the cedar (except for the top). that makes sense also. Thanks to everyone who chimed in on this. I’ll post some photos when I’m done.

(Greg: By the way, I tried to follow the link to see your humidor, but it didn’t work.)

-- dave : vermont

Dave, good deal.

Try this

I think I had some spacing off on my link.

Greg

-- "Hey, you dang woodchucks! Quit chuckin' my wood!"

ah yes, I saw your humidor as I was looking around for designs. Looks great!

-- dave : vermont

never apply finish to the inside of humidors, the cedar lining needs to be bare , this helps regulate the humidity in the case which protects the prize products that are stored in it. I have humidors that I made over ten years ago and have never had any issues.

-- rob, ont,canada

Rob- no. right. I know that. the question is whether to finish the interior surfaces of the exterior wood, behind the cedar lining. I think I’ve decided not to use finish for the reasons previously stated. However, I currently am having a hell of a time with the splines—a task that I had thought would be simple.

-- dave : vermont

I dont add finish to the interior surfaces of the exterior case i worry about odour tainting the cigars. and the dry winter issue has never been a problem for me , as I live in a very cold climate seven months of the year.

-- rob, ont,canada