Expert: James Yee - 12/3/2007

Question
James -

I've read through many many posts on this board and haven't found anything relevant. I fear that i know the answer, but i figured i should ask it anyway.

I have a small 40-50 cigar humidor. I am a very casual smoker (such that if i were to fill the box up completely it would probably last me at least a decade), and i have found that since i seldom open it, if i keep it stored in the top of an interior closet, i rarely have to refill it.

As a result of this storage location, i happened to knock it off the shelf last week. Other than the fact that my few, inexpensive, cigars got bounced around it did not appear to be damaged. it turns out that i missed a splitting of one of the corner seams. It is barely noticeable. the main difference is that if does not seem to seal quite as tightly when i close it. it is split a millimeter or less.

I need to know if this is something that needs to be repaired. If so, is it something that i could likely do myself? perhaps some type of glue? where would i go to get it repaired? about how much should that run?

Or should i just leave it alone and see how it works out? The humidity has actually gone up slightly to about 72 or 73 (it was staying at around 68-70 before the fall). It is not a particularly high quality humidor, but decent enough.

Thank you very much for your time. i hope i didn't ask to many questions for one post.

Caleb

Answer
Hi Caleb,

A split in a corner joint can actually worsen over time and split even further so it's important that it be repaired before further damage to the humidor or potential damage to your cigars can occur.  Damaged humidors can also leak or gain excess humidity, drop or raise in temperature and attract dust/dirt which is not good for your cigars.

What you should do is find a cabinet maker/carpenter/woodworker that specializes in humidor construction and repair.  I'm not sure how much this type of repair would cost but it sounds like a small repair so the cost should be fairly reasonable.

As a last resort, if you would like to repair the humidor yourself, what you should use is a carpentry woodglue that is resistant to moisture and has little or no fumes at all.  If you prefer to fasten the joint with nails, use genuine brass nails only as they will not tarnish or rust.

I would personally suggest that you try to have the humidor professionally repair rather than doing it yourself.  Any do-it-yourself repairs on your humidor may compromise its performance and put your cigars in jeopardy.

Hope this answers your question. If you have any more questions, please feel free to just ask and I'll be happy to help.

Regards,
James