My new 4 coil wire lever spring kit is now
available for your 1.5 size traps. Equal in
power to a pair of #2 music wire springs, but
balanced over 4 coils. Conventional wisdom
about 4 coiling small traps is out the window!!
Easier to set than a standard 1.5 coil spring
out of the box, but with tremendous holding
power. Modify your own, or I will do them for
you.
Reduced Price:
$3.00 ea. or $60.00 per 24 kits, large volume
discounts will apply.
The kit includes two double torsion springs,
two 1/4-20 bolts and two all steel lock nuts,
and four 1/4" fender washers.
My process for this modification:
Your clean trap will be laminated with 3/16"
square cold rolled stock (solid jaw face),
baseplated with 1/8" cold rolled
material(center or end swiveled), cross frame
reinforced with 1/8" stock, night latched dog,
new pan bolt to remove slop, adjusted and
ready for your line prep.
Cost per trap including the wire lever kit is
$15.00 . Contact me for large quantity discounts.
- Reinforcing the cross frame with 1/8"
material keeps it from bowing under the
power of the springs, needed on all 1.5
size traps in my opinion.
- Finished product before grinding and
baseplating
- Bevel the edge of your trap
frame and baseplate to get a
strong weld!
- Laminating or adding a thicker jaw face. I start by grinding a
bevel on the jaw and the lamination strip, to produce a strong
weld once it has been ground back. - Clamp to the jaw making sure there is no twist and that it is
absolutely flush, then spot weld the corners and once in the
very middle. Unclamp, then weld across the jaw face. Repeat
process for the other jaw. Once cool to the touch weld in the back
sides of both jaws.
- To make room for the bolts, I start off using a Dremel tool with a
carbide burr to make a slight channel. - I finish out with a 17/64 drill bit as in the picture, be careful with
this step as the trap wants to spin.
- I have been asked countless times how I get my jaw face so smooth,
well here's the big secret...a 4 1/2" hand grinder with a rubber
backed sanding disc like the pic on the left below, and a 4 1/2 flap
wheel. The key lies in the technique used while grinding. - Keep the grinder up at an angle so that you are only using the
very edge of the disc, go forward and back with light pressure
keeping square with the jaw face, until the weld disapears. - If you end up with a missed spot, spot weld then grind back again
and again until perfect.
- After the trap has been ground back, sharp corners removed everywhere and
polished up, then install the pan. - After you have the pan done, pick a side and install the springs, tighten the
lock nuts down just enough so the fender washer doesn't move freely but
can be spun, you don't want to over tighten. - After that all that is left is to cut off the excess bolt, grind flush and
polish out.
I hope this helps you with your decision making, or at least with some general
modification questions. Practice makes perfect, don't get discouraged if it
doesn't go perfect your first few attempts. The reward is worth the effort! It is
better to have tried and failed, than to never try at all.
modification questions. Practice makes perfect, don't get discouraged if it
doesn't go perfect your first few attempts. The reward is worth the effort! It is
better to have tried and failed, than to never try at all.
Wire Lever Spring Kit