I know some people dye snares and some don’t. I’m wondering if maple bark will work for dying snares and if not, which method works best to get snares a dark grey/ black color?
Thanks

Here I add them to they dye barrel when everything is done, if you want a winter camo job then baking soda will take the shine off but that shortens the life of the snare so don't do a bunch just soda them as needed!

Dye and wax just like traps-real hot wax,hotter than 212f.

Never waxed a snare how will that effect the "locking" of it?

Wax doesn't get on the fur?

It should work.I use logwood dye but I have my best results by first boiling in baking soda,then dye.7x7 takes dye faster than 1x19.You may need 15 minutes or more for 7x7,an hour or more for 1x19.

It may be easier to just spray paint them with flat black.I spray the ones that I want to be tan.I like to uncoil them and lay them on a piece of plywood.I spray them all,let sit an hour,flip them over and spray the other side.I throw them up on the shed roof to cure and like to let them sit for around 3 months,before setting.The paint I've been using lately,does seem to gas off quicker that spray paint used to.

A good snare will lock up just fine on waxed cable.Cam locks and wedge locks(amberg)lock up perfectly,just have to run the cable thru the lok once to get rid of any "beads".Like I said wax needs to be very hot to displace moisture between the strands.
I use a lot of adams locks(hole lock).A big mistake many have with the hole locks even on non waxed cable is that the holes are not matched properly to the cable.For a hole lock like an adams to lock up solid even on non waxed cable the hole must be matched to the diameter of the cable very closely. A big mistake I see on a lot of snares is an oversized lock on the cable.This causes the hole to wear,and it relaxes and wont lock up tight.This might be ok on a cr but no good on a quick dispatch snare.It causes waterheads which means the snare did not do the job.A waxed snare closes smoothly and quickly.Wax also slightly stiffens 7x7 cable which is an advantage.


I leave snares out at jackpots,some over a couple seasons as I don't activate all my jackpots each season.It is essential to have snares waxed when doing this especially in the wet boreal bush.Non waxed snares left out become brittle and break easily.To test bend the snare back and forth a couple times at the ferrel.If it is brittle,some of the strands will break.That snare is toast.
A properly waxed snare will last for several seasons left out before it starts to deteriorate.
It is not necessary to wax snares to catch fur,just like it is not necessary to wax traps to catch fur.
One bonus to waxing and dying snares is that they are nice to handle,and shed frost at the lock much better than non waxed.
Wax is not "sticky"actually quite the opposite-it is a lubricant.
A dyed and waxed cat snare-1x19,1\16th with an adams(dmd)lock.This snare made 3 catches.

or,,, skip all that and just give them a quick dip in a thinned down Formula 1 brown.

~ADC~

Paint or dip don't last if you leave them out in the bush,but would be fine for seasonal use or indoor storage.
For seasonal use you really don't need to do anything,but blackening sure makes them disappear in the bush or underwater.

Why do you want a black snare. Stands out like crazy unless you're in a really dark wood or have a coal/shale backdrop.

Dark snares here,disappear in the forest(when there is no snow).Out in the grasslands,a very light tan works best.

Black snares disappear here.You got to get down to animals level to see what the animal sees.Some guys think a white snare is camo in winter because they are looking at it against the ground not against the black bush,lol.

Lots of advice! Thanks everyone.
I want a grey/black snare because most places I set are in thick spruce or alder patches and they blend really well here. If I leave a snare natural I can pick it out 20 yards away. I don’t use much guiding so I like them to blend as much as possible

X2

Even in winter when the ground is all white,when you get down to the animals level the background is all black,all tree trunks,branches etc-black.

Maple does work but walnuts work better.
Personally, I wrap them up, overlap several snares, spray with rustoleum, 2 colors, tan and green, both sides, and I can hardly find them sometimes.

Dyed beaver snares for underwater.

What did you dye those with Boco?

I use tag alder twigs and leaves for traps and all other stuff I want to blacken..High in tannin and it's natural for beaver they use tag alder as a building material,so not an unnatural smell on the 330's.

Light camo paint on lock, spring, whammy, baking soda boil first

One note about drying. If putting them away at end of season they need to be dry to the core to avoid rust damage, even more so if they were ever boiled.

I used the camo green and brown krylon spray paint. worked well for me last year

x2 on Bocos method. Never any need to dry them before storage when waxed. The wax boils all the water out of inside the ferrule and no water can ever get in again. I have snares been left out in the bush for six years plus now,, and like the day they were made. And a grey snare here stands out all winter, but really dark brown ones, or even black are so tough to see I have taken to putting blue clothes pins above them in the trees. when you are looking for two dozen snares in a bush that now, with 3 feet of snow looks way different than when you set them, you can hardly see them at times. The snares disappear against the background of dark trees.

And I do my snares in wax that is about 250 degrees. Use a thermometer. Toothed cams took care of any issues regarding locks slipping, although with c locks and micros, it may have prevented a few from locking up. maybe, maybe not, tough to tell as some of my buddies have worn locks also.

Baking soda simmer and whatever flavor paint you like.

Baking soda dull gray is a pretty darn versatile color though.

Caught a lot in both.

If I could find a good source of flat tan in quarts or gallons I’d dip em in a diluted mix. As it is, I krylon camo em.

Or,,, skip all that and just give them a quick dip in a thinned down Formula 1 brown.

~ADC~

I'll skip the paint.Its easier for me to throw in a few bundles of snares while doing the traps.
If you paint your traps it might be easier to also paint a few bundles of snares.

The best snare color I ever had was spiraled with light and medium grey stripes. I have not been able to duplicate that. I think I boiled it then left it outside a month or so covered with leaves.

Or...



After...


All done....


Closer up....


Formula 1, brown.

That looks time consuming doing a handful at a time in a bowl,lol.I do all at once in the 45 gal drum while doing the traps.
To each his own.

Formula one doesn't cover 100% of the cable, I saw that when a guy sent me some of his to try, the uncovered spots were still shinny cable, looked like glitter in the sun and full Moon, one of the inline swivels broke on his snares too

Probably faster than waiting for your water to get hot. I did 60-70 dozen, a dozen at a time. Dip them in pull them out done. Took maybe 20-30 min total.

T20, yes it does cover the whole snare. How could it not? they are completely submerged in it.

Anyway,,, you all do it your way and I'll continue doing it the right way.

~ADC~

I had excellent results on the last batch by boiling them briefly in Baking soda and then soaking them in a very strong logwood crystals solution. They came out a nice brown color. I dry them and store them indoors. I got the logwood crystals cheap at a garage sale so not much $ invested in the process although not the simplest process either.

I just toss them in the dye barrel at the end of doing traps, I don't want them perfect not much in the wild is perfect to begin with really. The snare might be chalky a bit at times but so what really I don't want it dark and I don't want it light just don't want the perfect if can help it. For snow just a little baking soda to take the shine off of them is what I like.

When I boil traps and snares I do it at the Trapping camp in the fall when I am doing chores around camp.I just make a fire outside in the morning under the barrel,then go about cutting wood,splitting,piling,doing any repairs around camp,clean the stove pipes etc.Also go over the traps and fix any triggers etc,change out weak springs etc.I spend a few days at camp hauling supplies and getting ready.I do not just dye snares or boil traps then sit around waiting.In fact I don't need to do it every year either,around every 3rd year is plenty.when I do a trap boil,its just part of the day's chores for a few days at camp,and no extra work at all.In fact the whole thing is an enjoyable ritual,lol.Drink a few wabbly pops,hunt\cook some partridge,just kick back and enjoy the bush.
It works good for me.

The stuff the guy on east coast used had a lot of spots the color didn't adhere to, or beaded away from it idk, I never used it

See, that makes it worthwhile. Especially if you can get a couple friends to share the time with.

Yep, exactly the same. Your way and the right way. LOL

Novatrapper01, why not just go out to the area your going to run these snares in and pick some leaves and berries off the brush in the area and add that to your dye pot.
I've set snares out in line tree and sagebrush country and use that along with baking soda for great results.
I don't worry about my snare cable rusting after there boiled because I've caught the target animal before that could happen.
Not knowing how many snares your planning on treating I'd suggest doing a few like each of the above mentioned to determine what you like the best.
Stay Safe out there !
Allan

I tried this. I believe you cant just throw it in the formula one because the oils in the cable just prevent the water based formula one from doing anything at all. Might stick a bit, but I feel like it is worse than useless unless the cable has all the oils boiled out of it. But If I am going to boil cable, I am gonna dye and wax it. I never liked formula one in general though.