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Fenn trap maintenance


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I'm pretty new to trapping, had a good read of Steve Caple's book and learned a lot.

 

So, after reading in a magazine about resting and rotating traps, wire brushing them and leaving them un-set to re-juvenate their spring, how best are they stored ?

 

Having caught 13 rats in the same trap in 6 months in the same location it's a bit germ infested I would imagine. What can be used to clean it, just boiling water or what and any form of lubrication ?

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I think what the piece I read was getting at was traps left un-fired for a long time rust up rendering them less effective, and firing them occasionally helps keep them more effective.

 

I done a search on the subject and found numerous theories and ideas. A wire brush and a rub over with a candle to help combat corrosion and lubricate contact points seems good to me.

 

Why I asked about de-germing was, when in service I wear gloves for obvious reasons, but if stored germy there's going to be times they could be handled without thinking without gloves on.

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Had two now for longer than I can remember, caught numerous rats and squirrels plus one itinerant ferret. I have never ever done anything to them, just re set and away they go. When not in use, which is rarely, I hang them unset in the workshop. I do have a bottle of vet's scrub liquid soap in the Landie and always wash my hands with this after handling anything suspicious or after a gralloch. The only thing I might apply to them is a small amount of peanut butter :-)

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Fish oil is about the only thing I'd use to lubricate them, a good going over with a wire brush and stored sprung, not much else worth doing to them, theyre pretty much maintenance free apart from that, if you are concerned about germs as said previously a dook in boiling water, or run a blowtorch over it

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  • 3 months later...

 fenn traps are going to be made illegal soon they are deemed inadequate for killing stoats they are working on a new type of trap and as soon as it has been approved goodbye fenn trap.this is something that is going to happen soon according to my latest copy of keeping the balance magazine if it were me I would save my money till the new traps are out if possible.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I use both genuine and copy fenns (as my governor is a bit of a tight wad) and I've running them(the cheap version) now for the last 3 years and have success with both. this is around a chicken site and farm yard. first year I started had over 200 rats now down to around the 150ish but they kill as good as each other. ..

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1 hour ago, paul1966 said:

I got a what i thought was a genuine fenn mk4 off ebay but its that stiff its never caught anything so far, is there a way to alter the sensitivity of the foot plate.

Just bend/adjust (and/or file?) the brass trigger plate and use a file to angle the footplate part of the release mechanism to make the release more sensitive........That's what I do before putting them into service!

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  • 4 weeks later...

Used to get mine from molevalley farmers. Proper jobs. Also from new I didn't feel they would work as it probably stank of us 'humans' so on a string the lot went and in a duck pond for a few days. They come out coloured from **** and rust. Never worried about germs as I'm sure what I was wearing was lethal, being such a scruffy *** :good:

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