Just put my traps in to dye

[Johnch]

Not sure how everyone else dose it
But I figured I would post my easy and cheap way


I have been dye ing my traps with Black Walnut husks for .......got to be close to 35 years now

To start , you will need a bunch of black walnut husks
We have a number of trees , so I put them in piles till there is enough and they are starting to turn brown or black
Green husks will work , just tough to get off the nut and takes a little longer to dye the traps

With rubber gloves (lmao unless you like your hands stained lmao )
Husk the walnuts , save the nuts to dry and crack later


Start with clean and if posible slightly rusty traps , as a little rust holds the color better
Put a layer in the bottom of any plastic container you have
I now use a 30 quart tub with a lid
Put the tub or what ever container you have in a sunny place out of the way
Put enough husks on top of the traps to cover the traps +2"
Another layer of traps and more husks till all your traps are covered
If you have more husks , fill the tub
Put the lid on and walk away
If you have enough walnut husks , you can simply pile the husks on top of the traps and cover with a tarp


Now the tough part ickle:
Let the traps set in the tub for at least 2 weeks
I have let them soak for over a month
It all depends on when I need them and when I have the time

When they have sat for a while
Again with rubber gloves
Dig the traps out of the tub , it will be a black soupy mess
Wipe off the husk remains Allow the traps to air dry

Wax as you would normaly

This will dye your traps better than any other process I have tryed


John

 

[Tree Monkey]

Thanks for the info!!!....sounds like a cheap and easy way!

 

[RedCloud]

Sweet deal. Might have to get that done myself here in a week or so. November is coming quick lol.

 

[Duckdowner]

Good idea, I have always put a bunch of walnuts with husks into a tub of water and heated over a fire and "cooked" the traps in the thick walnut soup, after you cook em a good while, throw in a block of wax into the tub and wait till the wax is melted(the melted wax will float on top of water) then when you pull your traps out they are dyed and waxed. It takes a while but I'm pretty sure your not allowed to do this without a beer in your hand. I'm not tryin to take away from your post, or say my way is better just lettin others know how I do it.

 

[Halfton]

Tried walnut hauls for the first time last year and they turned out good. The older traps done better because of them being totaly rusted. The new 1 1/2s took the dye but weren't rusty enough after soaking in vinegar. Should be a lot better this year.
Done some snares this summer and turned out pretty good. Went out and set one up to see how it blended in. Looked real good. Will be doing the rest of them starting next week.

Russ