I got a Craftsmen Bench Taj-Mahal humidor for Christmas and I have some concerns around the seal. The dollar bill test didn't really pass. The dollar would pull out with not very much force, but it seemed to be tight enough to curl the bill after it was pulled out, but wouldn't really stick. It seemed to pass the flashlight test though. I assume it will swell a bit after seasoning too, so maybe it will be okay? Should the bill test only be done after proper seasoning?
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You should be okay, the dollar bill test is more of a gauge if anything. The real test would be to get some sticks, a digital hygro and beads in there and see where you're at in a couple weeks!
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I think the dollar bill test is useless in most cases. Most humidors have a lining of Spanish Cedar that goes above the top edge of bottom of the box. In most cases it has a angled cut on it to allow the lid to slide over it. The lid then comes down and seals against this angled piece of cedar. So what you have is a test where a piece of paper is supposed to come out with resistance while traveling over a piece of wood sticking up higher than the base and protruding somewhat into the lid, then going back down and out the side of the box. Of course the bill is going to have resistance. I think this "test" was invented by a humidor builder to trick his customers into thinking that he had a great seal. Not if your humidor had no lining that protruded upward into the lid, but rather just two pieces of wood that rested together, one being the base and one the top, if that dollar then came out snugly...yeah, great test. .02
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Check the seal after the humidor has been completely seasoned. :-)
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Did you use a $1 bill or a $20 bill? I ask because there is a difference in the thickness of the bill itself.
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It was a $20 actually. I will season it and try again.
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That's probably the problem: Send me that $20, I've got a $1 around here somewhere I'll swap you out with. :-)

Congrats on the new humi. Season`er up!
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I only use $100's for this...thickness is perfect. Then I light a cigar with it...
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noob

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step your game up :-)
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I did. I think? I don't know!

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By the same token, if the dollar just slips out with almost no resistance at all it's pretty much a sign of a poor seal. I've had this happen with a couple humidors. I wouldn't use the test as a verification that the seal is good so much as being able to spot problem areas around the lid. If you get resistance in one spot you know that there's a problem there.

EDIT: I also use a strip of printer paper about as wide as a dollar bill. It's thinner than a dollar and makes for a better test.
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Lol

I snort a line from a hookers ass before I burn mine.
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:-)
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