So does this have advantages over regular dips (petroleum)

don't mean to hi-jack your thread but most responses are about the dip

Are you guys dipping in FMJ after.painting?

Yes after the paint dries and airs out for a few days.

No problem, this is an experiment thread as well as information on the Duke trap. From results so far I have to say I don't see any advantage.over dye and wax. I have never used any other dips. I believe it is all personal preference and as much what you are comfortable with. I will never be paint dipping again. I will treat my traps with a walnut dye and wax like I always used to do. I can do that process as fast and for less money. Especially if I need to dip in FMJ after. Thanks for all the response on this. I will post my field test findings on the trap when season starts

I actually agree with land traps being dyed and waxed as a great treatment as well as cheaper. LLL

I dip them all. 50/50-Rustoleum Rusty metal Primer and Sherwin Williams All Surface Enamel (both oil based). After the 2 paints are mixed together, i mix in the acetone. I do about 60/40 acetone to paint. Keep mixing the paint as you dip and add acetone as needed, to keep it almost "water thin". Let cure for a week, then dip twice in FMJ, 24hrs between dips (i actually use "Zeps High Traffic Floor Polish").










In the 4th pic, the two traps are the same color, one is just in a shadow. I don't dip the body grips in "Zeps", just paint. And yes, I know, the DP's will be shined up after the first catch. I mainly do them to protect the inside.
The 9th and 10th pics are of a few 220's that I dipped 3 years ago. I just wanted to show how it holds up.
I don't catch 100's of canines a year, but I do catch some. And I have never seen where the paint has caused refusals. After dipping, the traps are left to hang outside (covered) until season starts.

Been following this, the one advantage to painting I can see is coating traps right away. After degreasing they can be paint dipped and coated without waiting for a light rust to form. I use walnuts, sumac and maple bark when walnuts are scarce like this year. The dye just won't stick without some rust etching it seems. I have some Bridgers that won't rust...chain rusted, springs a bit but jaws, levers, pan, baseplate won't rust. Degreased last fall and been hanging out all this year, no rust. Those I may try a paint dip. But may just boil with other traps then wax as normal, they will be concealed or covered anyway.

My normal.would be to do just that, boil,wax..... Once buried I don't care if they are black. They always take dye the second season. The paint is hard today but still not cured completely. I think they will.be ok in a week. I am not going to FMJ them. Would just make the paint harder to get off next year. A few catches then an hour in the mortar mixer with sand and the paint will be gone then I can start over but that will be next year. Definitely in the humid condition this week I needed more acetone. Probably any condition. Still have a bucket of paint left. May add more acetone and try some.110s. I always sprayed those.

So strike how about an update? I have used several with success on land traps....blackies worked well on land traps

Update strike? How did it dry now? Smelly?

Look great but still have that paint smell. If I can smell it a give can. Question now is will it bother them? The traps look great and I set a few. The tension didn't change any and they seem to hold up to setting pretty well. I have about 6 weeks before I set any out. I did not dip in FMJ or any other coating. I don't want to have to take that off also. I figure in 6 week smell.should be gone. I did dip all my 110s in the paint. I thinned it a bit first. They seem to have covered well and fire just fine. Don't really care if they smell.

This fox fell for a painted trap set in a dirt bike set. The traps still smell like paint. Will wait and see if a coyote will call for one. I mixed them in my line at all types of sets and with all combination of lures to make it a fair test.

watching

Nice catch.

MB550's Quality! Made in the USA!

I have a 1/2 dozen of wolfcreek dogless #2 that I painted and dipped in zeps to experiment with this year. I used a 2 -1 mix of acetone with rustolem flat black. Then coated twice with zeps with about 2 days between dips. I also painted a dozen of 1 1/2 dukes every thing came out really nice. Everything else was walnut and waxed
J

Not to be critical of your work, but I would add a mid chain swivel too.

Hey strike, another factor in your paint not drying could be that you used gloss paint. Gloss always takes longer to dry and often stays softer when thinned like you did. Most guys use flat primer and it dries very quick even when thinned out. I was an industrial painter and gloss always takes longer to harden up.

I did add a mid chain swivel on all my traps. The paint was an experiment because I was bored. The Duke 550 was to check them out in comparison because they are less expensive and not many have reported about them. I like the Duke 550 as far as comparison to the MB. They use same screen cover, they bed the same,.they set almost as good but they were all over the scale on pan tension and level. I would never go back to anything less than these for coyote. These are my opinions. It's kinda like a chevy or a Cadillac. They both get you where you want to go. The rest are Fords, you spend more time working on them to get to the same place.

I’ll stick to the MB 550’s. I spent to much time repairing and straightening the Dukes. Unless they put more iron in the spring levers, because they bend after a couple of coyotes. Nothing more annoying than bent levers and pans after a catch.