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Posted by Lonny (Member # 19) on January 01, 2016, 07:20 PM:
When I was in high school, I worked for the guy who had this trap. He wasn't a trapper or anything like that. I think the trap came with the place. He did say he thought it was made by a blacksmith in the early 1900's. It's all riveted and pinned.
Long story short, I always thought the trap was kind of interesting and told him way back then that I'd buy it if he ever wanted to sell it, I'd buy it.
I hadn't thought about it in many years. I'll be damned, if he didn't have it given to me over Christmas. Evidently nobody in his family wanted it and he remembered me being interested in it 30 years ago. I doubt it has any real value in terms of money since it is homemade, but somebody sweated a day or two over making it.
Posted by Kokopelli (Member # 633) on January 01, 2016, 08:01 PM:
Wow !!!!
Now, if that thing could only talk.............
Posted by Dave Allen (Member # 3102) on January 01, 2016, 08:25 PM:
Nice, that would be cool hanging on the side of a shed or something ?
Posted by Lonny (Member # 19) on January 01, 2016, 08:45 PM:
It looks like it was cobbled together with leaf springs and the base piece is a wrench that at one time was used for square nuts. The pan is a section of saw blade.
Posted by DAA (Member # 11) on January 02, 2016, 08:13 AM:
That's pretty stinkin' cool!
- DAA
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on January 02, 2016, 09:22 AM:
Wow! Thanks for sharing that! I love it!
But, I am very impressed with the steel table in the background.
You can leave either of them in the will for me. Thank you!
Good hunting. El Bee
edit: PS that garage is too friggin' neat.
[ January 02, 2016, 09:26 AM: Message edited by: Leonard ]
Posted by TRnCO (Member # 690) on January 02, 2016, 10:10 AM:
now that is a trap. Very cool that 30 years later it found its way to you Lonny.
Posted by Locohead (Member # 15) on January 02, 2016, 10:27 PM:
Neat trap but I think the story is even cooler!!! Really nice of that guy to remember you!!
Posted by Cdog911 (Member # 7) on January 03, 2016, 04:36 AM:
That's cool. Any weld points on it? Had to be forge welded being that old.
Posted by Lonny (Member # 19) on January 03, 2016, 06:32 AM:
Cdog, No, nothing on it is welded.
At some point in time, I'm pretty the trap had teeth. If you look at the top of the jaws in the second pic, you can see the heads of pins. On the underside of the jaws, there is a place where one pin is still holding a piece of broken metal, that I assume was a tooth. I think somebody may have purposely broke off the teeth at some point.
The guy I worked for who had the trap, came from the era that you keep everything that might have a purpose down the road.
I think he may have kept the trap around thinking that the metal might be used for something else someday. When I worked for him I did lots of fence fixing and tearing out old fence. I still despise hog wire to this day... He would have me save all the staples and nails I pulled and straighten them on rainy days. He definitely came from the era that you don't waste anything, but yet he was very organized and knew exactly where everything was and what he had. Nothing but total respect for the guy.
[ January 03, 2016, 06:34 AM: Message edited by: Lonny ]
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on January 03, 2016, 09:24 AM:
I just noticed the C clamps you are using to compress the springs! Had not thought about that before? On a coyote or wolf size trap, you usually just stand on the springs, not this baby!
Can we assume this would be a grizzly trap? Imagine custom digging that hole and sifting fines around the pan. Now, what are you going to anchor it to? Use a railroad tie as a drag?
The thing is, considering the engineering that went into building this trap, he must have had a very specific application? Several orders of magnitude beyond everyday fur trapping. But, you could actually make your own, if you had nothing better to do for a weekend project.
I recollect, (or ponder, if you prefer?), that some time back, there were some "Griz" traps offered for sale, as wall hangers and not actual, functional bear traps. But it does make a neat conversation piece.
You can also buy a framed and uncut sheet of $100 dollar bills from the U.S. Treasury, in D.C. The guy next door went cheap and got the "one dollar" version, which is still impressive.
Good hunting. El Bee
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