Which works best? Is one better than the other or just a matter of opinion?

The right dirt cannot be beat.

Sand for me. Don’t have to use as much wax.

What’s the best way to make it with out much equipment?

Heat lamp, electric roaster work.

Law dog is that dirt in a drum or what?

What’s the best dirt? My friend can get me some out of an old barn.

I agree, the heat lamp method works great.

I mix sand with my dirt 50/50

X2 and top coat with ant hill dirt.

All kinds of dirt out there, often here good dirt and poor dirt in a field could a few hundred yards apart avoid sand as it breaks down easily a touch of clay seems to hold up better for me.

I find sand or dust dirt will hold water to long no way or slow to drain, the next morning it’s the only place the water is still sitting on top of the soil. Put some waxed sand on the ground pour a little water on it and see what happens.

Make sure lamps are stable I made some last season on a make shift table made of ply wood about 4 inches of dirt and stiring it every once in awhile . went in for lunch came out hour later lamp fell over and plywood was smoking through the dirt lol did catch anything but opposum in that dirt lol

I put 1/2 a bucket of dirt in each aluminum bells I use they are old vents covers off a building, they can be rolled to mix the waxed dirt with the dry dirt easily.

That's a good tip , never seen it done that way .

Nice set up

Slow and expensive but it makes the best waxed dirt I have found yet still looking into coal shale next.

If you are looking to make it during June-July you can buy this type black plastic tub at Lowe's. I put about 2-3 gallons at a time in a tub, sprinkle wax on top, cover with clear plastic and face toward the sun. In about 2 hours mix well and maybe add a little more wax. When melted, mix again. Put tub in the shade and as the wax cools mix to avoid clumping. If you didn't aviod clumping, just put it back in the sun and remix. Cool and re-mix.

Tubs are about $7. On a good hot day I can easily make 10 gallons of waxed sand using two tubs at a time.

I tried a little sun heat but the wind here often keeps the dirt from getting hot enough but I’ll give that a shot, running 4 250wt heat lamps gives my electric bill a noticeable boost.

I use the Rich Faler method. 28 gallon tub with a heat lamp on top and a electric single burner on the bottom. The tub is on bricks so it is about 9” off the ground. The only thing I do different is that I made a hood for the tub to help retain the heat to speed up the process. I do 5 gallons at a time and it takes about 1 1/2 hours.