Instant Caltrops

instructables.com ^ | N/A | by TimAnderson

[Jet Jaguar]

Cut off some cross-shaped chunks from the chicken wire using a bolt cutter. Then cut the ends off again at an angle to make them sharp. Watch out for flying bits of sharp metal hitting you in the eye.

Bend the sharp wires as shown. You're done!

Be super careful with these nasty things and don't leave them lying around. These are only to carry in your pouch at the renaissance festival as part of your costume.

[Jet Jaguar]

[Jet Jaguar]

Ping

[TADSLOS]

Simple and effective.

[doc1019]

Why, oh why, would I want to know how to make these things?

[Jet Jaguar]

Useful tools for use later. I remember hanging up some fencing and I threw the remainer out.

What a waste.

[doc1019]

Useful tools for use later.

For what?

[tumblindice]

“carry them around in a pouch at a renaissance festival”
What? Why would a guy pretending to be a lusty wench, knight, serf or friar carry around things designed to flat tires, or where a lot of bare-footy ‘free spirits’ are walking around.

[tumblindice]

I suppose if he was a guy pretending to be a wench, to make his getaway.

[RightGeek]

Around here we call that Turkey Wire. Chicken Wire has thinner wire and a hexagonal pattern. I really doubt that either would be effective since they are easily bendable.

[Farmer Dean]

Useful when running from a group of yutes intent on playing the knock-out game.

[Jet Jaguar]

Trespassers.

[Spirochete]

Solid wire spines tend to seal the puncture. Hollow spines allow much more rapid tire deflation.

[tumblindice]

Field fence might flat a 2 1/2 ton truck tire, or even hardware cloth might work. But yeah, chicken wire is too flimsy.
Unless you’re ‘seeding’ an Occupy feed lot. I’m not suggesting anyone actually do this. We’re just talkin’.

[doc1019]

Great point!

The Caltrop was originally designed to incapacitate the horses of medieval knights from what I understand.

[Jet Jaguar]

We called it hog wire where I came from. Chick wire would be an inconvenience.

[Jet Jaguar]

Hollow caltrops can be bought online. This was just a tip if you have extra fencing.

[bigbob]

To toss out the window when the cops come after your hot rod Lincoln? I dunno...

[doc1019]

LOL! Love your reference.

[RC one]

nice. much easier than cutting and welding nails.

[TigersEye]

My sister used to have a rural property in WA state and in the middle of her drive was a tree she called the Mean Tree. It was a Black Hawthorn or Western Thornapple. (Crataegus douglasii) The thorns from broken branches would flat the tires on her tractor let alone a car tire. The books say the thorns are from 1-3 cms but the ones I saw myself were longer than that.