Low Humidity in my Gun room

Melnic · Dec 29, 2017

I have my stuff in a room that is VERY low humidity right now. I don't necessarily trust these Honeywell thermostats but it is saying 17% right now.
The rest of the house is hovering around 30% as it has a built in Humidifier but the area where my guns are, there is no water to run a humidifier unless I lug water up the stairs to a separate humidifier.

I have BLO & Tung Oil I can apply to those guns I know were finished with those oils but I'm wondering about the majority of my Milsurps. Should giving them a rub of Ballistol be ok? That is my SOP usually when cleaning them after shooting and putting them back in a gun sock and storing them.

I keep the room at 60F in the winter. My concern is do I have to worry about wood drying out and developing cracks in the dry air?

Jimbob2.0 · Dec 29, 2017

I was wondering this myself. My storage area usually is between 40 and 50% exactly where it should be but given the long period of dry air I am worried about stock shrinkage. Its been about 23 to 25% for a couple weeks.

Bob A · Dec 29, 2017

I like evaporative humidifiers. Good for musical instruments and general comfort.

Sealed wood on stocks and such will prevent drying and cracking, but there are large areas that are not finished, and that's where wood will lose moisture. A bit of wax should slow the process. If you go the humidifier route, it's as well to apply some sort of anti-rust to the metal surfaces. I use renaissance wax.

fidelity · Dec 29, 2017

Jimbob2.0 said:
I was wondering this myself. My storage area usually is between 40 and 50% exactly where it should be but given the long period of dry air I am worried about stock shrinkage. Its been about 23 to 25% for a couple weeks.

I've gotten into the habit of keeping my nicer wood stocked rifles in silicon socks (after oiling/waxing wood, taking care of metal surfaces, etc). They're essentially sealed and thus I would imagine largely protected from drying out as quickly as something not "sock worthy". One can often get the socks on sale for around $10/each in multi packs.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

j_h_smith · Dec 29, 2017

How did you manage to get your humidity level down to 17%. Man, that's dry! I don't know when you have to worry about dry air cracking wood stocks but if I were a betting man, 'd say you're pretty close. If you're oiling them down and putting them in a sock, I guess you're doing the best you can. I'd suggest you buying a hygrometer to verify those readings.

Good Luck!

Bob A · Dec 30, 2017

Most hygrometers are cr@p. I recall going into a shop that had a dozen different kinds on the wall; no two had the same reading, and the readings varied by over 20%.

I have a couple anyway. While they may not be reading true RH, they do tell me when major change is in the air. So to speak.

If you must have accuracy, sling psychometers are the best way to go. PITA to use, but you can use them to calibrate the other meters.

Melnic · Dec 30, 2017

The Honeywell color touchpad thermostats have it built in. The ones in the rest of the house agree with each other at 30% within a %

I kid you not , I walk 4ft on the carpet and touch metal and I get a spark. It might be off but air is exceptionally dry

Maybe I should store my Jerky there?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Mark75H · Dec 30, 2017

Bob A said:
Most hygrometers are cr@p. I recall going into a shop that had a dozen different kinds on the wall; no two had the same reading, and the readings varied by over 20%.

I have a couple anyway. While they may not be reading true RH, they do tell me when major change is in the air. So to speak.

If you must have accuracy, sling psychometers are the best way to go. PITA to use, but you can use them to calibrate the other meters.

I don't know of anyone in the trade still using a sling psychrometer. I show them to younger (sub60yo) techs and they don't have a clue what it even is. Some of my digitals are a bit pricey, but they all agree with the Honeywell 8000 series stat in my living room and both of my cheap weather stations.

Mark75H · Dec 30, 2017

Going back to the low humidity, if you have an older house and no humidifier its not hard to get below 20% with weather we are having now. We have actually been struggling to maintain 30% lately.

A silicone impregged sock isn't impermiable to moisture. If the gun is in a dry ambient, its still going to dry out. Proably slower than without, but its not the same as something like a drycleaning bag if you are really worried about your furniture drying out and cracking.

engineerbrian · Dec 30, 2017

Mark75H said:
I don't know of anyone in the trade still using a sling psychrometer. I show them to younger (sub60yo) techs and they don't have a clue what it even is. Some of my digitals are a bit pricey, but they all agree with the Honeywell 8000 series stat in my living room and both of my cheap weather stations.

I'm 41 and I still use one whenever i need a humidity reading. Its what i was tought to use and it just stuck with me.

Even the older guys look at me funny when i get the Bacharach Sling out and have to wet down the sock to get my readings :thumbsup:

John from MD · Dec 30, 2017

Wipe them down with Howard Feed and Wax and it will keep them in good shape.

tallen702 · Dec 30, 2017

Reading 35% and steady in my basement, but it's not hard to go lower than that if you're running forced air for your heating. We have a hydronic heating system, so we don't drive off as much moisture from our air which makes it nice in the winter. Only issue I have is in the summer, have to run a dehumidifier set to 55% to keep things in range for gun and powder storage. Otherwise, I'd be around 65% on some of the more humid days. I need to move the air return in the basement for the A/C, It's up at the top of the stairwell now. Should be down at the bottom to help draw more of the humidity out.

As for OP's problem, definitely would give them a good once-over during the winter. No need to heavily maintain them though. Or, an evaporative humidifier as others have suggested.

toppkatt · Dec 30, 2017

John from MD said:
Wipe them down with Howard Feed and Wax and it will keep them in good shape.

I know a guy on another forum. He is certified to repair /restore museum quality furniture. He also spent most of his working adult life in the finishes industry working for among others Sherwin Williams and he does not recommend Howard Feed and Wax.
The shine from this product is mostly from mineral oil and while if topcoat is intact this poses no issues, should the topcoat be damaged (scratched, dented or otherwise have an opening in the topcoat) and you apply a product with mineral oil, the mineral oil can penetrate the wood and cause the topcoat surrounding the initial damage to become damaged as well leading to possibly more extensive blistering and damage of the topcoat. Once the mineral oil is in the wood it is in there to stay.
Instead he recommends original formula Johnson's paste wax, in the yellow can or Renaissance Wax. Do NOT use any wax product intended for use on cars or metal surfaces as they will typically contain silicone products which can cause their own issues with a topcoat that is not intact.

Mark75H · Dec 30, 2017

Forced air or hydronic, doesn't really matter as much as how tight your house is. Winter hummidity depends mostly on "infiltration", how much outside dry air gets inside.

70% and 80% humidity 25 degree air has practically no humidity when it gets in your house and is heated up to 68 degrees.

tallen702 · Dec 31, 2017

Mark75H said:
Forced air or hydronic, doesn't really matter as much as how tight your house is. Winter hummidity depends mostly on "infiltration", how much outside dry air gets inside.

70% and 80% humidity 25 degree air has practically no humidity when it gets in your house and is heated up to 68 degrees.

Yes and no. While it's true that relative humidity changes due to temperature (eg, 80% at 25*F becomes 18% at 68*F) the process of heating forced air drives that percentage even lower as the air is rapidly heated past the desired temperature and then forced into the space while colder air is pulled from said space and in turn, heated well past the point of the desired temperature and so on. You don't face as severe a temperature difference with air convection over a forced water radiator meaning the relative humidity stays higher overall. And yes, the tighter your house is sealed up, the less humidity you'll have. That's why new construction and manufactured homes tend to suffer from lower humidity levels in the winter. That said, my house stays more humid in the winter than others of the same construction type and time in our neighborhood that have switched to forced air from hydronic.

Mark75H · Dec 31, 2017

only if you are cooking your guns over the floor register. In the middle of the room its all the same.

willtill · Jan 1, 2018

Is low humidity really an adverse issue with gun furniture? Or is it being blown out of proportion?

I've never seen damage to my gun furniture from low humidity. Ever. I'd rather opt for low humidity anyways... so the possibility of rust and corrosion is mitigated on metallic parts.

.

.

j_h_smith · Jan 1, 2018

Low humidity is good for steel, not so good for wood. That's what I've been told for years. That's why you try to meet a happy balance for your firearms.

Melnic · Jan 1, 2018

For those trying to understand how cold temps affect humidity levels indoors, look here:
http://www.calculator.net/dew-point-calculator.html

Punch in 80% humidity and 12F That gives you dewpoint.
Then punch in that dewpoint and 60F (what I keep my gun room at) to see the calculated RH% if air is able to leech and I have not introduced moisture. Even if its wet outside, and high RH%, if its cold, it can be very dry inside.

You can see the RH once the are is heated up drops like a rock. With a given moisture in the air, heating it up allows it to pull more moisture from surfaces into the air (hair dryer).
Why my gun room is very low humidity is because its sealed off from the rest of the house and there is nothing adding moisture back in. No people breething, no one taking showers etc.

I Just realized I also have wooden RC Model airplanes there so I think I'm going to have to put a humidifier there cause I can't oil up the airplanes like the guns. My old house with the humidifier, it was never lower than 40%. I have some airplanes that are 20 years old and still fly! Including my original trainer that I built in 1989

Mark75H · Jan 1, 2018

Low humidity can cause wood to crack. That's bad in my book

Low Humidity in my Gun room

The #1 community for Gun Owners of the Northeast

Member Benefits:

Ultimate Member

Ultimate Member

όυ φροντισ

piled higher and deeper

Ultimate Member

όυ φροντισ

Ultimate Member

MD Wear&Carry Instructor

MD Wear&Carry Instructor

JMB fan club

American Patriot

Ultimate Member

Ultimate Member

MD Wear&Carry Instructor

Ultimate Member

MD Wear&Carry Instructor

The Dude Abides

Ultimate Member

Ultimate Member

MD Wear&Carry Instructor

Users who are viewing this thread

Log in

Forum statistics