Favorite dye/dip method

Thumper3181

New member
I tried the 50/50 acetone/ Rust-Oleum rusty metal, let hang for about 2 months, then dipped in FMJ and they hung an additional month. I an insane amount of dig outs, until I waxed them and that helped a bunch, but I am switching to something else this year. I might just go back to traditional dyeing and waxing.
Thanks
 
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I've always dyed mine in oak saw dust. I could get it by the bucket full at the local mill. I had a half of a 55 gal drum on blocks with a gas burner under it. I first cook them in lye to clean them , rinse and re-cook them with a bunch of oak sawdust in the barrel. Hang them on the barbwire fence to dry and dip in hot melted wax with a nail between the jaws. I did this in the spring after beaver season was over and boxed them in plastic flip top boxes and put them away until fall.
 
That's what I used to do and I actually picked up a 5 gallon tote of Red Oak sawdust Friday. I also used to put my sawdust in pantyhose so that the dust wouldn't get stuck to the traps. BTW Walnut sawdust does an excellent job as well, but tends to be more of a dark brown.
 
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We like the 4 oz (or so) bottle of liq dye and they after trap is removed from dye ad dry-immerse in wax till trap is hot. Remove w/ a hook and let it drip to save most of the dripped wax.

Usually put a link of chain into the trap jaws. Dye only on conibears. We dont do snares.
 
I dye conibear type traps. Canine foothold traps are dipped in fullmetal jacket. Water legholds are dyed. Since I really only trap canines during freeze/thaw conditions a bagged mb650 and waxed dirt/antifreeze dipped in full metal jacket resist rust and is very fast.
 
I use to do all that dye and wax, now I just take them out of the box add a couple of swivels and good to go.. I think the dig out is caused by something other than your trap.. Animals don't go around digging up steel.. IMO most dig outs is caused from traps not being bedded solid.. They come over and smell the lure and bait and they feel the ground move a bit from stepping on a jaw or the ground being soft, they going to start digging knowing something was buried there close to the smell.. Just my opinion.. Dan
 
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