Gentleman of Fortune

I'd be willing to participate... I am kind of burnt out on running it, so I am glad someone else has stepped up to take the reigns. Maybe smaller numbers will be a bonus. Last year, we had a few folks that joined the pub in Aug-Sept and were all jazzed to participate, we bent the rules to let them in the Gift Exchange, and we never heard from them again. Its kind of a bummer to be an old timer here at the pub, get hooked with a noob, and have them drop the ball.... No offense to current new folks, but it is a pattern that has happened the two years we have done the secret santa thing. We shall see what we shall see... GoF

I have to fund some other projects, so something must go... On offer is a completed Handmortar Kit from The RIfle Shoppe This is the one for sale! (photo by our own Black John) This is a high quality kit from the folks at the Rifle Shoppe, its not imported from India! Handmortars have been around since at least the 17th century in various lengths, calibers, and lock mechanisms. The Rifle Shoppes model resembles those found in the Early 18th century and can be seen in various museums (West Point and Morges come to mind) The idea was to be able to launch a grenade farther than you could throw one. For more General Info on Handmortars, see http://www.gentlemenoffortune.com/handmortar.htm FOR REFRENCE ONLY NOT FOR SALE! Photo taken of 1710 dated Handmortars in Military Museum Morges (Swtz) The Kit was assembled by John Buck in Virginia and completed in 2006 but has been unfired, except for sparking a few flints. Word Around the campfire (from folks like Ben Coogle) is that it will shoot a tennis ball about 300 yards... and, C'mon, who DOESN'T need to shoot a tennis ball 300 yards??? FOR REFRENCE ONLY NOT FOR SALE! Miquelet lock'd Handmortar by Ben Coogle The kit and custom build could cost you well over $2000 now, and could take over 2 years (TRS is well known for lengthy delivery times) So, if you want a Handmortar in 2010, you could go that route... But if you want one NOW and in time for PIP, $1850 + Shipping gets it!

Pyrite Welcome aboard, and thanks for checking out my site, glad it made an impression. I think it depends on what you were looking for in your search. If you were googlin' Bandanna, then you probably were out of luck. In England, and in the Americas, they were known (in English) as a Handkerchief. Its fairly easy to find evidence of handkerchiefs... just about any picture of a gaop sailor (or male civilian) for that matter has some sort of handkerchief or cravat around their necks. What is hard to find though, are depictions of period folks wearing it "doo rag" style, that is on top of the head like a modern gang member/biker. I have found two period depictions of the on top of head style though BOTH are shown with HATS on TOP of the handkerchief.. This was painted in 1697 by Abraham Storck. Its actually an Italian port scene IIRC... but it is interesting for a lot of reasons Short jacket (is that a blue and white checked shirt underneath?) Slops (short style) or Petticoat Breeches with drawers or Breeches underneath. Definitely a scarf/handkerchief under his hat, and it looks to be a tricorn/cocked hat. The other is from the series "Cries of London" by M Lauron and shows the pin seller This is a fairly early (for GAoP anyway) picture, dating to 1687. But again, in all my diggin and pickin' those are the only two from the GAoP i could find, and again, they both have hats over them. Handkerchiefs around the neck are easy... Foxe's Pirate Sailor Picture Repository has many. What is a period Handkerchief? A cloth square, of about 1 yard to a side. In linen, calico (as in the Indian kind) or silk... watch out for patterns though, as it can date the fabric to later than GAoP, solid colors are probably best in that regard. Roll and whip stitch the edge and viola'! GoF

If you check out my website (pardon the selfish plug) I have a list of the top eight things for pirates. As Michael B says though, it kind of depends on what you are aiming at... http://www.gentlemenoffortune.com/basic_kit.htm Good luck GoF

I moved the non linen/hemp fabrics to another thread SILKS As Promised... Here is the fabric and notions and what not for sale. I will keep updating this list as things come and go.. I have yet to get to my wool boxes, trims, and half of the Linen. For those of you who went to PiP, there were some outstanding authentic pirates there... if you want to improve your game a bit, here is some fabric that will help put you over the top (and using Reconstructing History's patterns). I got too much stuff... period. Other fabric whores out there know what I am saying. My main problem is I am living in Germany (my wife is a Dodds teacher) and I just can't get to the events... except for one or two a year... Maybe. Since 9/11 its much harder to get through the Airport with a Handmortar (sold it). Swords are a pain too (sold it)... Anyway, I am pairing down my Kit stuff/clothing to what I can put in a medium sized travel bag and go through the check in gate/security without problems. That means, I don't need enough fabric to make 12 kick ass Justaucorps, 20 sets of slop trousers, 25 short jackets, 14 waist coats etc etc. I am not giving this stuff away mind you, I am selling it. Even still, in some cases, its a fraction of the cost you would pay elsewhere, even on eBay. Sometimes the price reflects the expense I paid and difficulty finding the material... Where else are you going to find SILK grosgrain? Not synthetic grosgrain ribbon but grosgrain silk in quantities enough to make a justaucorps? I am not beyond a little negotiation, and, since economic times are tight... I don't mind TRADING my stuff for yours... Things that I would be interested in trading for would be Musical Instruments and Live Music equipment (mics, mixers, cables etc). I have a particular fondness for USA made REVEREND guitars, amps, and Basses... but hey, if you have a Taylor 714CE that you want to trade for a heap load of fabric, i am game. This is first come first served, paypal preferred. I will do my best to describe the fabrics in detail. If it says "silk", its because i believe ti to be silk (using burn test, feel, etc) and that I bought it from a vendor who purported it to be 100% silk. If it aint' right, I'll tell you upfront, and I will even give you 5 days to decide upon receipt of fabric. I am not here to gyp anyone. I'll add more linens here in the next few days.... contact me for payment details.

Wow It looks like a great event at a cool site! I hope you get a lot of participation, and I know you will do your part to hold up the authentic pirate end. Good luck! GoF

When I ordered them, I asked for silver plating. They were sent to me wrapped individually in cotton fabric to help prevent tarnishing, and they do seem to tarnish like silver. They cost more to in production to make than the brass ones, so I am assuming that they are silver plate. If anyone who has them (from me) wants to chime in, I would love to hear your thoughts. As an aside, these are the only reproduction 17th/18th century shoe buckles, in any kind of silver, on the market now. The latch width (where the leather shoe strap goes through) is 3/4" or 19 mm. GoF

The contest got "Set back" by the deletion of the contest threads (it was an accidental deletion by a moderator), and it took so much effort to get it going, nominations etc, and collecting all the signature graphics on the contest page, that I lost all energy to restart it.... That being said, it might be a great way to kick off the Grand Reopening of the Pub! I still have a stack of prizes... I'll start a new thread this weekend to see if there is interest. GoF

I was looking for the post that described the change of hands/catch up on all that has happened with the pub of the last month(s) but couldn't find it... so if there is one, sticky it... for a while anyway b'cause it was the first thing i looked for (and can't be alone) when the pub got back up and running... That being said.... WOW! I really like the sleek, no-nonsense look of the pub. I like how the forum is broken down into sections, and i LOVE the bio, mail, and pm abilities of the new format! Great JOB!!!!!! GoF

Ahoy I am down to about 5 sets of Brass Buckles and 10 Sets of Silver Buckles and a few sets of antiqued brass. When these are gone, well, there gone. I will do a Pre-Christmas sale, $20 per set with $2 shipping. After Christmas, the lot are going off to an 18th Century Vender, so who knows what they will charge. More information HERE More information HERE first come, first served till they are gone. GoF

Silent It is possible to make your own clothes, and there are some great patterns available now for GAoP pirate stuff. The problem may come in when your expectations meet reality. If you are new to sewing, there will be a little bit of a learning curve before you gain enough understanding to put together something worth wearing. I don't have a machine, so I hand sew everything, and I hate to admit to how many short jackets and slop trousers I made before I had something that I would wear out in public. That being said, there are a few items that you could take a stab at with a reasonable chance of success. There is a shirt pattern on my site's Basic Pirate Kit page, and with a little bit of linen, you could be on your way. It may be easier though to enlist the help of a friend that sews, or just buy completed garments to begin with if time is an issue. Good luck, and don't forget to post your progress. GoF

They look nice... and for the price point, can't be beat. Still, i think it was lame that they copied my buckle and sell it with their shoe... But what should I expect from pirates..... ? GoF

are you asking for silk grosgrain ribbon, or silk grosgrain fabric? I have to say, that when I made my first Justaucorps, I looked high and low for Silk Grosgrain... and it took well over a year of searching. But this company USUALLY has some grosgrain silk fabric in stock.. Quartermasterie The Chatelaine Russetts, 7 Smallworth Common Garboldisham, Norfolk, IP22 2QW Tel: 01953 681441 email: thechatelaine@tesco.net Haberdashery & silks, including damask and satin They don't have a web site that i know of, but they buy remnants and such from specialist weavers in the UK. I bought some blue and red grosgrain silk from them for another project i am working on. Send them an e-mail, and they can hook you up.

grosgrain, historically, was silk, and sometimes worsted wool. If you search for "silk grosgrain" you might come up with something, but usually its poly ribbon. I have my justaucorps made from 100% grosgrain silk... I got it from a going out of business fabric shop in London for about $80 a yard in 1999. Worsted wool hat braid is good, but so would grosgrain silk ribbon. MB has some mad skills, can't wait to see what he cooks up! GOF

Looks great! I would not worry with buttons at the cuff. An authentic closure would be to put one button hole on each side (like a dress shirt has for cuff links) and then have a linen tape go through the holes to tie close it. Same at the neck. I have seen one period "button" closure at the cuff... but it is really more like cuff links as their are holes in the cuff (like described above), closed by two diamond stud buttons (that were two separate pieces tied together.) GoF

I'd add my own... But there are so many cool ones already, I just doff my floppy hat to the ones I like best! Rumba's Captain's Daughter is cool on SO many levels... its my #1 Ransom's Dancing Man is a very close second... I can just see the "sign" now.... Historically, as some of you may know, signs were made for the illiterate. There were no words on them, but the sign was often a 3D item up on a pole. So you could say, go the the sign of the Golden Wheel, and you go where he said and there would be a physical/real golden wheel on a post. So... the sign of the Dancing Man... a neat little skeleton hangin from a pole... too cool! GoF

All the books I have/had are out as of today. Mr Carter, be watching your mail Black Mab, your is coming to you directly.... Whew! GoF

Not good... I am obviously the blight in the group as everyone (except Pat) that has been the mailer or mailee with me has either dropped the ball or dropped out of the group. The Latest casualty is Black Mab... So, who do I send books to now, as I have a few that are packed up waiting for a mailing label. If I am supposed to send you books, please e-mail me your address so I can get these out ASAP. GoF

I have some books... and they should all be going out by this weekend. Will update to let you know! GoF

SOLD Thanks! GoF

Here is an interesting piece of head gear for those of you looking for something that not every pirate re-enactor is wearing.... Tzar Peter took a tour of the English and Dutch shipyards during the early part of the 18th century. He was impressed with a style of high-crowned, brimmed, knitted hats that were so popular amongst seamen and bought a few for himself and they now reside in the Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg. This particular hat is made from natural grey 2ply 100% sheep wool yarn. The kicker is, the hat has been "tarred" for waterproofing. I tarred the hat with "Original Stockholm Tar" and its pretty sweet. Of course it has that smoky tar smell that screams "old salt on deck". $40 Plus $8 Shipping PM or eMail me GoF

Closet Clearing continues For those of you who like extra bits of stuff to put around your camp site (or careening site) for that extra bit of authenticity, here is a neat piece of gear. This is about 44 meters or over 135 FEET of 1" (25mm) Hemp Rope. This normally runs about $40.00 for 50 feet. $75 Plus Shipping (135 feet of this rope weighs about 30lbs... so $20 shipping. I can work a deal with this rope AND my antique belayin' pin and do both for $100 plus $20 shipping PM or Email me GoF

I went to the Museum in Mulhouse (your second link) a few months ago and bought the first neckerchief (Compagnie des Indes). Its pretty cool. The thing with calico prints though are that "styles" change, so what was being printed in the GAoP wasn't what they were printing in 1770 or later. But "calico" doesn't have to printed. There are plain, solid color calicos as well... Hmmmm..... GoF

I am going to move these to eBay this weekend, so if you are thinkin' about it, let me know GoF

SOLD I have a decent sized Antique Belaying Pin... probably first half of the last century or so.... I sold its twin to Foxe about this time last year.... I gave myself a year to get a pirate ship (and you guessed it, it didn't happen). It pretty nice and is a little over 19 Inches long ( The Handle Part is about 7 1/2 inches) First Come First served $30 Plus shipping ($8?) PM' Me if interested... PayPal Preferred GoF