Matt
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Everything posted by Matt
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So, the old ones stamped "duffus" are collectable? Yes.
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It is possibly one of my biggest annoyances driving round and round fields looking for 'lost' traps.... Lambs are a pain in the arse their first proper hobby seems to be pulling out my marker pins and jumping up and down on them They're actually not as big as they look in the picture overall length of hazard tape is 6 - 8 inches; once they're knotted on, I'd guess they are about 3 inches each side.
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Yes, I think you're right about that Paul. And as you say, that Tinsley looks pretty good The thing is, tightening down those spring retension wires, and thereby spreading the spring over the natural curve of the barrel (and creating more of a gap between the loops) is (I think) a fairly straightforward thing to solve and will require no re-tooling Actually, no, I think it's better we keep this thread 'clean' for them to read. I'll send them a link later on today. Fantastic information, that confirms the dimensions we have for my (post war) trap, and another (pre
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OTC, would you mind confirming the barrel length and width of the traps stamped as Duffus please?
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That's the one
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I posted a link for the spade just the other day. I'll see if I can find it again
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Ahh, that explains it Again, thank you At times like these your knowledge is second to none
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This is the passage I was on about, from Lakeland Gamekeeper (1949): Certainly sounds like the Duffus? Imrie may well have got confused; but I would expect him to get something like this, about a fellow countryman, right. It's also worth considering that JND was born in 1864 and was already in his sixties when he and his sons invented their trap. Interesting stuff
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Thank you. Imrie definitely refers to a MacPherson mole trap. I wondered if that was between JND and Jolly? I'll copy the passage out in two ticks
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Bloody fantastic OTC, Thank You Did you see my post the other day about the reference in a book by Imrie? McPherson??
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I may as well join in the fun: Buckets: Recycled bait buckets (donated by my farmers) as I like to keep my traps neat and tidy in them. It means they don't get tangled or damaged in transit, and I can see at a glance how many I've used and how many I've got left. The traps (as shown) are dipped Flat Packs in one bucket, and Bethel Rhodes in another. Marker pins are the same as the ones Flat Pack supply, but my own home made versions. They are cheap and easy to use, although I have to change the hazard tape on a regular basis. Spade is a Joseph Bentley junior garden spade.
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Heritage, I know you're not into the moles, but really appreciate your input with your engineering background As I understand it, there is some financial outlay needed to change the current set up and produce new tooling. But..... the tooling currently in use will need to be refurbished before too long anyway, so any changes required could be incorporated into that refurbishment. Anyway, we're not that far down the road yet. What's being suggested is that some copies of the original design could be made to see about the feasibility of offering them as an option within the curre
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If anyone would be up for a conference call on Skype (if it's possible?) to discuss this face to face (well, online anyway) then drop me a PM and I'll see if we can set it up.
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I'm absolutely certain they wouldn't Are you seriously suggesting they shouldn't make a better trap just in case householders get hold of them? In case you missed it, FP now include a leaflet with every order with instructions on how to tune traps I'm 100% with you about having a stainless trap with a barrel of 60mm width but I also think that those holes through which the trigger wires pass need to be smaller Everyone will have the choice; if and when this project gets off the ground You may be able to buy the historically correct version, made with modern materials (
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I've never suppressed posts on here about how to set mole traps etc. If anything, I've always tried to help folks out, often via PM. Like many other molecatchers, I get frustrated by certain people selling training courses, DVD's, books etc based on the theory that molecatchers are a rare breed, that are somehow in short supply. In fact, as I pointed out to one 'seller of training' recently, the fact that he couldn't find many 'traditional' molecatchers when he looked on line in 2006 didn't mean they didn't exist; just that they weren't 'online' or advertising themselves in the conve
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That's a fair point Nicepix and one that I myself have wrestled with for a few years The thing is, a determined amateur will always find a way of doing it themselves. They can buy several DVDs, books, book on one of the many courses available or even, dare I say it, read this forum. It won't make them molecatchers Another advantage of a company like FP taking this on is that they don't supply in large volumes to wholesalers or garden centres; which is the main source of traps for those determined amateurs. The fact is, there is more than enough information out there to make
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and not one single person has commented on my ladylike hands and fantastic nails Thanks for the feedback guys; keep it coming We could, given time and the right manufacturer, end up with a really good trap, that's made in the UK and fit for purpose
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@ Mr Wasp... Those old duffus type traps were just gathering dust in your shed...... they deserved a home were they were going to be loved, cherished and worked
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LOL You beat me to it!
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It might be because someone had a word with them about it last year Does the one you are talking about have SS trigger loops? This little beauty is SS throughout But you are right; the retaining bar 'snags' on any burr left on the end of that hook whilst I understand what you are saying about not wanting to pay them to sort it, something in my bones tells me that they will want to sort it out themselves. Chris comes across as an engineer at heart, and most importantly, one with enough pride to want to be able to make a really good quality product Edited to add, if an
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Thanks Paul, will look forward to the pics. Clive, thanks for that informative post I have to say that the one really good thing I've noticed about this sample they've sent me is that the burr on the end of the trigger hook isn't nearly as bad as it used to be. Whether that's something to do with the new material I can't say.
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Right guys, just a brief reminder of the story so far: The other day, I contacted Flat Pack, not really expecting a reply, and directed them to this thread. This is the message they sent me that evening: Anyway, as promised, the trap arrived today. First impressions are that it's a very solid, well made trap. Although it's a narrower version of what they currently sell, it's made out of stainless steel throughout, and I have to say that it's very nice There are no burrs to the edges, and it sets and fires OK. Now, on to what I don't like about it. First of
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That would be a great help OTC At present, Hampshire Wasp is doing a great deal of work behind the scenes with drawings and measurements for Flatpack On a side note, I've just been reading a book by David Imrie (who was mentioned in the work by Guy N Smith) it's an enjoyable read even if his thoughts on molecatching don't quite fit in with mine anyway, he mentions the McPherson trap from BlairGowrie, which I presume is the second incarnation of the JND? Perhaps you could confirm that? The book is from 1949. Keep the information coming; as I said earlier, this thread is being re
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I'd like to say a huge thank you to Flatpack for discussing this issue. We may not have the perfect Duffus trap yet, but at least we have one British trap manufacturer who's prepared to listen to their customers and discuss the issue. All credit to them. In the meantime, I've had at least 3 phone calls from worried customers thinking about cancelling their trap orders. Please don't do anything like that just yet; any change we can help institute will take a while to come to fruition. Flatpack have sent me a sample trap, basically a narrower version of their standard trap, and