Mk 4 fenn

[shotgun..willy 8]

Just wondering if any of you lads or lasses use any sort of lubricant on your traps, if seen some American stuff on YouTube where they dip them in melted wax which seems a bit of a palaver to me some of my traps are fifteen plus years old and wondered if they would benefit from this sort of thing .

[EDDIE B 3,120]

I boil and spray paint my traps each summer. I like to keep my traps working smooth. There aint much good to say about rust

Edited December 17, 2019 by EDDIE B

[Nicepix 5,650]

My two Mk. IV Springers are at least thirty years old, probably nearer 40, never to my knowledge been lubricated and they creak and groan when being set. But they shut quicker than a rat can move.

[Phil Lloyd 10,736]

11 hours ago, shotgun..willy said:

Just wondering if any of you lads or lasses use any sort of lubricant on your traps, if seen some American stuff on YouTube where they dip them in melted wax which seems a bit of a palaver to me some of my traps are fifteen plus years old and wondered if they would benefit from this sort of thing .

When I was burrow trapping the rabbits, using Imbras, Fenns and in later years, Bodygrippers, I insured that the traps worked fast by keeping them ,in tip-top condition.

Some types of soil can corrode the steel far worse than in other places...and when after the Mink in pocket sets, or alongside bridges etc, the traps are frequently getting a regular soaking..

 I used to treat the old iron Imbras and Juby's,.. with boiled oak bark, and dipped the fresh steel Fenns and Conibears with Logwood dye.

Traps ain't cheap and it pays to look after your tools

 

http://www.chalkwarren.co.uk/

[EDDIE B 3,120]

Thing is, maintaining your car, your home, even your gun, comes naturally to us all, to keep them in TOP working order, so why not your traps? Will a rusty gate outlive a well maintained gate of the same type? Squeaks, but it still works. Just not as well. Same goes for anything. 

 Every time this subject comes up, we have a lot who say  their traps work fine without treating them. That's all well and good, and each to their own, as the man says. BUT, what benefits does it bring? Does it have any negative effects? This is someone who is asking for advise. So if your gonna give advise, then back it up with the positive aspects of why you do what you do. 

 I'm not pointing any fingers here by the way. Each to their own. I know those who run a lot of traps don't have the time or want to spend their spare time doing such things. Thats life, especially for you professional trappers. But if you had the choice of using well maintained traps, or rusty ones, which would you prefer?

 There is no denying that treating traps will make them more proficient at what they are designed to do, and un-maintained  traps, will be more sluggish, and less sensitive. That's just facts

[micky 3,325]

In my opinion the Fenn 4 is not a very good Rat trap  and the 6 should be banned full stop but as been stated any tool that you use should be in A1 condition  and all it takes to maintain a Fenn is a wire Brush and a spot of Paint /Dip 

[goldfinch2007 2,331]

7 hours ago, micky said:

In my opinion the Fenn 4 is not a very good Rat trap  and the 6 should be banned full stop but as been stated any tool that you use should be in A1 condition  and all it takes to maintain a Fenn is a wire Brush and a spot of Paint /Dip 

I don’t know much about trapping you say they no good for rats but good on rabbits?

[comanche 2,799]

21 hours ago, shotgun..willy said:

Just wondering if any of you lads or lasses use any sort of lubricant on your traps, if seen some American stuff on YouTube where they dip them in melted wax which seems a bit of a palaver to me some of my traps are fifteen plus years old and wondered if they would benefit from this sort of thing .

A friend gave me some engineer's wax which l suspect is similar or the same as trap wax. I 've not gone as far as some but it definately pays to go over and round the rubbing and  working parts of a trap with a wire brush or emery cloth once in a while. Even if you don't go for a full body wax a smear of something slippery will give an edge.

 

Edited December 18, 2019 by comanche

[PLEDGEY 493]

I dip mine in green Cuprinol , the stuff you paint your garden fence with.

[EDDIE B 3,120]

2 minutes ago, PLEDGEY said:

I dip mine in green Cuprinol , the stuff you paint your garden fence with.

Often was tempted to give it a try. 

[EDDIE B 3,120]

1 hour ago, goldfinch2007 said:

I don’t know much about trapping you say they no good for rats but good on rabbits?

Read his post again

[PLEDGEY 493]

1 minute ago, EDDIE B said:

Often was tempted to give it a try. 

You would think it would rub off, but it doesn't. I

 

2 minutes ago, EDDIE B said:

Often was tempted to give it a try. 

I tried spraying Cuprinol once (was gonna' do a Hilux) but it's a bit thick . Any way, the bit of the truck I tried it on came out really smooth and stayed nice and green until I resprayed it white.

[micky 3,325]

2 hours ago, goldfinch2007 said:

I don’t know much about trapping you say they no good for rats but good on rabbits?

The Fenn Mark 6 is not worth a Wank , ...… its days are numbered .

[comanche 2,799]

16 hours ago, micky said:

The Fenn Mark 6 is not worth a Wank , ...… its days are numbered .

No worth a xxxx for rats for sure; too big. But set in a tight-fitting box ,far better for squirrels than a Mk4.

[micky 3,325]

49 minutes ago, comanche said:

No worth a xxxx for rats for sure; too big. But set in a tight-fitting box ,far better for squirrels than a Mk4.

For me to put any trap in a Box it would have to be a Bodygrip , Cheap, Easy to set and Deadly .