How to un-tighten a mold

[webmost]

Scored this beauty at an antique shop today for a mere thirty bucks:







Looks to be in excellent shape.
Nice shape: a tapering perfecto with a broad foot. I like it.

Here's the only problem:







Won't quite squeeze shut. Almost; not quite. Tight tight tight.
The antique feller assures me it fit together when he put it in the case. I believe him. No idea what could have swelled it tight. Doesn't seem to be tight just one place... but all along. So I took a flier.

Any ideas how to fix this?
Anyone ever had it happen?

 

[GreenDragon]

I suspect that it may have dried out too much while sitting in the shop. Try slowly humidifying it with a mist of water a few times a day for several days. It also looks like it has some water damage that could have caused excessive warping. Just my 2 cents!

 

[Knucklehead]

We would put bundles of hardwood flooring in the house a week to two weeks prior to install to let the flooring acclimate to the climate and inside the house. Run the heat or A/C to desired temps. I just googled acclimating hardwood and some say three days is plenty. Let it sit a few days and see if there are any changes. Has it been wet, rainy, and humid there? If no change after a few days, you may have to wrap sandpaper over a paint paddle or something straight and just hit the high, tight spots until it’s a slip fit. Don’t force it and cause splits. If you can see whiter, cleaner rub spots hit those first.

 

[Biglizard1]

Tis a beaut nonetheless.

 

[MarcL]

How is this coming along?