OK, if you really want to learn to modify your traps correctly, go buy a book.
I highly recommend Charlie Dobbins book Modifying Traps for Greater Profit
. If you know a little about it and just want to do some minor modifications
, come with me.
You'll need a few things to modify traps.
Tools: flat and phillips head screwdrivers
a 8" mill file
vise grips
channel locks
#10 washers
chain swivels
lap links
small vise
a re-rod stake
and a pair of bolt cutters.
We'll do fox/coyote traps first.
If you just bought them, set them and check the jaws for rough sharp edges. If
you find any such edges use a 8" file to smooth them out.
Now check the pan for wobble. If it does wobble side to side, undo the bolt
and nut holding the pan onto the frame. Leave the pan in place, now take a #10
washer on bigger traps (#3's and 4's)you may need 2, and put it between the
side of the pan and the post. This can be tricky if you've never done it before.
Now reinsert the bolt and washer, and tighten to desired pan tension. I am not
going to get into tension, as everyone has a tension they feel is right. I like
my pan to hold until the fox puts his weight on it. I would say about 2 lbs.
of tension for red fox, half of that for gray fox, and 3 lbs. or so for coyote.
The next step is to shorten and swivel the chain. Take your bolt cutters and
cut off all but the link of chain connected to the trap-frame by the swivel
on the frame. Next take a double swivel and put the pre-bent rivets in it and
close one end of it over the link of chain you have left on the trap. Then take
one link of chain and put it in the other bent rivet. I recommend the use of
channel locks to close the rivets, or an s-hook tool. Now you need to attach a
lap-link or a swivel with only one rivet in it. If using the swivel in such a
way this trap can also be used for a coon drowner. If using a lap link, close
the link as tight as you can with the vise grips, then place the link open end
down in a vise. Close the vise as tight as possible, then insert the re-rod
stake through the link, and give it a good 1/4 twist, doing this completely
closes the link off.
Ok almost done now. Now you need to square off the pan notch and trap dog
(trigger). Take your file and square the end of the dog, also file off any
thing sticking up off the dog. Now you need to square the pan itself. Place
your file in the notch, and give it a few strokes, then hold it up to light
and see if it's squared. If not file a bit more and look again. This seems
like a lot of work, but it makes the trap faster and smoother. Try setting an
unmodified trap and then modify one and spring them both. Trust me, the
modified one is faster and smoother.
Ok onto water traps.
If you just bought them, set them and check the jaws for rough sharp edges. If
you find any such edges use a 8" file to smooth them out.
Most older traps for water animals don't have a way to adjust the pan. For
those that do follow above instructions.
You need to add swivels to your chains and shorten them if you want to use
them for drowners. Take your bolt cutters and cut off all but the link of chain
connected to the trap-frame by the swivel on the frame. Next take a double
swivel and put the pre-bent rivets in it and close one end of it over the link
of chain you have left on the trap. Take the rest of the chain you cut off and
attach it to the other pre-bent rivet. If you want a drowner trap, attach just
one link to the pre-bent rivet, then using a double swivel, place just one rivet
in it and close this over the end of the link of chain.
Dying and Waxing Traps
Now all you need to do is boil and wax the traps and get going. (If the traps
are new and greasy, run them through a dishwasher, or boil them in some lye
water.)
For water traps you can use speed dip. I recommend Blackie's Blend dips, they
seem to wear forever and come in black, brown and white.
For land traps I prefer to do the old fashioned dye and wax. I use a 3/4
55-gallon drum, heated with a turkey fryer but you can use a large soup pot
on a Coleman stove if need be. I recommend using one of the commercial log wood
dye powders. They are brown but when added to water they turn black as night.
Place the dye in the water and stir till dissolved then add your traps in the
water. Don't remove till then have boiled for at least 2 hours (new traps will
not be black but a very dull gray). (Some people are afraid of the boiling
weakening the springs, I say boiling water is only 212 degrees, and if that
hurts the springs they need to be replaced.) Remove and hang to dry,(I
recommend building a wooden rack with nails on it to hang traps).
Now you'll need to wax the traps. This does two things, it speeds up the trap,
and it also helps to prevent the animals from detecting the trap. Using a large
pot heat the wax till it almost smokes.
USE EXTREME CAUTION WAX CAN BURST INTO FLAMES AND EVEN EXPLODE IF YOU PUT A
WET TRAP INTO IT. (Keep a flat piece of plywood close to the pot to smother the
flames if it does catch fire.) Once it almost smokes place a DRY trap into the
wax until completely submerged. Leave the trap in till the wax stops boiling
and making noise. Remove the trap and place on wooden rack.
