Trap clean and wax prep

I'm back at it. I wanna trap Bob cat next week so I bought some new wax cause I havent trapped predators in years and it had to be contaminated. Anyhow I'm on my second attempt at boiling traps trying to get last attempts wax off them. So far they have boiled for a few hours but there appears to be a slight wax residue left over on them. Old timers told me to use lye or sanitizer flush. But I poor this water on my lawn when I'm done boiling. I think drain cleaner isnt a good idea. What's my options. I dont wanna contaminate 30 bucks worth of wax in the first dip. I know cats dont require wax but I'm also trying for a yote or fox while I've got to check traps.

I know what you mean about a slight residue.I don't think it is a problem.Just go ahead and wax them.Lye and Saniflush are also not a problem.I put a hose in the pot flo overflow oil or old wax,then the drain cleaner goes down the drain.That is what it was made for.

I still think it is questionable whether your wax is contaminated and most of it should be gone anyway.After boiling,I would just wax with the new stuff.Goo luck.

So going on the same topic. I like to reuse my dye water although there seems to be a green growth on it. Its nothing other than water & logwood dye. Any ideas? Is it mold & I have to dump ot before I use it again?

2 gallons of vinegar and 2 gallons of water in a 5 gallon bucket...can fit 6 MB550’s in it. Let it soak for 2 days. Rinse then wax. I had time to leave mine out a little and dyed them then waxed. The vinegar restores them to like new condition...rusted and waxed traps alike.

You can use a heat gun that painters use to remove old paint. It should take the wax right off.

When I used to try to remove wax, I used to boil and then put hose water in to flush dirt and old wax off the top of the water. If you’re going to hot wax anyway, waxing over this little Bit of residue won’t hurt anything.

I’ve gotten away from traditional dyeing and waxing. After a season of use, I wash the crud off in soapy water, rinse, let dry, spray paint with the cheapest dark paint I can find. Let dry a few days and dip in Full Metal Jacket as described in the directions.

You’ll get 100 opinions on here telling you this or that. Read them all. Decide how best to use your time and get those traps into the ground. At the end of the season, evaluate your catch rate and see if being traditional vs slick and easy is the better way to go

I have painted some traps but not dipped after. Didn't like the painting much. As far as slick and easy I guess that is dependent on how you are set up. I dye and wax every year and I do it all in a day. Big pot of she on one burner and a big pot of wax on another. Dye then straight into wax pot then up to dry. Pretty slick and easy and I don't have to buy paint or dip every year.

are you doing canine traps with fmj?
thanks

Yes. I’m using FMJ on canine traps. But I’m doing it just after the season ends or July—-this is when I have the most time.

Since the traps are buried under dirt or grass, color of trap is less important. I’ve washed and waxed right out of the box and did fairly well. I’ve also done traditional cleaning of old wax, dyeing and waxing. That worked well, too.

My present method above includes flat paint. I try to get it on the jaw face for sure, but if I miss a spot, it’s no big deal. FMJ is fast. Two coats if necessary. I let them dry and toss into open tubs in my basement workshop, aka the junk room. At my age, life is too short to get picky.

what's preventing you from dumping waste OFF the lawn,,,,,a handtruck?.........a partner to carry the other side of the pot?

I do the light rust, traditional log wood dye, boil, rinse, dry and totally immerse in traditional melted cake wax. Tired of it too. Are the water soluble dips any good/fmj?

I have tried the fmj, wasn’t impressed on pipe dream sets, dirtholes it was fine, I caught coyotes using it. But the pipe dreams were all dug out and un bedded. Pulled everything boiled and then waxed them, started catching coyotes 2 days later. I bought a dozen mb550 one time that had a water soluble dip on them, was not impressed in the least. I think the best combo for durability that I’ve seen is dipping in 50/50 paint/acetone then let them sit for a good long while and wax two weeks before season