THOUGHT this was in the archives...had it "ratholed" on the puter tho..

With the rising prices of copper and RISING prices of tag makers, HERE is a method to "MAKE YOUR OWN" trap tags!! Works best in states w/a trapper ID # as opposed to name.
Items required hammer,number stamps,snips,raw copper(salvage yard,left over from gutter work),suitable stamping surface, an evening or two watching TV.
KEEP in mind..this post is a LARGE % about doing things YOURSELF..instead of buying things.

SUPPLIES:
Scrap copper (trim from gutter work)
TOOLS comprised of SNIPS,solid base,stamps,hammerUse your snips and cut your tags,copper cuts EASILY however good snips keep the blisters away.[/b[b]This is about 5 min worth of sniping. 92 tags ready to stamp![/b[b]NOW use your number stamps and stamp your number..start at the RIGHT side and stamp backwards, I put 6 on the metal at a time, stamp one number on all, then the next on all,stamping in reverse order till done!! VERY easy to do. Works Best on my setup on the carpet in front of the TV. I can stamp out WAY over 100 just watching one 1hr shot on tv.
The finished product.. This method is VERY easy,VERY quick (several hundred a night w/OUT wasting any time).


NOW FOR THE GOOD PART!! (COST)
6lbs copper scrap 22.00
tags produced per lb 150
total tags produced 900
cost PER TAG 2.44c EACH
cost per 100 $2.44
WHO SAYS it's cheeper to buy em??? MAKE YOUR OWN!!!
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These tags are HEAVY COPPER and do NOT require wire to afix them to the chain, merely WRAP them around and give them a light squeeze in the center w/a small pair of channel locks.. they will NOT come off.Had a fish/game officer check my tag, said he had to use his leatherman to get it off!! Broke a nail he did!!
lynx

where did you get your number stamps?

Tag... piece cut from a pop bottle, Free , wire was give to me, Free , Marking tool already had , Free . I made about 200 .. 100 for me and 100 for my son . All Free .

That would be great if all I had to have was my number on my tags, but here in WI we need name and address. That would still be doable, but it would be very time consuming and frustrating.

The stamps can be gotten from harbor freight or any other tool type store.

Dale...yea that SUCKS...the id #'s are so nice..AND secretive too!!

In MI we can use drivers licsense number. Dale if you go to a local machinist with CNC he can machine your info in a peice of flat stock and all you have to do is hit it once.
Torey

I TRIED something similar...if it's PERFECTLY set..and you hit it PERFECTLY square...works great...found out that MORE times than not I had to hit it again..and THEN it was all kindsa screwed up

LOL,What's a trap tag?
heehee

when stamping multiple number/letters at one shot a bench vice works well.

First ones I ever made were done at the high school metal shop.
Used peices of aluminum from a thick scrap rain gutter.

I can still remember the sound of the tag rattling the trap chain as I approached the set.

I make my own tags the same way other than I get banding material FREE at my local lumber yard. The banding material takes the stamps pretty well and they last forever.

Lot of good idea's!!

when I was younger, I used scrap aluminum trim from siding jobs and wrote on them with a fine point pen, which really just scraped the colored coating off. You wouldn't see it until you dyed your traps. Not as nice as Lynx cat's but an idea for a kid.

Thanks that will help me out!!!

I use pieces of aluminum chimney flashing from Lowe's. I have one of those inexpensive metal engravers that you can get at a craft shop for printing my info. You plug it in and it vibrates and you control it much like writing with a pencil. It's efficient and very cheap.