The first trap is how all my traps looked. (They looked so bad because they had to stay out for several months till the creek got low enough to get them out.)

The second one is after derusting treatment. The technique goes like this: Put the rusty traps in a cement mixer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours with 3 or 4 shovelfuls of crush run gravel. I only did 4 at a time, because i was worried the chains would get all tangled up. But they didn't, and you could probably do 7 or 8 at a time.

The traps may be down to shiny metal in some places but mainly it is just the rust knocked off. Some of that lightness showing in the picture is the chalky gravel dust. I didn't want to take all the rust off, just knock off the worst then dye and wax.

Edited to add: I have to sift through the gravel, i lost a trap pan off of one

Plinker

Good idea! Kind of like tumbling brass

good idea Then do you boil them in walnut hulls like I used to with a thin coat of parrafin on top to rust proof them for a while .This really works goodtoo happy toepinchin

I boil them in logwood dye which i store in jugs and re-use every year. Also coat with the wax. I start out the season with clean traps but they're soon contaminated and they stay put. It's no fun after all the work digging the bed and staking the trap to take it back in and clean it up. I'd probably catch more, but it's still fun.

Plinker

If you want to clean traps that are really rusty and you don't have a cement mixer the easiest way is to put them in a large container of water with vinegar. the vinegar loosens the rust to the point where you can just brush it off. Leave them in a few days.

As for waxing, putting the wax on top of water is the worst way to do it. It won't be even. Far better to buy a lot of wax to start with and melt it in a kettle or pail that is large enough to dip the trap into. Melt the wax, place the trap in the wax long enough for the trap to get heated, then pull the trap out and shake off the excess.

As for dye, if you have anybody around that has walnuts, use them. just boil your traps with a bunch of black walnut hulls. But be careful picking up the walnuts. Make sure and use gloves or your hands will be stained for a couple of weeks.

Gidday Guys,

I am really trying to understand why you want to have shiny traps.

I know that the possums we trap here are not stupid and once they see one of their buddies caught in a nice shiny trap they will avoid the shiny traps. A dull rusty trap is a lot easier to hide than a bright one and we try to make them so to increase the catch.

I do give them a spray with CRC 556 or WD40 around the hinge about once a year but I sure wont do anything to make them flash like the photo at the top. I want mine as dull and unobtrusive as possible.

Your situation may be different to mine but this is my experience.

Happy Hunting

Hamish

Hamish, we dye our traps black, that is what the logwood boil does, then coat with wax to lubricate and help prevent odor contamination, it is VERY important here to that the trap be invisible to the animal, except maybe a possum!!Although I have never seen or caught one!!

Gidday ELKMAN2,

What sort of wax do you use? That seems like a better idea than oil and will keep the trap nice and fast.

The rust colour is very good camouflage especially if partially buried and sprinkled with beech leaves.

Our possums while not stupid are very inquisitive and will investigate any new smells so the dour is not a problem. I have even heard of one guy using petrol as a lure and had a good catch as a result. Its too bloody expensive at $6.41 per gallon to do that.

I will take a photo when I get my camera charged and post some here to show you what we trap for fur here.

Happy Hunting

Hamish

Parafine wax, with just a small lump of bee wax or rosin added to make it "stickier" I use a 3 gallon pail with 14lbs of wax in it get it up to 210-220 deg, dip the trap in it and let it sit for maybe 30 seconds, till it gets to the same temp as the wax, then remove slowly and let dry. It really helps prevent rust and makes the trap mostly scent free along with lubrication. You may have to clean off the dog area a little.

Hamish, go back and read my first post all the way through. I said the trap wasn't as shiny as it appears in the picture some of that is the gravel dust. I was only getting the heavy rust and dirt off the trap and then i dyed and waxed it, the process Elkman refers to.

However, as far as possums, it wouldn't matter what the trap looked like, shiney or rusty, if there was food on the other side, the possum would step in the trap. They're pitifully dumb.

I got all my traps dyed, waxed and individually wrapped in plastic till trapping season. Then i'm gonna go after bobcats and coyotes! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRowl!!!!!

Plinker

Nice job........so what are you trapping?

I always had better luck dying a rusty trap then one that wasn't rusty. In fact, we'd take new traps and lay them outside for weeks, maybe even dip em in salty water to speed the process. Then once they had a good coat of rust we'd dye them.

Not sure what I was thinking, but, since I don't really trap and probably never will. Sprayed gray primer on some conibear's.
They sure do keep the cats from messing with them. Sometimes they'll knock 'em out of place, but, never tripped one yet. Damn it!!

George

It's okay to paint conibears. Twine some long dry grass around a couple of small sticks and then put those in the ground sticking up on either side in front of the conibear to try to disguise it some. I never had much with conibears either, though.

Plinker

I don't really trap, am just trying to catch these feral cats that get into my shop. That's the only reason I bought them. Thought I'd have better luck than zero though. Gosh!!

I have been around this trapping deal for a long time, and have to say that this is one of the first truly original ideas I have come across in ages. When I used to trap in Arizona, there was a stretch of sand wash where a certain road ran for a half mile or so. I used to drag my really dirty traps behind the truck in that soft sand to clean them up before boiling them, and they came out much like your photo. Thanks for sharing the idea!

quote:

Originally posted by ELKMAN2:
Hamish, we dye our traps black, that is what the logwood boil does, then coat with wax to lubricate and help prevent odor contamination, it is VERY important here to that the trap be invisible to the animal, except maybe a possum!!Although I have never seen or caught one!!

OH MY GOD never saw a opposum I'll trade you a western hunt for a ozark pussum hunt Its a good deal I wouldn't pass this one up.

quote:

Originally posted by Plinker603:
It's okay to paint conibears. Twine some long dry grass around a couple of small sticks and then put those in the ground sticking up on either side in front of the conibear to try to disguise it some. I never had much with conibears either, though.

Plinker

I spray paint all my water traps brown to make it harder for trap thiefs to find them.

quote:

Originally posted by ted thorn:

quote:

Originally posted by ELKMAN2:
Hamish, we dye our traps black, that is what the logwood boil does, then coat with wax to lubricate and help prevent odor contamination, it is VERY important here to that the trap be invisible to the animal, except maybe a possum!!Although I have never seen or caught one!!

OH MY GOD never saw a opposum I'll trade you a western hunt for a ozark pussum hunt Its a good deal I wouldn't pass this one up.

Never seen an armadillo either. I'd like to see one of them but a possum.....I don't know if an antelope is worth a truck load of them!!!

quote:

Originally posted by ELKMAN2:

quote:

Originally posted by ted thorn:

quote:

Originally posted by ELKMAN2:
Hamish, we dye our traps black, that is what the logwood boil does, then coat with wax to lubricate and help prevent odor contamination, it is VERY important here to that the trap be invisible to the animal, except maybe a possum!!Although I have never seen or caught one!!

OH MY GOD never saw a opposum I'll trade you a western hunt for a ozark pussum hunt Its a good deal I wouldn't pass this one up.

Never seen an armadillo either. I'd like to see one of them but a possum.....I don't know if an antelope is worth a truck load of them!!!

I suppose I could throw armadillo in there as a bonus but they burry up after it gets cold so it would be a warm weather hunt.... as far as a truck load how big is your truck we have as many possums and armadillos as you have pronghorn....they are bad thick. When I catch them in traps I have to dispatch them to keep from re-catching them over and over again they arent worth anything...not hardly worthless a GIANT possum brings $1