How hot do you have to get the wax? Degrees in F. I tried to wax some traps the other day and its really thick on my trap.

you need to get the wax hot enough to turn to liquid. Then leave the traps in the wax till they become the same temp as the wax. If you just dip the traps in the wax and pull back out they wax will clump up on the traps.

No idea on the exact temperature, but I get mine to where it's melted and just starts to smoke/steam a bit (NOT BOILING). I've never had the wax too thick on the trap..perhaps you didn't leave it in long enough. When I put a trap in, it 'fizzes' in the wax. Once the fizzing stops (about 2 mins) the trap comes out, I shake it off and hang it to cool. The trap needs enough time to get to the same temperature as the wax, it absorbs the wax into the pores of the metal.

Is this what happened? These were dip in hot wax and taken right out. The traps never got hot enough.





This is what it should look when the traps are heated to the right temp.

Thanks, I'm guessing I need to leave them in the wax longer. One more question. I was looking at a old post a long time ago and it said that the trap shouldn't touch the bottom of the pot. Is this true? and if so why?

225*F for me. Test it with a cheap candy thermometer $3 from wal-mart. I'd hate to scorch it and have to toss it out.

~ADC~

WAX CAN'T BE ABSORBED IN THE PORES OF STEEL, BECAUSE STEEL HAS NO PORES!!! Have you ever had a pot of soup leak onto the stove?

Never heard this one, and I want even guess as to why someone thinks you sould not let the traps hit the bottom. I drop mine in the wax pot all the way to the bottom and let them sit till I think they are hot as the wax. My pot is big enough to handle 10 #2's at one time. I use to run two pots, I would boil them and after they dried, I would wax them. If you ever do this, make sure the traps are dry, as water and wax do not do well together. The water can and will make the wax boil over.