Can I Save This Humidor?

[CDLehner]

Hello Cigar Pass! First post; hope the members here can help.
 
First...let me introduce myself: used to be a very avid, and regular smoker. Stopped for a bit, other than the occasional stick here or there...when the mood struck. My passion has been re-ignited, by 2 things. 1) HalfWheel. I promise you; I am not some kind of shill, and have no affiliation with the site. For this past Xmas, my brother gave me a Gift Certificate, to an online store; and I wanted to do some research on what was new and good. Came across HW, and was really surprised with the direction the hobby has seemed to take. There were all these "small" and "boutique" brands being reviewed; and the site certainly did a good job, of making them sound (and look) yummy.
 
2) With my GC, I purchased some DPG My Father...and they did not disappoint!
 
So...that brings me to the reason for this post. I'd like to whip my old humidor, back into shape. It's nothing special really; I just happen to like the box; it's basic, right size, etc. Problem is...a while back, I did something really stupid!
 
Tired of Humidifiers and Hygrometers falling off the lid...I super-glued some magnets on there.  :blush:
 

 

 
In the opinion of the group...is there any way to get that sh*t off of there; some solvent or something...that won't completely fcuk up the box?
 
TIA; happy to be part of the group!

 

[ilikefishes]

Nice introduction.  Very nice to meet you and welcome from Colorado.
 
About your humidor.  The best thing to use to remove the super glue is Acetone.  You will probably need to sand the area a little after using it and then you will want to re-season it again. 
 
I would also suggest that you check out the Newbie Sampler thread and get involved in that.  You WILL be surprised by what you get.  I promise you that.

 

[CDLehner]

Nice introduction.  Very nice to meet you and welcome from Colorado.
 
About your humidor.  The best thing to use to remove the super glue is Acetone.  You will probably need to sand the area a little after using it and then you will want to re-season it again. 
 
I would also suggest that you check out the Newbie Sampler thread and get involved in that.  You WILL be surprised by what you get.  I promise you that.

 
Thanks ilike. I've read Acetone is the best thing for super-glue; but...a) how to apply? Just douse the lid around the magnets, and they should come right off; or am I likely to need to pry? B) Acetone won't stay in the wood, and screw it up for storage?
 
Thanks...again. 

 

[ilikefishes]

It should be applied sparingly. With a cue tip maybe. It should flash off pretty quickly. Be careful and take your time.

 

[MadMonk]

I would use sandpaper to get any gunk off. I avoid solvents in general, and especially on things storing what I ingest.
Any decent cedar or mahogany box is fine as long as it has enough wood to buffer humidity and a decent seal.

 

[punk_lawyer]

I would use sandpaper to get any gunk off. I avoid solvents in general, and especially on things storing what I ingest.
Any decent cedar or mahogany box is fine as long as it has enough wood to buffer humidity and a decent seal.

 
I don't make a habit of agreeing with the MadMonk but his comments make good sense to me.  I would be less afraid of leaving the super glue than I would be of adding the acetone.  The sandpaper idea is a better solution.  It gets rid of the crap without adding more crap to the mix. 

 

[DePasta]

I wouldn't worry about it.....if it (Glue) is long dried out I would just leave it there, wont hurt anything.

 

[JHolmes763]

Yeah, I wouldn't worry about it if they've been on there a while. I wouldn't recommend it for new installations, but I don't see the problem with this. Is it purely cosmetic reasons you want it off? Or did you smell glue or something when you opened it after so long? You'd probably do more damage ripping them off that it's worth.
 
-John

 

[MadMonk]

 

I would use sandpaper to get any gunk off. I avoid solvents in general, and especially on things storing what I ingest.
Any decent cedar or mahogany box is fine as long as it has enough wood to buffer humidity and a decent seal.

 
I don't make a habit of agreeing with the MadMonk but his comments make good sense to me.  I would be less afraid of leaving the super glue than I would be of adding the acetone.  The sandpaper idea is a better solution.  It gets rid of the crap without adding more crap to the mix. 
 

:love:

 

[CDLehner]

^^ Yeah guys; it's mostly "cosmetic". I mean...we want our boxes to look nice too, yes; otherwise...I'd just make a cooler-dor
 
So...sandpaper, isn't going to take off the magnets; not even like 16-grit...lol.

 

[bfreebern]

^^ Yeah guys; it's mostly "cosmetic". I mean...we want our boxes to look nice too, yes; otherwise...I'd just make a cooler-dor
 
So...sandpaper, isn't going to take off the magnets; not even like 16-grit...lol.

You can pry the magnet off, then sand the glue.....pretty sure that's what they meant.

 

[JHolmes763]

^^ Yeah guys; it's mostly "cosmetic". I mean...we want our boxes to look nice too, yes; otherwise...I'd just make a cooler-dor
 
So...sandpaper, isn't going to take off the magnets; not even like 16-grit...lol.

You can pry the magnet off, then sand the glue.....pretty sure that's what they meant.

No, i'm pretty sure they meant to sand through the magnets. Use an electric sander, if necessary.

 

[emoshun]

It should be applied sparingly. With a cue tip maybe...

 

 
:whistling:

 

[CDLehner]

^^ I'm not trying to be a smart-ass; nor dense. But wouldn't simply prying the magnets off; likely "splinter", and pull wood off the lid with it?

 

[CDLehner]

 

It should be applied sparingly. With a cue tip maybe...

 

 
:whistling:
 

 
:laugh:

 

[CDLehner]

Fellas...I finally have an update; for today, I bit the bullet and ripped 'er off like a band-aid. :0
 
Actually...I was quite gentle, and it didn't go too badly. Required a minimal amount of Acetone, and I don't think I lost that much wood off the lid (if any).
 
Now all that's left is get rid of the nasties, re-condition, and stuff it with new sticks. Sanding what's recommended next? Particulars; grit, etc.?
 
Thanks; happy to be putting this box, back to good use!
 

 

[ltjackson]

I'm impressed with the outcome! Only worry I have is the acetone residue, won't that smell linger for a while?

 

[ilikefishes]

Looks like you faired pretty wel.  Just sand it with 100 grit moving down to 150-200 grit.   Clean it up and re-condition it and you will be good to go.

Acetone is a very volitile chemical.  It will flash off almost immediately.  I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[MadMonk]

Hah! I thought you just wanted to clean up the glue around the plates, not actually remove the plates. They are a major pain in the butt to keep on.
Yeah, try some 1000 grit first, and go easy in case that is a laminate and not solid cedar. If not aggressive enough, try something like 600 or so. 
and again, go easy, use a block so everything remains flat, and go in the direction of the wood;s grain. Let the sandpaper do the work. Then go up in grit if you think you need to. Sand, wipe with a damp rag in that area only, to raise the grain, then sand lightly again. You could lightly sand the whole interior to bring back the cedar's aroma intensity.
 
I actually got some new double sided tape from 3M that is supposed to be the strongest in the world. Gonna try it on a cheaper humidor to see how it does in a moist environment. 3M swears by it, so we'll see. I have a couple of Paradigm Humidifiers and want to put them back into service on some really nice prototype humidors I snatched up. Really thick walled beauties with Elie Bleu type joinery.

 

[CDLehner]

^^ Yeah, thanks guys; I'm pretty happy with the results.
 
I'm with ILF here; the Acetone seemed to come and go in a hurry. Plus...between sanding and re-conditioning; it's not like sticks are going right back in under that lid.