Anyone have an info on these? I need something big, big enough to fit a fair number
of wooden flutes in. Anyone know where you look? How long does the humidity last?
I want to be able to travel for a few weeks. Thanks
This firm may be an option.
https://bovedainc.com/wood-instruments-music/
There’s at least one company that uses these with their reed cases.
Iain
Hi Jim -
For several years now I have been buying these: “Prestige Import Group - Water Humidification Pillows Portable Humidifiers for Cigar Humidification - 10 Pack.” On Amazon. They cost about $.70/apiece. I put one in every flute case I own. It keeps the flute at about 50% RH at all times. I measured with various little humidistats that I kept in the cases and the humidity was consistent. I never had a problem, even in harsh, dry New England winters. I find them more convenient to use than keeping all my instruments in a humidified tub. The pillow lasts about 6 weeks before you have to rehydrate it for 10-15 seconds.
I also put one in my concertina case - and fiddle case - as well, per the advice if a concertina dealer.
If you’re using one of the humidifier packets mentioned above, or heck, even a damp sponge in a Ziploc bag with some holes punched in it, I would think a good solution would be a cheap plastic picnic cooler large enough for the flutes.
After adding your humidifier packet (and don’t make it too wet or you risk mold), just close the cooler’s lid and seal it with some duct tape until you get back home. It can’t dry out when there is nowhere for the moisture to go.
This is an absolutely terrible idea! I have done multiple experiments and I can assure you that if you put some sort of humidifier in a sealed plastic or otherwise non-moisture absorbing container, the RH will rapidly skyrocket far beyond the levels desirable and safe for a wooden flute. In addition, over the period of a couple of weeks, such an environment virtually assures the onset of mold development.
Here´s what Terry McGee has to say. . .backed up with some empirical testing:http://www.mcgee-flutes.com/Humidifying_flutes.htm
Bob
Seems simple enough to me, to just make sure you only use a very small amount of moisture so you’re not overdoing it. Also, assuming the flutes are currently at the proper moisture level, what would be the harm in just putting them in an airtight container without a humidifier? The interior humidity level won’t be changing.
Anyway, I’ve always thought the ideal solution to this sort of thing is just to make sure your home environment has decent humidity control, using humidifiers or dehumidifiers like AC as needed. Not just for the safety of instruments but for human comfort levels as well. Room or whole-house humidifiers avoid sudden swings that could affect wooden instruments. A few weeks ago I left for a week-long trip and didn’t worry about humidity for my flute in its case, or my fretted instruments and S.O.'s fiddle stored in their respective cases without any extra humidity control. I knew the humidity level in our music room would be fine.
Thanks, everyone!
Question: Julia D mentioned in his earlier post a ‘humidified tub.’ What’s that? Sounds strangely inviting.
An aromatherapy “bath” comes to mind. Luxurious.
Yes, and it seemed simple enough that the earth was flat and the lights in the heavens revolved around a stationary earth which was the stationary center of everything.
The dreaded “common sense” rears its ugly head once again.
Doesn’t it ever occur to you that perhaps you shouldn’t offer advice on topics where you have little or no practical experience because it could be harmful to others? 
Well, Conical Bore lives in the humid Northwest of the US, and Jim Stone lives in the arid Southwest.
It is harder to humidify a whole house in a dry climate, and the large humidity differential can lead to moisture problems, like condensation in the walls. So, a humid box is the way to go. I like plastic boxes with lids and a round guitar humidifier (sound-hole humidifier) that lets moisture slowly out. In my almost arid climate, I have several different boxes that perform a bit differently from each other, ranging from steady 45% to steady 55% - different sealing at the lid, I guess. I don’t need to wet the humidifier but once every one or two weeks.
I wouldn’t use tape around the edge as that would seal in too much moisture. As I understand it, 50% to 60% is fine. 80% to 90% sounds harmful.
This has nothing to do with what I am addressing in any of my posts in this thread: 1.) The advice that using a sealed plastic cooler (or any sealed non-moisture absorbing container), with a water source inside is a viable option for long term unattended storage of flutes. And 2.) That offering advice on things you have no experience with is potentially harmful and therefore irresponsible.
The rest of your post is also is irrelevant to the items above, and also doesn’t address the actual question by the OP regarding a large HUMIDOR that will fit a number of flutes and maintain a safe humidity level for 2 weeks while unattended.