I need to everything about trap preparation.I know its asking a lot,but I need to know.I have only trapped for one year so I have a lot left to learn I know.I have cleaned all the rust and dirt off of my traps and have let them soak in burnt motor oil and let them hang and they are "drying".I plan on storing them in a grass sack until I need them next year.I know I have missed a few steps so please fill in the blanks or at least please recommend some good books or tapes that I can use next year.I would appreciate any answers.Thanks

I have seen traps soaked in oil before but I never thought people still did that. Let me see if I can post I made on how I prep my traps.

~ADC~

Trap preparation for new traps:

First take the traps inside run them through the dishwasher with the same amount of dishwasher soap you use for really dirty dishes be sure to keep the chains up out of any moving parts...


Then dip them in a mixture of 8oz. white vinegar to 1 1/2 gal. water (re-dipping and turning the traps once per hour will get a more even coating)...


lay them out in the grass and 7 hours later they have a light coat of rust ready to be dyed...

dye them in logwood trap dye wax them and ready for the trap line...


I dye them a dozen at a time by boiling them in logwood dye over a turkey fryer burner. I use one 1lb. bag of dye to 3 1/2-4 gal. of water this will do 4-5 dozen traps before you'd want to add another bag of dye. Boil them about 10-15min. on a medium boil. Then hang them to dry. I heat the wax in a large stockpot it takes only enough wax to cover each trap. Heat it til it is completely melted and starting to smoke (turn the burner down so it doesn't burst into flames and keep the lid handy if it did), on the same burner. Be sure the traps are completely dry or the wax will boil violently! then I dip each trap in the wax one at a time.(I use a stiff piece of #9 wire with a hook on the end to dip the traps in the wax.) I leave it in the wax until the "sizzling" stops (about 30 sec. - 1 min., the trap needs to be heated to the same temp. as the wax for it to coat correctly not too thick) Then I pull the trap out, shake off the excess wax and hang it to dry. As soon as it is cool it can be set.
BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL WHEN USING THE WAX IT IS FLAMMABLE IF YOU ARE A MINOR GET AN ADULT TO SUPERVISE!!!

The dye and wax is available through most any trapping supply places.

For used traps take them to the car wash and power wash off all the dirt and loose rust then skip the dishwasher and vinegar.

~ADC~

Check out these Archives:

http://www.trapperman.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/postlist/Board/13/page/1

What exactly does waxing do?I always thought you waxed traps if you were trapping in snowy or freezing temps and it kept the traps from freezing.I just want to remind everyone I don't know anything about waxing or dying.

david looks like they have pretty much covered it man .... sorry for not respondin earlier ... got ya PM anytime ya need any help or advice i will help ya out

waxing helps preserve the trap while its in wait ... also helps speed up the trap in my opinion .... after the first coon catch it will pretty much be wiped clean ... lol

Thank you very much for answering my question.I appreciate it very much.I am a new trapper and I am only 15 so I have a lot to learn.I will look to u for advice in the future,once again thanks.David C.

ya welcome david .... were ya just in the chatroom a bit ago by chance ?? and J asked ya bout the time there ?? lol

No sir,nobody asked me about the time,which is 1:53.I know its late but I love this website.

ADC- I actually bought some old traps in a bin at the Goshen convention last year that had obviously been soaked in old motor oil. You could smell it. Figured I'd clean them up best I could and use them in water...