This bear trap was found in a junk shop in northern Minnesota. The new owner asked me to make it operational. I would appreciate any advice or tips offered. I suspect this trap has been braze welded open for a long time. Will post pics as I progress...

Owner spent some time removing paint then turned it over to me. I figured the only way to get the springs unbrazed , would be to disassemble the whole works. First pics show how much brazing is on the springs and also where I heated an brushed off the braze on the dog and pan shank.... Using penetrating oil on the jawpost nuts now and will post more pics when I try to remove them...

I'm curious whether the springs will still have power over the long term. interesting project !!!!

Dale what make trap is that? Is only way to take the brazing off is with good heat. Will that distort the spring eyes?

I've had pretty good luck with the old forged springs coming back to life. Good steel?... The welds being just on the spring eyes should be a plus as the spring bends are still unaltered.

Jeff, It is a BL&CO (Blake & Lamb) #5... Pretty rare trap so I am trying to be very careful... My name will be sheet if I mess it up... I am hoping the braze will have a lot lower melt temperature than the spring steel....

After applying penetrating oil to the jawpost nuts for a few days I gave them a try. Put the nut in vise and wiggled back and forth with a wrench on the post. Got about a 1/8 turn on each and reapplied oil and let sit for awhile. Second attempt went without a hitch and nuts came off with good threads still intact.
Will try unbrazing the springs tomorrow..

I got some braze off of a couple of traps in the past with some moderate heat and swiping it with a knife blade (not a good knife) at an angle, it pretty much sheared it off. You know what happens if you get it too hot...you can get some oil on it and it will darken up a little but still won’t look right.

That’s going to be a nice trap if you can bring it back. I always cringe when I see a trap that’s been welded open.

In my opinion for what its worth you already did the challenging part. As pitted as it was and getting the nuts off could have busted a post. Patience is key. I would do it similar to what deerhunter said. I would use a putty knife. I would apply moderate heat to the braze first and work that off. Be aware you could get slapped if the springs have tension. I might use a c clamp gently to protect that from happening. If you don't feel comfortable consul a welder in your area.

You are making good progress Dale! Thanks for the play by play on the process!

Nice job Dale, No mater how it comes out, it looks like you are doing it right.

I see I should have checked replies before I headed to the garage this morning.. I just turned the springs bottom side up and applied heat to the small spring eye till they let loose. First one broke the tie wire when it let loose but the vise helped contain the situation. Put a clamp on it before opening the vice. Next spring I used two tie wires and all was good. I am very pleased the springs regained their shape and are still quite strong... Saves a lot of extra work.. A bit of dremmel work and all parts are soaking in the cleaner bucket...

Nice job. Can't wait to see the reassembled pic

Looks good Dale.

Wish I would have read these posts before I opened the springs..I think you and slickpan were right on the money with your tips. I used a small prybar (brake tool) to pry some braze from inside the spring eye. The stuff was at just the right temp that it held together like putty and came out in one big glob. Probably could have grabbed that glob with a pliers and peeled the whole works off the spring.. I went with melting a small area and quickly wire brushing. More work with the grinding tool afterwards...

Out of the cleaner and starting attempt to make the patina match....
Forgot to mention the swivel was froze up also. Used basically the same method I used to remove the nuts and works fine now....

Check the cant on those spring eyes. I guess I didn't need to mark the springs for reassembly.
Makes me ponder Triumphs years later patent....

Looking good Dale, you got the hard part done. Sent you a pm regarding patina matching.

fantastic!!! a very nice trap! she lives again! great work...

Guys for this old trap collector rookie ...what is a #5 B&L like this valued at?

Morning guys, so the few articles that I've read about this bl& company long spring bear traps have been pretty vague, can any one chime in with a history lesson, by the way outstanding job Dale!

The only info I checked was the Andreski Parr price guide. "1884-1895 $12000 to $15000"... I know nothing about the price but firmly believe the date of this trap is a lot earlier. The mid chain swivel and pointed cross should at least put it in the 1860s range. The springs also look to be completely hand forged, not trip hammered.
My Bad.. I was looking at old edition price guide... New one states manufacture date starting 1865...

Anyway, here is an update on your trap and I appreciate you letting me have a go at it. If the parts come out looking good I will reassemble it and you can decide if it should be oiled, waxed, or whatever.
There are more things I could do to improve appearance but I might already be in that gray area between restored and faked.....