Humidor troubles

[AHungerArtist]

I just acquired a 65 cigar humidor. The construction is such that inside of the box is four extra built in walls that create a lip. The problem i perceive is that these walls are loosely placed and not sealed to one another or the inside of the box. On top of that the hinge side of the lid appears to have a pretty large gap (1/2 cm or so). The questions i have are a) is this going to create a seal issue b) did i get hosed on this box and c) is there a way to fix these problems if they are indeed problems. Please excuse my blatant newbie-hood

 

[tonygraz]

Best test for leakage is to close a dollar bill in the humidor and see if it can be pulled out freely. If it can, you have a problem. The loose wood may create a seal, but the looseness could cause leaks. Not sure how you would fix any leaks, but it's worth a try. I would suggest very short screws to attach the wood rather than glues. If nothing else, you could use it as a dry box if it can't be reasonably sealed.

 

[CamoSutra]

Possible fix for leaky humidor

I realize this is an old thread ... but they all seem to be old threads at this point. (Super Bowl Sunday 2015)

If a humidor leaks, it may be that the lip where the lid meets the box are a little loose; it may have shrunk due to low humidity, or just have been cut a bit on the small side. Sometimes a strip of blue painter's tape placed over the lip will be just enough to improve the seal. Unlike ordinary masking tape, the blue painter's tape uses an adhesive that is designed to peel away easily, sort of like Post-It notes -- and as far as my old nose can tell, there is no disagreeable odor. (Besides, the blue tape looks "special" while ordinary masking tape looks a bit ratty.)

Place and trim the tape so that you have a single layer going completely around the lip of the humidor; I recommend one strip for each of the four sides, trimmed into the corners with an X-Acto knife or something similar.

If it fixes the sealing problem, you've just saved the humidor. If it doesn't do the job, all you're out is the cost of a roll of tape.