Storage room humidity

[troutfisher13111]

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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[GregGwaltney]

Hey Terry, somewhere between 40-50% humidity is good in the winter.

[Greg Massey]

Interesting, i guess I've never had a problem with it being that dry in the house in the winter .. good post ...

[GregGwaltney]

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.

[ol bob]

Some wood will crack no mater what you do, just takes time.

[GregGwaltney]

Some wood will crack no mater what you do, just takes time.

That is true too

[310 gauge]

With this in mind, would laminated Pot Calls be more at risk to crack or have the surface disrupted if humidity levels were involved?

[tal]

 

Interesting, i guess I've never had a problem with it being that dry in the house in the winter .. good post ...

 

[troutfisher13111]

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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[HookedonHooks]

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.

[310 gauge]

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.   

[Zobo]

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.

[mmclain]

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. 

[Sir-diealot]

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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[vt35mag]

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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