I really love the old traps too and I have a great interest in the cast figure 8 chains. I collect all Oneida Community traps, especially Newhouse so those are the ones I am most failure with. Most cast 8 chains were made in the 1870's and early 1880's. Oneida Community used cast 8 chain on several brands of it's traps but most commonly on Newhouse and Hawley & Horton. Sargent and P.S.& W. also used it. There are two basic styles of cast 8 and many sizes. The early style is called "odd cast 8" because the end loops are smaller then the loop in the other end and the more common style the loops are roughly the same size on both ends of the link. P.S.& W. briefly used a really neat cast chain called "safety pin". I have the regular cast figure 8 chain on Newhouse traps that range from 1 7/16" to 2 7/8" long and a half dozen sizes in between. The Newhouse Deer trap has a cast 8 chain with links that are heavier than the standard links and these links also very in length. The Sargent odd cast 8 links are also heavier than the Oneida Community links.
cast 8 chain from #4 Newhouse traps. Heavy #4 Deer trap, regular cast 8 and odd cast 8.
A few different sizes of regular cast 8 links from Newhouse traps.
Newhouse traps with regular cast 8 chain.
Newhouse traps with odd cast 8 chain.
