Graye Fox

I'm portraying a merchant and craftsman. I am curious about publications and documentation about how pirates disposed of their captured goods. Fencing through an unscrupulous merchant perhaps? And how did legit privateers dispose of their goods? Also, the flip side: How did pirates outfit themselves for sea? They couldn't have stolen everything they needed, at some point they have to purchase some stuff legally. Who would willing sell to a pirate?

If I may be permitted to add my own anecdote about fire starting: I have a glass magnifying lens that I use to light my pipe with (tricky, when you can't hold the pipe in your mouth and see inside the bowl for the correct distance and angle for the lens). While at an encampment a few years ago I decided to experiment to see how well gunpowder could start a cooking fire, and I chose my lens to see if I could ignite the powder with it. I had to lay my carronade ball shaped body down close to the fire pit to be able to get the lens in close enough. So here are the results: Does it work? YES IT DOES. How long does it take for the lens to ignite the gunpowder? EXACTLY 3 SECONDS. What was the result? Well there was a great whoosh and eruption and smoke and such much like an old time camera flash in a wild west movie. I can now say I have much in common with Wile E Coyote, for I am now both a super-genius and my face was covered in the inevitable cartoonish black soot like some Acme powered anti-road runner death machine exploding on ol' Mr Coyote. Fortunately I was wearing my spectacles at the time, so no permanent damage done and also no need to shave for the rest of the weekend. Recreate experiment at your own peril.

May I add my own sutlery business to this list? MinuteMan Armoury, I make 18th century military accoutrements, mostly leather, and I am working on some new baldric patterns. I having a demonstration setup for events where I show the different stages of constructing a cartridge pouch using historic methods. www.freewebs.com/mmarmoury

I've been there several times over the past decade or so. It was closed for a while back about 5 years ago or so, but it was taken over by a local college and has been open since. I was there about a month ago while they were cleaning up after the hurricane, the place looks in great shape, they're on a full schedule this year. The staff looks well dressed and authentic to 1630's. I am looking forward to this event, with all the halloween mess happening downtown it looks like this will be well attended and fun.

Salem Pioneer Vilage-1630 in Salem Massachusetts will be hosting their annual Pirate Day on October 22, 2011 from 10am to 4pm. Admission is $10. This will be my own first time attending this event and I will be demonstrating my leather craft.This historical village is a recreation of Salem's founding in 1630 (kinda like a mini version of Plimoth Plantation) and is the oldest and first living history community in America (built in the 1930's). Salem is of course famous as the Witch City and the city's annual Halloween festivities will be in full swing. Salem also has an enormous pirate and privateer history with many nice little museums (gotta go see the New England Pirate Museum: www.piratemuseum.com). Shameless plug for one of my favorite places. Graye Fox MinuteMan Armoury www.freewebs.com/mmarmoury

If you mean the wooden one, I made it. I could not find one in an antique shop that was mid-18th century, so with some research data and quite a lot of photos of originals I made a copy out of a solid plank of white oak. The spoon bit in it by the way is an antique from the 18th century.

I have been making cartridge pouches and other leather goods for more than ten years, and I have a travelling demonstrator setup for events. I demonstrate 18th century construction techniques of making cartridge pouches using period correct tools. Last year I introduced leather jackware "bottels" after a long period of research and experimentation. They have been a smashing success, my best items. While I started in the colonial frontier and militia realm I am expanding into the Pirate field, I am interested in comments on ideas and potential new products. So take a look at my website and products and tell me what you think: www.freewebs.com/mmarmoury I plan on being at the Pirate Day at Salem Pioneer Village in October. Dave H MinuteMan Armoury Graye Fox Leatherworks

If I may be permitted to revive an old topic here. I have researched this subject for a long time for historical accuracy as I am a craft demonstrator. I use pine pitch all the time in waterproofing my "bottels", I mix it with beeswax. If the stuff you are referring to from Jas Townsend is too brittle then it is probably dried out with much moisture gone, though I think you may be judging this based on its appearance from the bag. When melted down and resolidified it is quite pliable. As far as "black" pitch is concerned being used for jackware, historically there were several methods. First, common yellow beeswax was used in early vessels going back to the Roman times up through the Middle Ages. There are other references to birch sap when boiled turning black though I do not know of its historical uses. At one point in English history supposedly bitumen pitch which is rendered from coal tar was used, but this is highly carcinogenic. The real black pitch you are seeking is just regular pine pitch but rendered down over a roaring fire so that it became contaminated with soot to turn it black, I do not know if the process gave it any superiority. You can replicate it by purchasing Jas Townsend's "powdered ink" which they admit is just lampblack (pure carbon soot) and adding it to the melted pitch. Chemically it would be the same thing. By the way, the surviving bottels and costrels from the wreck of the Mary Rose 1535 were laboratory analyzed and determined to have been lined in this pitch.

Newbie here (whatever you call the new recruits). I make leather jackware flasks ("bottels") and other leather goods. I started out ten years ago in the Colonial Era, moved into Medieval and now I'm swimming with Pirates (how did that happen?).