Gentleman of Fortune

Ok... here is a rough pattern for a style of slops. There is a full size jpg on my site at http://www.gentlemenoffortune.com/sailorskit.htm Please don't make em out of cotton! Linen, hemp, osnaburg, fustian are ok Skip the waistcoat and make a sailors short jacket... I am on vacation till next Thursday, and I can post a pattern then. GoF

Mike If you have access to more of the Wydah's finds... could you check out the silver buckles that they found and see if there is any more info on these? They found a lot of buckles that I had heard were referred to as knee buckles (which I found odd becuase there was a significant number found). I had often wondered if these may have been shoe buckles or ? Thanks for all the research though! GoF

The button you mention Mike, is being referred to as a "cloak button" Here is a to a picture of it. http://www.imacdigest.com/2001rep/images/0138.jpg Cloak buttons are generally larger than regular buttons, and this one is about 1". There is an excellent site regarding Spanish buttons from the Americas in the 1600-1800s here Spanish Military Buttons and the site gives some rough sizes of some buttons as

I have a few original Late 17th and Early 18th pewter/brass buttons. They are really tiny compared to what we "think" button size should be. It seems to me that later buttons (rev and F&I period) buttons are larger, but since that is what most suttlers are carrying, that is what pirate re-enactors are wearing. I know that there are "ranges" of buttons size, but what would the most common size for sailors? Any takers? Most of mine range from about 1/2 inch to about 5/8ths inch. GoF

Anyone out there in Germany interested in Piracy? I live near Wurzburg

In Waugh's cut of Men's Clothes, she has basic patterns for a 1690s, 1700, and 1720ish Coats. If you check out my site http://www.gentlemenoffortune.com/sailorskit.htm there are some patterns there and some detail photos of the long gentlemen's coats. For the short jacket, there are a few period pictures that show at least 3 different styles. If you search the posts on this forum, we discuss some at length (Dissecting the Pirate dress or something like that title). The short jacket for sailors is very interesting. No origianals exist for us to see, so we can only speculate as to how they were made. I see them as kind of a fusion between the earlier doublet and the waistcoat for our period. I am not sure what the Scottish bog find coat is though (for seaman or landsmen???) But if it was a period short jacket it could be anyones guess. Foxe has some period pictures on his site and you can see the short jackets there to make your best guess and update as more info is found. For example, the mariners cuff.... is the cuff part of the sleeve or is it a "pocket flap" added to the sleeve. I would imagine that early in its history it was an added flap that gave way to a later incorporation into the sleeve. The original museum pieces with mariners cuffs seem to be 1740ish or later so they give away no secrets for 1690-1720. Good luck Greg

John When I lived in England, I was a fairly active fencer and ordered stuff for me and my group via http://www.triplette.com/ (EVERYTHING in the UK is expensive!) This company had good prices and quick delivery. I wouldn't know what to reccomend for pirate sword fighting though.... gof

C&D Jarnigan makes early 18th Century shoes that are straight lasted. Since they are custom made, I recommend asking them to make a 1" or smaller latch (where the buckle attaches) to meet the needs of early 18th Century. They run about $139 + C&D Jarnigan FI110 shoe Good luck GoF

Pat... the link i posted has a couple of pairs of 17th century boots that are made the right way. Granted, the shoes that she has pictures of on her site are REALLY nice and would probably be for mid-upper classes, she can/does make a spanking lower class shoe as well. Cut-Throat its not the bottom of the shoe that makes it a problem, its the rest of the "boot" that is impractical for use aboard ship... kind of like snow shoes. GoF

For Golden Age (1690-1720ish), I would say that shoes on board would be the norm. Hawkyns and Foxe would know more about the earlier periods and whether boots were in fashion for ship use then. They may look "cool" in a ren-fair-esque way, but I would not think they are practical for ship board use. The other thing is that the boots available today are not made the way period boots should be. Check out Sarah Juniper's site for authentic footwear. GoF

Thanks for the vote of confidence Patrick! I have a lot to add to the site and when i return "home" from my visit to the states, i will add to the clothing pages. I have been working on a short jacket and will post info on construction details (or at least how I interpret the thumbnails sized pictures of period paintings). IF you after fantasy "garb" or just want to go to a festival, there seem to be plenty of folks making the coat from SIMPLICITY's pattern 4923 That should fit the bill for you. Good luck GoF

See we can all play nice! Here are some more questions then. Would the Navagator have more than one insturment for a particular task and use both? I assume yes but here is the real question. If you had an Astrolab and an XX (what ever other insturment does the same thing) and you got two different readings, historically, would they average the two, go with just one or ??? "Well Captain, the Astrolab says we are here, but the Cock Ring says we are here so that means we are really screwed...." ??? GoF

Atstrolabes are not the only navigational tools that have been listed in this thread.... Could you knowledgable folks post pictures of the other things you have (or have made) and tell us how they were used? Back staff.... octant Please? GoF

Enigma is the one you made an astronomical one. When would you need to swap out the plates? About how much heavier is a brass one than a wood one. Would a 5 lb wood one be more accurate than a 3lb brass one or would the larger size make it more of a target for wind? I have no idea how to use these things but am very curious. It is an interesting discussion... For once, I am not in the heated argument!

does an astrolab have to be "tuned" to the century that it is in? Woul a 17th C astro work today? It seem sot me that if the universe is expanding that things would not necessarily be in the same spot 300 years later. Am I totally wrong or ? GoF

Patrick You might be interested in this board as well Historical Trekking. I stumbled across them while searching flint lock info. Be sure to check out their "Virtual round robin" for classifieds and the "Message Board" for discussion on period camping. Good luck to you! GoF

Not so fast Guys! Post pictures please!!! I would love to see your stuff/projects. I have been working on a short sailors jacket. I am kind of burnt out now but have been fumbling through the process. I have the lining and the shell, I just need to sew them together and hand sew about 35 button holes. I will post a picture when its done though! GoF

Here is the Well Dressed Wench link.... I have spent so much time researching the Man side of things that my knowledge of the female side was lacking. I am in the process of updating my web page with refrences for those women who are attempting the lower classes impression. So your question came at a good time. I think that more of the women are into the hobby to have a good time, though there are some authenticity stalwarts in the female ranks as well. Most men, however, wouldn't know a 1690 Mantua from a 1780 sack dress.... As long as there is clevage... we are happy. GoF

Go to forum Captain Twill.... look for thread "Well Dressed Wench" GoF

John PM'd you ... not sure if it went to your Pub e-mail or ???? Greg

My Captain knows I have a soft (or is a hard) spot for shoes. I will say that I currently am in the same boat (need shoes) as I had a great pair, loaned one to somebody to have it copied, and it got "lost" in the mail. I guess I could do a Long John Silver impression but I would rather have both FEET on the deck. The only way to get period shoes, is to have them made. Mine were made in the UK, where there are a few really good shoe makers. There are some in the States too... you just got to look a little harder. There is a cordwainer in Williamsburg (I can't remember his name) that makes great shoes... if I find it I will post his name. But I remember he is "expensive" (a relative term for hand made shoes). First question would be what does a correct shoe look like? For the 1680-1720 period it should be straight lasted, squared toe, high tounge and a SMALL latch (1" or under). That being said, the Admiralty Slops Contract called for a rounded toe shoe. If you do a search in the Capt Twill forum, you should find a listing of the ASC items. Good luck As John kindly posted, my website has pictures and sources of good shoes so you might want to start there.

Rough Guide for those interested in Pirate Re-enacting First off, if you can sew… you can make your own clothes. But first you need a pattern. There are some basic patterns on my site Gentlemen of Fortune You just need to decide what you want to make them out of (hemp, linen, fustian, silk, wool) get the patterns and start sewing. If you have money to spend, you can find folks to make the stuff for you. The problem here is that for our period, I don't think that there is anyplace (or any website) where you can go and, with a few clicks, get your early 18th (or late 17th) century pirate stuff. Most folks that I know that make correct stuff do it in addition to their real jobs and it usually takes a while to get it done and you pay real wages to have someone hands sew you an item. Here is my Top 10 of things to get and reasons why 1) Shoes Because you can't borrow correct shoes from somebody to wear at an event, and you are going to need something on your feet, I rank this item as #1. There are people who make great authentic reproduction shoes, but there is usually a time lag between ordering and putting them on your feet so plan ahead. Either way, you have to get some kind of shoe for your impression. And if you are willing to pay $400 for a pistol, IMHO $200 for correct shoes should not be too much to ask. 2 &3) slop/trousers shirt I will lump these two together. You can't play if you don't have the clothes. These follow shoes only because there is a greater likelihood that somebody will have a loaner pair that will fit than for shoes. This is also an item that can be made by the individual. Most of the patterns available are for 1750+ but early 18th century is slightly different. Hemp, linen, or fustian would be my first choices in materials. 4) Hat Tricorne, or knitted Monmouth or Thrum 5) Waistcoat/sailor Jacket It seems that while on shore, your pirate would wear the best he had to go to town, wenching etc. Period pictures usually depict sailors in their best sailor clothing.... but for those that like to dress to the occasion, the fashion of the day would require a waistcoat and to be seen in town in social settings without would be like walking around in your underwear. 6) Coat This item in Linen, Wool, fustian, silk adds to the proper dress pirate impression 7) sword and belt Some are going to rank arms higher than I do, but IMHO, there are brethren that have multiples of these already that would not mind sharing for the times when we will be doing combat. I think that the sword (Hanger, Cuttoe, Cutlass, Smallsword etc) is ranked higher than pistol/rifle because I doubt that any sailor of this period boarded another ship without one. 8) Pistol One shot and your done, so MANY of us are envisioning our impression decked out with multiple pistols. I think the cheapest available is the Queen Anne kit from Dixie ($200?) but this seems to be a copy of the "rare" muzzle loading style, not the common turn-off style. 9) cartridge box If you have all the above, you can consider yourself a well kitted out pirate. I think you are now at the `wouldn't it be cool if' stage of your impression. You need someplace to put your pistol accouterments, how bout a cartridge box? 10) Everything else. Sleeping gear, shelter, eating utensils etc. There is lots of more info on my site... see below link GoF

Ok John... I'll bite. I am going to post somthing in Rable Rousing! I better duck quick though. GoF

Patrick... Its hard to find one with a large brim... it seems that there are just a few makers of hat blanks and they all seem to be a similar size. You can stretch and steam it a bit but if you have a great big dome, you can only go so far. You might want to google "felt Hoods", this is what a hat blank is before its a hat blank. Or, You could get some wool roving or butts and hand felt it yourself, then you would have as big of a brim as you want (google wool felting roving) and you should get some good links. GoF

Leather huh? If you decide against leather, Captain Jack makes a decent hat that comes waterproofed for about $140.