Trappers wax

[Budmen]

I bought a large lot from an auction. In that I found probably 20# of trappers wax of which I have no use. It does not say anything about it being bees wax or perrifin wax or candle wax. Can I use this for lubing when i mix alloys does anyone know anything about it. I just hate throwing anything away these days

[captaint]

Heck, if nothing else, you could use it in lube or maybe in tumble lube. If all else fails, flux with it.. Lifetime supply, either way.... enjoy Mike

[fryboy]

years ago it was primarily beeswax , in this day and age who knows , best bet is if it has a label look up the MSDS from the manufacturer , i do have to agree that it should make great flux

[Hal A Looyah]

Its paraffin, if it is the modern, commercially available stuff. Like alloys, who knows what it is if it is prev. melted. I use it. Beeswax would have far too much scent for trapping. If it is still in original packaging go sell it at trapperman.com forums. New wax is prob. 4-5 dollars per pound.

[randyrat]

I think it is DEODORIZED paraffin wax. Let me know if you want to sell it. I know a bunch of trappers around here, I can put the word out. Fir prices are down right now and the season is on the back side. Best time to sell is late fall.
The other option is hang onto it for next fall.

[largom]

If it has a yellow tint it MIGHT be beeswax. If it is somewhat clear with a white tint it would be pariffin. Trappers do not use beeswax, they use paraffin. Adding paraffin to lube will make it hard.

Larry

[crappie-hunter]

Well If it's as old as I am, be 70 next month. when I was trapping and made my own wax out of beeswax and pariffin I would get a clump of pine pitch about the size of a chicken egg and add it to about 1gal. of the wax mixture. If it has anything like that added to it I dont think I would use it as a bullet lube. If some old relic like made it It could have pine pitch added as that was the way everyone in my generation made their wax. It made it adhere to the traps better and served to some extent as a scent killer.

[largom]

Well If it's as old as I am, be 70 next month. when I was trapping and made my own wax out of beeswax and pariffin I would get a clump of pine pitch about the size of a chicken egg and add it to about 1gal. of the wax mixture. If it has anything like that added to it I dont think I would use it as a bullet lube. If some old relic like made it It could have pine pitch added as that was the way everyone in my generation made their wax. It made it adhere to the traps better and served to some extent as a scent killer.


I did this to my trap wax as well. We must be in the same boat as I will be 69 my next birthday.

Larry

[AndyC]

What was trapper's wax used for, exactly?

[Slowpoke]

What was trapper's wax used for, exactly?

Mainly three things

Trap lube--makes the trap close faster, some times to fast as many a sore fingered trapper has found out that forgot to remove the wax from the dog or trigger.

Slow's the rust down

Kind of cover's the smell of the steel trap, thats why bee's wax is not so great it has its own smell.

good luck

[10 ga]

Trappers wax. Put on traps to prevent rust, provide lubrication to make them work faster and smoother, rusty traps are slow and will be weaker as rust progresses. I always just use the parraffine blocks in the "canning" section of the store. Like "crappie hunter" and "largom" said, add some pine rosin balls that I picked off the pine trees where injured or beetled. The pine rosin makes the parrafine stick to the trap and keeps it from being brittle and flaking off if used as straight parraffine. The commercial "trapper wax" mixes do not have the rosin in them and it needs to be added. Where I marsh trap it is close to Chesapeake Bay and the water is salt. If the traps are not waxed they will be very rusty, weak and unuseable in a short time. With propper cleaning, waxing and storage every year they will last a long time. I have some traps that I muskrat and coon trap with that are over 35 years old and are regularly used in the salt marshes and they are still strong and fast. If any of you guys know what I'm talking about I still have a bunch of "square jawed" Conibear traps that I use and are in right good shape. Best to all, 10 ga

PS to AndyC I checked your pics! Thanks.

[AndyC]

Ahhh, I see - awesome, thanks.

10ga - you're welcome ;)

[dmize]

Forgot application.
I used an old kettle over a wood fire,filled with water,mixed in logwood dye and threw a big bag of wax in too.
Get the water boiling real good,wax melts and floats on water,drop traps in and let them boil for a while,then slowly pull traps out they get dyed in the water and a thin coating of wax on the way out,
When doing this to connibears I removed way from the trigger latch area.
Im only 44 but damn I miss those days.

[Budmen]

Thanks for all the info guys guess I will use it as fluxing agent. Its pretty old I think probably from the 70-80's since the auction was a gun shop who went out in the eairly 90's and I can remember going in there as a kid snd nothing ever changed..

[472x1B/A]

Verywell described 10 ga. Thank you. Am 60 now and started trapping when I was 12. Back then I didn't know about dying and waxing trapps. Learnded alot since thoes days. Bought fur for 16 years up untill 2 years ago. There was some long 100 coon a day, days then. Good luck with your 'trappers wax' Budmen.