For those who have gone from dying and waxing to spray painting coyote traps with Rustoleum, did you have any regrets? How did you get the old wax off? Do you just let the paint dry for a week and plant them on the ground or wax over the spray paint?

Hope you got lots of paint. Heap because it takes lots to do a good job. Also it only does the outside surfaces. The inside of springs a left untreated. I dipped some in paint last season and the rest were dyed and waxed. It was an experiment. The dipped traps caught just fine and seemed to hold up well but when I got traps ready for treatment this year the painted traps were terrible with rust and corrosion where the paint came off. I went back to dye and wax on all. Just for the record it is less expensive to dye and wax also.

Both work but I went back to dye and wax. Worked better in freeze conditions for me, cheaper, and it works.

If you run a bunch of traps stick with dye and wax, it is cheaper. Myself I paint all my traps because I don't run a big amount of traps. Easier to clean and just repaint.

Yep, dye and wax....Still the best 1, 2 punch in trap treatment, IMO.

I’ve painted for a few years but like he said, they rust badly anywhere the paint gets scraped off. I’m seriously thinking of dye and wax again. I do paint and touch up bodygrips.

I tried painting, went back to dye and wax.

Thanks guys. So to remove the old wax before rewaxing for the new season I assume that happens when you boil in water and dye and flood the top of the pot to flush the junk off the top layer of water?
Or do you add something more to the water to remove old wax?

I dont try to take off old wax i just boil them in a dye, then rewax with clean wax. I use an old crockpot for waxing. Just has clean wax and no flame..slow, but I can wax in my garage anytime after I boil them.
I collect a 1/2 bucket of walnuts for dyeing. Use my firepit for boiling and an old canner thats now dedicated trap boiling.
Jim

Boiling won't take all wax off. I have only painted new traps so not sure how to get wax off so paint will stick. Not sure there is a way to get it all.

Thanks all for the help. I appreciate everyone's input!

Soaking waxed traps in a 50/50 solution of white vinegar and water for a day or two will remove all wax and strip them down to the bare metal......Don't let them soak any longer than that in the vinegar/water solution, and this next step is vital....Soak in a baking soda/water solution immediately after stripping to neutralize the acid, then rinse well with water.

The treated traps will rust extremely fast, so be ready to dye and wax once again.

This treatment will strip, dye, paint, dip, wax, pretty much anything.

I just plop used traps in the boil pot and boil 'em up. For 51 years and counting.

I did try the paint thing for a while and I didn't notice much difference in performance as far as traps getting dug up and stuff. To get the wax off I just boiled them for a while skimmed off the wax on the top and that gets most of it off. However there's just something I like about a nicely waxed trap and for the little bit of babysitting on the wax pot I choose to do it that way again.

So are you honestly saying that waxed traps don't rust? I'm curious. I trap in Western Nebraska and Kansas. Non of my traps rust very much,

In my experience wax sucks up odors of anything it goes near. That goes for waxed traps and waxed dirt.

Painted traps with Full Metal Jacket is bullet proof IMHO.

Never said waxed traps don't rust. I said the painted traps rusted severely. Once paint is gone the metal is totally bare. On a dyed and waxed trap you early get large areas bare like I had happen with paint. If a trap gets worn I can dye and wax again I. A very short time and use the next day. I also use waxed dirt and never had a problem with odors getting into either. Dye and wax is a tried and proven method that many great trappers use. If you prefer paint and FMJ then great. I am sure my trapping condition is very different than yours and I tried paint but it didn't work here. Dye and wax is very cost effective also. I don't buy new stuff every year. I also use natural dyes such as walnuts.

Ounce a waxed trap is buried it smells like dirt! Don't know who ever started the wax stores odors thang but I sure haven' seen that in over 50 years trapping predators. In order for wax to smell you'd have to smear something that stinks on it!

I had the same experience 20 years ago with paint as Strike2X did. Lots of refusals also but it was a petroleum base , water base may be different.

been painting them for years with cheap flat back spray paint. Its cheap, it works great doesnt take as much paint as dipping and have no refusals. Dyeing and waxing is a religion for some and I wouldnt rain on their parade but I do about 100 2 and 3 coils and time for me is money. spray them --- hang them out to air out for a week or so and go catch coyotes.

No, I had ZERO regrets. To get the remaining wax and dye off, boil your traps in "Battle Born" trap cleaner; that stuff works wonders! I switched to painting last year and had a record season on yotes - and I don't see myself changing again for a while. All I do is give all my traps a good even coat of Rustoleum 2x spray-paint and let them hang for a few weeks until scentless. Then I'll dip them in "Bullet Proof" trap coat and as soon as they are dry you can put them in the ground. That "Bullet Proof" seals the trap, holds the paint on, lubricates it, doesn't absorb odor like wax, and keep the traps scentless. That's my system and I LOVE it!

Good to hear all the experiences. I saw spray painting as a way to save time and since I didn't have a turkey fryer handy I figured it'd be easier than waxing over a wood fire. In the ice and snow I wondered if a waxed trap would excel but ultimately I'll have to try it myself
Lots of good info from you all.

I appreciate ya's!