Rusty Traps

[Saw557]

I've got some older traps that have a light coating of rust on them. how do I remove the rust so I can dye them or can I just throw them in the dye the way they are?

Scott

[The Grebe]

Hi, how you doing? Leave the rust on the traps and the dye has something to adhere to....thats the way it is done.

If the rust is thick, or scaley, it will have to be chipped and/or wire brushed off.

Weither it is a natural dye such as Black Walnut hulls, or commerical powder, the traps have to have a surface rust coating to get the deep color.

New traps have a light coating of oil on them when they come from the factory and if this is not off when you dye them, results are very minimal.

Even if the oil is off and you try to dye the shiny trap, it still does'nt work very well.

I never messed with the gas/tar mixture, or whatever the hell it is? It was to messy and stinky for me, besides, I liked the fall ritual of dying and waxing, I'd do up a couple hundred traps, sometimes more.

[protrapper]

Leave the rust on hem and use the new gas based dips. I do hundreds of traps this way every summer. Just let them air out. I see no difference in number of animals caught. Coyotes, fox, and wolves as far as k9's go never a problem catching them. Plus it lasts longer than the logwood dye. Faster to and you can save the leftover dye.

[The Grebe]

Protrapper...My nephew used the stuff and I think he may have used it to late to evaporate the gas? If I recall correctly, they got some gummy spots on them also?

Lots of canine trappers use it, that I know from reading FFG and when I used to get The Trapper. Makes sense to use what you are comfortable with, something that gets the results you desire.

In my case, I liked the ritual...I learned from an old guy when I was about 12 years old and I carried it on. We used to be able to get the logwood crystals at that time and man, they really worked!

Gradually they went off the market and the powder took it's place? I'm not sure what that deal was?

[protrapper]

He didn't mix the dip thin enough. When you use the dip you should use three cans of LAnTERN GAS or MINERAL SPIRITS to one can of dip. Pump gas varies to much. Thinner solution the better. Dries faster and harder. Wont be sticky at all. I used to just rust traps and then wax the bottom half. But wax is just to crazy to work with and its a slow process.

[psegriz]

Personally I'd say to stay away from those commercial cold dips. Use flat black oil based paint mixed with gas about 2-3 parts gas to 1 part paint. You can use as is but I prefer to wax mine afterword to add protection and make them a bit faster.

Advantages are many.

It's cheaper, faster, can use different colors (black,brown,tan,white), no need to spend time building a fire.

Colors are most helpful on conibears tan for trails in grass, white for in snow, etc. Onething with lighter colors, don't thin as much as black.

As far as cleaning traps fastest way I've found bring them to a car was and use the high pressure hose.

[The Grebe]

The mineral spirit thing makes sense I guess, if a solvent is all one needs? Stuff costs about $3.50 or so a gallon.

I use it for my lantern and to take oil and grease off my hands before I Go-Joe. Evaporates really quick...I even used it to leech some oil off on my ankle, where I got into some Poison Ivy.

Neph would be to cheap to use the good stuff and what you stated is probably what happened?

I did'nt mind the process, not even the waxing. I used salted dirt at alot of my sets after the ground froze and it would raise hell with the traps if I did'nt have them wax covered.

[Roughfisher]

Leave the rust on, boil in logwood crystals, then wax. Simple, easy, works.

[WalleyeWeasel]

Leave the rust on, no need to boil (just weakens the springs after years of repetitive boiling) don't wax ( can be a bugger to set sometimes) and use water and alder bark and or leaves just let em sit for a month or so in the solution. When i was a kid i used to collect balsam pitch ( hard chunks on bigger trees) had a ice cream pail put in moms rubbing alcohol and the pitch balls, pitch dissolves dip the stained traps in, alcohol evaporates your left with a stained trap that has an undestructible coating, try it. you'll have to set and set off the traps a few times after they dry.