First time delving into trapping so if it wasn't for youtube I'd be flying blind. I've got some beavers that I need to get rid of so I bought a few 330 conibears. Got the dye to use on them but I'm unsure on if I did it right. When I got the new traps, I unboxed them let them sit out in the rain for a couple of days to get some of the oil off of them. Then I soaked them and a mixture of dishwashing liquid and water then scrubbed them up and they felt pretty good to me when I took them out of that mixture. Let him sit out for a few hours and the rain again to let them build a little coat of rust on them. In the meantime doing a little more research I saw that you could spray them down with vinegar to make them rust a little faster. So I did that. This morning I was going to start dying them and it's worked out pretty well I think but I'm not sure. They were black when I took them out of the dye but that coating rubs off real easy. underneath that coating they are a darker gray than they were when they started but is that good enough or should that black coating come completely off on your hands? Any guidance would be appreciated to the newbie.

It's one of those things that gets better and better as you use them......They really have to get a little rust going on them for it to take well

The frames had a really good coat of rust but the springs we're only lightly rusted. I probably should have given them a couple of more days for the rust to eat into the metal more. I hung them out and will let them stay there a couple of days and see what happens. I'm not going to try to set them till next weekend so I might dye them again if they rust some between now and then.

I used wax and dye in my first traps months back - worked good but wife was not thrilled w me messing up a big pot

I went to full metal jacket coating in my newest traps - much simpler - just pour full metal jacket in bucket - dip your traps - then let them sit out side for 2-3 months - way less work - takes longer - put lid on the bucket u put full metal jacket in and use it next time

Rain has my trapping shut down w bad roads - dying to get back out - got coyotes and cats on camera recently - maybe by Friday r Saturday- had 3 diff coyotes showing up at a buck scrape at diff times - May set one close to there in the woods

The metal will release oil and come off black. To keep the dye from coming off, you need to prep the surface a little better. Soaking them in vinegar will etch the surface of the traps. Then, you need a spray bottle with 16 oz of peroxide, 2 oz or 4 Tbsp of Vinegar, and 1/2 Tbsp of salt. This will rust them good and you keep them soaked until you get all of the rusting that you want. Then, if you dye them in a pot or in a bucket with Dakota Line Snare and Trap Dip, it will stick. If it's conibear traps that you're dying, you may want to use part acetone and part Rustoleum.

Good advice!

Do not wax conibears, unless you like wearing them. Rustoleum/acetone or just a can of spray paint is best approach.

One thing on painting traps is you need to do it a few months before season so the odor will be gone
This lasts much longer than dyeing and waxing

Boil them in oak leaves is what my old trapping buddy did.

Thanks for the input guys. I checked them this afternoon after I got home from work and the dye actually took a lot better than I thought it had. They were almost completely black with just a few light rust spots on them. I had a couple of cans of rustoleum in the shed so I gave them a light dusting just to break up the black and I'll let them hang a few more days. I was hoping to get them out this weekend but I might have to wait until next week. Unfortunately I'm going to have to be a weekend trapper until Turkey season starts. I'm going to try to set them on Friday afternoons but they will have to be pulled on Sundays due to work.
And they are conibears. Duke 330s. Hopefully I won't be wearing one out of the swamp. Probably get in the way trying to drive the clown car back to the truck.

I’ve been battling beavers in my farm ponds this winter
A pair dug a lodge in the dam of my upper pond and busted out the back of the
Dam to drop the water level to thier liking .
I bought 2 330s and put in the water straight away and busted
Them beavers ass. No waiting period period !
I also put one on a slide and cought on the first set .
It doesnt seem that beavers care if the traps ate new or not
Its fun to shoot em after dark too !!
Good luck they are relentless critters

I never dye my traps but I also don't use conibear traps. When I get a new order of traps I just soak them in the bath tub with Dawn dish liquid for awhile. Rinse them off, dry and then wax them. Doesn't seem to bother the coons, bobcat, coyotes or the traps.

I am spinning around on this... I saw a video by Clint Cary and he said he pressure washes brand new traps off and puts them in the dirt. The next years he cleans them again boils and dips in FMJ. I bought a starter kit from Alan Propst (North American Trapper) and he said just boil them in dye and rock on. He wrote he thought waxing was an unnecessary step? I don't know what I'm going to do, or if I'll be successful but I'm bedding some sets tomorrow one way or the other.

All you really need to do is just get the oil off when their new, that's it, they'll catch. After the first season just clean up and dip, dye or wax if you want to. It's just to keep them from rusting too bad and working good. I only wax mine because I feel it gives the trap a little more smoothness in closing really quick. If you watch trapping videos you'll see all kinds of stuff about trapping. Just like anything else in life. Ford, Chevy, Toyota, war eagle, roll tide, mayo, no mayo, baptist, methodist, holiness and so on. Whatever you want to buy into and makes you feel it's making you successful.