Pez Dispenser Ukulele / Guitar Humidifier

by CYNICALifornia in Living > Music

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Pez Dispenser Ukulele / Guitar Humidifier

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Problem: I love the desert in which I live and I also love my Ukulele (her name is Coraline). However the desert does not love Uke. In fact, the dry climate tends to try to suck all the moisture out of the wood of my Uke and potentially cause her to crack.

Solution: A small humidifier that can sit in the case with my Uke and create a happy, humid environment.

True, I could just buy a humidifier, but what fun would that be? Plus, this one only cost $3.00 to make.

Materials and Tools

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Materials:
     Pez Dispenser
     Sponge

Tools:
     Scissors
     Drill

Note: It is recommended that you use a 3M O-Cello sponge because they are quality anti-mold and anti-bacterial sponges. When I made this instructable my local store was out of these so I went with the cheapest sponge I could find. However, I will soon be switching to the O-Cello as soon as I can find one.

Step One - Eat the Candy

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The sweetest part of this instructable is the candy. I mean sure, making things warms the heart and makes us happy as it is, but Pez makes making things even better.

I recommend enjoying one package of Pez and sharing the other with a friend. I shared mine with my Dad.

Step Two - Drill

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Drill three holes into one side of the Pez dispenser. The holes are not meant to go all the way through, just through one side.

After drilling your holes you may want to clean up the edges with a bit of sand paper or a blade of some sort.

Note: There is a metal spring inside the dispenser that is going to get in a fight with your drill bit. Be careful and rest assured that your drill bit will win. (See photo from step three)

Step Three - Remove the Pez Innards

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Use your fingers or a knife or something to pry out the plastic deal inside the Pez dispenser. Then remove the spring. This can be tricky but is in no way hard. Just be careful as to not crack the Pez dispenser's outer case.

Now you can pull the head/inner case of the Pex dispenser out of the outer case. (I invite you to do so)

Step Four - Cut the Sponge

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Using the Pez dispenser as a guide cut your sponge to make a nice strip that will fill the inside of the inside case. Also cut off the scrubby bit if you'd like.

The sponge should fit firmly into the Pez Dispenser.

Step Five - Assemble and Wet

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Push the sponge into the inner case.

Slide the sponge under a small stream of running water from the sink to get it wet. You want the sponge wet, but not dripping. A good way to accomplish this is to squeeze the sides and 'fling' the water out by swinging the inner case fast.

Slide the inner case into the outer case.

You've now made a sweet Pez Dispenser Ukulele Humidifier. Congrats!

Use and Care

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You will need to rewet your sponge about every week. Do this by sliding the inner case out off the outer case and repeating step five.

You should also change your sponge out every few months or so to get rid of any mold or bacteria. I would follow this step even if you are using the fancy O-Cello sponges discussed in the note the materials and tools guide. To change the sponge slide the inner case out of the outer case, pull out and discard the old sponge, and repeat steps four and five.

Note: The break down of these steps is not meant to insult your intelligence. I simply try to write clear, thorough, and detailed instructables. : )