suggestions for finishing a humidor

[M Toupin]

I'm in the process of building a humidor and need a bit of advise on finishing it. My dilemma is the top, which is a beautiful piece of spaulted maple burl with a walnut frame, basically a raised panel.. The spaulted panel, which is approx ½ in thick, has some very small cracks/splits that were caused during the drying process. The wood is now dry and the cracks are not moving any. The interior will be lined with ¼" Spanish cedar. My concern is the interior moisture (60-70%) will migrate into the spaulted panel and cause the cracks to open or split.

I think if I can get the interior of the box sealed well (the box carcass, not the cedar) this shouldn't be a problem. Polyurethane would probably be the best choice to seal the interior, but the poly would undoubtedly leave an odor that would be almost impossible to eliminate and would taint the cigars.

I plan on an oil finish and a wax buff on the exterior, though I'm in a quandary over sealing the interior… any suggestions?

Mike

[Bill Arnold]

Mike,

Shellac will seal the interior faces of the outer shell and leave no odor when cured.

Regards,

[M Toupin]

Bill,

I considered shellac, but my understanding, which might be way off base, is that shellac doesn’t make a very good moisture barrier. I’m really worried that the high moisture levels will cause havoc with the burl panel, are my concerns unfounded?

[Jim Becker]

I considered shellac, but my understanding, which might be way off base, is that shellac doesn’t make a very good moisture barrier. I’m really worried that the high moisture levels will cause havoc with the burl panel, are my concerns unfounded?

Shellac is actually one of the very best moisture barriers going and appropriate for your use. Don't confuse moisture resistance from water resistance (in the context of liquid sitting on the finish). They are two very different things.

[M Toupin]

Thanks, for the advice. I'll give it a shot.

Mike

Shellac is actually one of the very best moisture barriers going and appropriate for your use. Don't confuse moisture resistance from water resistance (in the context of liquid sitting on the finish). They are two very different things.