So I tried a benign method - 1:5 vinegar to water - worked well to get rid of rust. I also tried straight vinegar - worked a little faster but not much better. But there are still annoying flakes of dye (and in some spots big splotches of dye) left over. Wire brush isn't working well and inefficient.

Will muriatic acid do the trick? any other idea?

Acid might work but will weaken the springs. You might consider sand in a cement mixer to finish the job.

I use 50/50 vinegar and water. It might take a week but never had anything left on even the worst of traps. Sometimes just hosing them off won't remove it all. A quick trip to the car wash and the pressure wand will remove every last bit

Why do you want to take it off? Just boil them and then dye over the old stuff.

I bought a very nice cement mixer that was listed on Craigslist. Much better than the typical Harbor Freight nightmare. It is great to remove old wax after pressure washing.

This. What’s the point. The acid treatment should be reserved for extreme rust. Just boil in lye, dye and wax. Traps will last a very long time if taken care of.

All i do is go over the traps that have caught with a wire brush and reboil in tannic solution and rewax. No acid no vinegar needed. No build up compared to dip or paint that needs removed over time.

You guys are right - i was just being needlessly anal. I decided to just scrub most of the stuff off that was easy to get off and wax for a bit of protection. I’ll forget how they look as soon as they’re under the dirt/water. Long as they function and are mostly protected from rust I realized it’s dumb to care how they look.

I can see a cement mixer being the best option for really cleaning them though.

Thanks for the answers!

Head on over here and we will get the cement mixer running and go fishing.

I see dying as almost the same as the blueing on a barrel. Its a form of rust control to me. The deeper the better. Pressure wash ,tune ,dye in walnut hulls.I have even stored them in cold dye between seasons. I have fuctional jumps and longsprings probally way older than anybody on here.Just purchased some used traps that were dipped. Those i had to soak in vinegar. Why anyone would think dip is benificial is beyond me. I think its one of the worst things you could do to your traps

To remove old wax and dye I use a big drum with water and lye or a lye based product. This has cleaned my traps very clean and they come out very hot and dry almost instantly. I can then cook them in new dye and bring them out hot and dry in minutes and dip in hot wax. With the traps that hot I get a very nice even thin coat and hang to dry. I always use an exacto knife and file to clean and rough up the dog end and the pan slot.

Bryce