Well hello for the first time! I stumbled upon your site today while I was looking for information on humis. I was an avid cigar collector and smoker for many years. Needless to say life took a turn and I migrated away from the lifestyle. I was thinking about getting a small desktop humi the other day. For my moms birthday I took her thrift store shopping. I think i got my omen walking into the first store. Before me stood a waist high maybe 200 count humi. There are no markings on the humi anywhere. the hydrometer is stamped "Hillsdale House". I was hoping someone may be able to help me figure out what I have and/or be able to assist me in getting it into working condition. I forgot the best part. The humi was marked $120, I got it for $60. So I think Ive gotta be back, lol. Im going to attach some pics for reference.

Thanks in advance for any and all your help.

Cheers!
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Sorry the pics are sideways I didn't realize. My bad guys!
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No worries about the pics.

We have a sticky at the top of this forum for seasoning a humidor. That would be the best source of general information. Once it has seasoned for a while (maybe a week, given that it probably hasn't been kept humidified), you can check for leaks and then, if necessary, you can ask more detailed questions in this thread.

http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showthread.php?t=620
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Thanks didn't see that! Ill check it out.
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Looks nice, hope it works out for you.
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Look through the thread, and then hit us up with any follow up questions. We're a helpful bunch of Inmates. :-)
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Make sure you do a thorough seasoning — don’t rush it. Just my :-)
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ok so i read through the sticky. apologies if im posting in the wrong area. how big of a basin ow water should i use? is the bigger the better?
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Don’t use a basin — use one or more sponges (wet with distilled water) spread about the humidor. Sponges work better than a dish of water because they offer more surface area.
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I would assume use damp sponges not saturated sponges correct? If using sponges should they have direct contact with the wood or should there be a barrier between the sponge and the wood?
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lots of water is fine as long as it is distilled, put the sponge on a plate in the humi :-)
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So I'm thinking I should do 4 sponges. One on each shelf and two on the bottom. Let it season for 14 days. Y'all think this would do the trick or at least be a good starting point?
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If it doesn't, there might be a seal issue with the humidor. Get 'er started and keep us in the loop.
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Im going to get some fresh sponges and distilled water today. ill post pics when its done! thanks guys
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So this is what i have done. Ive soaked the sponges. I allowed them to drip dry. I did not squeeze them. I just made sure there was no standing water on the plate before I closed the lid. In the next 2 weeks I need to figure out what kind of hygrometer to get. Does anyone have any suggestions? Im looking to spend no more than 200. The less the better but 200 is no problem. Im only guessing that a hygrometer is the next step?
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You don't need to spend anywhere near that for a hygrometer.

Just a couple quick possibilities:

https://www.amazon.com/Cigar-Oasis-C...-4&tag=mh0b-20

https://www.amazon.com/Hygrometer-10...tag=cigar44-20
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A bunch of us are moving to Govee

https://www.amazon.com/Govee-Thermom.../dp/B07R586J37

I have one for the top shelf of my cabinet and one for the bottom. The bluetooth setup is nice. Bare functionality, but temp and RH is all that I need.
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Sorry its been a couple of days, been slammed at work. I'm almost sold on the cigar oasis. Here is a question though. Has anyone used an "old school" hygrometer in unison with something like the govee? can this be done or is it better to have one or the other. I really only want to have to do this once. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
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FOG and his archaic technology. :-)
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Yeah, listening to Mick Jagger music and bad-mouthing my country. :-)
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