I have a couple of old Kenwood wolf traps. Both are almost identical. I would like to combine the best of the stamped springs with the best looking pan if possible. If the nuts underneath can be loosened without any damage or marking to them, will swapping parts around in any way reduce the value of them? I want to sell one and keep the other. Not even sure if the nuts can be loosened on an early 1900's trap let alone two of them. Thanks

To me finding a barn fresh, unmolested, trap in great condition is the holy grail and I will adjust my price accordingly.
That being said, more often than not vintage traps will not be complete or in original condition. On these I will adjust price to what I consider parts value.
Restoring them to original and correct condition is okay in my opinion and will sometimes increase the value if done nicely.
Expect to pay for an education when working on old trap metal, especially the jawpost nuts...

Here are a couple projects I am working on. One was welded open and the other had so much paint I had to disassemble to clean.

I never had great success at getting the nuts off the jaw posts without breaking them.

This topic is of interest me, one thing I've really wanted to do is replace chain or add rings to the ends. My problem has always been buggering up the swivels even if I put cloth between the jaws of the pliers. Compressing jaws on jaws without a nut has also at times resulting in a jaw that ends up retaining some of the "compression" and fits loosely in the frame. Any tips you guys have especially tools used would be appreciated.

Very nice pictures. Those jawpost nuts are exactly what I have a concern about. I don't want to damage them. Thought about using a sheet of rubber over them and between the socket or pliers to prevent any marring. That is if I can even get them loose. Have you (or anyone) had any luck using a torch lightly and something like PB Blaster? Using the torch not enough to discolor the metal but just to get some heat on it.

Penetrating oil is your best friend.... I worry more about breaking the jawpost than damaging the nut... Heat works wonders but only as a last resort, as it will discolor the metal...

Best way I've found to remove old jaw post nuts is to soak them in WD40 for a day, then lock it in a vise and use slow gradual pressure until I see the rust starting to move in the threads, then go ahead and unscrew it. If it still doesn't budge with gradual pressure I'll soak it for another day. I've used a torch also to warm it but not to the point of glowing and had good results. Found out the hard way if you just put a wrench on and go to town you can break it off pretty easily. Chain swivels - I always put them in a vise and warm them up first before trying to open them. Trying to open them cold usually resulted in disappointment for me. I always use wood jaw inserts on my vise to protect the metal parts. I use a long open end wrench that fits as snugly as possible on the nuts.

Penetrating oil, spray them good, every so often give the nuts a couple good taps with a wooden handle (like a hammer handle or the like) and spray down good, I repeat this several times over several hours. Alittle heat is your friend here, one of those small cigarette or hobby butane torch type lighters are ideal. Only work on one nut at a time now, Wipe off all the oil you can & then get the trap good & cold as possible, (like in the freezer for a spell) apply heat just to the outer edges of the nut, ya want to warm it most. Good fitting 'crescent' type wrench snugged right down give her a moderate try. If it turns any, turn it back, spray it down again, work it slowly back & forth. If it doesnt turn i spray it again, snug the wrench back on the nut, give the wrench a couple taps with the business end of the hammer, heat it up again, ect. Every rusted nut/bolt is different. Patience is a virtue here. All else fails, take a dremel tool & CAREFULLY cut the nut off, easier to replace a square nut than those posts!

[quote=DiggerDirect]Good fitting 'crescent' type wrench snugged right down give her a moderate try. If it turns any, turn it back, spray it down again, work it slowly back & forth. If it doesnt turn i spray it again, snug the wrench back on the nut, give the wrench a couple taps with the business end of the hammer, heat it up again, ect. Every rusted nut/bolt is different. Patience is a virtue here./quote]

This is GREAT advise! The main thing is to stop loosening it if it starts to bind. Screw it back in and lube it again and see if you can get a 'smidge' looser than before. I've found that ATF fluid is the best for loosening it up. It will seep into the tightest places. I keep a squirt oil bottle filled with ATF and found that it seeps out of the bottom of the can where the seam is. Oil doesn't do this, but ATF will find a way to escape. I have to keep the can in an open glass bottle to keep it from leaking all over my bench top.

PB Blaster is great, but a little costly to fill a 'soak' tub with 2-3 quarts.

DiggerDale...... Those are some real nice #5's!

I use a 50/50 mixture of Acetone and ATF in a squirt bottle and have had very good results, but the biggest "secret" of all is PATIENCE. It took years to build up the rust, you're not going to "fix" it in a day or two. IMO

heat and oil , when oil is bubbling in threads it has penetrated.Heating nut expands metal allowing oil to go all the way down in threads.Slowly move with proper wrench, slowly is the word.If it won't budge repeat process.Don't be in a hurry,