Help: Resin / Sap on Humidor Walls

[discdog]

mtec, sanding will NOT do anything for you if the sap is still tacky. It is there because of two things. Either the wood was not kiln dried or it was not kiln dried enough. A change of weather or humidification probably reactivated the sap pockets (in all types of conifer and most other woods), and is now "leaking".
If you are determined to use this box, I would recommend lining the box with new material. I've seen an expandable wooden grate that would work well for this application (Jim at Blue Havanna II has them). Simply place the grate on the botton and you're good to go. You could use an old box to do the same thing if you wanted to.
I would not use acetone as you'll never get the odor out of the box. Denatured alcohol would not have the odor, but won't remove the sap without causing more to come out. However, both products are available at most paint supply houses.
Don't worry about the minute amount of dust you'll likely ingest by lightly sanding cedar. Unless you have asthema,allergies (serious) or emphasema (sp?), you're not going to create enough dust to worry about.

[chippewastud79]

Put it in the oven, dry it out yourself.

Take it back or send it back. Best of luck on the fix.

[discdog]

Originally Posted by chippewastud79

Put it in the oven, dry it out yourself.

Take it back or send it back. Best of luck on the fix.

I thought about that. But the pics looked like there is a veneer on the outside of the box and I figured it would not be a good idea to heat it. Some glue is heat activated. Although, you could try an hour or so at 100 degrees to see if that helps to dry it out.

[GOAT LOCKER]

Does it really bother you? Such sap leakage is very commom with Spanish Cedar, and since it's being used as an interior lining, I don't see a big problem. Go to your local hardwood supplier and you will see much of their spanish cedar has sap on it... The shelves in one of my humidors has much more than what is in your pics, but I have to move boxes out of the way to see it. One reason you don't see this so much in cheap humidors is due to the use of veneers vs solid S. cedar.

If it really does bother you, you can lightly sand it off, or use a cabinet scraper to remove it. I prefer the scraper, but you have to know how to use one... The stain will still be there unless you remove quite a bit.

[chippewastud79]

Originally Posted by discdog

I thought about that. But the pics looked like there is a veneer on the outside of the box and I figured it would not be a good idea to heat it. Some glue is heat activated. Although, you could try an hour or so at 100 degrees to see if that helps to dry it out.

It could work, considering you didn't spend a boat load on the humidor. I would give it a go, it was a joke but kind of a serious thought. Keep a good eye on it if you do though. I think anything under 212 degrees and you should not have too much of a risk of fire unless there is something like felt on the bottom.

[taltos]

If the humidor is a box within a box construction, the Spanish cedar might be removable since it should be a friction fit rather than glued into the outer box. If this is the case, the section with sap on it could be removed and oven cured. The dried sap could then be sanded off. Hope this helps.

[mtec]

I bought some denatured alcohol (they call it industrial alcohol where I"m at) with very, very faint odor, much lighter odor than rubbing alcohol, and used it to successfully remove all the sap with cotton swabs and paper towels. I used a lot and it dries very quickly and does not leave a smell. There are still some slight stains from where the sap was seeping through, but hopefully after I sand it down tomorrow, everything should be alright. Thanks for everybody's help!

[tmarc75]

Originally Posted by mtec

Thanks for the suggestion for returning it to the manufacturer. However, it was a one of a kind custom made humidor. Are there any known remedies for this kind of problem? I read somewhere that denatured alcohol or acetone might work. Don't know where to buy that where I'm at...

I would try denatured alcohol. I used it to get rid of a mold problem in my secondhand humidor when I first got it. The smell will go away within a month or so.

Good luck!

[Strangg1]

Sap is the result of the cedar not being properly dried. Even if it is a custom job I would return it to have it fixed/replaced or my $ back. I've had half a dozen humidors over the years, and none of mine have had sap issues, from the cheapest to the most expensive. Sap in a humidor is unacceptable.

If returning it to be repaird/replaced, etc is not really an option your only real option is tearing the cedar out and re-lining it yourself with properly dried spanish cedar(preferably kiln dried). Any solvent will just be absorbed by the wood, and it can take a long time for the sap to stop leaking and dry.


~S

[mtec]

ISSUE RESOLVED !! by wiping down with a lot of denatured alcohol then sanding. The alcohol left no odor at all.

I figured out the reason why the sap came out in the first place was because I left the humidor sitting in a hot storage facility for three months unattended. That won't happen again so the sap shouldn't leak again. Thanks for everybody's help!

[Opusfxd]

DOH!