2 questions
1. It is supposed to get to 75ish tomorrow and sunny. Do you think that will melt the wax? It is in a black garden trailer that is facing south with a plastic sheet over it. Never tried this late in the year.
2 a while back mark June was saying that he won't put waxed dirt in plastic. The instructions from MN trapline says store it in plastic bag or clean garage cans. So what does everyone store there wax dirt in?

I store it in those blue food grade drums. In the shade under an equipment shed. I carry it in a variety of smaller containers.

I don't know I keep mine in regular plastic 5 gallon pails?? Don't know that it's ever been an issue? I tried years ago making it on the driveway on black plastic sheeting. That I won't ever do again the plastic it's self got weird. I make it now in shallow metal pan in the wife's green house. Gets plenty warm in there when sun is out.


Mac

"Never Forget Which Way Is Up!"

New plastic has a petroleum smell to it, something unnatural to canines. But having said that I store mine in older/used plastic 5 gallon pails. i used to use the bucket on my skid loader and a old glass top off of a patio table to make wax sand using solar method. Now I use a wood tray I made, painted black and covered with that old glass patio table top. 75 will be fine, just start with a small batch and keep it in the sun.

My large beeswax solar melter will not run now. Suns too low and has been for a couple of weeks even when we've hit the 80s at times. But having said that, beeswax has a higher melt point than alot of parrifin. So it ultimately will depend on the melt point of the particular wax you are using. You wont know until you try it

I believe Marks point was that the final product needs to breath and not be sealed tight where runs risk of mold.

Ya I'm going to know by tomorrow evening. They are talking like 81 on Thursday but not as much sun. The low sun is what has me worried. But there is always heat lamps if it doesn't work

Heat lamps are slow to start a batch but it’s consistent heat just lower the lamps slowly to avoid scorching the wax. Once the wax is melted you can always add dry dirt if it’s too much wax just mix it in until it’s correct.

I dry my dirt before adding any wax to clear it of any moisture to eliminate molding. I mix my finished waxed dirt with cooled waxed dirt to stop it from clumping up. Lids are left loose to allow for further evaporation of any moisture. Once cool it goes in clean rinsed 5 gallon pails to simplify the handling of it when needed the pails stack well along the walls.

I built a waxed dirt mixer with an old galvanized steel bucket, bolted some angle iron fins inside to help stir the dirt. I mounted an old boat winch handle on the end and mounted the whole works on an old table saw stand/frame. I used some old non swiveling wheels/casters for the bucket to ride on while I cranked it around. Set a small Mr. Heater under it and voila, waxed dirt in no time.

in a pile under a blue tarp.

Didn't get hot enough to melt the wax today. I left it for tomorrow but guessing it won't melt. Oh well I knew better but saw the forecast and figured I would try. I always stored it in clean 5 gallon buckets but just curious how everyone did it.

Started some batches this morning since I’m working from home today. These can cook in background in garage while I work.
I have this old crockpot that works really well. I mix a batch of bone dry sifted dirt (in orange bucket on right) in a clean gallon size container (white jug with lid next to the bucket) and add a cup of pure paraffin unscented wax flakes ( the bag standing next to bucket). I buy the 3# bags of this from hobby lobby plus their 40% off coupon so I get quite a few bags when I get them.
Dump both dirt and wax into that white container to shake up and mix really well blended, then dump it all into the crockpot.
I check the crock periodically and with gloves on I use that big screwdriver to give it a good stir. Crocks heat from outside in so keep stirring periodically until it’s all fully heated and dirt looks wet consistently throughout.
Then I dump the crock into this wooden box I built to cool and get another batch cooking right away.
Keep stirring the waxed dirt in the box spreading it out and moving it around as it cools to prevent clumping.
When fully cooled I scoop it into clean gallon milk jugs I’ve saved over the year. The red funnel helps to fill the jugs.
I stash the jugs with lids where I am making sets so I only have to walk a few paces nearby to grab fresh waxed dirt for remakes (credit to Charlie dobbins for that tip).
I store it in offseason in five gallon buckets with lids. If I keep in same jugs I store those in my garage too. Gets kind of warm in my garage but doesn’t seem to cause clumping issues. Jugs have a nice handle and pour easy when making sets. Store the jugs out of direct sunlight not so much for protecting the wax but milk jug plastic breaks down and gets brittle in the sun elements over time. I’ve got some jugs that I made up a couple years ago and still great working order and contents are fine.
Yes this method takes time and only makes small batches, but it’s something I can have running on side when I’m doing other things and if I keep it all moving I can make lots of gallons over next couple days and be ready to rock and roll in December land line. Also you can make more during season if you have supplies and dry sifted dirt on hand and are running low on waxed dirt.
It’s fairly safe, no flames, and can do this in a small corner of my garage.
I’ve got a slightly larger old smart cooker I use to wax traps too, but that’s a different post in a few weeks.
Jim

First batch cooling and another in the crock.

Thanks for passing the tip along.

This is where I have made my wax dirt for last 15 years???


This is how it looks today. This batch has been sitting here done now for couple weeks. I just haven't taken time to move it to buckets


This is how I keep it in just plain buckets. It's cool enough now I can leave it in the green house if I want until I need it. I usually move it to the garage where have rest of my trapping gear.


It maybe be to cool and sun to low to make more?? I use it along with peat moss. I have plenty for what little trapping I will do this season.

Mac

"Never Forget Which Way Is Up!"