Thread: How do you keep your gun cabinet dry?

Having a bit of trouble keeping the rust and Damp out. What are people solutions.
Not Keen on damp rids. Don't think they help much.
Thinking of a light bulb in there.
Any other ideas

Cabinet heater. Small silicon heat pad, 40w


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dehumidifier in room every now and then...

Napiers VP90 work a treat.
Cheap and effective. Put the date on them and replace each year.
https://www.napieroflondon.co.nz/pro...sion-inhibitor

I use one of these in my 10 gun cabinet
https://www.bunnings.co.nz/dampchase...eater_p0448989

there is a type of heater element that won't go above a certain temp. that's what i've got in the works

I usea lot of oil and the occassional dehumidier though and it works for me

@Remmodel7 This is a complicated problem l have battled for decades around the world & will just explain what l found worked,in conditions we faced, so will take a bit of detail to answer after finding the silica types of beads make the problem worse unless monitored closely when in bad conditions when you need them the most .

I have had a fair bit of experience dealing with this for over 30 yrs as l have guided & lived in places like Alaska on a 80ft Mothership, hunting costal fringes using boats for access & living aboard & rafted rivers for months , then to the other extremes we have guided/hunted in hot ,high humidity tropical climates for years in PNG & the Top End of Oz in the likes of Arnhem Land & the Kimberley's & lived on their tropical Islands.

We also spent 2 yrs on & off living & travelling around Oz in a 4x4 Mitzi Canter ,Camper rig ,where the guns were stored in a safe under the bed in the camper, in every thing from extreme desert heat to Monsoons & Cyclones to snow in their "high" country while hunting Sambar .

What has worked for me is the same thing they used in Alaska, not only in their gun safes but even inside their boat hulls while in storage to stop moisture which would freeze & damage hulls & also we seen in multiple Firearms Museums was the "Golden Rod " type dehumidifier. I have run the same 18 inch models for over 20 yrs with no problems & they use a Watt per inch .I run these with a cheap Hygrometer (humidity MONITOR with high/low record) as museums recommend firearms are kept at between 45 -55 % relative humidity to avoid damage , higher than that is when rust occurs & lower damages by too much drying .

When we were in/on the motherships in Alaska, or mountain tops in Montana in the Elk Horse Camps, another trick they would do is have a mesh doored cabinet in the same room as the wood fires , so the guns would be cleaned/wiped down & then placed in the "drying" cabinets & brought up to room temperature before placing in the enclosed safes over night ,to stop moisture forming in the barrel ,action ,mag channels/gaps etc .

At our new Bach which is on the West Coast, with the Fiordland as our back yard & walking distance to the beach ,we had the added problem of not only salt air from the coast, but the guns getting soaked all day in our Jet Boat we use a lot for reaching hunting grounds on the river & typical Fordland cold,rainy days ,we hunt in year round . l just set up a 10 gun safe & one of the locking Mesh doored "drying " cabinet in the living room with the wood fire to provide drying/warmth for the guns after a hunt/cleaning (sat behind locked Mesh door, with cupboard door open until dried out )& the gun safe kitted with one of the 18 inch "Golden Rods " .I disguised the safes by buying & gutting the normal hardware store ,type wooden cupboard flat packs & simply sitting & bolting the safes directly to the slab & wall to specs, inside the gutted cupboards surrounds out of sight ,this means if we are not there ie out in the boat Diving/fishing ,any one snooping, looking through a window etc will not see the safes but a normal cupboard ,the Rod is powered through the back of the cupboard where there is a socket ,hidden behind the "cupboard" .

I monitored the Golden Rod effect in the safe when l first took it down , (in pouring rain so it started out damp), with the Hygrometer to see how soon it got the inside humidity down to the desired 50% humidity range, when it was 84% humidity outside & it took just over 3 hrs to reah & hold ,so even badly damp gunstocks etc will be brought down to the desired 50% range in no time . System has worked well ,with conditions from Jet Boat soaking while snow on tops & driving rain causing river flooding to Salt spray & high humidity .

TLDR Fought rust in safe in worlds extremes of climate from Artic to Tropics & Golden Rod type Gun Safe Dehumidifier worked best, as used by worlds leading Gun Museum's .

Pic of living room at Bach with how l disguised the Gun Safe inside flat pack cupboard away from prying eyes ,so on the right side door is the Metal Mesh Door Security Cabinet,to use heat from fire to get guns up to temp after day getting soaked in Jet Boat & left has the 10 gun safe fitted with 18 inch Golden Rod Gun Safe Dehumidifier.

Gun Safe disguised in cupboard in far corner ,open fire is on wall behind me so just a nice radiant heat to reach guns .



" Bush Pig " the 4x4 Twin Cab ,Canter camper we lapped Oz twice in ,living for extended periods from the extreme coastal Top End Monsoonal Tropics to deep south Mountain Snow Fields while hunting Sambar. Guns were stored under bed in Safe ,from high 40deg + to below freezing where the door would be frozen shut. Probably some of the worst conditions / environment you can have.

I had vent holes and a small wall mounted bathroom fan and a cheap 24 hour timer on mine. The fan uses very little power and air movement at the right times is usually enough to stop most of the issue. Moisture seems to be at its worst at the temp difference times of day so I set the fan to run at those times

Originally Posted by bunji

@Remmodel7 This is a complicated problem l have battled for decades around the world & will just explain what l found worked,in conditions we faced, so will take a bit of detail to answer after finding the silica types of beads make the problem worse unless monitored closely when in bad conditions when you need them the most .

I have had a fair bit of experience dealing with this for over 30 yrs as l have guided & lived in places like Alaska on a 80ft Mothership, hunting costal fringes using boats for access & living aboard & rafted rivers for months , then to the other extremes we have guided/hunted in hot ,high humidity tropical climates for years in PNG & the Top End of Oz in the likes of Arnhem Land & the Kimberley's & lived on their tropical Islands.

We also spent 2 yrs on & off living & travelling around Oz in a 4x4 Mitzi Canter ,Camper rig ,where the guns were stored in a safe under the bed in the camper, in every thing from extreme desert heat to Monsoons & Cyclones to snow in their "high" country while hunting Sambar .

What has worked for me is the same thing they used in Alaska, not only in their gun safes but even inside their boat hulls while in storage to stop moisture which would freeze & damage hulls & also we seen in multiple Firearms Museums was the "Golden Rod " type dehumidifier. I have run the same 18 inch models for over 20 yrs with no problems & they use a Watt per inch .I run these with a cheap Hygrometer (humidity MONITOR with high/low record) as museums recommend firearms are kept at between 45 -55 % relative humidity to avoid damage , higher than that is when rust occurs & lower damages by too much drying .

When we were in/on the motherships in Alaska, or mountain tops in Montana in the Elk Horse Camps, another trick they would do is have a mesh doored cabinet in the same room as the wood fires , so the guns would be cleaned/wiped down & then placed in the "drying" cabinets & brought up to room temperature before placing in the enclosed safes over night ,to stop moisture forming in the barrel ,action ,mag channels/gaps etc .

At our new Bach which is on the West Coast, with the Fiordland as our back yard & walking distance to the beach ,we had the added problem of not only salt air from the coast, but the guns getting soaked all day in our Jet Boat we use a lot for reaching hunting grounds on the river & typical Fordland cold,rainy days ,we hunt in year round . l just set up a 10 gun safe & one of the locking Mesh doored "drying " cabinet in the living room with the wood fire to provide drying/warmth for the guns after a hunt/cleaning (sat behind locked Mesh door, with cupboard door open until dried out )& the gun safe kitted with one of the 18 inch "Golden Rods " .I disguised the safes by buying & gutting the normal hardware store ,type wooden cupboard flat packs & simply sitting & bolting the safes directly to the slab & wall to specs, inside the gutted cupboards surrounds out of sight ,this means if we are not there ie out in the boat Diving/fishing ,any one snooping, looking through a window etc will not see the safes but a normal cupboard ,the Rod is powered through the back of the cupboard where there is a socket ,hidden behind the "cupboard" .

I monitored the Golden Rod effect in the safe when l first took it down , (in pouring rain so it started out damp), with the Hygrometer to see how soon it got the inside humidity down to the desired 50% humidity range, when it was 84% humidity outside & it took just over 3 hrs to reah & hold ,so even badly damp gunstocks etc will be brought down to the desired 50% range in no time . System has worked well ,with conditions from Jet Boat soaking while snow on tops & driving rain causing river flooding to Salt spray & high humidity .

TLDR Fought rust in safe in worlds extremes of climate from Artic to Tropics & Golden Rod type Gun Safe Dehumidifier worked best, as used by worlds leading Gun Museum's .

Pic of living room at Bach with how l disguised the Gun Safe inside flat pack cupboard away from prying eyes ,so on the right side door is the Metal Mesh Door Security Cabinet,to use heat from fire to get guns up to temp after day getting soaked in Jet Boat & left has the 10 gun safe fitted with 18 inch Golden Rod Gun Safe Dehumidifier.

Gun Safe disguised in cupboard in far corner ,open fire is on wall behind me so just a nice radiant heat to reach guns .

Attachment 190528

" Bush Pig " the 4x4 Twin Cab ,Canter camper we lapped Oz twice in ,living for extended periods from the extreme coastal Top End Monsoonal Tropics to deep south Mountain Snow Fields while hunting Sambar. Guns were stored under bed in Safe ,from high 40deg + to below freezing where the door would be frozen shut. Probably some of the worst conditions / environment you can have.

Attachment 190529

Sounds pretty good. So i guess those are a bit like the dampchaser that rugerman linked.

I put the DVR from the video surveillance system inside the fireproof gun safe to keep the DVR away from intruders and to protect it from fire. As a symbiotic relationship, the DVR keeps the safe warm and dehumidified. Great use of heat energy.

@JessicaChen Yeh my other photos did not load ,the difference is that these Golden Rod ones are museum rated & life time guaranteed & back when l got them were all USA made. I have 5, 10 gun safes with separate safes dedicated for my Sako , Brno & Shotgun collections & have Golden Rods in them all, the oldest Golden Rod l have in use is 30 something years old & the newest around 10yrs since l brought it , l brought them all while we were in the States guiding at various stages direct from Outfitters for guides.

The smallest ones are the 18 inch model & biggest 24 inch ,but l find the 18 inch is a good compromise ,they were only $30 something bucks with Tax back then . So after 30yrs of constant service with never a problem you can see why l recommend them ,but whether the new ones are built in the US to the same standard & not now in China like a lot of stuff l do not know ,if you look up Golden Rod Gun Safe Dehumidifier & it states they are still Museum Rated ,IMO they would be worth a few more bucks spent . What the Museum Rated means is insurers authorize them for constant use , in cabinet's containing Millions of Dollars worth of gear ,paintings ,books etc .

I also recommend getting one of the cheap Hygrometer (humidity MONITOR with high/low record),they are under $10 bucks now & it gives you a instant reading on what is happening in the safe .


Here is the pics l tried to post before of a couple of my 18 & 24 inch in the safes & the Mesh door cabinet l am using as a drying cabinet for the guns after a day in the Jet Boats or Fiordland weather etc at the Bach.

Golden Rod Gun Safe Dehydrator 's










Mesh Door locking Cabinet

I live in Central Otago!