HUMIDITY

[Old and Grumpy]

When you move from a high humidity state to a dry state. I moved from SoCal medium humidity to Southern Nevada. We average between 3 to 15% in the summer."Sorry deep south" Joints on furniture and stuff dry out. I had antiques come apart at the joints. Got a maple pipe hawk kit from TOW. Handle is starting to split. Have not oiled it yet. Most are trying to prevent rust. I'm trying to prevent split. Had a Rem 870 split at the wrest.Will share the fix if you want.  What is the best way to keep the wood moist. Back when I was using True oil it was on a new build one time a day for the first week . One time a month for a year. One time a year for ever. We spent most of the summer under 10%. I see the gorges girls who grew up around Vegas . They are thin and in VERY good shape . But there skin looks like jerky. Have a H Burns long rifle(1850s). Have wiped it down but with the low humidity I worry. I wake up in the morning with razor sharp bugger! Steam shower!Sorry if this is too --------

[Eric Kettenburg]

Humidity is a real bee atch.  I went for close to 30 yrs working in the shop with no AC and thus no humidity control.  It just got to be expected that from @ late March through Sept here in PA, everything was going to rust and the wood was going to move all over the place.  One learns to adapt, but that doesn't make it any easier!  Last few years now I finally cracked open my wallet and put in AC in the shop, and now I guess I have to spend years cursing and kicking myself for not doing it sooner.

Still working on AC for the house.  My wife is a lizard - LOVES heat, the more the better.  Cold at anything below 80.  I'm using the little dog 'babies' as bribery.  "Oh those poor little guys, they're SO HOT they can't stop panting!"  Forget about me, anything for the dogs!!!!   

It's always funny how a buttplate that you inlet and finish off flush in June will be standing about 1/16" proud of the wood all around by Dec or Jan if the piece is still there in the shop.  And vice versa!

[Daryl]

Fellow from somewhere humid in the States came up hunting goats and sheep back in the 70's. By the end of week one, his action was rattling around in the stock, and that was only in Spatzisi Park, here in BC. Was a dry hot fall though, high 60's. Suspect the humidity was sub 30%.
IT happens.

[Old and Grumpy]

I married a lizard also!  :'(Miss her. I am trying to save 200 year old wood. Not just guns. How do you save fine antiques when the humidity is under 10% most of the year?

[Daryl]

I don't have an answer.  It will eventually stabilize to the ambient humidity, no matter how well it is sealed now imho.

[Old and Grumpy]

Fellow from somewhere humid in the States came up hunting goats and sheep back in the 70's. By the end of week one, his action was rattling around in the stock, and that was only in Spatzisi Park, here in BC. Was a dry hot fall though, high 60's. Suspect the humidity was sub 30%.
IT happens.

   We spend most of the summer 3 to 10%. Thus the dry buggers!

[Old and Grumpy]

I don't have an answer.  It will eventually stabilize to the ambient humidity, no matter how well it is sealed now imho.

But the glue drys out. 200 year old glue.By then it's loose.

[Old and Grumpy]

On new builds is this a good reason for epoxi instead of traditional glues?

[Bob Roller]

Here in the Ohio River Valley we breathe only when we have to.I was in my shop today for about 5 and the AC earned its keep.
It was built in the early Spring of 1964 and AC installed the following spring along with a motion detector and a note that says
"When you see the little flashing red light,you have a problem".
Bob Roller                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

[recurve]

Here in Pa, near Dixons, It's verry hard to keep things dry. 
Great for browning barrels,  bad for things in the  safe( non-ac area) .
I'm running a dehumidifier rod and a work light (old style bulb 40 watt) and two moister drier absorbers to keep the rust at bay   :'(

It's the only thing I hate about the Gun Makers Fair at Kempton( demo knapping) one year 100 % temp. 90% humidity . the last weekend in July can be  a challenge.

[Woodpecker]

You can't humidify the outside air but you can control the humidity indoors where it is stored. My house stays between 40-50% year round with controls and it has helped everything from tabletops to instruments. It's nice for the mandolin to stay in tune year round. I went to Idaho once and it was so dry I got nosebleeds and sparked up the sheets at night. Seems like people would stay sick living that dry.

[Daryl]

Maybe only those used to living in a sauna, maybe?
Joking aside, you would acclimatise in month.

[120RIR]

I raised this humidity issue myself a year or so back.  George Weiker Bucks County rifle (RCA 62) lived with me in California for about 5 years and a couple of cracks opened up that didn't used to be there.  Now that I'm back east (North Carolina) those cracks have pretty much disappeared again.  It took a while and we do our best to keep the humidity under control inside but 50 or 60% humidity which is still quite comfortable is a big difference from the single or otherwise low-digit humidity one gets in the Sierra foothills.

[Long Ears]

Lots of us that live in the great dry install humidifiers in our homes to save hardwood floors and furniture. Mine is a household unit for the whole house. Bob

[Waksupi]

On new builds is this a good reason for epoxi instead of traditional glues?

What do you glue or epoxy on a gun?

[bob in the woods]

I build acoustic guitars and mandolins. If you think humidity is bane of long rifles , ......    !!!!   How Martin Guitars managed to build their wonderful instruments in Pennsylvania before they had humidity control is a wonder !  Using well seasoned wood is key, but it's going to move no matter what you do.
The gun [ fowler] I have which seems to be the least affected has a stock made of cherry. while the rifle I have with a red maple stock is most affected by humidity changes. I don't think the old builders worried too much about this, since their wasn't much they could do about it.

[Steeltrap]

I live in Pa. as well. My work area is my garage. I have a cheap $100 window A\C unit that keeps my 2 car garage cooled very well when I'm out there. In the winter I have a ceiling hung garage heater set at 64 which allows me to escape there in the winter. 

[Daryl]

17.8C (64F) is a good working temp.

[B Kauffman]

I'm in PA.

I hate heat therefore I hate summer.
I build guns in the summer after work to avoid being in the heat. The basement is cooler than the rest of the house which we keep at 72 in the summer. I run a dehumidifier constantly.
When I rust barrels, the outdoors is an awesome "rust box"  (especially with all the rain and heat we have had). It took only 4 days to rust to the point of pitting a barrel with LMF a couple weeks back. Thats the only thing humidity is good for as far as I'm concerned.

[Steeltrap]

As the saying goes......"It ain't the heat......it's the humidity!!"

And that's so  true. 

In speaking to a few HVAC guys,  they say if you oversize your forced air A\C unit, it will bring the temp down....but not run long enough to get the house air "mass" to be run through the condenser. Thus, you will have cool damp air.

It's "more better" for you humidity to be kept low than it is the temp. It's a balancing act for those HVAC guys.

[Bob Roller]

Here in the Ohio River Valley we are told to breathe only if we really have to.High 90's last week and we stayed in the house with the AC laboring hard.Heat is better than cold but humidity is bad here.
Bob Roller

[Osprey]

Eastern Shore of Maryland here, brackish swamp behind the house, saltwater marshes mile to the south, and nearly 10" of rain the past 10 days to boot.  Don't talk to me about humidity.  Walking out of the house in the morning is like walking into a dog's mouth.     Is it October yet???

[Old and Grumpy]

Temp 110 humidity 6%. Amazon just dropped of 7 boxes. Little girl driver (no AC in the truck) carried the entire stack in to my shop in one trip. Go Girl!  She is tiny and about 5' 5".  Think she is happy to have a job. GODDESS !

[Stoner creek]

It’s another lovely day here on Stoner Creek! Nature is doing her thing like she always does in mid July!
W

[Daryl]

"Seasoned" wood will reach and maintain 9% or 10% humidity in 50% humidity environment, according to my Bowyer's Bibles.
Not sure if that helps, or not.