Old Traps

[comanche 2,799]

10 hours ago, Ken's Deputy said:

Tildesley! Christ, yeah! I'd forgotten that name even existed! I Think I found it most often on small 'Run' traps and such?

My Fenn Pincer, by the way, has " A. FENN " stamped along the top of one of the 'handles' (For lack of a better term)

Aaah, fukk it! Fukk You, Comanche, stimulating me! The gloves are off now!!

Get those Fenn Pincers out and let's have a look at them! I've just dug out my records ~ Christ, look what you have me doing, already! ~ and it appears I must have a shit ton of Other traps, salted away in all those boxes? Damned if I remember.

But, yeah, it seems Fenn produced Six Types of his Scissor Mole Trap! (Fukk Me!!!) And, according to my records? I managed to get Five of them?! Must be here, somewhere then?

(Again, just to be clear; 'Type' differences can be miniscule. In these cases, it's mostly the type or shape of the triggers that vary. But, my mentor and I noted all such. Spring coils on a vermin trap could vary too. But, ignore that and where are you? Might as well call the entire range just " Fenn Traps ")

Just trying to decide whether to bother labelling the rest of those Loop's now.

I'll have to untangle the Tildesley from the bundle of "interesting " but unspectacular scissor-traps hanging on a wire in the shed and have a look now. 

A picture of The Fenn ; I couldn't see a name at first but under the rust it is stamped A FENN on the top crosspiece of the handle . The trigger plate has a neat little adjustable tang for sensitivity but only on one side and if l recall l found that there was something not quite right about them.  That could my ineptitude though

Edited April 4, 2021 by comanche

[comanche 2,799]

10 hours ago, Stockpot said:

Comanche, the good thing is if you tip the box right upside down.....they'll be at the top!

Looking at the picture I take it the Tildesley is a normal type scissor trap?

I've used old scissor traps several times over the years and got on quite well with them (but then I've never had to pay the bills trapping moles) but I always favoured the traps with the curved/rounded jaws as opposed to the more modern, cheap, straighter jaw. I felt the more curved jaw kinda scooped the mole into the trap giving a good clean kill, probably just imagining it, but I had confidence in them. 

You could be right about the curved jaws being better. I've always thought that the straight ones were more likely to drag in the bottom of the  run tather than glide to a close . I once took a disc cutter and pliers to batch of brand new straight jawed traps in order to alter them into a curve!

[Ken's Deputy 4,456]

Comanche; That's a Type 6, if I'm not very much mistaken. Rub it a bit more. " A. Fenn " should be on the top of both handles.

God, it was hard work, counting the coils on that spring! Bloody eyes

[Daniel cain 42,799]

33 minutes ago, Ken's Deputy said:

Comanche; That's a Type 6, if I'm not very much mistaken. Rub it a bit more. " A. Fenn " should be on the top of both handles.

God, it was hard work, counting the coils on that spring! Bloody eyes

How old are they?got s couple myself..

[Ken's Deputy 4,456]

That particular type was dated about the 90's, Dan.

[Daniel cain 42,799]

8 minutes ago, Ken's Deputy said:

That particular type was dated about the 90's, Dan.

That's the type I cut my teeth with as they sayI acquired mine around 1998/99 when I started as a greenkeeper ....best days of my life looking back

[comanche 2,799]

1 hour ago, Ken's Deputy said:

Comanche; That's a Type 6, if I'm not very much mistaken. Rub it a bit more. " A. Fenn " should be on the top of both handles.

God, it was hard work, counting the coils on that spring! Bloody eyes

I rubbed it some more and a Genie appeared ! Unfortunately ge had a strong Arabian accent and  was hard to inderstand. Three times l said "l wish you would speak more clearly."  After which he said in perfect English "That's  your quota used up," punched the air and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

But yes it does say Fenn on both handles.

I probably kept this one because l think the trigger plate is a bit funky.

 

[EDDIE B 3,118]

Very interesting thread lads. Aside from mole and rabbit traps, were there many small vermin traps invented, post gin trap ban?

Edited April 4, 2021 by EDDIE B

[Ken's Deputy 4,456]

Eddie; At around the time of the ban, the MAFF lab's examined more 'alternatives' than you could even begin to imagine. Seems like every man and his dog was sending in what they'd knocked up in the garage.

There exists at least part of a whole set of postcard like photo's, taken at the time. I'm no longer at liberty to discuss nor disclose them too deeply. I passed that privilege to OTC some time since.

But, I still have my own, on line, set. I just popped them open and very soon thought; " O M G! WHAT?!? ". I've put them into alphabetical order, see. There's only one 'A'. Then, I saw the first 'B'. I'm sure OTC won't mind me showing you this!

 

 

I mean, Seriously!!! 

A legendary American Trap Collector I had the great privilege of knowing as a true friend once advised me;

" When ever you see a trap, you should examine it and define how it sets. What triggers it. And what it does when it fires. "

Wise words. I'd just very nearly bought a device for scolding poultry in!

But, fukk me! What The FUKK is That?!?

[EDDIE B 3,118]

1 hour ago, Ken's Deputy said:

Eddie; At around the time of the ban, the MAFF lab's examined more 'alternatives' than you could even begin to imagine. Seems like every man and his dog was sending in what they'd knocked up in the garage.

There exists at least part of a whole set of postcard like photo's, taken at the time. I'm no longer at liberty to discuss nor disclose them too deeply. I passed that privilege to OTC some time since.

But, I still have my own, on line, set. I just popped them open and very soon thought; " O M G! WHAT?!? ". I've put them into alphabetical order, see. There's only one 'A'. Then, I saw the first 'B'. I'm sure OTC won't mind me showing you this!

 

 

I mean, Seriously!!! 

A legendary American Trap Collector I had the great privilege of knowing as a true friend once advised me;

" When ever you see a trap, you should examine it and define how it sets. What triggers it. And what it does when it fires. "

Wise words. I'd just very nearly bought a device for scolding poultry in!

But, fukk me! What The FUKK is That?!?

As I was reading your post, I was wondering how that "TRAP" worked

[Ken's Deputy 4,456]

It's just mind bending, isn't it?! I mean, okay, we have to recognise and accept that this was like something akin to the Klondike Gold Rush. There was probably a good reward to be had for the genius who came up with The replacement for the gin.

But, as I've said; That led to every tinkerer out there day dreaming in his arm chair, before dashing out to the shed and digging out old bits of metal. Many such men were, or course, Engineers. They probably had little real idea about the habits of wild rabbits and such.

  Looking at That thing? I'd wage a guess that it was probably mean't to be hung in the mouth of a burrow? (Something, something) Whips up and strangles / beheads the bloody thing?! God only knows!

[OldPhil 5,347]

Same as yourself Kens Deputy,..I have also seen the bewildering miscellany of trap designs put forward, to the powers that be, when the Gin was banned.. The sheer ingenuity of some men makes your eyes water and the crazy ideas and theories that some folk offered, was truly mind boggling. Mad scientists comes to mind!

As a guy who has rarely even put air in a car tyre and who possesses, no practical skills whatsoever,..the entire scenario is, was and forever shall remain, a mystery....

Thank God that I can set a trap and earn my living via my skills as a hunting man ,.because I sure as hell could never construct a trap myself.... Full marks to those brave artisans  who worked so hard to win that prize...

[OldPhil 5,347]

42 minutes ago, W. Katchum said:

Why was the juby and imbra banned? What was the reason? Or don’t they need one 

No sure WHY these useful rabbit traps were made illegal,...

Possibly far too expensive to produce 

Who knows...

But, what I can tell you, is that when I introduced the Conibear(Body gripper) on a commercial basis to the UK,..I had a real hard time with the Trap Testing authorities....

Long story, but they also gave me massive grief with the Kania Trap and the Tube Trap..

Both these traps required a bit of tweaking to meet the standards required, by the Ministry of Agriculture...

It pleases me to see guys showing some interest in the Humane Killing Traps...

 

[EDDIE B 3,118]

53 minutes ago, W. Katchum said:

Why was the juby and imbra banned? What was the reason? Or don’t they need one 

Whatever the reason, I recon money, or lack of, is behind it.

[Ken's Deputy 4,456]

Sorry, lads; Just watched a rather long film. Quick catch up now, before I go into feeding mode.

Yeah, it's a funny old game, isn't it? So, basically, they banned the gin. Brought in a raft of stuff to replace it. Then banned those?!? As has already been said: On what earthly basis???

Now, forgive me. I'm absolutely nothing like the ~ pardon the dreadful but, irresistible pun! ~ jinned up guy I used to be. My finger long since slipped off the pulse. Frankly? I haven't got a fukking clue any more!

  I'm taking it they've banned the Lloyd too? Fukk sake! Okay. The only Possible point I can see here is the 'Canadian Law'. The 'new' thing about 'Humaneness'? That's the only thing I'm aware of, since the STAO started.

But, how the Fukk can the Juby not reach (And even well surpass!) Any criteria of that stuff? It's a fukking Brute of a trap and what ever goes in it gets made extremely dead. Extremely fast. Isn't that what the Canadian thing demands?

I certainly can't see any " BMI Magnum " nailing a bun, in any way, shape or form, better than a Juby or Imbra can. That's 'One'.

Two? If it was to do with dodgy hand shakes and fat brown envelopes? Phil would have told us. He's really, genuinely, for a fukking fact been on the receiving end of the whole process. Yet, he's as confounded as the rest of us.

Messrs Juby, Sawyer and, as far as I know Lloyd would be gone the way of Allan Fenn, by now. So, there's nothing there, is there? Not as if the threat to ban their legacies would have any effect.

Gentlemen; I can offer only one more snippet to the table. The " Rose Cuff ". Old friend of mine, Quentin Rose, developed a 'foot snare' type device which was Proven to be able to catch Badgers, alive and unharmed.

And then he died. Sadly. So, his father, George, took up the baton and, last I ever knew, was battling the British bureaucracy to get That approved.

Why??? Why would the British government Not welcome, with open arms, such a device? Even if they only authorised their own agents to use them, in place of the cages used in the culls.

It's entirely feasible that poor George is gone, by now. I don't suppose we'll ever hear more of the Rose Cuff.

But, again; Where the Hell's the Thinking??? Whole thing's a complete fukking mystery, to me

Did the Kiwi's sling a bunce, to get their Doc Trap approved? If so; Why wasn't Phil propositioned in that direction? I'm fukking certain George would have mentioned it, to me, if He'd heard of such a suggestion.

The dead Can't pay. But, what good is banning their traps? Juby's sell for eye watering prices, just to hang on the wall! They're no threat to anything new.

Nope. Just about to start going round in mental circles here, lads. I really, genuinely am Fukked if I know!