I want to clean over 10 dozen 120 conibear ( style) and use them, for trapping pine marten .
So to eliminate the fine loose rust without to much physical effort,, no wire wheels or brushing And I don't pan to power wash them either
Im willing to boil or soak them

I do plan to dip them in a concrete sealer,, I do not want rust on the fur , I want the trap to be a bit easier to set, and maybe more energy to close

Yeah I saved a lot of money on 330 's: long ago a fellow got wax on the triggers ,

The sealer isnt a lubricant however I may still clean up the trigger and jaw

So what's the difference be3tween Oxalic acid and vinegar dipping? Or anything else?, And I would like to keep the cost down and not work with anything too toxic

vinegar contained acetic acid.

I recommend phosphoric acid. I use Ospho, get it at Ace Hardware. It doesn't so much clean the rust. It stabilizes it by converting it to iron phosphate. You really need to follow up with a coating of some kind. I treat my cages with Ospho before painting. Good stuff.

Should I clean them in vinegar first.

We deal with a lot of rust from a high ph in crawfish ponds 50/50 viniger water check daily they don’t need to look new dip in paint done

An acid like vinegar will really clean rust well, however, even if you neutralize with something like baking soda, I feel like the long terms affect might result in weaker traps.
Although I haven't used Ospho on traps, I really like it in the other applications where I have used it.

I never do. I have treated some traps that were sent to me for repair that were pretty bad. I put them in a tub and pour Ospho over them. All you have to do is get them wet. Let them dry. Takes a day and the rust is now a hard surface that you can paint. They turn out a similar color to log wood dye.
The stuff is an acid so rubber gloves mandatory and try not to breath the fumes although that is not much of a problem.

50/50 vinegar is cheap and they will wash off with a hose with zero rust. Down to metal. Just test one everyday till you get the result you want. Put in baking sofa bath to neutralize, rinse and dry. Ready for paint, dip, dye or wax.

Vinegar bath does not weaken trap it just takes off surface rust.

Very easy to do with little effort, low cost not toxic and easily neutralized

Skip the vinegar. It’s hard on steel. Logwood dye is all you need. Transform your fine rust. It’s unnecessary to remove it.

looks like logwood will be the easiest method for me.. I still have 10 lbs from a long time ago for me,.

. Logwood dye is all you need. Transform your fine rust. It’s unnecessary to remove it.[/quote]


I had to look for Willaims Mn,,, Never heard of it. I use to hit Kittson County in the late 70s thought the late 80's and around the R managment area