Could someone please explain in which circumstances you'd choose Propylene Glycol over Glycerin in bait/lure making and vise-versa? (Assuming they are both the same price of course.)

Do they have added benefits aside from anti-freezing properties? Are there differences in the benefits between the two mentioned?

Thank you in advance.

~ADC~

Both glycerine and propylene glycol are identical when used as an odorless anti-freeze in lures and urines. The glycerine is very thick and sticky like honey or mollases and gets real stiff in extrememly cold weather. It gives a lure good stickyness and body but perhaps in real cold climates that body would be too much. Propylene glycol is thin like syrup and might be better for a cold weather lure. Also, I believe glycol is a much better tincturing agent and one might want to leach or tincture out all of the odor they can from certain ingredients while the lure is ageing. Ace

That is basically what I thought Asa but wanted to verify it before passing on bad info. Thank you again for your time.

~ADC~

I always felt too that "glycol" will change the odor of urine much more than will glycerine. Some thing to consider.

Asa,

A good beaver trapper that is my neighbor told me to slice up dried beaver castors, mixed with sac oil, and glycol (at leat i think it was glycol and not glycerine) is this correct and a good mixture or not. he had his mixed runny. i bought some from kaatz bros and his was real thick. does this matter. i like the runny stuff to apply, put it in a squeeze bottle and give it a squirt

Glycol it's more from petroleum product, it's more use for base lure with no human's fear like marten,fisher,lynx,
for shy critter like canine (wolf) , beaver,mink i think glycerine it's better, I dont have any trouble with glycerin in the north of canada

I have tried propylene as anti-freeze on my wolf sets this year and they never have work them.Oderless?Use propylene as a base for shy critter like wolf,i'am not sure it's a good thing to do.

I asked the company rep ( we get 55 gal. barrels) what the food grade PG is that we purchase. He informed me it is a sugar base antifreeze. LM

Propylene glycol is NOT odorless and in my opinion has very limited use in lure formulation. I have had much more success using pure grain alcahol as a tincturing agent and glycerin as an anti freeze.

Ron asked...A good beaver trapper that is my neighbor told me to slice up dried beaver castors, mixed with sac oil, and glycol (at leat i think it was glycol and not glycerine) is this correct and a good mixture or not.

The beaver trapper probably recommended glycol as a means of tincturing maximum odor from the castors, not as an anti-freeze. That would be correct.

I agree with Dave and others, glycerine is the best for usage in lures and urines as an anti-freeze or lure base. For a few dollars per gallon difference I am not going to risk animal set avoidance by using glycol even though I can't detect any odor in the pure clear stuff.. Also, I agree with dave that alcolhol is a much more thorough tincturing agent than glycol. I can't get pure grain alcolhol here in Michigan so use 100 proof vodka for tincturing with good results. Ace

...and 100 proof vodka is good with orange juice....(LOL)

But, isn't glycol a preservative also, where glycerin is not?

Trapper7: I believe both glycol and glycerine have only minor preserving qualities. Their purpose in lures and urines is as an anti-freeze, not a preservative. Ace

I used glycerine in about a one to five ratio to muskrat blood in a plastic squeeze bottle. I use it to freshen up my bait in weasel boxes in cold weather. Works great and the consistancy is just about right at that ratio.(along with Asa's weasel lure of course)

Asa,

Ron asked...A good beaver trapper that is my neighbor told me to slice up dried beaver castors, mixed with sac oil, and glycol (at leat i think it was glycol and not glycerine) is this correct and a good mixture or not.

The beaver trapper probably recommended glycol as a means of tincturing maximum odor from the castors, not as an anti-freeze. That would be correct.

So i use glycol, do i add any thing else to this beaver lure or is that all i need. should it be runny or thick substance.

There are clear differences I've found between glycol and glycerine, and a couple similarities..

Glycol has more solvent properties than glycerine.

Glycerine seems more inert as it pertains to reactions with other ingredients in lure formulations.

Mold will grow in formulations where glycerine is used and will not with glycol.

Glycol is better than glycerine for tincturing some items, even better than alcohol for some items. (There is another item that is better for many items than either glycol or alcohol, but I've been sworn to secrecy - lol)

Both glycerine and glycol have very limited preservative qualities.

Perhaps (limited) but I have taken fresh fish and fresh meat and put it in a glass jar. Then filled it up with glycol, and I mean the good stuff, and stired it and/ or shook it upside down every time I think about it, when I'm in the shed. A year later.. That fish or meat is as fresh as the day I put it in there! Does that sound like "limited qualities" to you???? Sure doesn't to me! I have to wonder how many have tried it and how many times you've done it? Because I've done it a lot and have been really happy with the results. Like i said, the GOOD stuff (pure) not the cheap or cut as some sell.

There are purposes for each of these products. Used as a 100% base with no dilution they both have some preservation qualities however not many use it as a 100% base product.It is used in formulation as a percentage of the formula.

Glycol will cause a considerable reaction when used with (uric acid products) such as urine as an ingredient in formulation where glycerine will not.Some other ingredients will also react with glycol causing a gaseous build up that may boil over a batch as soon as it is hit with a drill to stir the mix.

This is a very interesting topic as both products have their uses but some things work much better together then others.It does take time, experience and experimentation to derive some the most compatable facts regarding these 2 products.

Thanks Bob, nice to see you back again!
Victoria

VV - "Does that sound like "limited qualities" to you????"

You play with it enough and you'll know what I'm talking about.

I've never used Glycol or Glycerine that has been cut, so I have no idea what that is, or how it works.