Had my roll of drafting vellum totally buckle on me last Tuesday - learned a hard lesson about humidity

I was working on a site plan for a local contractor (been drafting for about 5 years now) and I pulled out a fresh roll of vellum I'd been storing in my basement. Unrolled it onto my drafting table and within 10 minutes it was wavy and warped like crazy. Couldn't get a straight line to save my life. Turns out my basement humidity was sitting at 70% (I finally bought a cheap hygrometer to check). I had to reprint the whole thing on polyester film instead, which cost me an extra $40 and lost an afternoon of work. Anyone else store their drafting supplies in a humid garage or basement and have issues?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_patricia2d ago

Ugh, humidity is the silent killer of drafting supplies. I lost a whole set of blueprints to a damp garage once, the paper turned into a crinkly mess. A hygrometer is a game changer, I keep one in my studio now too. Polyester film is great but yeah, that price jump stings.

leebrown2d ago

Wait, 70% humidity? My basement never gets above 55% even in the dead of summer (I check it obsessively now) and even that feels borderline. Can't imagine unrolling vellum into a 70% soup like that, @the_patricia is right that a hygrometer should be mandatory for anyone storing paper supplies. The polyester film bailout was smart though, even if it wrecked your budget for the week.