Tup crayons

shearerlad

Member
Livestock Farmer
This might seem like a silly question and make me look like a real tight ar#s

I've got a lot of crayons that are half "worn". Not enough on them to guarantee them lasting but seems a huge waste to bin them.

Could I melt the crayons down in a pot and remould them?
 

Jackov Altraids

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Devon
I don't think so.
I left one somewhere that got hot and melted and the 'structure' of the crayon had changed and was useless.
I always use more than one ram and use a mix of old and new crayons.
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
This might seem like a silly question and make me look like a real tight ar#s

I've got a lot of crayons that are half "worn". Not enough on them to guarantee them lasting but seems a huge waste to bin them.

Could I melt the crayons down in a pot and remould them?

Yes, you really are being a tight arse.






When I tried it:whistle:, the resultant crayons were extremely soft and would probably only have marked a couple of ewes. I figured the hot wax probably needed to be tempered or something, to get the hardness right, but I never tried again (Mum's saucepan was a bit of a mess afterwards:D).
Now I just keep the half worn crayons for rams that won't be doing much, like smaller groups or chaser rams after the first cycle.
 

Nithsdale

Member
Livestock Farmer
Never tried it, but have often wondered about it too.
At worst you could make your own marker stick crayons with the leftovers if you really wanted.

Apart for the boy away to my pure Texel ewes, Iv given up with crayons/harnesses this year. The ewes will lamb just the same :rolleyes:
 

Nithsdale

Member
Livestock Farmer
What are they £1.50 or so each ? YTB ,just use the old ones for marking crayons (head marks) , keep the best for sweeper ram or what neil said .They go hard when left out in the air to long , or the mice eat them .


I left my harnesses with old crayons in, in a big mineral bucket, on the wall head in shed. Lifted it down on Monday to find the best crayon to reuse, to find almost all the crayons stripped bare... and the bottom of the bucket full of red and blue mouse sized wax 'pellets' :ROFLMAO:
Hell knows what's in the crayons, but the mice don't half like them!!
 

andybk

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Mendips Somerset
I left my harnesses with old crayons in, in a big mineral bucket, on the wall head in shed. Lifted it down on Monday to find the best crayon to reuse, to find almost all the crayons stripped bare... and the bottom of the bucket full of red and blue mouse sized wax 'pellets' :ROFLMAO:
Hell knows what's in the crayons, but the mice don't half like them!!
lol and the dog , had plenty of multi coloured t**s around the farm in the past ,
 

Spartacus

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Lancaster
This might seem like a silly question and make me look like a real tight ar#s

I've got a lot of crayons that are half "worn". Not enough on them to guarantee them lasting but seems a huge waste to bin them.

Could I melt the crayons down in a pot and remould them?
What make crayons do you use? When we used netex brand they'd dry up in winter and you couldn't use them again, the markmate (or mate mark, can never remember which way round it is) we get 3 years out of them. They also mark them better.
 
Slightly off topic.

Treated my 2 new Texels to brand new harnesses this year.

It's been good to turn them out smart, instead of the usual buckles and baler twine.

TSS
 

Spartacus

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Lancaster
Matemark cold crayons. Kept in a crysalyx tup with lid on.
Same as we do.
Three years:cool:(y)(y)(y)
Very impressive - I bet nobody else can match that:confused:

Do you instruct all your tups to serve each ewe just the once:scratchhead:
We are on swaledale and BFL tups, not as heavy on the crayon, we do have a couple of texel tups as well and they don't seem to use them much either!
 
Going to try a few harnesses this year for the first time I'm a bit nervous it will effect there tipping putting them in with 80ewes each and changing the crayon every week do I put them on as tight as possible are do I leave a bit of room any advice appreciated
 

andybk

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Mendips Somerset
Going to try a few harnesses this year for the first time I'm a bit nervous it will effect there tipping putting them in with 80ewes each and changing the crayon every week do I put them on as tight as possible are do I leave a bit of room any advice appreciated

tight , loose will lead to rubbing , if poss catch ram after a few days and tighten straps a bit , as wool will flatten , I would always use the pedigree ones as they have padding around main strap and softer straps ,
 
Got the mating mark deluxe harness hope there ok is there such a thing as putting them on to tight?don't want to put them of their stride they've been waiting all year poor buggers lol
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
Got the mating mark deluxe harness hope there ok is there such a thing as putting them on to tight?don't want to put them of their stride they've been waiting all year poor buggers lol

As @andybk posted, tight is better than too loose. They will bed into the fleece in a day or two, loosening them, so either catch and tighten after a few days, or put on a few days before turnout and retighten on the big day. Alternatively leave them without anything for a week, then put them on for week 2. ‘No mark’ are then due in week one and you’ve saved a couple of quid on crayons.;)

I don’t harness anything for 17 days these days, then just have marks on returns.:)
 

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quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

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