MOTHER'S way of keeping cabinet dry


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lomogig

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Feb 10, 2008
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she helped me gather charcoal, those used for bbq and kept them in an airy bag. using that as moisture sucker. she says it works wonder and last much much longer than thirsty hippo which eventually turns into liquid. i wonder if anyone uses this method as well. im a newbie. but it seems that the curboard really feels dry inside. the size of the cabinet is about say, 1 and a half A3 size paper?
 

If you enjoy having fine charcoal dust on your sensor and in the gearings of your lenses, go right ahead. I would rather trust a proven method: Dry cabinet.
 

Agree with previous poster. Charcoal dusts might be a problem after a while. Better use thirsty hippo or silica that does not generate powdery stuff...
 

The humidity need to be controlled and within a certain range. Apart from the charcoal dust your method and even the hippo might result in a very low RH with other side effects. Don't skimp here.
 

This is about the STUPIDEST idea that someone can dream of.

Actually, put camera ia a very airy spot, use it often, you will have no problem.

Charcoal is about the worst you can do.
 

Charcoal is very useful do you know?

you can do sketching with charcoal...

you can use it for BBQ....

you can use it to plant some orchid.....

especially very useful when you have lao sai, can take some charcoal. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
 

Charcoal is very useful do you know?

you can do sketching with charcoal...

you can use it for BBQ....

you can use it to plant some orchid.....

especially very useful when you have lao sai, can take some charcoal. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

but not to be stored together with optical equipments!
 

to TS,

during Luna 7th month, people bid a few thousand dollars for a piece of Charcoal, and they call it "black gold", and display it at a very prominent place to hope the "black gold" will bring then good luck for the coming year..

not forgetting in some rural areas people use Charcoal as toothpaste, don't believe, you can ask your mother.

anyway, must say very "creative" to use Charcoal as drying agent for your camera.. :)
 

I put charcoal in my fridge :)
 

i put charcoal in my toy cabinet.
 

Thats not nice to word it. You are saying that the TS's mother is stupid.



This is about the STUPIDEST idea that someone can dream of.

Actually, put camera ia a very airy spot, use it often, you will have no problem.

Charcoal is about the worst you can do.
 

she helped me gather charcoal, those used for bbq and kept them in an airy bag. using that as moisture sucker. she says it works wonder and last much much longer than thirsty hippo which eventually turns into liquid. i wonder if anyone uses this method as well. im a newbie. but it seems that the curboard really feels dry inside. the size of the cabinet is about say, 1 and a half A3 size paper?

it may work for other purposes, but I would suggest not to do that in this situation. we already have so much problems with dust and to introduce charcoal into the equation won't end up good.
 

Thats not nice to word it. You are saying that the TS's mother is stupid.

No, it is not. But you miss the context. Charcoal has its purposes as listed by others. It's just completely wrong when it comes to storing optical equipment due to the charcoal dust.
 

I won't deny the fact that having couple of dried charcoal in a sealed container prevents fungus but may not be ideal as it is dusty. There are bamboo carbon air freshener but I am not sure how effective.

Yes, dry charcoal does absorb moisture and the large surface area of fine pores traps smells and dirt as well. Good for water and air filtration in removing dirt, smell, color and large molecular chemical. And carbon does in certain extend inhibits mold and bacteria growth. Primary used for non sensitive item like apparels. There are activated carbon without the carbon dust but only used for filtration and not BBQ charcoal.

Activates carbon pills are used to stop diarrhoea and slows food poisoning effect by absorbing the toxin in the stomach.

Charcoal for fridge must be placed where in the path of air flow. Is BBQ charcoal more effective than thirsty hippo, depends on the moisture level.

Charcoal absorbs at slower rate, thus does not exhaust fast in very high humidity environment. Calcum chloride hippo does not do well in very high humidity bec the calcium chips dampen too fast, disintegrate and drop into the solution. Once in solution they dissolve an becomes ineffective.

Which the reason you notice that in a low damp cabinet, the water level in the container can reach very high, while some only 50%. Worst are the cheap brand where the most would have dropped to the bottom before starting.

she helped me gather charcoal, those used for bbq and kept them in an airy bag. using that as moisture sucker. she says it works wonder and last much much longer than thirsty hippo which eventually turns into liquid. i wonder if anyone uses this method as well. im a newbie. but it seems that the curboard really feels dry inside. the size of the cabinet is about say, 1 and a half A3 size paper?
 

There are those activated carbon that are properly packed in permeable cover. I used to use them in my car to get rid of smell due to humidity and to keep roaches away. But you need to replace them every few months. The thing is there is no indicator so you do not know if it is still effective or not. Also, over time, the cost do add up so it is better to go with the cheaper reusable silica gel or a permanent dry cabinet to save all the fuss.

I do not think it is proper to say other people's ideas are stupid. Many inventions arises from the stupidest of ideas.
 

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>The humidity need to be controlled and within a certain range. Apart from the charcoal dust your method and even the hippo might result in a very low RH with other side effects. Don't skimp here.

As Octarine has said.
The reason we use a dry cabinet is because the humidity is controlled.

Like out face, too oily cannot, too dry also cannot...:)
 

charcoal can work, but no matter what its still best for you to take your camera out for use regularly.. as putting anything into a cupboard with whatever hippo will still have the possibility of fungus growth...
 

she helped me gather charcoal, those used for bbq and kept them in an airy bag. using that as moisture sucker. she says it works wonder and last much much longer than thirsty hippo which eventually turns into liquid. i wonder if anyone uses this method as well. im a newbie. but it seems that the curboard really feels dry inside. the size of the cabinet is about say, 1 and a half A3 size paper?

Well... you could try it out and let us know how it will be like... but its very risky because your image sensor will be very dusty
 

Thats not nice to word it. You are saying that the TS's mother is stupid.

He's just saying that the TS's mother doesn't know about the effect of charcoal dust on finely tuned optical instruments.

In any case, using Thirsty Hippo is a standard practice, but at least get a box with a RH meter. I use the one from digicabi and while it looks simple, it's effective enough. Displayed RH is about 45-50% with a Thirsty Hippo inside.

You can buy the DIY silica gel (about $3-4 for a bottle of 500gm), but meh... I've used my thirsty hippo for about 3 months and there is no water inside yet.

Edit:
If you're spending about $2000 on body and lenses, might as well toss in $100 and get a proper electric dry box. The drying agent is for cheapos like me =)
 

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