Waxing Traps - The Final Step in Trap Preparation

If you've decided upon Dyeing & Waxing as your process of choice for preparing your traps for the season, then waxing is the final step in that chain.

As the name implies, WAXING is dipping your traps, either in bunches or singularly into a pot of molten trap wax. There is an old wives tale that almost has the same status as "rodents go outside to die after eating anticoagulant baits" that you should FLOAT your wax on top of boiling water and then pull your traps through the molten wax...this results in an undesirable and unsatisfactory wax coating on your traps. You will save money on wax, but suffer on quality. You get what you pay for !!

Here is my simple wax setup. A 20lb. propane cylinder and a camp stove I bought at a tag sale at least 20 years ago. The pot that I keep my wax in is of the same vintage and your wax can be used from year to year, just add more trap wax as time goes on.
Notice I'm waxing my traps outside.....out of the house or building...CAUTION: The melted wax is HOT and flammable, if you happen to get your wax too HOT and it ignites you don't want it in your house. I know people who didn't heed this warning and have burned their garage down.

So you start by setting up your heat source outside. Your wax pot has a solid block of wax in it if it was previously used or if this is your first time waxing traps be sure to purchase enough trap wax to completely submerge the traps you'd like to have treated. On a low flame you melt your wax slowly, for the pot in the picture this takes approx. 2.5 - 3hrs. to fully melt the wax. YOU WANT THE WAX HOT, BUT NOT BOILING. If the wax gets too hot and starts to bubble, move it slightly off the flame until it cools down slightly.

Using a metal hook, and wearing gloves, I lower each of my previously boiled traps into the molten wax. THIS NEXT STATEMENT IS VERY IMPORTANT .... YOU LEAVE THE TRAPS IN THE WAX UNTIL THEY BECOME AS HOT AS THE WAX ITSELF. Usually 7 - 10 minutes. Then using your metal hook you lift each trap slowly out of the wax. Notice the drip rings in the wax, the wax should run off your trap like water.

Then move away from your wax pot and give the trap several good shakes to get any excess liquid wax off your trap. Hang the trap up to cool and in several minutes will be cool to the touch. The end result will be a trap with a light coating of wax that will not flake or chip off, and will give you the protection and durability you're looking for.

Boiling Traps

Weather was perfect, on the cool side, not much wind. I decided to boil my traps in preparation for a predator control project later next month. Some would consider this old-fashioned, boiling traps in logwood trap dye to turn them black and inhibits (at least in a small way) further rusting of your traps. The logwood trap dye turns your traps a deep blue-black color. Others choose to simply dip their traps in a petroleum based product which when dried leaves a shiny black latex coating on the trap. I use the faster DIP process for bodygripping traps but still prefer the age old dyeing and waxing process for my foothold traps.

In my younger days I used to have a spot out in the woods where I built a wood fire which I tended all day and used a 30 gallon barrel to boil all my traps. Now I opt for the faster and somewhat simpler propane method. As you can see nothing fancy, I just use a mop bucket filled with water and a 20lb. propane cylinder. To block the wind I use whatever is available, in this case some old desk drawers. I get the water to a rolling boil and add the red or black logwood powder, approx. 1 lb. per 5 gallons of water. I then place the traps in the water and leave each batch of traps approx. 30 - 45 minutes until they are a deep blue-black color. Then using a metal hook (watch it they're HOT)I hang each trap up to dry.

And lets not forget that tell-tale smell of Fall .....the smell of a logwood trap dye boiling in the pot !! :-)