My out building was struck by lightning last year and burnt to the ground. My traps, trapping supplies and equipment were in there. I know the springs on the traps are ruined , but will the rest of the trap be alright? the pans on my Bridger 1.75's seem to be shot too. Will I be ok to replace springs and pans? Or are they a loss? Thanks in advance

I would think the fire would soften all the metal. I don't think they would be any good. This is just a guess, no experience. Sorry for your misfortune.

The rest of the trap is fine

If they wern't already modified, now would be a good time. Welding a baseplate and jaw laminations would strengthen them up nicely. The fire dose soften (anneal) the metal, and the levers could give you a little trouble from twisting, but you could prolly live with it. If you got paid from the insurance co, it would be less headache to just buy new and sell the old for scrap, as it truly affects every part of the trap. I remember that happening to Ivan White years ago, had a bunch of rare Newhouse traps ruined by the fire. Was a sad deal!

Paint them and sell them as wall hangers would be what I would do!

probably just buy new is your best bet as posted metal is weakened but it wasn't hardened steel to begin with Wissmiss had pans advertised a while ago at a great deal and springs can be found all over I bought a large quantity of new music wire springs on ebay 50 cents a pair add lams plates and new chain your either going to pay in money or time

every once in a while someones looking for junk traps on the Shed

Heat is how the steel was hardened in the first place, why wouldn't re-tempering them in an oven fix them? I watched a mechanic heat a leaf spring on a car and reform the arch and it went up and down the road for years after that.

Tried every way I could to re-temper springs and they remained week, heat to red hot and drop in oil just a waste of time for me. Must be some forge guys that have more info on doing it.

We get common steel hotter than a house fire every time we weld, torch, or forge it. I was a tooling maker 5 years and also ran a heat treat oven while was I there and my understanding was common steel doesn't have enough carbon content to be effected by the temps a common fire would produce. We actually played with common steel in the oven and tried to harden it (causing it to be more brittle) and couldn't get it done.

Have always been told the lack of carbon after the fire is the reason the springs could not be re-tempered.

I have heated SOME spring steel to 385-400 degrees F for an hour and then put it in HOT oil till cooled. Worked great. Anytime I bend or shape music wire or other round stock spring steel I do the same and it has worked most every time.

As far as the parts of the traps other than the springs I would bet it would work every time. Although you may want to take it to higher temps.

I had a house fire myself and had many traps in the garage where the fire started. I wasn't able to save all the traps but I did save most all the coil spring traps. The Long spring traps needed to have new springs. The frames and levers of all the traps were fine.

The average temp in a fire like that is around 1100 degrees F. I am not a metal guy but I would think that they were cherry red for a bit. Maybe a metal person could give good advice based on the duration of the fire and that temp.

a lot of the traps had been laminated and base plated. The levers still seem strong as do the dogs. I may sort thru them and clean them up and replace springs with music wire and check them out then. I would really like to salvage my montanna dogless. If it don't pan out I'll have new springs for other traps when I need them. Thanks for the replies and input

I traded for six dozen #2 Victor round jaw coils a few years ago. They had new springs on them, shiny. They had been in the Ed Bauer Fur Company fire and the jaws kept breaking. They were light and tinny sounding. I ended up selling them as wall hangers.
Your shed fire might not have gotten as hot as the big fur company fire but if I kept them I’d try them in the water for mink and rats.

..or to me to make these!....since I pay more than scrap value. I often trade finished goods off my website for dead traps.

There you go Seek and Ye shall Find

Almost all of my traps were toast after my shed burned. Sold and traded a bunch to traprjohn, he treated me well. Resprung some of my 1.5's to use for rats. Sold some for decorative, and the rest are still in the sell/scrap pile.

If your time isn't worth anything-go ahead and screw around with the changing parts,tempering and all that bs.And they will never be as good as new ones,and probably cost you fur.
Personally I would scrap the whole works,and buy new traps.Footholds are cheap in the states.

A lot of you don't understand the characteristics of steel. Yes, welding is much hotter, but it only affects the area ajacent to the weld. Mild steel will NOT heat treat. It is made stronger by work hardening. That being the bending and twisting of it in the mfg of parts. Ever wonder when twisting a wire, why the bend you make keeps moving up or down the wire? That is work hardening, the only thing heat applied to mild steel will do, is anneal it.....and his traps are already annealed from the fire! A leaf spring isn't mild steel. The carbon content is such on it that it can be heat treated!