Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Trapping trap preparation - dye

I got some traps and I am wanting to prepare them. I bought some of the logwood dye and wax. I do not have anything to do the dye in and I am wondering if I use one of our pots from the kitchen will this dye stain the pot? I hate to have to go out and buy new pot to do this prep.

I dont know about staining a good pot. There are 2 ways to use logwood dye, a cold and a hot method.

1. No matter which method you use, make sure your traps have fine rust on them, before dying.

Cold method-- Use a bucket (plastic is fine), mix the dye and put the traps in for 24 hrs.-- easy peasy!

Hot method-- Need a metal container (I cut the top out of a propane bottle), heat water to boil, add dye and traps, simmer for 1 hr, remove traps-- a lot faster, but requires more work

Waxing can be done at the same time if using hot method, if using cold method, you need a pot to melt wax in and can do the traps one at a time. It only takes a minute to wax a trap.

Hope this helps.

go to a local oil change joint, like jiffy lube (the smaller the town the better), tell them you need an empty oil barrel,specify 25-30 gal as they will have an assortment,you dont really want any bigger than that ..Ive never been charged for one.Then just use tie wire on the trap chain, forming a hook to hang on the side of the barrel so you can just pull them out without having to fish for them.

You will of course have to clean the barrel out. One boil with some Lye added will do the trick (sani-flush is the easiest way to buy lye,available in most grocery stores). I also like to boil my traps in lye and let them get a good coat of rust before going into the dye..just the way i do it, lots of opinions out there on how to prepare them..

I made a cooker out of a weed burner bought at a cal ranch store..heats up the dye/wax very efficiently

Well the summer is nearly gone. So how do I get fine rust on the traps this time of the year? I figure I will put out a few traps in Dec so I have time.

Roscoe: we have a Jiffy Lube place here but I am sure they will charge for this 25/30 gal oil barrel. But I will go inquire.

Thanks for the ideas to a newby trapper.

New traps have a coat of oil on them. Take them to a car wash and wash them, boil them, or place them in vinegar. Any one of these will remove the oil.

Then place them outside in the weather or spray them with salt water. Either one will cause them to rust. Spraying with saltwater is the fastest.

Once a fine rust is on the traps, then dye them.

Simple green or easy off oven cleaner will also get the oil off new traps.

Once the oil is off your can put vinegar in water and and spray it on the traps, leave them out in the yard in the sun and they will get a fine coat of rust on them and then you can dye them.


Frankly the first year as long as you get the oil off the traps you can just wax them, and use them. The dye isn't all that important

The first year I trapped, I didnt buy my traps until season was open. So I cleaned the oil from the traps and painted them with red oxide primer, let them set outside for a week, waxed them, and went to trapping. They worked ok.

if the traps are rusted that's when you want to kill the rust smell by dyin' and wax'n.

First thing I do with new traps is tune them and modify them if they need it. then I put a small nail in the jaws to hold them slightly open. shingle nail works great.

To clean/rust them I've used dawn dishsoap and a plastic bin and garden hose before. put your thumb over the hose tip and really get it sudsy, swish them around and rinse and repeat a couple times. leave them dripping in the tub and check on them every day, maybe give them a little rinse if they are slow to rust, dew/frost can work too.

you don't need to simmer them very long either when you're dying. 5-10 minutes is usually plenty. all you're needing to do is heat the trap up to the same temp as the hot water, so when you pull them out the water from the water evaporates and leaves behind the dye. if I'm dipping several at once I watch for the simmer bubbles/vapor. once the pot warms back up to that pull em and hang em over cardboard. I've played with different "soak" times when dying and once they achieve a uniform temp the results are the same.

to wax take the same pot (or another that is similar) and fill it 1/2-3/4 full of water, put in your wax and heat it so the wax melts and floats on top in a thick film. dip your trap in and out and let hang. by not soaking like when you dye the coolness of the trap will solidify the wax better. play around with times/temp to get a smooth uniform layer on them don't be afraid to redip if you have to. all of it will be gone after your first catch in the trap anyway so don't waste too much time perfecting it, good enough is just that.

Speed dip is your friend.

+1 on the speed dip, either the original or the stuff that Blackie's Blend markets. Both work great.

This

Just my .02 but speed dip was a mess and a PITA to deal with. A buddy use full metal jacket and it came out good for him, no mess, no smell.

I still dye and wax. Yes, the dye will stain the pot. You can find wash tubs at hardware stores, use that to boil in water, then dump, refill, put in dye and water, boil traps in that, then let them air dry then wax.

First year, I'll agree, run them through the dishwasher once, then wax, and set.

I can't imagine EVER picking FMJ over speed dip, ever.

Different strokes... Having used both, I'd rather dye and wax.

Boil in walnut hulls. Gives 'em a nice dark stain. Avoid any man made stuff. Use only natural stuff. Them critters can really smell man made stuff.

Its amusing to hear guys talking absolutes about predator trapping..I used to do that when I was 12 or so.

Wonder what a coyote would think about walnut flavored traps out here?

see what i mean?

My guess is predators come across random scraps of metal all over the place

No way in hell I'm waxing 330's

I have caught a train full of coyotes that's traps were never blued or waxed. They stay nice and bright if you keep something in one. 330's need a week in the horse tank for rust. Slippery 330's ain't good on finger's. I never saw a coyote dig or role a rusted trap.
Most what people wright is voodoo.