Coloring/ Dying traps

[Intosomthin]

Been doin this 3 dacades plus. Is why im into fur trade. If you boil new or rusted traps, in muratic acid, like for cleaning basement pipes...it will clean rust off old, n new will rust as u watch it, min u pull em out. After that, agree with rest, logwood, walnut something that will etch into rust, n wax em if possible. If you ever browned a barrle ... same thing... acid 8dip n humidity... it will rust...finish is up to what u want it to be...
.

 

[Intosomthin]

They rust in minutes, not days...

 

[Intosomthin]

5 gallon water, 1 galon muratic acid... n dont breath it... lol but it will strip rust to bare steele... n rust new oily steel as you watch it...humidity up... dun it 30 yrs...

 

[Carbon 6]

5 gallon water, 1 galon muratic acid... n dont breath it... lol but it will strip rust to bare steele... n rust new oily steel as you watch it...humidity up... dun it 30 yrs...

I use to boil my traps in a 55 gallon drum, set it up on cinder blocks and build a fire under it. Then add a can of red devil lye and boil. Traps come out clean as a whistle.( this works especially well for new traps) Hang them on the clothesline for a week then dye them in the same barrel. (Add fresh clean water, though, dump out the lye solution)
Hang them from the chains, don't let them tough the bottom of the barrel or you risk heat damage to the springs.

 

[Pukka Bundook]

Indeed, Mushka, coyotes can smell rust.

 

[Carbon 6]

Indeed, Mushka, coyotes can smell rust.

I had a friend who was a great fox and coyote trapper. He never dyed or waxed his traps, wore the same chore gloves that he always wore and would smoke a cigarette while making a set.
Even saw him relive himself one day ten feet from the trap.
But, he was very particular on his "secret" bait" and what he used for trap cover.

 

[nhmoose]

I gotta ask why would they trap bear in the fur trade era? Second why would anyone carry around a 50 pound useless trap? Third where is it legal to trap a bear other than Maine?

Paint the trap a rust brown and hang it. But I would just let it rust the shoot it with WD-40.

Note: in some states it is illegal to posses anyway Check out MA regs.

 

[Zonie]

Bear fur and bear oil was valuable and carrying a 50 pound bear trap isn't difficult to do at all.

Just pack it onto the mule that's also carrying 150 pounds of other supplies and away you go.
Simple.

 

[Red Owl]

Well, it has been a long time but years ago you wanted a thin coat of rust on the traps to hold the dye. Boiling the traps got rid of any grease the manufacturer put on the metal and got rid of the scent. I think any kind of walnut, pecan hulls, etc. will dye the traps black. So, boil, rust traps, then dip in the dye, wax floating on top, pull up slow enough to slightly wax the traps.

 

[poker]

You all gave great directions, potions, and recipies. For that I thank you! I actually took one of the first advices given and degreased it well, then put it in a mucky slough for a week. It was looking pretty good at that point, but gave it another couple weeks hanging on a tree in the woods here. Then I oiled it up with some linseed oil twice about two weeks apart, followed by a good wash with dish soap and finally one coat of light oil. That trap turned out looking beautiful so I gave it to my son at christmas. It looks great by their fireplace now. Perhaps I’ll remember to get a picture next time I get over there.

 

[Pukka Bundook]

That should keep it looking nice for display purposes, Poker!

 

[poker]

Here that trap is next to an old newhouse wolf trap. I will card it again this spring and give it another week or two in the swamp.

 

[Thagomizer]

That's a nice looking display. Both traps look fine as is.