Convert a upright freezer or large coolerdor.

[PigFish]

Damn Ray, I knew you've been working on some kick ass gear, but that's awesome!

Set and Forget to me means, energy efficient, but precise enough scope if measurement for consistently maintaining temps and RH, which I have dialed in, but mainly, I could forget about for months at a time, through weather and temp changes, and it's still holding steady with no worries, no stress and no bead recharging.

I think that energy efficient is really a key. I mean if I could keep a whole room at 70dF and 60rH, I would not need a humidor at all!!! -LOL

Like you, it gets hot as hell at my place. It can be 3 digits during the day and then be 50 or 60 that night. While I try to keep my place comfortable for me, it is not exactly what I consider optimum for cigars.

There is really no right or wrong way, or right or wrong practices as I see it. There are better and worse practices, there are data loggers and the data that they provide to guide us in our pursuits. You and I are both specialists in our methods and pursuits. It does not matter much to me how one gets their bliss as long as one is happy with how their cigars smoke.

For me, I am always trying to get my stuff to work a little better and I am always looking for a way to make it a little cheaper. I hate to hear stories of failure and ruined cigars… As I preach about the affordability of cigars and a desire to open the doors of cigar smoking to a newer younger crowd, I try to do what I can to push the price of precision storage options down to the level that is more inclusive to smokers on a smaller budget.

Smoking a good cigar and keeping your cigars in good condition should not only be the realm of the rich or upper income people. I think everyone can benefit from a good smoke from time to time and anyone associated with the industry should consider 'efficiency and economy' a key factor in whether the industry survives or dies. While I cannot speak for anyone else, 'economy' is a key factor in my development and I think that the industry would be better served by driving the market in that direction, than to the limited edition, super expensive, high end direction that it is currently headed.

I try to practice what I preach! I work at it everyday over here at Piggy's Lab, aka CigarClimatology!!!

Cheers! -R

[mikek]

Just saw this A lot of good info! I need to read it again when I'm rested!

[airtrade]

Nice video, great recovery time!

[airtrade]

Piggy,

I have wondered what you do for the interior of your wine coolers. Factory shelves wooden ones or drawers?

[PigFish]

One shelf is all that I use. I try to store all my cigars in boxes and shelves just take up space and get in the way. I do have a separate humidor that I keep singles in, so I have a combination of solutions.

Climate controlled humidors are utilitarian and their real estate costs money. As long as I can circulate heat and water around in there, there is no need to waste room with sprawling wasteful drawers. This is just how I see it… What someone else does with one of my humidors is their business but dividers just make the internal workings of a precision humidor more difficult.

I have made shelves from all kinds of things like polyethylene and other solid surface materials but today I tend to gravitate to a single shelf that I make from mahogany or a combination of wood and solid surface material. I used to make lattice work shelves that I would pilot drill and screw together and it just takes too much time. Now I measure the space of one of the factory shelves from a pre-made wine cooler and if I have the time I will laminate some mahogany and CNC cut it to shape. The next one I make I will post some pictures of…

The cool thing about making the stuff on a CNC is that you can port it with fancy stuff if you have the inclination and have the time. Frankly I would rather sweep up plastic chips than saw dust and I have moved away from the more traditional wood work. Solid surface materials come in sheets and they require no lamination or other preparation other than designing and cutting. They don't grow mold and if you spill on them they wipe off. I don't worry about glues and I don't worry about lamination problems, swelling and the like.

Wood is pretty and it smells nice but the gluing up, planing and preparation, while traditional is just a pain in the ass. The last thing I need is another material to have around the shop.

True climate controlled humidors don't require the crutch of piles of hygroscopic woods to make them work. Don't get me wrong, I love wood, but if you get it too saturated it is just another control problem in your humidor. Solid surface materials are clean and they don't interfere with your programmed control and that is what my systems are about. You set the controls, you condition the space and the space conditions the cigars. If the climate is too wet then you know it is from cigars and not other sources. I don't rely on the crutch of other humidor makers. I don't need saturated wood to do my conditioning. I have a logic controller and appliances for that… Wood just gets in the way and takes up space in one of my humidors. Why store wood shelves and drawers when the goal is storing cigars?

I know, it is outside the box and not traditional… So be it! It works and that is what I am about…

Cheers, Ray

[airtrade]

One shelf is all that I use. I try to store all my cigars in boxes and shelves just take up space and get in the way. I do have a separate humidor that I keep singles in, so I have a combination of solutions.

Climate controlled humidors are utilitarian and their real estate costs money. As long as I can circulate heat and water around in there, there is no need to waste room with sprawling wasteful drawers. This is just how I see it… What someone else does with one of my humidors is their business but dividers just make the internal workings of a precision humidor more difficult.

I have made shelves from all kinds of things like polyethylene and other solid surface materials but today I tend to gravitate to a single shelf that I make from mahogany or a combination of wood and solid surface material. I used to make lattice work shelves that I would pilot drill and screw together and it just takes too much time. Now I measure the space of one of the factory shelves from a pre-made wine cooler and if I have the time I will laminate some mahogany and CNC cut it to shape. The next one I make I will post some pictures of…

The cool thing about making the stuff on a CNC is that you can port it with fancy stuff if you have the inclination and have the time. Frankly I would rather sweep up plastic chips than saw dust and I have moved away from the more traditional wood work. Solid surface materials come in sheets and they require no lamination or other preparation other than designing and cutting. They don't grow mold and if you spill on them they wipe off. I don't worry about glues and I don't worry about lamination problems, swelling and the like.

Wood is pretty and it smells nice but the gluing up, planing and preparation, while traditional is just a pain in the ass. The last thing I need is another material to have around the shop.

True climate controlled humidors don't require the crutch of piles of hygroscopic woods to make them work. Don't get me wrong, I love wood, but if you get it too saturated it is just another control problem in your humidor. Solid surface materials are clean and they don't interfere with your programmed control and that is what my systems are about. You set the controls, you condition the space and the space conditions the cigars. If the climate is too wet then you know it is from cigars and not other sources. I don't rely on the crutch of other humidor makers. I don't need saturated wood to do my conditioning. I have a logic controller and appliances for that… Wood just gets in the way and takes up space in one of my humidors. Why store wood shelves and drawers when the goal is storing cigars?

I know, it is outside the box and not traditional… So be it! It works and that is what I am about…

Cheers, Ray

Very nice, I thought about using those HDPE cutting boards for shelves.

Thanks.

[PigFish]

Very nice, I thought about using those HDPE cutting boards for shelves.

Thanks.

I use a lot of HDPE. It is clean, antimicrobial and almost impervious to solvents. The only problem with it, is it is almost impossible to bond to except via mechanical bonding. 0.375in HDPE will sag so don't get it too thin. The thicker stuff is pricey and you have to be able to machine it for really nice work.

Here is a little glimpse into my world! Here is a part I designed to resurrect an old cooler and try to bring it up to what I am calling Gen9.

If I look at my engineering and shop rate and add up the time, I have about $2K into this piece of plastic! I hope it works… -LOL

I will be posting some data logs on this cooler no doubt. I will likely be selling it off to make some room for newer items (assuming it works well).

This is just one part of a dozen parts needed to complete what will make up the "system" of the back of this particular cooler.

A great controller is just one part of it lads… Without great design work, proven work, it is just a wine cooler with cigars stuffed in it…! Another of many that will never work well.…

Cheers! -the Pig