CanuckSARTech's Custom Humidor Cabinet

[CanuckSARTech]

I'm gonna bump this - I notice I've gotten a few questions in the last few weeks from some others looking to undertake a similar endeavour. So, bump, and good luck to all that can use some of the information from here (and/or check out PigFish's thread for a wine cooler conversion, as others have also mentioned).

Cheers and enjoy.

[Lotusguy]

Very nice!!

Let me guess - it's already too small, right?

[CanuckSARTech]

Very nice!!

Let me guess - it's already too small, right?

LOL. Sort of. Going to be buying another two coolers this week!

[brazoseagle]

That's pretty cool man!

[CanuckSARTech]

So, since I got two coolers in the fall to make more permanent coolerdors (and to stop borrowing/using one from my old man for the last 5 years or so ), I decided to do some testing and tuning.

The cabinet itself is working great. Nothing new to add, not much changed, everything's still within the same variables that I posted before. In another week or so, I do plan on finishing up some small trim work with the cedar on the inside, to add in mounting options for digital hygrometers, and will update on that.

But, in response to CohibaStevie's "Whats your setup?" thread (thread HERE ), I figured I'd update things on my coolerdors as well.

I have two Coleman Xtreme Marine 100 quart coolers. Very nice big things that are about $100 bucks a piece.

First things first: if you get/start yourself a cooler-dor, make sure to adequately prep your cooler - this is to get rid of any unwanted smells or chemical residues. What's worked well for me is to use a mild scrub sponge (one of those yellow and green jobbies) and to spray the whole cooler, inside and out, with Fantastic (With Bleach) bathroom cleaner spray. Then, scrub and wash, and then rinse out really really well with hot water. Then, do it all a second time, just to be sure. Again, make sure to rinse extremely well. I even use a sponge to help with the rinsing, to rub it around and make sure there's no residue of the cleaner. Then, dry out the cooler of the rinse water, and then gently spray/mist the inside of the cooler with fresh, clean water. Now use about a 1/2 a package or so of Arm & Hammer baking soda. I wipe it down everywhere, using the water's moisture to help it stick to the sides and whatnot, to make sure it's on all surfaces, almost like a baking soda paste. Then, leaving the lid open, let it sit for 24 hours or so. After it sits for a day or so with the baking soda in it, and making sure you're going to have some decent weather, take the cooler outside and put it in the sun. I like to let it sit outside for two or three days, lid open, and then bring it back into the garage/inside at nighttime, again, leaving the lid open the whole time. After doing this for a few days, the sun should have "baked" off any remaining smell, to cause the plastic to heat up and give off it's odour-causing VOC's, with the baking soda helping the whole process.

After all this is done, your cooler should be pretty much prepped and relatively odour free (any remaining plasticky/chemical smell is merely slight residual odours, and likely not to be harmful at all to your cigars). Again, using hot water, rinse out the baking soda from the inside of your cooler, and dry and clean out. Your cooler should now be ready for use as a humidor / "cooler-dor".

But, like what we were talking about in the "Plume or mold?" thread, about HabanosHoser noticing an RH difference on the bottom level of his coolers ( http://www.friendsofhabanos.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=109323&view=findpost&p=285176 ), I've been doing some work on that, so this further customizes/perfects a cooler-dor concept, IMO.

What I did was order some Spanish cedar to go in the bottom of these coolers. This acts as sort of an insulative barrier for the cold surface on the very bottom of the cooler, preventing a condensation sort of layer of water vapour that can potentially affect some cigars in a negative way by making them more prone to mold. Not all may notice this, but it's something that I've noticed a bit with where my coolers are, directly onto a cement surface in my basement.

So, since it's a great idea to put in added cedar into our coolerdors for the aroma and other positive effects (RH balancing, beetle deterence, etc.), I figured why not just put it all on the bottom surface to kill two baby seals with one stone. So I ordered some spanish cedar, and finished it all off, rounding the corners and then routering and sanding the whole finished piece, and then thoroughly wet-wiping it all down with a wet cheese-cloth (to get all the sawdust off, as well as prepping and finishing the wood - it almost worked as a fine wet-sand also). The cedar pieces then fit snuggly into the bottoms of the coolers (flat and level, working with the interior curves of the cooler's surface, but also with just enough play for any expansion/movement). Finished pieces are 30 3/4" long, by 12 5/8" wide, by 5/8" thick:

[CanuckSARTech]

And then, we have the loaded up and finished products. So, the coolerdors are then finished off with three different 8oz packs of 65% RH beads, and a Xikar rectangular calibratable digital hygrometer. There's also an Oust fan in each, to help with air circulation within.

I was also able to start work on some of the finishing trim work for the inside of my cabinet humidor. Here's some pics of the work so far, but I will update with final photos once I have it all complete and installed and lookin' pretty. Hell, with the weather so nice when I was doing this, I was even able to enjoy a nice cigar (a prelude to my baby daughter being born the day after):

Cheers all.

[maverickdrinker]

very nice setup Keith. Congratulations!

[Ghabanos]

Fricken sweet

[Ginseng]

Damn nice work! Brilliant craftsmanship.

Wilkey

[Strada]

Very nice Keith, next cooler I start,I will do the same cedar floors.

[ckearns]

Very nice, Keith. You did a great job going the extra mile to round-off those edges so the wood fits perfectly. From where did you source your cedar?

[LLC]

Looks great Keith. Well done!

[Bartolomeo]

Good stuff!

[CanuckSARTech]

Very nice, Keith. You did a great job going the extra mile to round-off those edges so the wood fits perfectly. From where did you source your cedar?

The rounding off was relatively easy. Jigsawed a 1/4 circle outlined-pattern off of the corners (about a 3" dia. circle, with a 1/4 radius cut done). Then, it made it smooth as silk to go all around the wood with a router to round off all the edges. It just makes these fit on the base/floor of those coolers like a custom-made glove - perfect.

The wood I got was from a specialty wood place local to southwestern Ontario. About the only decent source out there for us here regionally. Nice product (top quality), but a few ordering hiccups - great wood though, expensive as it is. If you need the source direct, PM me. Total cost was reasonable, all considering.

[CanuckSARTech]

Got some updates I'll be posting for this soon. Some great results with all different storage methods. Good stuff to come - hope to get into updating this in the next weekend or two.

Here's a pic of some of the finished trim to the interior, to better mount/housing to the shelf for a Xikar digital hygrometer (with some before and after shots, as well as in-construction):

[CanuckSARTech]

For some further thoughts and whatnot on the progress from this custom humidor cabinet, as well as from the coolerdors, please check out the following thread:

"Further thoughts and updates on Coolerdor stuff (freezing, vacuum bagging, polymer crystals, etc.)....": http://www.friendsof...howtopic=112435

You may find something of further usage to this there. Hopefully it helps something thinking of similar projects.

Cheers.