bulkhead coupler vs humidity

[gothique_97]

For the past couple of months, I've been storing my rockets in the basement of my house. My basement, it should be noted, is not exactly humidity-free. One of my rockets I had stored in its separate sections; upper payload section and lower booster section. Just yesterday, I tried fitting the two pieces together, and the cardboard [LOC] bulkhead coupler would not fit into the airframe. I sanded a little bit of the bulkhead and the inside of the tube, but it didn't help any. I'm thinking that the humidity expanded the unfinished paper coupler. Has this happened to anyone else, and is there anything I can do in the next 2 weeks?

 

[sandman]

Check that there are no metal parts. Better yet just do this to the coupler ONLY!

Try a few seconds in the microwave oven...really! A microwave oven works by heating the water molecules (I think).

Well it sure will dry out a piece of bread in a hurry...

Worth a shot anyway...just not too long, OK.

sandman

 

[gothique_97]

This is a HPR; it will not fit into the microwave.

I'm hoping by storing it in a dry place [my walk-in bedroom closet], it'll help a bit. I'm also going to try and look for those silica gel packs [the ones that say DO NOT EAT] to affix somehow to the coupler...