waxing traps

[trappnman]

why do we wax traps?

I can see, that two things occur that are beneficial- wax prevents rust, and its does, one would think, speed up a trap.

but does waxing, do anything for odor control?

when you think of it, many of us use the same wax for 1000s of traps, just adding new as needed, for many years at a time.

What odor, not even counting the inherent odor of the wax, does that used wax, give to a finshed trap?

one can only assume, that that trap is full of odors, but its a type of "neutral" odor that doesn't invoke a digging or avoidance response, like a rusting or a "dirty" trap often has.

I clean up traps before waxing, either by dying at beginning of year, or a good washing during the season, but in reality, how clean are the traps in an overall sense?

clean enough to have no odor? or is the odor just covered up by the wax, and then has whatever odor the wax has?

I'd like to hear some other thoughts on this.................

[orcatdog]

Steve you brought up some good points and now have me thinking.
I boil / dye my traps each year and then wax. Same big pot of wax, just add new wax each year.
I know for sure I use it to keep the traps from rusting and I do believe it speeds them up.
In my mind I do think of them as reducing / helping odors, but now that you brought it up, I'm not so sure how much it helps in that aspect or not.

[thebeav2]

Power wash after the season and before waxing. Wax and put them In the ground. Dying a trap in my opinion Is a waste of time it serves no purpose.

[slik1]

I think the dye might help some, for small amount of rusting, but waxing is a must in my opinion. Not to get off the thread, but how about adding small amount of rosin to wax, any thoughts on this? Thanks for your time, greg

[stickbowhntr]

well One guy I read alot does,O'Gorman talks a lot of adding rosin. But not for sure what he starts with for the wax? I use a pinch with Gulf canning wax right off the shelf.

[Rally Hess]

I have two pots of wax, one for dirt traps the other for water. I don't interchange water traps with land traps at all. I'm pretty anal about keeping my dirt stuff clean. I add about 10%-20% beeswax to my water trap wax mixture. I find it adheres better than straight trap wax or parafin.
I always dye and am sure it works as a rust inhibitor to some extent. For the nonbelievers, clean a bunch of traps and then just dye. Then clean a bunch and don't dye. Leave them both outside to see which rusts faster. I contend that a trap once the wax has been rubbed off is better having also been dyed.

[braveheart]

I wax my land traps but not the upper jaw.I just wonder why everyone dies there traps a coal black color?When I go under a bridge I can see a black trap like a pure white trap would stick out.I die mine for water line a mud brown color.Then wax the bottom half.

[calvin]

Wax itself has plenty of odor. We/ve all smelled the wax pot while its warming up. If I can smell it so can everything else. I think its necessary to let the K9 traps air for awhile after waxing.

2 pots here, too. One for coyote traps and the other for water traps. New to waxing water traps but after dealing with SD water...and losing plenty due to how fast that water rusts...and changes pan tension, I/m going to waxing all footholds instead of paint or dye. Dirty wax isn't going to hurt the water traps and easy to re-coat when not concerned about cleanliness.

I have never not dyed my K9 traps before wax. However, I may start just cleaning and waxing them from now on. But I/ve been saying that for a couple years now and they always end up in the dye pot first.

[trappnman]

as far as dye being no protection- we debated that before, and a tannic acid dye, melds with metal.

so much so, that a smilar type dye is used to pre treat many metals before painting.

whether its needed, is debateable- whethre it offers some protection, is not.

[trappincoyotes39]

yes acids change the PH and would result in longer time of protection against the process of rust, now one could say to what degrees but dye buys you time that I have no doubt in most cases unless the soils are really funky in the PH and over comes the property of the dye. Like very high aklaline soils, but again dye and wax buys you more time than non coated for sure even in those soils, quantitifying how much time would be more tricky but I boil them all no matter the soils so no big deal.

[dpomm]

I use to use only one pot for waxing both water and dirt...same wax etc. Bad deal after doing both one year had every dirt trap dug up. Lesson learned and now use two pots. After waxing dirt traps will throw that wax in for water traps and clean the pot. It might be over kill but I don't get enough time to trap as is and I like making every set count. I am still trying to figure out if dying the traps makes a difference but I think there is to many possibilties to add to figure out if it helps with trap life ie less repairs.

[ksboy2]

a better question is why do we dye a land trap that will be totally covered with dirt/peat/sand/etc....

here in kansas we get the dreaded freeze/thaw... gotta salt.... wax helps

when i used to run just cat sets in eastern kansas (uncovered) i never dyed or waxed anything... i actually dipped my traps in either brown/dark green/or black rustoleum paint thinned down...

worked great and kept the coyotes out of my cat sets..LOL

[trappnman]

I'm missing something here- why would water traps, contaminate land traps?

I'm one that never waxes my water traps, or for tat matter my coon traps for land. Every 2-3 years I'll dip them, or boil them in the dye, but really see no purpose it it. In the day, no marsh trapper ever did anything to their traps, and I'm still using some that were my grandfathers, so we are talking 70+ years of every year use. They just get that nice brown finish, and if put away dry are good year after year. I use a bunch of diamond, b & L triumph #1s as gopher traps, and they are in the ground constantly during the season, and again, as good as the day they came from factory and thats with nothing done but washed off occasionally.

I'm sure the makeup of the water here has something to do with it.

but I do understand some like to wax their water traps, and understand their reasoning, but have never felt a need for it.

I can see waxing water traps to protect them if you need to do that- but as far as any advantages beyond that go-

what are they? I don't want a "fast" trap on water. Wax on land, does, I feel, make it faster in that it comes up through cold soil, etc faster- do you feel wax makes a trap come up faster in water?

or is it only a protection thing?

it always amazes me, when good trappers with equal skill, have completely different ideas to achieve that success.

[Wright Brothers]

If you use untreated traps over here, they will rust away. The question to why some do and some don't can be answered by litmus paper. "Most" soil East of the big muddy is acidic. Combine that with mine drainage, winter road treatments for ice, and rust happens.

This is the second time this week I've heard of bees wax as an additive. I've been a student of wax for a long time and have taken hints from many. The more I learn, the more I realize I don't know, and the more many trappers do not know.

Last fall I held in one hand a case of candles that retailed for $1400. Not all wax is the same.
It's been so long since I have used "trap" wax I almost bought some to compare.

If wax could seal out scent, or be truely scent free, police dogs that sniff out contraband would be out of work.

And no I'm not over thinking, just yacking.

I used gas dip,,,, once.

[trappnman]

WB- I'm not a chemist, in fact chemistry was my WORST subject in college-

but lime is an alkaline, right?

and as such, it would neutralize acid?

if so, it would make sense, since we have tons of limestone spring creeks here.

our other major rock is sandstone, what ever that would be.

[Wright Brothers]

Lime is mined and sold by the ton here for adlusting soil PH. A 50 lb bag on a small vegetable garden every two winters is not too much.

I had some fresh waxed traps cached in a pine patch. Went and checked on them and they took on the smell of the wet rotting pine needles. That made me think about, lime, wax, recipes, etc.

Dang wax absorbs odors so much I have often thought of abandoning it, but the rust..

Central and some Eastern Pa are known for the limestone creeks and their trout fly hatches. No so much over here in the West. I believe our limestone is deeper and harder, according to family who worked in that trade. At one time, after the limestone was mined, we had the largest mushroom producing mines in the world. Now much of that is storage and top secret stuff.

[Rally Hess]

WB,
I believe wax does absorb odors, infact I'm sure it does. I can take a beaver trap out of the muskeg ponds here, and it will smell just like the bog for quite awhile. What would be wrong with a dirt trap smelling like the dirt around it? Most trappers don't take a dirty trap from one location to another, and most clean a trap that is moved from one location to another after a catch.
The original "trap waxes" used to have some beeswax in them, and most were or had a yellow tinge to them. The stuff being sold today is alot lighter in color. I just buy a big chunk from Red Ohern every couple years and add it to my existing pots as I add trappers wax.
Steve,
I wax traps to both make them faster and preserve them. I also don't care for the rust transfer to the fur of the animals I catch, especially with Conibears.

[calvin]

The waxing of water traps is new to me. Not doing it cost me money in SD last spring. locally I don't really need it, either. If I can go 2, or 3 years without doing it here, i/ll be happy and won't re wax them until needed. But so far, I like the method for protection as paint seemed to build up and fill in my tag numbers and I didn't like speed dip.

As far as the two pot deal, I just don't want to worry about contamination...or if I have a clean trap to start with or not. And actually, I won't de-wax the water traps before re waxing them if I/m not worried about it. Put the half waxed trap right in and let the hot wax melt off what is left on the trap and re coat. Its also a nice outlet for my K-9 trap wax as the bottom seems to get silty. That part can go in the water trap wax pot at that point and I/ll re-fill the K9 wax pot with new stuff. Not necessary? Maybe not but I see some time saving if one is not worried about cleanliness.

[Wright Brothers]

Can't sleep so I'll yax some more. Hung 5/8" x 12' drywall cielings tonight. First time since I got hurt. No pain no gain aye lol.

The big dollar candles I spoke of were white pure bees wax. Couldn't sniff em they were sealed. But I have sniffed their refined bees wax, no odor to me. The makers told me the old school way to bleech bees wax was to use peroxide at high temps, another by shaving it or heating and pouring in thin layers and letting sun bleech it. The modern way is guarded trade secret.

When thinking of what Rally said in first paragraph this thought creeps into my head.
Does that bog smell, rot pine needle smell, soaking in creek smell, rosin smell or any, hurt us when that trap is used in an area with none. Probably not, but??

Ive seen the old trapper wax that was yellow, it smelled of honey comb. I'd have a real excuse from digging with that I'd think. Maybe not if bleeched and mixed?

I've always waxed water traps and recently started waxing the sides of BGs 110s and 160s. I like that I can strip my traps to bare metal. I don't buy all new gear like some others do every couple years. I also have two active pots and chop off the bottom as needed.

Some of my latest wax thoughts have been about finding a way to extract some of the oil from high oil wax. I was told the high oil wax is cheaper and gets used for container candles, and the costlier lo oil used for stand up dinner candles.

I know I know, "Just go buy trapper wax silly rabbit". Well what is "trappers wax"?

Ah, About 2 or 3 bucks a pound haha.

I learned a bit from a friend that posts on here too. Perhaps he will chime in.

I'll cook up yet another experimental pot again one these days and see for myself.

[freepop]

After I wax my canine traps, they hang out back by the woods until they go in the ground. That way they take on the smell of the outside and the woods.