Ok, i used my stove to wax my traps...i had wet towel, foil and fire extenguisher waiting...everything went good...i waxed 6 or so traps...the wax did not appear to be boiling, but, when i pulled out traps, they were smoking?...and when i first put them in the wax, they were releasing white bubbles, that did appear to be boiling, but it would stop after a minute or so in the wax....

then, i put a trap back in, the first one i did, since it appeared that the wax was not hot enough...after a couple of minutes in, it stopped boiling...that is to say, when i first put the traps in, they were releasing white bubbles?....i had been covering the top with foil, so, when i lifted it up to peek in, fire sprang out!...

i smothered it with teh foil...took the pan outside and let it sit there a minute and then when i pulled the foil up, bam, fire came out!...this happened for like 10 minutes whenever i lifted the foil off?

ideas?

is the wax still good to re-use?...

thanks,
scotty

Well I sure hope you didn't get a face full of flame.

ok...

my traps did the smoke thing when pulled out... its cuz they are hot and its colder out side.... STEAM.... butt the bubbles and what not are okay.. all my traps did it... jus wait for the bubbles to stop... i didnt use a foil cover so idk if that has a part in the flames... but if there was fire id say ur wax was a tad hott

I woulld wax outside or we will be holding a benefit auction for your burned out house.

Yes! WAX outside! You're nuts if you don't!!!

Use a double boiler type system, safest way in my opinion.

Lose the foil. Take the whole works outside. Everything else sounds right.

Yea, Wax has a pretty low Flash point. The white bubbles are coming from some type of condensation. Your wax should NOT boil. If it is boiling, you are getting water from some place and that aint good. Wax is VERY, VERY flamable. Trust me, I used to have a business making candles. Not something to mess with, and when you add something else to it,you can change the flash point to a lower temp making it all that much more dangerous. Do yourself and your family a favor and move it outside. Do NOT try to douse it with water. Get a pan that you can put a lid on, Put the lid on it if it flares, and shut the burner off.

Geez, I just thought it was the wax dripping on the burner that would flame up!...

Ok, well, will the smoke from the fire stick to it? Or, just don't worry about it?...Our wood is kinda wet since the freeze came in, so, it's slow to dry out...i can start a big fire and let it burn down so the smoke goes away....anything else?

thanks,
"one eyebrow'd" scotty

STEEL DOES NOT HAVE PORES!!!!!! Sounds like the traps are wet when you put them in the wax, causing the sputtering, and the tiny droplets of wax are getting lit causing a flash. By all means, take the operation outside. Foil will burn thru, get a heavier lid.

What is pitting then?

Are Knife blades made from steel?

http://www.knifeart.com/finbyalel.html

Steel has pores and a grain, just like wood only dense.

I always use the double boiler method, so the wax never gets above 212 degrees. But TexA's response got me to thinking.

Sometimes I see a few white bubbles in the wax when it dries on the steel.

Contrary to popular believe, steel does have "pores". They aren't really pores, just microscopic intersticial spaces. But water can collect there. This could be the cause of the white spots.

Also, this could explain pitting. Chloride pitting occurs in a high heat environment with chlorides present. Chlorides are salt, like you might put on steel when handling with your hands. These chlorides, present in the inersticial spaces in the steel, in a high heat environment, would definitely start chloride pitting, and if it was encased in wax, it would only get worse.

I'm gonna have to rethink this double boiler method. Although it is safe, it may be damaging my steel.

Take this from a guy who does this for a living at nuclear power plants.

For you guys that do only a couple dozen traps get yourself one of of those big fry daddys at Wallyworld,set it on 225* and forget it. My father uses one and loves it.

Billfrank, there isn't a Wally World within 500 miles of Golovin. He'd have to order it online and then it might show up by April.

Good idea though.

I use a crock pot. I'm sure it's cheaper than a frydaddy and it doesn't have the ability to get "too hot."

I bought a propane outdoor cooker. It has a fryer that I can set inside also. I figured I will do a couple traps at a time (since I do not have a ton anyway) and then pull'em out. It only cost $49.00. I can save the pot with wax for next year.

Good Luck.

You can buy a thermometer at Wally-World, and many other places, to monitor the temperature of the wax. It will usually be in the "kitchen supplies" section. You want the temperature of the wax above 212 degrees. Of course the temperature of the wax will drop when the traps are added. If the wax is smoking, it is way too hot! Wax traps outside, keep a cover handy, keep a fire extinguisher handy in case of a mishap!

Thanks for the help! Yeah, it was smoking after a while! And it is a pain in the rear to get stuff out here to the bush!...

I'll watch the heat next time. I have a metal plate that I'll stick on my wood burner, that is all I can do now and move it around to control the heat.

And I did have the fire extenguisher handy! GRIN!

Man, how do you guys make it with a wife! I'd have to store my skunk scent, urine, hides, etc outside of the house!

Whatever you do DON'T use the fire exthiguiser on the wax !!!!!!!!!!! If you do it will explode all over you and the house . Smother the fire with a lid .

Drifter