wax or not

i wax my traps for one reason and one reason only.. because in late winter i have to salt my sets to keep them from freezing down at night... other than that, there really is no reason to wax them... IMO
 
I wax because thats what i was taught to do. I have never used a trap that was not dyed then waxed at the first of the season. Waxing gives your traps a more smooth action and prevents rust.
 
I dye and wax once a year. Early spring time to get my traps ready for coyotes for some adc work. Other than that i just knock the blood off and re-set. Wax does make for a better working trap.
 
if your using NEW traps, clean the oil off them, and wax them for the first season, you will need to get a light coatin of rust on them to dye then the right way,

I take my NEW traps and just wax them, let them rust while in the ground waiting for that critter to come by. after the first season, they will have a nice coatin of rust, so when I get then out to clean, I clean all the stuff off them and then dye and wax them.

if you buy USED traps, then clean them, dye them and wax, then your ready to go. good luck and happy trapping.
 
I use a turkey cooker propane stove and a steel five gallon bucket. I let the traps simmer in logwood crystals, remove and let dry. Then I get 5- 10 pounds of wax melted down and put the traps in for about 10 min. That gets the traps to the same temp as the wax and makes the wax bond better. I pull the traps out of the wax and hang them up to dry. I generally try and do it on a nice warm sunny day.
 
if your wax is at a temp of 200 degrees or so and you dip the traps until you start to see small bubbles coming then you've left them in long enough... only about 30 seconds usually does it

if i left my traps in the pot for 10 mins i'd never get done.. hahaha
 
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I run over 100 traps and can wax about 6 at one time. I have found that the 30 second deal doesn't let the whole trap heat up to the temp of the wax, therefor not a perfect bond. Not knocking anyone for how they do it. Just how I was taught and how i do it. I haven't yet had a bad wax job.
They sell odorless trap wax through about every trap supply store. Try looking at F&T Trading Post.
 
Originally Posted By: DustyCThey sell odorless trap wax through about every trap supply store. Try looking at F&T Trading Post.
+1
 
I wax all my pan traps, and I leave my conibears alone. A waxed conibear is a recipe for a broken thumb (yea, been there). I use either sumac berries or walnut hull for dye with a thin layer of wax floating on the boiling surface. It works well for me.
 
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