Gentleman of Fortune

Out of the archives for those interested..... GoF

I don't think there would be anything "wrong" with one made from a converted baseball grenade. If you fill it with concrete you might even simulate the weight of the thing. My problem has always been, how do you make one out of a baseball grenade without making it look like it was made from a baseball grenade. I will admit that I am a little obsessive about things... maybe I need medication. As has been mentioned in the other thread, they vary in size but about 3 inches would be a good starting point. GoF

Awwww Geeee ****BLUSH**** Thanks for the kind words about my site. It has turned into a labor of love. I would like to point out though, that It includes a lot of information Gleaned and/or pirated from some of the members here. A special thanks to Black John (his group's Photos litter my site), Ed Foxe, and David Rickman for their tireless pursuit of 17th/18th century history. This is a sticky wicket as well. I guess my best answer is "it depends". Here is a great link to buttons recovered from wrecks and various sources, a lot are Spanish but this will give you a good idea of what we are talking about for GAoP Early 18th Century Buttons If you are making an every day regular blokes justaucorps/coat, then Pewter, Brass or Copper would be good. In my opinion, Earlier Coats (ie GAoP) had smaller buttons and they progressively get bigger later in the century. I would choose 3/4 inch buttons like18BC101 & 18CB103 For really nice silk, velvet, or nice wool "Gentlemen's coats, you are going to need passementerie buttons. They are basically, domed wooden molds covered/wrapped in metal (gold/silver) wire or you could do fabric covered buttons.... more to follow gof

Here is a picture of me (and my group) going out of the Ft Bragg Jump Towers... German style head first. We had a pretty large group of SF guys stop their cars and get out and watch us. In a totally unrelated incident, A German paratrooper (my Brother) searches some captured Brit SAS. GoF

Don't let John fool you... his opinion is not cheap he really knows his stuff. He is a diplomat though and has used subtlety to say in the nicest way, that ain’t a GAoP sword. Again, the question really is what do you want to do with it? If you want to sword fight others, then you should get a sword specifically made for that. And chances are that its not going to be “authentic” for GAoP. John posted a really nice Hanger in an earlier thread. Its really nice and very good looking for GAoP. Also, Cold Steel makes a nice Smallsword I saw one of the Prototypes in Munich a few years ago, but it was pre-production. As far as authentic and usuable goes, probably as good as anything available in the smallsword line unless someone makes one custom for you. That "baskety" hilt pirate sword you posted.... doesn't look like anything I have seen in Swords and Blades otAR.... unless I missed something. If you like the baskety hilt, why not go for a English/Scottish broadsword. Authentic for our period (wasn't Blackbeard's head hacked off with one?) Good luck GoF

#AAB-237 French Type C Trade Fusil .62 caliber, 41-1/2" barrel, walnut stock, brass trim GoF

#AAB-029 Tulle Fusil-de-Chasse 20 gauge, 42" barrel, walnut stock, iron trim, by Kendall Brady GoF

#AAB-122 Dutch Club Butt Export Musket 20 gauge, 50" barrel, 1650 era, by John Yellowbear from Leonard Day parts . . . $1,299.00 For you Buccaneers gof

For those of you have are in the market... Now I realize that the prices of some of these guns may be way out of your price range, but I just wanted to post some pictures of the kinds of flintlocks that were used in the period.... and if anyone wins the lottery, you could have a really nice collection! Track of the Wolf brokers/sells completed guns that are pretty nice (and expensive) Some Examples #AAB-222 1706 Dutch Musket .75 caliber, 46" barrel, iron trim, walnut stock, by John Bosh . . . $2,899.00

You might try Track of the Wolf for English Flints but they also carry American saw cut Flints GoF

Well, fortunately, hollow iron balls with 3/8th inch holes in them are not illegal in the US.... yet. I have been working on having these made overseas for some time, but kind of dropped the ball and have not done anything in a while. As I posted in the other thread... I did score one from e-bay UK a while back as it was mis-titled and the seller really didn't know what he had... I ordered a Hand Mortar from "The Rifle Shop" in November, and they say (last week) that it was shipped. I will post more when it comes in. weapons

you can use the patterns from Waugh's The Cut of Men's Clothes. I will worn you though, that they really are not meant for the novice. I welcome you to check out the resources on my pirate website. I have a lot of info on Men's clothing and some examples of Justaucorps that you might find helpful. Pirate Clothing GoF

Dude! Don't wait till its finished!!! Start posting pics of your progress!!!! I am dying to see them. I am about 80% done with my sailor short jacket. I found some 100+ year old hand woven linen at a German Flea market for the lining and am using a vintage blanket (wool) for the outter shell. I will post some pics of my progress as well! GoF

Got a couple of PM's asking for more info/pictures of Free French stuff... This was event we hosted at a Boy Scout camp in Virginia along the James river. We had 5 total FF troops (but 2 were part timing it for the weekend) and we were up against about 50 German troops. The scenario involved a downed pilot that both sides were trying to find. The Germans other task was to find the Free French base of operations and to capture/eliminate them. The FF forces were tasked with disrupting supply lines and setting ambushes. The first night of the event, we had set up a French Cafe/Cabaret in an old building. The Germans were drinking and eating and they thought that the "scenrio" would not start till the morning. About 12 midnight, during the height of the German celebration, Two FF members bursted into the caffee, threw Grenades and emptied Sten and MP40 Mags into the Partying Germans. Needless to say, the Gloves were off after that! By the way, my wife really isn't a "re-enactor". She just wanted to come out and see what the fuss was all about. While, she had a great time at both her events... She doesn't have the passion for history to make it a hobby.

Wow... is sniperivan that famous? Acutally its my wife (not sniperivan). That was her first re-enactment (the only other one was doing 15th Century on the Grounds of Warwick castle in the UK!) The Free French event was possibly the best of my WW2 re-enacting career. Our Band of Resistance fighter (only 4 of us) Kept all the Axis forces (about 50) busy the whole weekend. A visit from Il Duce'

Black John... An old re-enacting buddy is into the Victorian English Big Game Hunter Gig... He has a whole camp set up and everything. I must admit it is pretty freakin cool... Anywhoo... We caught one of those "wind talkers" at a WW2 event.

Vive La France!

I love Italian RSI stuff!

My side gig as a Luftwaffe Heinkel 111 pilot. So much for operation Sea Lion.

Take a look around here http://www.kipar.org/index.html gof

I was combing through my albums for some pictures of me... and have lots of other people but very few of myself. Maybe I should get together with some of my old mates and have a picture exchange (I am assuming that they were taking photos of me while I was taking photos of them!) Anywhoo.... My foray into Ancient Scotts

Hey! You guys are "pirating" my thread... I am trying to GET the game, I already KNOW how addictive it is! GoF

I don't know of any replica pirate pistol that is going to not be a live shooter, but still hold a flint and powder to make a flash. The prop/display pistols for $39 on e-bay are China pot-metal so unless you need one for your "costume" I'd stay away. Really, what you are saying is, "I want a live flintlock pistol, but i don't want to shoot live ammo, i just want it to make a flash." Fortunatley, flintlocks fall outside of the realm of restrictive firearms laws in most states (when was the last time somebody robbed a store with a flintlock?). The "Cheap" route is the Queen Anne Pistol by Pedersoli. If you google it, you can find it in an extremely easy to build kit form for about $200. Loyalist Arms Has a cool 1690s doglock for about $300 which would be authentic and cool at the same time. There is more general information on Pirate Weapons at my website... check it out! GoF

I think that the swords posted are similar... but there are some major differences that are "masked" by the 1) angle of the photo and 2) black & white photo doesn't show a lot of detail. Aside from the differences mentioned in earlier post, the knuckle gaurd on the Ben Church sword is classically 17th/Early 18th century. It is like the ones seen on smallswords of the period. It has a bilobate counterguard, with a distinctive quillion. The grip also seems to have a consistant diameter from the guard to the pommel. The blade is typical of hangers of the period. The Deadman cutlass is a classic cutlass. The D shaped guard that incorperates the pommel, guard quillion, and knuckle bow into one piece. The whole hilt is a massive affair that contrasts with the more refined look of the Ben Church sword. Yes, at a glance they are similar. But they are really two completely different swords that represent an evolution of the Naval Cutlass that are seperated by about 100 years. Its a shame that there is not more interest in Rev War Privateer. There are plenty of shoe makers and sword makers for the late 18th century and this sword would be perfect. GoF

John, I had an e-mail discussion with Captain Jack a few months ago, and he does really know about hats, the hat making process, and the history of the tricorn. I think though, that most "hat makers" are buying felt hoods or hat blanks, and stretching them to size/shape, tacking them up and VIOLA, $100 hat! Captain Jack will (for additional fee) add a "period style" water proofing to the hat. Personally, I think that people are better off making their own hats. I see that JAS Townsand has a Fur Felt Tricorn for $95 OR you could just buy the fur felt hat blank for $65. Dirty Billy's are mighty fine though... always wanted one of his cowboy hats when I was into Wild West re-enacting.... Here are some of his 18th C stuff