Dyed up a bunch of traps with about 3 coats of Formula 1. Rust is bleeding through a little is this ok or gonna cause me any problems?

Thanks!

Land traps or water???

Water i would say leave em go....land traps i would say try waxing them....i tried formula 1 on footholds and had the same issue...used em to set for beaver a few days and went back to dye and wax...not a fan of the rust coming through on my canine traps...but some guys use formula 1 and love it....

I tried F1 on coni's and had the same problem. Went to spray paint instead. Like it on snares though.

They are land traps. I just didnt know if I should soak them in vinegar for a week derust and start from scratch. Or, if they would be ok like that and the rust wouldnt advance any more. They werent rusted bad they are new traps.

what you used is GARBAGE...or you used too little !

What are you saying LT, that the product is no good to begin with for that application, or that it goes bad in some way? I sure didn't like what it did on my coni's and would never use it on foot holds based on that.

What a lot of folks do is mistakenly think that F1 is a dye OR they try and treat it like a dye. It's not a dye, it's a membrane and therein lies the problem! If there is any rust on the steel, the rust being a sharp-type compound will penetrate through the membrane as it dries and tightens to the surface of the steel. Once the membrane has been compromised, oxygen is allowed to excelerate(rust is an oxide) the rusting.

In addition, F1 is a water-based compound, if there are(and there will be) any pits in the steel(caused by previous rusting) or rust itself, the water molecules in the F1 are in contact with the rust and pits so more rusting occurs IF the membrane isn't allowed to dry between coats!!! This is the most important thing to remember. Completely dry between coats. If you don't the moisture will be trapped and water has it's own oxygen molecule to start and feed rust under the membrane.

The only way I have ever been successful using F1 myself is to completely derust the traps, make sure the F1 is thinned properly, and dip ONCE ONLY and allow that dipping to COMPLETELY dry. You need ALL moisture to escape the membrane before the next coat. You follow the same procedure for each coat.

I only use it on my water line traps but not on my canine traps.

I definitely didnt use too little. Its not junk its practicaly new. I think the guy above me said it perfectly. Well both of you. And I did assume it would treat the trap like speed dip. Oh well I think I have decided that was a wasted 60 bucks its just not for me.

How did you mix it...what ratio?

What color?

If mix ratio was 3 water/1 F1 or less water and it's black in color AND we were closer I might would buy it from you.

Where on the trap is the rust

New traps come with oil on them which can be hard to remove , this oil could be your problem , my K9 traps , first go the car wash , then there boiled in lye or something close , not really sure why you would use vinegar , vinegar does work good on you if you get hit by a skunk , if there new traps with oil or they have been waxed your going to need to float that stuff off by just adding more water , if you don't it's just going to go right back on the trap when you lift your traps out , Then I take them back to the car wash , if there new your going to have to let them rust some before the next step , Then I boil them in log wood die , then lay them out and take the garden hose to them , let them dry then dip in wax till there clear , hang in a open area for two weeks then there clean and ready to go . I do use speed dip on all my other traps good stuff ,

I understand the boiling process vinegar etc. I boiled all the factory grease off the traps with hot water and baking soda. When they came out they were grease free. Also they have never been waxed. I used the vinegar to prerust the traps over night and I sprayed what vinegar may have been on them off before I dipped them. The rust is all over the traps. Its not bad by no means mainly spots. Just didnt want my traps to be a mess when I get them out next year. Swampwolf I mixed per the directions but its brown.

Jimmy I did the same as you, cleaned off the oil,pressure washed, use vinegar to rust, soaked in baking soda and water to stop the rust then dipped once dry. Dipped according to instructions 4 times and only once completly dry. Mine are doing the same thing as yours. Might try to dip them once more to see how it works, but will probably try dye and wax.

If you don't strip the F1 off it won't make any difference how many more times you dip them, the rust will continue making more rust and bleed through. The traps have to be RUST FREE BEFORE dipping!

Thought somewhere read or heard that the prep is the same as some source rust to let it adhere to the trap , my problem was no source rust

I believe it was in the directions on the can. I can honestly say that I questioned the reasoning behind having a rusted trap. Since F1is a membrane not unlike paint, you certainly wouldn't paint over rust and not expect it to come through! Also since F1 is water-based, you're adding more hydrogen and oxygen to excelerate the making of more rust. You make more or help it to speard and it will bleed through and it'll lift the membrane as it spreads compromising the integrity of the entire trap from rusting.
From the experimenting I've done it's exactly the opposite as stated in their directions.

Anyone know the best way to strip F1 off of traps?

Im sure the best way (not cheapest) would be enough paint thinner to soak them in for a day or 2. I have had mine in buckets with 100 % vinegar for 5 days now. I checked them 2 days ago and the F1 was ready to peel off then. I'm going to pressure wash them this weekend and dip them with the "bad stuff". Worked last year pretty sure it will work again this year too.

While I was trying to find out how to apply the F1 properly, I had to learn the best way to remove it. If there is rust bleed-through the rust has actually lifted the membrane off the steel. I found a soaking in a typical 50/50 mix of vinegar and water for 3-4 days and the F1 will come off easily with a powerwasher (as you see in my two photos). In fact, depending on how extensive the rust beneath, you will be able to remove a lot of it just by rubbing with your fingers(if you don't have a power washer).

Seldom, I like your rig you have made to remove the dye off without having to chase the traps around with the pressure washer. Thats pretty engenius.