Wooden humidors are lovely, but many just aren't up to the task. A lot of times the craftsmanship isn't ideal for storing cigars as they don't seal well. If it's a humidor with a lifting lid, you should be able to let the lid drop from a few inches and it won't slam shut but sort of 'whoosh' at the end.
Another way to check the seals is to put a torch inside, turn out the lights and shut the humidor and see if you have any light leaking out.
As far as seasoning a humidor, the best way I have found is to buy a cheap spray bottle, fill it with distilled water and spray the inside. Wipe off the excess with a clean cotton rag or t-shirt, let it dry for a few hours, and repeat. It can take a few times doing this.
What kind of humidifiers are you using? They might require something other than just distilled water, ie, a propylene glycol/water mix. In the States cigar shops sell bottles of this but you can also just buy propylene glycol at a drugstore and mix it your self to a 70/30 or 60/40 ratio.
A dirt cheap solution for more humidity is to buy a small tupperware, go to a florist or craft shop and buy wet florists foam. Make sure it is the wet not the dry variety. It's essentially a dense sponge and just soak it with your propylene glycol/water mix and put it in the humidor.
Don't know if you can readily buy those things here as I have trouble finding just distilled water.
I don't know if you've calibrated your hygrometer, but if your cigars are rock hard that's probably not the issue. Still, it won't hurt to calibrate it if it's not been done. Put the hygrometer in a ziploc bag with a small cup or large bottle cap with a salt and water mix. The salt should have the consistency of wet sand at a beach and it will maintain 75% humidity. If you seal up the bag and leave it for a minimum of 24 hours to let it adjust you can see how accurate your hygrometer is. It should be very near 75% on the nose.
If all else fails, go back to the tupperware. I have some lovely wooden humidors but I don't store my cigars in them. I've used tupperwares, picnic coolers and wine fridges to store cigars. It ain't elegant, but it works very well.
Wooden humidors are lovely, but many just aren't up to the task. A lot of times the craftsmanship isn't ideal for storing cigars as they don't seal well. If it's a humidor with a lifting lid, you should be able to let the lid drop from a few inches and it won't slam shut but sort of 'whoosh' at the end.
Another way to check the seals is to put a torch inside, turn out the lights and shut the humidor and see if you have any light leaking out.
As far as seasoning a humidor, the best way I have found is to buy a cheap spray bottle, fill it with distilled water and spray the inside. Wipe off the excess with a clean cotton rag or t-shirt, let it dry for a few hours, and repeat. It can take a few times doing this.
What kind of humidifiers are you using? They might require something other than just distilled water, ie, a propylene glycol/water mix. In the States cigar shops sell bottles of this but you can also just buy propylene glycol at a drugstore and mix it your self to a 70/30 or 60/40 ratio.
A dirt cheap solution for more humidity is to buy a small tupperware, go to a florist or craft shop and buy wet florists foam. Make sure it is the wet not the dry variety. It's essentially a dense sponge and just soak it with your propylene glycol/water mix and put it in the humidor.
Don't know if you can readily buy those things here as I have trouble finding just distilled water.
I don't know if you've calibrated your hygrometer, but if your cigars are rock hard that's probably not the issue. Still, it won't hurt to calibrate it if it's not been done. Put the hygrometer in a ziploc bag with a small cup or large bottle cap with a salt and water mix. The salt should have the consistency of wet sand at a beach and it will maintain 75% humidity. If you seal up the bag and leave it for a minimum of 24 hours to let it adjust you can see how accurate your hygrometer is. It should be very near 75% on the nose.
If all else fails, go back to the tupperware. I have some lovely wooden humidors but I don't store my cigars in them. I've used tupperwares, picnic coolers and wine fridges to store cigars. It ain't elegant, but it works very well.