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Accessory Discussion / Reviews>Razz's Humidity Beads Project
RazzBarlow 02:05 PM 02-21-2010
Those that know me know that I'm somewhat of a geek. Anything technological or scientific instantly grabs my attention. I'm a freak for Mythbusters and shows like it. For that reason, humidity beads fascinated me from the first time I heard about them.

I decided to make my own humidity beads. The concept is simple...most salts have a "saturation point". That's why a salt test for our hygrometers works. Sodium Chloride (common table salt) has a saturation point equal to 75% Relative Humidity. If 75% rH were the ideal storage humidity for our cigars, we wouldn't have any problem at all. We would just keep a salt tray in our humidors and maintain the perfect humidity. (salty cigars being a completely seperate issue)

Like I said, the concept is simple. The execution is not simple. I've spent weeks researching and experimenting with different formulas and application methods. (The Merck Index has been light reading for me lately)

I've finally come up with a combination that appears to work how I want it to.

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It's only been 24 hours, but so far they are maintaining rH perfectly. I put 8 oz in a sealed container along with a salt-tested hygrometer to monitor the results.

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I will continue to post the results as I monitor them. I am excited at this new project. Before anyone asks....Yes, I will be offering them for sale once I know they work the way I want them to. (I'm a perfectionist) But I don't want to put that info in this thread out of respect for the board members and administrators. When the time comes, I'll start a sale thread for them.
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cort 02:14 PM 02-21-2010
Good luck with the project Marshall. Those look just like Heartfelt Beads
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MarkinAZ 02:36 PM 02-21-2010
Nice! Keep us posted on the project Marshall...
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Cigary 06:51 PM 02-21-2010
WTG Marshall. I will be interested in pricing this out after its a complete success.
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Smokin Gator 06:54 PM 02-21-2010
Very cool!!
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MrOneEyedBoh 07:10 PM 02-21-2010
Yeah interested if all goes well.
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Kreth 07:26 PM 02-21-2010
Looking for beta testers? :-)
Posted via Mobile Device
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guado 07:42 AM 02-22-2010
Very nice! Looking forward to the progress...
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Emjaysmash 07:47 AM 02-22-2010
Originally Posted by Kreth:
Looking for beta testers? :-)
Posted via Mobile Device
:-)

LOL
[Reply]
RazzBarlow 08:21 AM 02-22-2010
Update: Day 2, still holding steady

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RazzBarlow 07:46 AM 02-23-2010
Update: Day 3, still holding steady. It rained fairly steadily for 2 days here, so the ambient rH is pretty high. (I didn't measure outside the tupperware)
Image
Obviously, my photo skills this morning are pretty lame. Apologies for that.
[Reply]
RightAJ 07:55 AM 02-23-2010
I need to get some beads... looks like they're doing well!

aj
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eber 09:46 AM 02-23-2010
looks like they are working, good luck with the project :-)
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darkninja67 10:02 AM 02-23-2010
Looking good. Nice work
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shilala 10:17 AM 02-23-2010
Congrats on the project, Marshall!!!
It's fun, huh?
I used to work at Merck a long time ago. The index is a lot safer than the grounds, I'll tell you that. :-)
Take a look at denatured alcohols. They'll yield some pretty excellent RH's over the saturated solution, right in the ballpark you're looking for. Lots more options than binary salts. :-)
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RazzBarlow 08:26 AM 02-24-2010
Got my first non-encouraging test results of this experiment. The rH dropped 5 points in 24 hours. That's a big swing and just the kind of fluctuation that beads are meant to eliminate. I'm not going to panic, we'll keep monitoring and see what happens.

Image

I mentally toyed with the idea of not posting these results. But that just isn't an option!
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nater 09:06 AM 02-24-2010
We appreciate the honesty. It makes any final product have that much more integrity behind it.
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RazzBarlow 07:50 AM 02-25-2010
Final update:

This morning the hygrometer reading is 58% rH. I consider this formula unacceptable and will continue researching a new formula.

Thanks for all your interest.
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Tashaz 08:13 AM 02-25-2010
Keep at it Marshall, Like an Aussie cattle dog! You'll get there I'm thinking. *S*
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BigAsh 08:41 AM 02-25-2010
Originally Posted by RazzBarlow:
...

I mentally toyed with the idea of not posting these results. But that just isn't an option!
:-).....science is all about trial and error....keep on truckin'!
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