Themarko

Those are great maps! Thanks for the link.

The Google Earth discussion over in CAPTAIN QUILL started my little brain to working and I thought some people here may like to hear what it was working on. My specialty is making maps in many different ways from the latest high tech to hand drawn on canvas so I thought I'd pass on one relatively simple way for pirates to make their own cool charts. The first step is to find a graphic file of an old chart. Some of the best are at: http://www.davidrumsey.com/ these maps can be used by you personally but not for profit without permission. Use the search tools to find a map and once you figure out which map you want, select it and choose Data on the far left side of the screen. Scroll down and you'll find a link at the bottom to Download: Full Image Download in MrSID Format You can then use GeoExpress View from Lizardtech to view the MRSid format file. http://www.lizardtech.com/download/dl_down...ew&platform=win (free trial download) and to export the MrSid file into JPG or TIFF (Tools/Export). Finally in Microsoft publisher you can change your page setup to Poster, pick one of the two default sizes or define your own size, insert the JPG or TIFF into the document and print it. This prints it on however many sheets of paper it takes to get the whole image the size you choose. You then have to trim the edges and put the sheets together. Perhaps paste them to large sheet of paper or some masonite. Or, if your ambitious, tape them to the inside of a window, lay some other paper or canvas over them and trace them with a marker (the light through the window makes it a lot easier to trace) Other publishing programs may have this option also, I just don't know much about them. I also know a couple of ways to make them look old if anyone would like to know them. Not perfect or period accurate, but still cool to look at and can be used to make a nice display.

You could try fabric paint, available at craft stores like Michaels. Once heat set it's pretty permanent and there's several possible choices for colors. I've used some dark brown thinned down a lot and looks a lot like dried blood.

When doing you Christmas shopping for your best shipmate, please consider one of the shirts in my online shop. Pirate T-Shirts Thank You

That's a nice little pirate ship! It must be a lot of fun. Lots of nice wood work and attention to detail. You obviously have more patience than I have. I started a 10 ft plywood boat a few years ago and only got as far as the hull, so it sits in a storage shed doing nothing.

Well I guess I'm in, I read this thread Wednesday and thought it would be fun but wasn't sure if I wanted to do the homework. But then I got home that night and my wife gave me a couple of anniversary presents one of which was Under the Black Flag! How cool is that! Now if I can just get her to dress like a pirate wench for Halloween....

In San Diego you can tour two sailing ships, one a steel hulled bark (?) 'The Star of India' and the other is the ship made for filming the movie 'Master and Commander'. Then just go down the street to Hooters for dinner.

I think it's not Photoshop! I've seen pictures before of aircraft carriers going through the Suez canal and they looked a lot like that. :)

14. The ghost ship is the fastest on the seas even though it's sails are so ripped into ghostly shreds that they couldn't hold a thimbleful of air. :)

11. The Treasure Map includes a hillshade background.

I too just want to add my compliments on your fine work, those astrolabes are amazing! :)

You're right foam core may not bend enough to do the curves. Hmmm maybe I'll just cut the hull shape out of a 2 x 4 add some foam core sails and then I can play in the pool too!

Dang it! Now I gotta go get a truck load if foam core!

A little cannon and cutlass work is much more personally satisfying than a kraken..