What level of humidity is ideal for storing your trumpets in? My hunting room where mine stay gets really low during our winter season. I am going to try and bring it up a bit to a better level. It is not uncommon to have wood furniture and other items crack in the winter. Although it hasn't happened yet, it's always in the back of my mind it may to one of my calls.
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Hey Terry, somewhere between 40-50% humidity is good in the winter.
Interesting, i guess I've never had a problem with it being that dry in the house in the winter .. good post ...
I have never had any issues with trumpets splitting/cracking due to low humidity, but it could happen for sure. I have a humidity controlled room for wood storage that I had to use building guitars, but with acoustic guitars there are top & back plates glued to rims/sides where shrinkage of the wood can cause splitting pretty easily. The idea is to keep the wood at 40-45% humidity, and build the guitar in the same room, so when exposed later to lower humidity the shrinkage is lessoned and hopefully no cracks. With trumpets there is not much in the way of restricted wood movement like the glued plates of a guitar, so less cracking seems likely(although possible).....at least that is my take on it. FYI...I also built guitars with high arches/domes on the top and back plates, that enabled the wood to shrink in low humidity without tearing itself apart like a true "flat top" might.
Some wood will crack no mater what you do, just takes time.
Quote from: ol bob on November 22, 2022, 11:59:44 AM
Some wood will crack no mater what you do, just takes time.
That is true too
With this in mind, would laminated Pot Calls be more at risk to crack or have the surface disrupted if humidity levels were involved?
Quote from: Greg Massey on November 22, 2022, 10:27:51 AM
Interesting, i guess I've never had a problem with it being that dry in the house in the winter .. good post ...
:popcorn:
I'll add the thought that it may not be a problem. I just know here in the winter when the heat is running it gets really dry. Billy Buice told me he has had multiple calls come back from NY with Buffalo horn ferrules crack in the winter. Some more than once. He recommended that I remove the mouthpieces during the winter. I instead opted for delrin.
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I've had a good handful of pot calls over the years have glass surfaces pop and and one aluminum call that the actual pot split on. I started running a humidifier in my call room when I have the furnace on and have had no issues since doing that the last couple years.
The humidifier does seem to make dust settle in the room much more than normal though and will give you reason to get the calls out more often for a wipe down and a little playing.
Thanks for your answer about the Pot Calls. I was running a dehumidifier in our home until I realized it just couldn't keep up with the demand. Had a larger one installed under our house and the monitor shows low 40's to low 50's so hopefully this will take care of potential problems. I definitely can tell a difference inside also.
Quote from: ol bob on November 22, 2022, 11:59:44 AM
Some wood will crack no mater what you do, just takes time.
I had a Snakewood trumpet crack on me. I don't think it had to do with humidity but mabye, evidently that species of wood is more prone to cracking I learned. I'd be interested in knowing if other species are know to crack or split also, as I'd like to avoid those in the future.
It was probably cracked during the Boring process. It's highly prone to cracking and pot calls made from it are even more prone to cracking and cupping if not done correctly.
Quote from: Zobo on November 23, 2022, 12:23:50 AM
Quote from: ol bob on November 22, 2022, 11:59:44 AM
Some wood will crack no mater what you do, just takes time.
I had a Snakewood trumpet crack on me. I don't think it had to do with humidity but mabye, evidently that species of wood is more prone to cracking I learned. I'd be interested in knowing if other species are know to crack or split also, as I'd like to avoid those in the future.
This is why I do not have anything made of it other than a striker.
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Quote from: 310 gauge on November 22, 2022, 03:22:52 PM
With this in mind, would laminated Pot Calls be more at risk to crack or have the surface disrupted if humidity levels were involved?
Laminated calls are less prone to warping/cracking than solid wood from what I have been told by a couple reputable call makers.
January/February with wood heat here, humidity levels can get real low in the house. I have had 8 or 10 pot calls crack (most the glass/crystal call surface). All but one were solid wood pots.
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Quote from: Sir-diealot on November 28, 2022, 10:58:03 AM
Quote from: Zobo on November 23, 2022, 12:23:50 AM
Quote from: ol bob on November 22, 2022, 11:59:44 AM
Some wood will crack no mater what you do, just takes time.
I had a Snakewood trumpet crack on me. I don't think it had to do with humidity but mabye, evidently that species of wood is more prone to cracking I learned. I'd be interested in knowing if other species are know to crack or split also, as I'd like to avoid those in the future.
This is why I do not have anything made of it other than a striker.
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I have several calls made from snakewood and I've never had a problem with them. I'm sure they are exceptions and this can include other types of woods doing the same cracking etc. But for myself i wouldn't disregard snakewood for thinking it's always going to crack or whatever if i like the call and how it sounds.
Quote from: Greg Massey on December 01, 2022, 10:47:19 AM
Quote from: ol bob on November 22, 2022, 11:59:44 AM
Some wood will crack no mater what you do, just takes time.
I have several calls made from snakewood and I've never had a problem with them. I'm sure they are exceptions and this can include other types of woods doing the same cracking etc. But for myself i wouldn't disregard snakewood for thinking it's always going to crack or whatever if i like the call and how it sounds.
With Snakewood it's not a matter of if, it's when. There's no way around it. Many call makers have refused to continue using it, because all it has done is cause headache's with repairs and issues, pot calls in particular. They pop the surfaces and or the pot cracks as well. You might not have had one crack yet, but over time they will. Even maintaining constant ambient humidity throughout the year such as using a humidifier during the winter months while the furnace is running won't completely resolve the issues. Just a fact of the matter.
Quote from: HookedonHooks on December 01, 2022, 05:13:15 PM
Quote from: Greg Massey on December 01, 2022, 10:47:19 AM
Quote from: ol bob on November 22, 2022, 11:59:44 AM
Some wood will crack no mater what you do, just takes time.
I have several calls made from snakewood and I've never had a problem with them. I'm sure they are exceptions and this can include other types of woods doing the same cracking etc. But for myself i wouldn't disregard snakewood for thinking it's always going to crack or whatever if i like the call and how it sounds.
With Snakewood it's not a matter of if, it's when. There's no way around it. Many call makers have refused to continue using it, because all it has done is cause headache's with repairs and issues, pot calls in particular. They pop the surfaces and or the pot cracks as well. You might not have had one crack yet, but over time they will. Even maintaining constant ambient humidity throughout the year such as using a humidifier during the winter months while the furnace is running won't completely resolve the issues. Just a fact of the matter.
Sorry to hear, that you had so many problems with snakewood ... I have a bunch of pot calls and have never lost one including snakewood. I guess i'm just lucky ... but i agree anything is possible and can happen to calls ...
I meant to post this the other day but I was driving when I saw this thread and forgot about it by the time I got home. There are dry cabinets that are used for photography equipment that may very well work for this and they are available in a number of sizes and prices. Here is a picture and a link to one, they have many others. Hope this is useful.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1348544-REG/ruggard_edc_50l_electronic_dry_cabinet_50l.html
(https://i.imgur.com/SkEihUem.jpg)
Mine go in a cigar humidor after the season until the next year. Same for box callers. No problems and they smell great for a week or so once brought out.