Capt Thighbiter

Congratulations, Sir! The magazine keeps getting better with each issue, both in appearence and content. But more importantly, here's to you and realizing your dream! I am full well familiar with the effort needed sometimes to do that ( The Brigands has been a dream of mine ever since my sons first held instrument in hand), but as you know, your own aspirations are the ones really worth working for.

I beg my fellow pirates to drink "Up the Pyrate's Way" three times three!!

Dam, all too well do I remember that piece! Scallywag! I guess it musta been some one else who got the cannon pattern. It was a really nice one too, with a core and all for casting ... be a shame if it wound up in some friggin bar as a decoration.

i personally reharden my frizzens with a mapp gas torch and 30 weight motor oil get them cherry red hot and quench in the oil ....and even some so called better guns need this done ocasionally

That is good to know!

Tropico, didn;t you and I go head to head on an Ebay auction for a wooden cannon pattern? (which you won) Ever do anything with it??

The supposition then is that none o' these comtumelious dogs DESERVE a gun such as the Death Knell. We keep 'er , firstmate, and stow her in the hold o' the Hellion till we needs the firepower.

Announcing the Down East Pirate Days, a new festival, to be held in Rockland, Maine, on Labor Day weekend. There will be tall ships, marketplace, singin', music makin', clashin' o' cutlasses, and general ribaldry. The event tis sponsored by the inestimable Kiwanis and tis for the benefit of the Make A WIsh Foundation.

'will be a free event, though the donation of a pound or two will help the wee'uns greatly.

'ere be the link for the event, an we hopes to see many of our friends an maybe a few o' our distinguished rivals.

http://www.downeastpiratedays.org/home.html

THERE WILL BE CANNON FIRE and not just the guns of The Brigands !!

The Brigands

AL, Erik and Brett

At Sea 40°35.4′N, 73°46.6′W

I am supprised that none of the more learned wags here have not responded toye question afore this mate. Hae ye pissed off anyone lately?

There are several discussions on this topic in Capt Twill folder, just scroll down a few pages.

Short answer: Sashes ( ribbons) were used to hold a brace of pistols. Likewise a baldric was used to hold a few pistols, either by holster ( available online from a few leather working outfits) or by using pistols with belt hooks, hooked onto the baldric, though the few who have tried this say the weight of the pistols makes the baldric shift appreciably ( as gravity brings the weight of the guns as low as it can) or one of the guns smaks you in the teeth as you are running.

Sorry, this one only got me cutlass drawn 1/4 o' the way out. I found it pretty stupid, but then again, I can find pleasure in equally stupid movies. Good for the wee 'uns, I supposes.

Aye, it be in my top 5 movies also.

"One must always choose the lesser of two weevils" vile clentch that it be, is my favorite quote, though quotable quotes abound throughout the movie and the books are just chock full of 'em, or blacks the white of me eye!

Yes, my dears, it be almost time for the 4th Annual Pirate Faire in Salem , Mass on Sept 16 and 17. This years theatrical presentation deals with the last two weeks in the life of Edward Teach, Blackbeard, cullminating in his demise by Lt Maynard. Set just outside of Salem, Mass, at Winter Island Park, the fair takes place in an old stone gun emplacement/fort in the park. Aside from having a fair actually on a ship, this is about as piratey surroundings as you may hope to find. The troupe that does the show are real actors, and they do one hell of a job! There will be vendors and music from several bands, including The Brigands, and we have free reign from the King of Salem to fire cannon at will, so the smell of blck powder smoke and the sounds of piracy will never be far off!

Hope ta see all o' ye New England pirates there!

Here is the link - http://www.pastimes1.com/pirate.html

Thank you Thighbiter. I always open practice with a set of scales going from G (2 octives)to Em to Am (2 octaves) to A (2 octaves). several times through. Then a tunes for each key to reenforce the scale . Then onto D (octave and a 1/3 to excersise the 4th finger) with tunes for D and so on. On days with time I get out of bed, pull out my fiddle and work through out the day on and off so I don't get frustrated.

I 'm trying to learn as many tunes as I can that the band plays. Also tunes that I just love like Old Grey Cat, Short-coated Mary and Checkered Stockimgs. I love the Scottish fiddling style.

Thanks for your encoragement.

Ackkk... you are indeed one of the cursed souls, the Divils step daughter, one who hears a melody and has a stiring in your breast, quite un-accounted for. The salvation is to play it, to own it, to speak it to others, so they may share in the welling of emotion. Aye, I knows it well ( except for the divils daughter part :-) )

I likes ye already!

I always tell everyone I meet whose learning, scales scales and more scales and use an open string drone when your in key, so you can hear when your intonation is flukey. Also I would stick to one fiddle, even thogh they look the same, they all have little differences that can affect your finger placement hence your intonation.

Good luck, Red, after 2-1/2 years , your on the verge of breakthoughs that will make you smile.

Hey Patrick, those cheap one are real CRAP. I spent a goodly amount on a decent student one ( over 500 clams) and it's OK. I played a real Wheatstone not long ago and by God its like night and day as far as the action and sound , but then wheaties are in the thousands.

Since concertinas are not main stream instruments, theres a BIG difference between the various grades. Not like guitars where becasue of the popularity, you can buy a decent accoustic for a few hundred bucks.

Fiddles - are HARD to learn to play especially if n ye dont play something already; hard but not impossible. Just be prepared to loose all yer friends and family as you practice! I know, i been playing for 30 years and I still remember being lonely for those first few years!

But fiddles are cheap !

Good Luck!

OK - who KNOWS if there will be POTC 4 ? If'n ye cannot answer under yer log on, send a PM.

Bump.

I can't believe not one o' ye pirates is hankering for a cannon of this proportion. Will I have to put it on EBAY and let the general public get this fine weapon??

Mate, we be here in Suffolk county , same as you. We buys 25lb at a time from powder inc, and UPS ships it to me door. Goex FF and FFF for cannon and flintlocks and FFFF for primer. We never shoot ball here on the Island, theres no place thats safe and legal, but blanks? Hell we shoot them alla time. The one time the cops showed up, I demonstrated that we are a theatrical group ( The Brigands) and that we were just practising and they went away. Remember, 'locks and muzzleloaders are not considered firearms by the ATF ( they are technically toys).

http://powderinc.com

If'n ye be on Long Island, how is it we've not seen ye at the Pirates Cove Deli on Sundays, supportin' the local pirate band?

Relax ye mind, first mate, tis only to procure new bronze ordinance that I be sellin her for. The Hellion will be as well armed as ever she was.

LOL, at wet t-shirt contests, I tell her to only take out enough to win!

As ye might expect, Capt T likes his women on the large side. Large, sez I. There be naught as comfortin as ta lie 'tween big soft thighs and a thundering wide set o' hips to steady yerself upon. Makes going ta Faire all the more pleasurable, since its only the modern sterotype of beauty that glorifies the waife look. Back in the day. it was the well fed, billowing figure of a woman what would set a man's groin afire.

Always been of that mind, since I was a whelp.

Height, well I am Liberty Hall in that regard, I'm 6' even and dated tall uns ( 6'2") and shorties ( 4'11"). Me goodwife, now she's 5' even, with an ass as wide as an axe handle, and tops'les in the GG range, kinda like a fertility goddess on steroids and I loves her dearly! A soft soft place fer a pirate to lay 'is head in port.

Eyes, blue. Dark eyes seem " Lifeless eyes, like a dolls eyes"...Quinn

Hair, blonde or red, though a black haired lass with bright blue eyes is a SEXY look.

Brains, must have, since after the slap and tickle is over , ye wants to have a conversation.

And she must COOK! Me goodwife be a spectacular one - savory lobscouse, Jaeger-Snitzel or resbyterian Pork, she is the master o the galley.

Here be me lass

Howdydoo Gunner, it's in the neighborhood of 900 of them Yanque dollars I be be thinkin'. BTW the weight is more like 140 lbs. What woud I be doing with such a windfall? Hmmm, that brass 'buss be a good possibility! ( or paying fer the house insurance :-( )

Aye the Pouges be a band among bands. We open for them at the Nyon Festival, Switzerland, a fair while ago, and they had me sit in with them for a few tunes. And then we proceeded to get drunk as hell with them in the green tent. LOL The lead singer was found the next mornin sleeping in his eggs. I'd say he has the fair makings for a good pirate!

Well actully, the modern violin is quite different from those of the GAoP. The main difference is that the bridge height was much smaller , with a corresponding shallower angle for the neck and fingerboard. In fact, ANY Stradivarius or Amati that is found needs to have its neck raked to the modern angle and ALL Strads etc have had this done. THe taller bridge gives the modern violin its sonority and beautiful voice. Usualy the scroll of the master is saved and grafted onto a new neck. Iv'e heard a violin that was made in the style of 1735 or so and it is much quieter and sound 'tanky' by comparison.

Patrick, damn 'em if'n theys grumbling about yer squeeze box, theys just too much fun to not have HANDy ( oh my did I just make that low of a vile clench??). I just started playing one in January and it was a big hit at Blackbeard.

Me goodwife be lookin' fer a rum punch receipe to serve to our 'guests' at an upcoming yard blast. Whose got a good un?

jumping into a swamp of poisonous snakes isn't a real smart idea

Snakes....... I hate snakes......

Maybe it is a good thing they didn't pick me to be on th' show.....

All the snake lovers would be really upset when I started killing snakes.....

Snake skins are good for all sorts o' craft projects tho........

Right! and theys fine eatin too, with a bit o' rum and pepper. Actually ate snake twice, once in a all game resauraunt and once on my OA Ordeal, only that was raw ( bleeech).

We be thinking of selling of one o' our cannon. Greystar cast iron tube, with 1/4" steel liner, on wood carriage, with bronze trunion caps. Bore is 1-1/2" and the barrel is 32" long. Wheels are cast iron, with needle bearings. The whole thing weighs in the neighborhood of 100 lb or so. It is the one in the back in the photo below. I personally filed off all the casting parting lines from the barrel and drilled the touch hole. She speaks well and with the steel sleeve, can fire a ball, though we have not done so.

Offers? I MAY be able to comp the buyer for shipping, in the USA.

email me... wrench13@aol.com