FMJ: How Long To Let Dey?

How long should I allow the first coat of FMJ to dry before dipping for the second time on first time traps?

I looked but couldn’t find it in the archives, etc...

I do 24 hours.

Really? I was hoping like 12 hours but ok. I was going to dip tomorrow morning and let hang all day and then dip again prior to hanging them in the garage.

That should work. I just have the time, so I give it until the next day.

Like Ditchdiver I gave 24 hr. I have a nother gal but it was in my shop all winter .Do you know if it can freeze ?And if so is it still good?

Once it freezes, you might as well toss it. I left a little bit in the shed last winter and it couldn’t be used that spring.

x2 on the freezing in time after its froze it will become a solid chunk! Out side temps and wind dictate my time in between dips. Some days its as few as 10 to 15 minutes once it dry to the touch I give them another good dunking

Just because it's dry to the touch, doesn't mean it's fully CURED. It needs to fully cure before dipping again. 12 hrs might be ok on a warm/hot day with a breeze, but 15 min is pushing your luck. Same with regular wall paint (I'm a painter by trade).
Dry to the touch- the outside is dry, but not the inside. If you redip, the inside is locked tight and stays "wet". That will hurt the durability of the dip, paint or whatever.

Thanks Ditch and everyone else. I dipped them and hung them in my garage with a box fan blowing on them. It’s very hot and stuffy in there but I hope that with the fan blowing that everything will be alright. I’ll be dipping again for the second time this afternoon.

TB1, you might consider dipping your traps more than twice. I believe the added protection really helps.

These traps were dipped six times in FMJ. They've gone through two seasons & multiple coyote catches.

Holy smokes Texas, that’s some serious protection.

So even though they’ve caught totes and have been handles, you didn’t redip them? I’m sure that you at least pressure washed them right?

Thanks for the tip ditch diver mine will hang for close to a month after fmj and paint dip. The constant baking sun should cure every thing in that length of time id think. I dip mine fast for that reason. I want all 17 dozen done in a couple of days! I built a hd drying rack just so they can. A lazy susan style rack so you can stand in one area to dip

You Betcha!

I allow enough time for each coat to completely cure before I dip again.

I’ll let them hang for a day or two in dry conditions between each dip.





No redip and no pressure wash TB1. And I always handle my traps with gloves on.

I move my traps around quite a bit, so every time I pull a trap from a catch circle it is rinsed off with a high pressure water hose attachment.

The traps are then hung up to dry and air out for a few days before they are bedded in a new location.

The great thing about FMJ is it doesn’t appear to absorb odors like wax.

I've been fortunate to have a relatively high percentage of 1st–3rd night catches; with virtually no traps dug up because of contamination. I believe that is due in part to FMJ.

Keep in mind that I trap in a desert–type climate that doesn’t experience the extreme winter conditions you fellas encounter up North.

Thanks Tejas, I appreciate the information

I cant bring myself to believe all the contamination beliefs. lol your best set is a remake contamination central! Dirty traps, pee, blood human scent how on earth can you get worse.

when the entire area smells like you described, a coyote can't pinpoint your trap (everything smells alike).
If you take a "contaminated" trap and make a fresh set with it, your trap is the only thing that smells that way and will get dug up out of curiosity.

Tony, I was referring to contamination as in a dirty trap being put in a new location as Ditchdiver pointed out.

In some cases my remakes are good for an extra coyote or two, but most tend to go dead after a while.

I think that in many cases the location is so hot the coyotes shy away from it until the smell dissipates a bit. I’ve observed too many sets of tracks skirting new catch circles to think otherwise.

I’ve found that a trap on the outside of the remake will usually pick up far more coyotes than the remake itself. A transient coyote new to the area might be a different story.

If I left all my traps in the original catch circles for the entire season my catch rate would drop significantly.

These are just observations I’ve made in the area I trap. Your results may vary.

tejas I agree to that in some aspects in my observation the ones that are skirting or avoiding sets are vetran dogs or a very timid pup. And I believe ditch diver was pointing out I wasn't giving my fmj ample time to cure causing a weak finish. On numerous occasions ive taken used traps to another area and had several first nite catchs. To prove my theory collect a bucket of catch circle dirt and take it to a dead location and see what happens, or a chewed up limb from one circle to a neutral set. Now don't get me wrong I don't for one second think you can not contaminate a trap. Im just saying its way over stressed! Way to many other things need considered way before. I worry more about getting a food smell on traps more than anything. And I don't consider that contaminated ,more like the food smell worked. Then I have to whip myself all day for educating a yote! But I still cant believe there intellect is better than a humans. We are top of the food chain for a reason