Thread: Antique Humidor Question

lets see if this works:

Well, if nothing else it looks really pretty!

Im sure it has a purpose, the conditions I hear all the major copper complaints of oxidation and corrosion are in areas where there is salt water and high humidity, neither of which are in your house (hopefully ). The only properties I am familiar with are its conductive and signal absorbing properties....I am SURE there is info on the web since copper has been used for so long....now I am really curious...just not curious enough to look it up myself lol

Originally Posted by JLStorm

Well, if nothing else it looks really pretty!

Im sure it has a purpose, the conditions I hear all the major copper complaints of oxidation and corrosion are in areas where there is salt water and high humidity, neither of which are in your house (hopefully ). The only properties I am familiar with are its conductive and signal absorbing properties....I am SURE there is info on the web since copper has been used for so long....now I am really curious...just not curious enough to look it up myself lol

Yeah-- if you've seen copper corrode quickly in those environments then I'll take your word for it ---- it might have something to do with extreme condtions of salt and maybe abrasives that keep the patina from forming ----

Didn't want to contradict any first hand experiences you've come across.

Jusitn

Originally Posted by jaegerhund

Yeah-- if you've seen copper corrode quickly in those environments then I'll take your word for it ---- it might have something to do with extreme condtions of salt and maybe abrasives that keep the patina from forming ----

Didn't want to contradict any first hand experiences you've come across.

Jusitn

Ya its a big problem out in the field...in fact I have been to labs that have enormous salt air machines that duplicate everything from regular conditions on the coast to hurricane season just to evaluate the performance of copper and any other materials that have the potential to perform better or new agents that could be used in an alloy of some sort. But like I said, thats a much different condition than a home...you could get damn near anything to corrode in that environment.

This is my humidor:

I was thinking that it was possibly there to keep the temperature at a more constant level....but that would only really work with all 4 sides covered in copper (I think).

It also says in one of those links I posted that it might create a better seal ---


So here's the possibilities:

(1) Corrosion resistant
(2) Germicidal properties
(3) Maybe some temperature control
(4) Airtight seal (maybe Wildtim's originally had a lining on the door ?)
(5) Looks cool --- maybe a luxury item ---copper probably wasn't cheap ?
(6) To cause confusion for people in the future



Justin

Originally Posted by jaegerhund

So here's the possibilities:

(6) To cause confusion for people in the future



Justin

Huh?...What?...I don't understand?

Ok I have been googling this for around 30 minutes here is all that I come up with.

• Humidors used to be lined with copper, tin, or milk glass
• Many of the humidors built in or after 1920 were made with tin painted to look like copper
• Often these boxes were really for radio's. It makes sense if a radio had an external antenna that the radio would be placed in a copper lined box to help with RF isolation, I am wondering if thats what many of these so called humidors are?
• Copper has amazing heat conducting properties and is now used in humidors as a heat sync to draw heat out and stabilize the temperature.

So after all that...I still dont know shit....but those are my best guesses...someone must know a cigar guy that has the answer!

If you want to find out if its tin or copper just use a magnet and see if it is attracted..of you could try shutting shutting a cell phone in there and seeing if you can call it...but with only three panels of copper you probably still could even if it is copper.

Tried a magnet and by freakin golly it's magnetic ruling out copper! DUH!

Thanks Josh - some progress!

I was certain that there would be some cigar guy here who would know for sure....still waiting.

Scott