| Subject: | Re: [RESOGUIT-L] proper range of humidity for resos | | Date: | Sunday, January 29, 2006 14:40:14 (-0500) | | From: | James McNab <jimmcnab @.......com>
|
Dick thanks very much for the thorough answer.
From: Richard DeNeve <richard_d13132@yahoo.com>
Reply-To: resoguit-l@elistas.com
To: resoguit-l@elistas.com
Subject: Re: [RESOGUIT-L] proper range of humidity for resos
Date: Sat, 28 Jan 2006 22:06:41 -0800 (PST)
I keep my shop at 40% or less relative humidity
(currently @ 28%). Wood glued to cross braces will
expand a bit if it gains mousture, which is not a
problem. Wood glued to cross braces will shrink when
it dries out. Can be a big problem. Hard or
inflexible wood can crack lengthwise to the grain.
This usually does not present much of a structural
problem, but can raise heck with aesthetics.
Wood will gain or lose moisture to attain equilibrium
with its surroundings. A bare piece of wood an eighth
of an inch thick will be pretty close to equilibrium
in half a day. Limited access of ambient air to the
wood (as by a finish and/or movrment into and out of a
reso body with screens) can extend this time to a few
days.
A good rule of thumb is that your guitar should live
where you do. 60-90 degrees F, and 30-75 percent
relative humidity. If low humidity is causing your
family nosebleeds, moisten the air.
The glues most luthiers use begin to soften at 125
degrees F or so, so keep the guitar out of attics,
unshaded car trunks, etc. These glues withstand
humidity approaching 100%, as long as there is not
actual standing water (or beer). The old hide glues
may be more moisture sensitive, especially those which
are liquid at room temperature. These often contain
salt, which draws moisture from the air and can
re-liquefy.
An insulating case like the "hard shell" plywood,
foam, or padded gig bag will protect the guitar. Cold
usually does not harm wood instruments. But keep the
guitar in the insulating case a minute for every
degree difference between the old and new environment.
(E.g. if it has spent the night in your car trunk at
minus 20 degrees, and you bring it into a 70 dgress
house, let it sit the case for an hour and a half
before removing it.) Otherwise, the finish may craze,
that is, develop fine cobwebby cracks.) Chip board
cases are worthless for instrument protection. (Dear
me! Did I just make a value judgement?) Usually
"heat shock" does not harm the wood, but will harm the
finish.
Most guitars will change tuning slightly from cool to
warm and dry to moist conditions. Wood swells
slightly with moisture gain (much less lengthwise to
the grain than across the grain). And wood has a
higher heat expansion rate than metal strings do.
These changes may be nettlesome when going to a
friend's house to play, or even woodshedding at home
on different days, but should be expected as
properties of the materials used. These changes are
not harmful.
Dick DeNeve
--- James McNab <jimmcnab@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Just wondering if anybody can tell me the consensus
> on the proper range of
> humidity for resos. I'm assuming it would be pretty
> much the same for
> similar instruments (dreadnoughts, banjos, mandos,
> etc.) Is it somewhere
> between 40-60%? I just bought a hygrometer and want
> to make sure my house
> what with its central heat isn't damaging my
> instruments. I bought a cool
> mist humidifier for the room where my dobro lives
> and I just want to be sure
> to take good care of it. Thanks for the help.
>
>
>
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