Zorb-it

[Steve Baker]

Anyone have any experience using Zorb-it? We struggle with winter dryness here and I'd like to offer my customers more than plastic boxes or rubber hoses with sponges inside. The Humidipak still seems to be in R&D purgatory... Zorb-it's name indicates that it absorbs excess moisture but it also claims to help humidify when it's dry.

Thoughts?

[Bob Webster]

I have no direct experience with Zorb-it but I do have a BS in chemistry so I think I can help. This link, http://www.zorb-it.com/usermods/technicalinfo.asp, tells all about Zorb-it.

There are a number of inorganic salts that have the property of maintaining a specific relative humidity in a container by doing exactly what the makers of Zorb-it claim that their product does. They release moisture when the RH is below a specific value and absorb it when the RH is above the value. Sounds to me as if they have a mix of these salts that will keep reasonable sized containers at around 50% humidity.

In principle, it ought to work well enough. Give it a try and let us know how it goes. I have a little skepticism about any of these devices simply because there isn't a whole lot of air circulation inside of a closed case, so that achieving an equilibrium RH could be elusive.

Cheers,
Bob

[Steve Baker]

Thanks! Very interesting to know. My hope would be that if combined with a regular water-filled humidifier, Zorb-it might keep the guitar from experiencing the extreme changes that can cause so much damage. I'll order a couple and report back.

Would still love to hear if anyone else has experimented already.