O/T What do you put in lock boxes to keep moisture out?

[timber63401]

Have a pack of silicon gel in my lock box but opened it up today and it smells of moisture in there. Do you all use something else? Thanks.

[bobbyw8469]

Those packs don't last forever. They are supposed to be rejuvenated. They probably lost their mojo.

[Snapolit1]

Was recently wondering about that. I have a small pack in my safe and it's over a year old. Safe is in a dry cool spot out of heat and sun. All my cards are encapsulated. Not sure I need to worry about adding a new silica pack but minimal cost.

[KMayUSA6060]

Not sure on the size of your box, but I have a Stack-On dehumidifier in my gun safe. Plugs into the wall to recharge. I wouldn't use it if the cards are too close (the thing gets pretty hot), but if you have space that could separate it from the cards, I'd recommend it.

[bobbyw8469]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

Was recently wondering about that. I have a small pack in my safe and it's over a year old. Safe is in a dry cool spot out of heat and sun. All my cards are encapsulated. Not sure I need to worry about adding a new silica pack but minimal cost.

You can google online on how to rejuvenate them. I know it involves cooking them in the oven, but I am unsure for how long. Might be easier just to buy new ones.

[TanksAndSpartans]

I use the smallest Eva-Dry dehumidifier. It's color coded to take the guesswork out of when it needs to be recharged.

[thecatspajamas]

Just be sure to keep them in a cup or other open container in the box of using long-term. Not all dessicants are created equal, and have heard horror stories of packets decomposing when they hit the end of their life cycle where the resulting goo caused more harm than the residual moisture would have.

[JollyElm]

Go west, young man! Ain't no moisture out here.

[drmondobueno]

Average 8% humidity year round out here. Perfect for mummies and cardboard.

Bad for eyeballs, tho.

[Jobu]

If you search Net54 for "silica" you will find a number of threads about this:

http://net54baseball.com/search.php?searchid=1428414

The desiccant packs you buy at the store are mostly filler - the active parts are the small blue/pink crystals. I used to work in the rain forest and used only the silica crystals (aka gel) and no filler and it worked well. At the end of each day I put electronics in a sealed dry bag with silica in a sock.

When they are pink they are ready to absorb water. When they are blue they are "full" and need to be baked in the oven to recharge/turn pink again. I was told to use a dedicated pan for this as the silica isn't something you want to ingest. For cards you might put the silica in a small tupperware with holes you poked in the lid just to make sure there is a physical barrier between it and your cards.

With all that said, I don't use any desiccants with my stuff.

[FirstYearCards]

I use T206 cards, really seem to soak up that moisture.

[slipk1068]

Rice

[mickey7mantle7]

I use ammo cans.

[samosa4u]

Can moisture get into the PSA and SGC holders?

[Leon]

Originally Posted by samosa4u

Can moisture get into the PSA and SGC holders?

Never seen that happen but I don't think they are "waterproof" but probably water resistant. Personally I keep my cards in a cool, dark dry place so not too worried about it. I have used a little silica pack before but don't think it's necessary for the way they are kept.