Silica Gel for moisture control.....

[DOUGSDEN]

Hello folks!
I was wondering if anyone has had any practical experience using silica gel packs for moisture control in either storage boxes that contain feathers, furs, etc. or in rod cases to keep the cork handles and rod socks from getting musty? No, I still do not have air conditioning in my house and I realize that a/c does go a long way in reducing humidity. I have for years placed a pack or two in each of my storage boxes and have had no trouble what so ever! I am just a bit curious about the long term effects in either storage boxes or rod tubes!
Thanks in advance,
Doug

[Theroe]

Hello folks!
I was wondering if anyone has had any practical experience using silica gel packs for moisture control in either storage boxes that contain feathers, furs, etc. or in rod cases to keep the cork handles and rod socks from getting musty? No, I still do not have air conditioning in my house and I realize that a/c does go a long way in reducing humidity. I have for years placed a pack or two in each of my storage boxes and have had no trouble what so ever! I am just a bit curious about the long term effects in either storage boxes or rod tubes!
Thanks in advance,
Doug

Doug - yes, I hoard those packets, and put them in just about EVERYthing!!
Moisture and moths - both enemies....I also have a dehumidifier in my "area".

Also: if all of your fishing and tying things are in one area, buy one of those "dry buckets" - most marinas carry them.

Good Luck
Dana

[Trevis]

Silica gel is kinda like a sponge, once it is wet it has to be dried before it can hold any more water.
I use it to dry my hearing aides, ~1/4 cup in a closed container, and about once a month it has to go into the micro wave and get dry again, many snows past when I was a young sailor we used bags of it around some electronic gear and again periodically it had to dried, we used an oven that was meant for cooking electric motors after rewinding- I don't recall details. Stuff I have turns from blue to pinkish as it takes on moisture and blue again when dry.
Point being that long term (couple months?) I don't think it will have any effect at all other than taking up space. On the other hand my tackle and my fly materials live in an out door shed with no heat no air conditioning and have for decades with no problem. I do keep a bit of borax in the storage containers for furs and feathers and in the big tote and add a moth ball now and then. Borax dries things like moth larvae and fresh hides, it may aid in keep the mildew at bay also. I might google that, as I have mold problems in other areas.

[chase creek]

Interesting thought. I'll follow this. My only experience with them is I keep 2 or 3 packs in my camera bag. Never tried them in my tying stuff, but never had any problems (except for the cat) either. Will keep an eye on this thread.

[DOUGSDEN]

Guys,
Thanks for the great responses! I never thought about the need for drying them out after a time they are in service! I am fortunate to pick up a few packets a week where I work from different boxes that come in! I also hoard them and rotate them in and out of the storage boxes that I have. I have been a big chicken about putting these packs in a sealed rod tube but I think I will start! I just have it in the back of my mind that silica gel emits some sort of gas that may be harmful to some items such as feathers and furs. Please tell me I am nuts and that there is no such thing happening!
I have recently placed a container in my gun cabinet that houses a product called Damp-Rid. This product is awesome in that it reliably takes the moisture out of the air in enclosed spaces. Again, I worry just a bit about the chemical spin off (if any) of this product and I am watching closely to see if all things are well in there!
Again, thanks so much guys for your helpful hints and experiences! It means a bunch to me!
From the den,
Dougsden

I am anxious to hear from everyone who can share their experiences with storage and moisture control issues!

[hankaye]

DOUDSDEN, Howdy;

Well, ol' Bud, down here in the SW desert we have a decided lack of moisture. The opposite
of your problem. Year round average is generally less then 20% humidity some times less then
10% for weeks on end. Grabbed the following from Yahoo weather this is right now;
Showers
Feels like84°
Humidity30%
Visibility10.00 miles
UV Index0 (Low)

The high temp this afternoon was 102*F

hank

[DOUGSDEN]

Holy Cow Hank!
I am loving the low humidity but, yikes on the 102 degree temps! You live in a great place Hank! I would like to come see you some day!
Here in the Ohio Valley, we are coming off a month or so of high temps and rather oppressive humidity. My materials have been doing great with no damage noted. The cork on my rods gets this funky, musty smell that drives me whacky! The only exception is my bamboo wonder that Ruard created for me. It is kept in my gun cabinet in a tightly sealed aluminum rod case. I check on it frequently but, unfortunately with all the jazz that has been going on in my life lately, I fish it less often! It is doing great and I fully expect to put it thru it's paces this fall. Bamboo is wonderful!! Thank you Ruard for creating such beauty and function all at the same time!
Doug in the cooler den!

[Old Hat]

I missed this post. I have always kept them in my hook boxes and I replace them about every 6 months. My wife is a pharmacist so I have easy access to a large supply.

[joaniebo]

This subject reminds me when I was in Vietnam a couple centuries back. The humidly was so bad in our hooch we would spray the walls with Lysol to try to keep the mold under control. My uniforms (er - fatigues) were always kinda damp until I realized that in my Fuels' lab, we had nice-sized bags of desiccant to keep our lab equipment dry.

Grabbed a couple of these desiccant bags and put them in my locker.... man, was it nice to have dry clothes in the morning. Every few days, would take the desiccant bags back to the lab's oven and putting them in the drying oven to recycle / dry out the contents.

Bob

[jcwillow777]

Who da thunk? I never thought about drying them out. That is brilliant! I recently bought 50 packs on Amazon for my gun cases.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DY ... =UTF8&th=1