Tall Paul

And I to meeting you too dear lady.

I refer you to my previous post, They were made from a mixture of Wheat Flour and Pea Flour, that is ground up dried peas. Although the use of pea flour was obviously for reasons of economy, it probably added valuable protein to the sailors diet. the cost was further reduced by adulterating the mixture with bone dust. Adding oil or fat to the mixture is a modern "Cheat" to make the biscuits more edible. shortening was not used in the origional recipy, as this woul have compromised the long shelf life (Three years or more) of the ships biscuits. Ships biscuits were "Thrice Cooked" to remove the last vestige of moisture from them. in modern terms, this equates to several hours in a medium oven.

Hello GoF, We have several new members, so there should be one or two C.H.E.Sies coming along this year, myself included.

Thanks for the Sig Scrounger, As You Can see, I am wearing It with Pride

of the three pictures along the bottem of the page, the middle one, with the flat pommel and the long knuckle guard is probebly the best, although the shell is facing the wrong way for a GAoP Cutlass. the shell should be curved over the handle to protect the back of the hand. Perhaps if you asked them, they would make one with the shell facing the other way. This pattern sword is quite a popular choice amongst UK pirate re-enactors.As a backup sword I use one very similar, but with a bigger shell, made by Bailiff Forge, who sadly no longer seem to be operaiting As i mentioned before, the Mortury hilt and Proto Mortury hilt are also a popular choice because although they are slightly too early, they offer good hand protection. The sword that they made for me, had the same blade as this, but the hilt was type "E", a simple shell guard and knuckle bow. they made two of these at my request. If you dont mind me asking Rats, are you another British Pirate or are you looking to import the sword? Armour Class are one of the best known Re-enactment Sword makers in the UK. Because of the robust style of fighting preferred by many British enactors, their weapons tend to be very ruggid and hard wearing, however they tend to be a little on the heavy side when compared with blades used for some forms of stage or display fighting. I would be interested to learn more about the steel-on-steel techneques used by american re-enactors. I hope that this helps. "Tall Paul" Adams.

I cant promise to spend the societies money without first checking with the quartermaster, But C.H.E.S. have recently finished designing our colours. So, depending on cost, we way well have an order for you too. We would also be interested in a pre 1801 union Jack (no red diagonals). Will you be posting here when you have a better idea of prices? "Tall Paul" Adams

BobbyLucifer, There is a real shortage of swordmakers who will make a pirate period sword suitable for UK Re-enactment at a reasonable cost. I had my cutlass made by Armour Class, It has served me well over the past years, but it has a straight blade. I have been told that if you send them a drawing, they will make pretty much anything you want, but I cannot say what that will do for the price. I am currently persuing several sources in the hope that I can find a manufacturer who can supply the pirate commuunity without breaking the bank. What Pirate society do you belong to? In the absence of a truly authentic 1700's Cutlass, many groups allow the use of the 17th Century Mortury sword as a resonable compromise. Do you belong to the UK PIRATE BROTHERHOOD Yahoo Egroup? if you look in the files section, there is a series of pdf files, theat make up a Typology of steel hilted cutlasses that would be suitable for Pirate re-enactment. Last weekend, I was at the Sea Sheppey festival, One pirate there was using a first rate copy of a Type E (Double Guard) cutlass, complete with curved blade. But she could not remember the name of the person who made it. If you do eventually find someone who can make what you are looking for, please let me know, as they will probably have a lot of Brit Pirates beating a pathway to their door, and I would like to get to the front of the line. "Tall Paul" Adams

In the Royal Navy, The rules proscribing the appropriate punishment for any given offence where pretty clearly laid out, and whilst I am sure that there were abuses, for the most part, they were adhered to. The worst Naval punishment was considered to be Flogging Around the Fleet. A grating was lashed to a long boat, and the man to be punished was lashed to the grating. He was then rowed to every ship anchored at that port, and flogged before the assembled crew. Recipients of this punishment often didn't survive. In the Merchant fleet, there were no such regulations, The captain of a Merchant vessel pretty much had free reign as to what punishments he administered. It is here that the more extreme punishments like Spiking, and the wooden block occurred. Pirate punishment/Torture was often just as imaginative, Nailing a mans foot to the deck and leaving him out on a heaving deck during a storm for example. (That wasn't just in the film yellow beard.) In Esquamelling's book "The Buccaneers of America", he describes a number of tortures used to force victims to reveal the locations of hidden valuables. The only one that I can remember offhand, consisted of driving four wooden stakes into the ground, them tying ropes to the victims wrists and ankles, and suspending him between the four stakes, with the ropes stretched as tightly as possible. The ropes were then struck with sticks so that the vibrations wracked through the victims body. "Tall Paul" Adams.

I watched the Two part Blackbeard Drama with mild disbelief, whilst I know that one shouldn't expect too much authenticity in what is basically an excuse for a romp, I felt that they could at least have made an effort. Within the first few minutes of this production, there was the inevitable walking the plank scene, however the pirates then promptly shot the drowning man, which seems to somewhat defeat the object. For a "Bristol born man", Blacbeard had a very strong Scottish Accent, They also went into a lot of detail about William Kidd's execution "At Newgate"!! Also, why on earth would Kidd tattoo a clue to his hidden treasure on the back of the local barmaid?? During the first half of the first episode, so much time was dedicated to introducing Maynard’s love interest, and the sub plot of the evil governors scheme to rob her of her inheritance, that Blackbeard became something of a supporting character. Also, the arms budget was obviously very limited. Apart from the scenes of Piracy aboard the Queen Anne’s Revenge, where they obviously needed a fair number of pistols, The total supply of short arms was reduced to a Kentucky Pistol, and a Napoleonic French pistol, which not only replaced the three brace of pistols reputedly carried by Teach, but doubled for every other pistol used by the cast in these scenes. Whilst I wasn't expecting an authentic Historical Drama, I did think that the production would at lest make some attempt to get the basic details right, or at the very least to come up with a plot that made some sense, and showed imagination and originality, instead of offering a procession of pirate Clichés. In the past, Hallmark have produced some first rate Costume/Historical fantasy Dramas, so I had high hopes for this show. Sadly, I was disappointed. "Tall Paul" Adams.

Welcome aboard Scrounger, I should've guessed I would find you at the bar. Mines A Rum, Thanking ye Kindly. Its good to see another Briish face sailing these Colonial waters, Its a good crew here, always ready to lend A hand if you have any Questions, or find yourself cast adrift. I know that you want to find out more about Authentic Kit, so cast your eye over "Capatain Twill" sometime. Hope to cross swords with you soon. "Tall Paul" Adams.

I assume that you are after me email address. The sociey email for C.H.E.S. is ches@ches.me.uk see you at sheppey this weekend. "Tall Paul" Adams

If we are talking about The Whydah, I would think that we would be circa 1717. At any rate, the Golden Age of Pyracy, ie the last decade of the 17th Century, and the first 20 years of the 18th Century would be a fair bet.

If you are considering making your own pistols, it is worth giving these guys a look. Muzzleloader Builders Supply Company. They have a comprihensive range of stock, Everything you would need to build your own gun. Unfortunately, there is a severe shortage of good pictures of the items that they sell. They don't so much sell Kits, as matched sets of parts for given models of pistols. European Pistol Sets. Hope that this helps, "Tall Paul" Adams.

Thanks for that BlackJohn, very interesting. It is a pity that there isn't more detail in the photograph. From what I can make out, the construction is very similar to that of Cavalry saddle holsters from the same period. Is there any sort of belt loop on the back? Are there any plans to publish an arceological report with line drawings? and if so, When?

I was going to ask what the provanence for pistol holsters like this was. After all, belt hooks seem to be the preferred method for carrying pistols in a maritime context during this period of history, and in pictures from this time, they are nothing more than anonymous loops of leather on the cartrige box strap. But, I guess that this answers my question. Do you have any pictures of the Whydah holsters, BlackJohn? Also, what size pistol were the holsters for? I suspect that belthooks were used on bigger pistols, whilst holsters were more suitable for smaller, Queen Anne type pistols. But this is just a supposition, so surviving holsters would help to support or disprove this theory.

Just Giving this thread a quick Bump! If there are any new Brits in the pub since this thread last saw the light of day, Pull up a chair and say HI! "Tall Paul" Adams

If you think that the last Vid was bad, take a look at this one Reed + Idea = Explosion A definate future Darwin contender. How he kept all his fingers beats me.

And Kids, Dont forget, when loading your "Musket Pistol", Do so over at least two open tubs of powder! It will also add to the fun if your barrel is "all warped and full of crap"!!

I had to watch that video twice, because I didn't believe it the first time. When I was that age, I did some things with explosions that I would now regard as pretty stupid, but at least I had the sense to put as much distance between myself and the resulting BANG!! as possible. I don't know what is dumber, making a "Musket" out of plastic tube and toy gun parts, or posting a video of the results on the internet for all the world to see. "Tall Paul" Adams.

You can count me in for a pair too GOF, I shall ask around amongst the UK Pirates to see if anyone else is interested. Tall Paul.

"The bowie knife retails for $240.00 and is included here for free." I think that that says it all. I can only assume that the Certificate is hand illuminated on pure vellum, and is worth $200, because there is no way that I would pay more than $50 for the sword. And ten, only to be used for comic effect. Taul Paul.

At least there is a reasonable time lag this time, Pirates of Davy Jones came so quick on the heels of Pirates of the South China Seas (possibly to cash in on the Dead mans Chest film,) that I found myself collecting both sets back-to-back. Whilst a Captain Nemo, steampunk submerine is an interesting idea, I am not sure that it fits ino the feel of the PotSM game, beyond the fact that there were pirates in the Mysterioud island story. Who saw the Sky Television Mysterious Island Minni series? with Vinnie Jones as a Pirate in the inevitable Tricorn hat, even though the series was set at the time of the American Civil War. A poor reflection of the 1961 Ray Harryhausen Movie. Here is what WizzKids Have so far Pirates of the Mysterious Islands. Tall Paul

That is why very few weapons still survive with the origional Japanning. to quote Gilkerson. "The reason becomes apparent to anyone viewing one of the exceedingly rare specimens extant still retaining all of its old blacking, for it is a flat, lifeless finish to the eye." When the Admiralty dictated that sea service muskets should be capable of accomodating a socket beyonet, the Japanning created a problem since the coating on the barrels was too thick to acomodate the socket. As a result, from the mid 1750's half of the muskets were issued "black" and the rest were issued "bright". "Tall Paul" Adams

From time to time, reproduction octants turn up for a resonable price on ebay, the octant that we use in our shows was one such purchase. Anyone interested in period navigational tools should get a copy of a book called Latitude hooks and Azimuth Rings. by Dennis Fisher ISBN 0-07-021120-5 it contains instructions for making and using 18 different navigational tools many of which were in use during the GAoP "Tall Paul" Adams

As BlackJohn says, If you want to be authentic, you should Japan the whole gun. Many Navy service guns were protected from the decaying effects of the salt air by covering wood and metal alike with a black, asphaltum based paint. (Presumably the moving parts of the lock were left clear.) The Process is mentioned in William Gilkerson's Boarders Away II. Loyalist Arms offer Jappaning as an option with a number of their sea service guns. "Tall Paul" Adams