Patrick Hand

PEW, I didn't get a book in January, so Red Handed Jill didn't get one in February .... but I did mail out the sketchbook to her today... so she will have one for March....

Eergh... I live in a RV.... I have a work table that is 24" by 50".... yeah, I do have a sewing machine.... but in Winter, I can't afford to heat alla th' RV, so I do a lot of hand sewing sitting on my bed..... I have what could kinda be called a front yard.... it's right next to the Parking lot of my Bosses restaurant..... I work a 9 to 5 as a costume designer (Animal Mascots) so I have a bit of a head start on the sewing bit.... and I waRsh dished Friday and Saturday nights, sometimes getting drafted to work on Wednesday, or Thursday.... You'd think with a full time job, and a part time job, I should have plenty of money.... not so,... I'm owed a lot, but times are tough, so I'm getting by on about $100.00 per week.... I'm single, so I have to waRsh my own dishes, and cloths, and kinda clean-up after myself.... My biggest hinderence is spending too much time on-line, when I should be working on other projects.... But somehow, I still get them done.... Basically, I'm cheap..... why would I want to spend $40+ on a Renn. Faire shirt, when I can make an authentic one outta linen for about $24.00 ...spending a few nights working on it? I don't need it for this next weekend, so I can work on it when I have the time....

......"The Ride of the Valkyries"..... WINS..... I watched alla the vidios again... Apocalypse Now YEAH... Imagine that with airships..... Gattling guns.... Airships.... (Ok forget the surfin' part....) and the "The Ride of the Valkyries"...... I'd jump offa an Airship with only a baloon onto another ship. if we play that.......Aaaargh.....

OK.. silly..... but I get this image in my head.... "Put on War Op three, an' make it loud..." Then the needle is put upon the wax cylinder and he cranks up the Victrola...... Dang.. I wish I had the teck to do it... but a parody of Apocalypse Now with Airship would be soooo much fun......

Yeah... but unfortunately... go into Jo- Ann's (or similar) and ask them. for say...... Flannel and see what they show you......... Ye gotta kind know wot yer shoppin fer........ (yeah... I think we already covered this... but I been drinkin'.... so it don't count....... )

We're getting back to the "tanning Leather" wot we worked on back on about the second page of this thread......... Not a lot of information about the period..... (1669).... so we have to sift through what we have and kinda guess about it....(and our interpretations of the information) OK.. with a Buccaneer Camp next year at PiP, we wanna figure out how to do it correct.... so that is why we will post here..... We get easily sidetracked.... about minor details...I ain't goinna argue about how tall a proper bucan should be.(if it smokes the. meat properly... it must have been tall enough).. , or this one guy said all Buccaneers wore bloody raw/untaned leather..... But lets focus on the major ones first... then quibble about the little details/stuff later....... SO.... with the major focus being on the Buccaneer Camp at PiP next year, and any additional information being intereresting information....(sorry... I know this isn't exactly how TWILL works.... but Heck... we'll just call it experimental archeology,... an not worry much about it..... ) We are looking for post, quotes, information about Buccaneers from 1669'ish.... (kinda within that grenade range.... ) Some of the past post hear have been from later period..... but heck... closest we can find..... an information is good... we will sift it and interpert it... see how works...... Like I typed.... changing the focus here.... we are working on a (as close as we can get... period ) Buccaneer Camp at PiP next year.... So experimental archology at it's best.........

Hey... Photoshop has a nasty learning curve..... (I took a class fer it, but the teacher didn't know much more than we did... but it was fun exploring it....) Photo manipulation? ... what are you trying to do?.....

Ransom.... PM me... you know alla those Sketchbooks envelops ye sent.... I tore them up befor I took them ter the dump... so yer address didn't show..... but ......errrgh..... I don't have yer address now........, an' I gotta mail alla the cards out tomarrow......

They are selling cheap mossy somethings.... old Russian guns..... about $100.00.... Anyway, I wanted to get one to modify... I figured they were common enough that I wouldn't be messing with a real collectable.... But then as I was looking for information, the arguement about preserving old guns got int the way.... So now I guess I gotta find an already messed up (as far as pristine collectable) gun to play with...... Missed the gun show in Angels camp.... bu I'm kinda sure I can find one......

One.... I'm in me cups.... so take anything I post in that manner.... India made guns I figure are "kits in the white"..... you have to do a lot of work to make them fire right....but they are nicely inexpensive...... (and probably more period than the wax cast repos.... but that is a different argument...) SO ye have the choice.... they are inexpensive.... for a first gun, you may be able to fiddle with them to make them work.....(the frizzen springs are way too heavy)(an' some of the Frizzens ain't hardened right... so ye gotta re-do that...).... But I can't think of a basic kit, that just goes together without some fiddling with anyway (well Dixie does have some good outta the box "sparklin" locks.. and maybe other company's have them also...)..... It's kinda a learning thing.... but once ye know it... ye can fix any problem......but it does take some larnin'...... (well just fiddling with them to make them work...) luckily.... if ye have a problem.... just ask here... an someone can help ye along.......

Good thing ye all didn't know me when I was a Pict.... red loin cloth.... yeah.... that an some woad...... Did I ever mention wot I be Pensic Famous..... down inn th' bog... 'bout 15 to 20 years ago........ Women came ter me ter ter their ..eeergh ...breast painted wit woad.... great job if yer can get it.... Hey... Atrig Bluehand.... wonder war I got th' name Patrick Hand....

AAAARrrrrrgh..... now me head hurts..... Are ye just making a pirate costume fer next weekend.... or are ye plannin' on playin' Pyrate fer a bit longer than that? I don't think yer alla bunch a' lazy slobs.... I just think yer frustrated about where to start... luckly, te found th' rightr place iff ye wanna be a Pyrate..... Expensive ter do it right?.... too much time..... OK... cotton cost about $2.00 per yard.... linen....about $8.00.... so yeah it cost more.... But the question is... which gives you he most satisfaction...? I've always been from the cotton camp... figure it out in cheap cotton first, then go (and you have something to wear) to the linen and wool...... There is a stinkin' learnin' curve hear... but luckly... most of us have figgured that out first.... so just ask..... Sure it takes some time to make it yourself... but it is less expensive, and going to be better than anything you can buy..... Hollywood or Authentic.... making it yer self is cheaper...ergh... cost less, and wot... a few night o' work, an' ye have somethin' cool.....(how many hours of work do you have to do to buy some cheap crap... when you can spent the same time making something that is good....)

FELT.....

The Airship Pyrate Music thread got me thinking.... The official "fight song" for the Columbia's Revenge....... Scotland the Brave... or Garry Owen... or "The Ride of the Valkyries" from Die Walkure http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSKL5E3zSjs The version from Apocalypse Now.... Dang... we gotta add a sound system to the Columbia's Revenge.........

After listening to Corvus Corax, I got thinking..... wot about the Wicked Tinkers?..... Celtic, not exactly Steampunk.... but they have the energy...... (I've seen them a few times at the Calaveras Celtic Fair...... great show...)

I went to the "TRACKS" link... so I get to listen to more of them..... kinda cool.... but how can bagpipes and drums not be cool? Now we just have to figure out how to add loud speakers to the Columbia's Revenge......

PELL..... (just because it is so obscure..... ex-SCA Heavy Weapons fighters will know what it is..... )

I posted this in the Steampunk thread.... but re-post never hurt......

Felting.... closes up the weave so it is tighter and thicker...... I cheat, and use the washing machine set on high, and then dry it on high.... the wool shrinks like crazy, but I figure it ain't going to shrink anymore... ever again.... it also makes it thicker....

Or if you're really cheap..... just use unscented hair spray....... (Dang.... women spray that lacquer on their hair?..... )

That wasn't the one where we all had to turn in our ammo boxes over to the safe camp.... I have an old Army m-60 ammo can that I painted red, and it has my name on it.... I keep my loading gear and powder (in the can) inside it..... At the first Northern California Pyrate Festival, they made us turn in all of our powder to the safety camp.... and they just left my ammo box (powder and everything) sitting on the table, slightly roped off from the public (but anyone could have just reached across and grabbed it....) I'd rather be in charge of my own powder, than have someone else do it.....

Well a little late to post this than..... It can/could have been fixed.... just takes some work, time and minor research.... Oh well......

WEAL

They are having an interesting argument about the American Civil War and Slavery over in the Steampunk Forum... But someone posted this link.... At first I wasn't going to post it, but it is an interesting read...... DIXIE'S CENSORED SUBJECT BLACK SLAVEOWNERS http://americancivilwar.com/authors/black_slaveowners.htm

In one of The Books of Buckskining there is a chapter on the history of wool blankets... unfortunately, my copy is in storage..... I halfway remember something about blankets being woven two at a time, and then torn into the two blankets, with the raw end just left that way.... but I'd have to check again to make sure I'm remembering it correctly..... I made two jackets, One is made from an old gray Navy blanket, and the other (the one I wore to PiP) is a lighter blue wool, lined with linen... The blue one is hot enough... so I don't try to wear the heavy gray one at PiP.