moisture scare!!!

[BloodRose]

Due to some of my medical issues, I sweat profusely.. Aside from just the horrible embarrassment, I sweat bad on my guitar when I play too.. I try to wipe the guitars down thoroughly after I play, and then do any special maintenance things to counter it after the fact. Wd40 on my strap locks for the rust etc..
Yesterday, I got out one of my guits that I hadnt played in a week or so and when I pulled it out of the case, there was condensation all over the bridge and stuff..(And incidentally its gold hardware too.) I wiped it down, and I have the case open over night to fully dry out.. Anything else I should be concerned with? Mostly be rust on the metal bits right?? Im going to breakdown and buy some of those moisture packs. will probably get some larger sized ones.. Any certain size I should get? There any danger to too much?

Anything else I can do, or should be worried about??

Thanks

 

[AlexR]

Re: moisture scare!!!

Condensation is all about the moisure in the air.....most likely when the case was last open.

For you I would suggest lots of those dessicant type packets to liberally add to the cases which should absorb any missed moisture.

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: moisture scare!!!

A dessicant pack
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00J0J5ZFW/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1511906546&sr=8-1-spons&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=desiccant&psc=1

 

[Wattage]

Re: moisture scare!!!

Wax your stuff dude

A synthetic on the poly stuff and carnauba on the nitro, use either on chrome, carnauba on gold

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: moisture scare!!!

I'd advise against dessicant packs. You don't want to dry the guitar out too much, that can be bad for the wood. Better to be a little moist than very dry IMO. Your plating might suffer a little, but I think the acid in sweat is more of an enemy than the moisture itself. My sweat is very corrosive.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: moisture scare!!!

One other thing- if you use porous guitar straps they can absorb quite a bit of sweat. I'd advise leaving the straps outside your cases until they've dried. I'm in the habit of leaving a couple sticks of myrrh incense in each of my cases so they don't start to develop a bad smell. Have done that for decades.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: moisture scare!!!

Hmm.. apparently the moisture wasn't from lack of wipe down, but rather temp change.. I wiped the guitar down very thoroughly and had it sitting with case open in the house a few days to dry out. Brought it out in garage to play and was sitting case closed for about 30 min.. opened up, and had condensation

 

[BloodRose]

Re: moisture scare!!!

Oh, two more things.. I do use leather straps, so will leave those outta case after playing to dry.. and, Wattage, I regularly polish with Dunlop N65, but ever so often, go over the poly ones with Mothers carnauba car wax.. my main worries with the moisture are warping, rust on the hardware and shorted electronics

 

[Gtrjunior]

Re: moisture scare!!!

Maybe keep it in a room with a dehumidifier if possible?

 

[Wattage]

Re: moisture scare!!!

Electronics spray is easy enough to get and use I use CRC's version but there are several out there.

Using wax on the metal parts inhibits corrosion

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: moisture scare!!!

Dessicant pack won't dry out a guitar
They absorb moisture in air

Can't pull moisture from the wood

That's ridiculous

 

[80's_Metal]

Re: moisture scare!!!

I just save those little dessicant packets from everything that I buy.... I pile them all inside my gun cabinet.

Those would work great for your condensation issue. It might take a few to work though.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: moisture scare!!!

Dessicant pack won't dry out a guitar
They absorb moisture in air

Can't pull moisture from the wood

That's ridiculous

You honestly don't believe that dry air in a case can cause a guitar's wood to dry out over time? Ask a luthier.

I suppose it might vary some depending on the local climate. But over the years I've had several acoustics become so dried out in storage that the wood was damaged. And I'm in New York, not in the desert. Nowadays I keep them humidified.

Admittedly it's far less critical with electrics but I try to keep those from drying out too much also, for the sake of the fretboards.

Condensation is a different matter. But I can't recommend desiccants.

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: moisture scare!!!

The only concern from the dessicant pack would be leaving it on the finish

Don't eat it
Don't put it on top of the guitar
Don't bust it open
Wash your hands after handling

 

[dystrust]

Re: moisture scare!!!

You honestly don't believe that dry air in a case can cause a guitar's wood to dry out over time? Ask a luthier.

I suppose it might vary some depending on the local climate. But over the years I've had several acoustics become so dried out in storage that the wood was damaged. And I'm in New York, not in the desert. Nowadays I keep them humidified.

Admittedly it's far less critical with electrics but I try to keep those from drying out too much also, for the sake of the fretboards.

Condensation is a different matter. But I can't recommend desiccants.

The OP is in Florida, so getting dry enough to damage a guitar isn't super likely.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: moisture scare!!!

The OP is in Florida, so getting dry enough to damage a guitar isn't super likely.

Ah, ok. That could explain the condensation issue too, if the guitar was cool from air conditioning. Probably ehdwuld doesn't need to worry much about it where he is either. And I suppose for those in extremely moist climates, considering dessicant packs could be understandable. But for most of us dryness can be a real concern. I've never had one of my electrics damaged by dryness. As mentioned upthread though, I've had acoustics- a '49 Gibson, a '74 Guild and an '82 Martin- suffer to the point that all three had cracks, one lost its bridge and another needed a complete refret after its ebony fingerboard shrank so much that the frets all sprouted. After nearly two grand in repairs I'm a little touchy on the subject. And you can bet I'm resolved to keep them from getting too dry again.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: moisture scare!!!

Thanks Dystrust for clearing that up.. Yeah, Im in humidland.. So, if I take guitars from in the house to the garage to play, they get condensation. I usually dont give much worry to my guitars drying out either. condensation, yes..

Yeah, Im going to have to order some of those moisture paks.. guessing I probably should get some of the bigger ones..??

 

[devastone]

Re: moisture scare!!!

I can keep them in Colorado for you, they will dry out quick :eek5: I keep a humidifier running in the house to try to keep some moisture in, but growing up in the south (TN and NC), yep, too much moisture in the air, and FL has more! Let us know if the desiccant packs help, and remember "DO NOT EAT" (or leave them where children or animals can get to them).