Capt. Sterling

A very happy anniversary to ye both....right then, I'm talking real life not my wayward character... takes hard work and commitment, but so worth every second of yer time...Wishing you many, many, many more

The other lovely lady....

A very happy birthday to a lovely lass, who can continue to share my tent any time....shhh just don't tell the Quartermaster...

The Victoria and Albert Cravat...

Make my own based on an original in the Victoria and Albert Museum... actually you don't really need a pattern as all it is a long rectangle of fabric with or without lace on the ends... as to the green silk piece I wear, tis nothing but an ordinary neck cloth, rolled and tied in place..

Interesting, I have used flash guards as required in Am Rev. War for over twenty years, of course not on the pistols, but the carbines required it... chips from flints still fly any where they chose. I have not seen a flash guard protect against those to any extent where a flash guard truly made a difference... I've taken em in the face and sure it hurts for a minute or two, but then it hurt when the horses stepped on your foot when you weren't expecting it... Funny how at one of the Spring events it was the guys with the flash guards that forgot about distance and ended up placing their muzzles behind some folks' ears... I agree with Michael that as more regimental type shooters join in the events that regulations will increase...already it is required at pirate events IF you are firing in the line, you must have a flash guard... but honestly, be careful of regulating us all out of the hobby, by say, removing pistols from the field, hmm when they were never a problem to start with, and weren't with the BAR or Brigade of the Am. REV. or the Continental Line twenty years ago. Geeze why are we pirates?? If we will soon be required to only carry long guns and fight like hat battalions, hmmm perhaps we should all go back to Rev. War? I still say it boils down to who is pulling the trigger... officers should be firing less and watching their crews as well as any other crews on the field for idiots whose guns' pass but the shooters just can't remember their spacing or aren't even paying attention to see if their guns are actually firing... what scares me are events where a person runs up and tries to have their non firing crappy replica inspected, the guy checking the gun tells them they brought the wrong pistol, they look and say oh are you sure?, run back, get the real thing and bring it over to be inspected and then end up in the battle... come on... you can't tell the difference and yet because your gun passes inspection, you're out there shooting??

We have the frizzen/hammer stalls, but not the flash guards due to the fact we don't fire in a line, and placing ourselves at appropriate safety distances is easy enough. Not only that but flash guards direct the flash upward..the broader hats then catch the flash and direct it back into the eyes and face of the shooter, the hell if that's safe.... Our guns have always passed safety inspection and we always insist that the person pulling the trigger passes as well... funny how so many events test the guns but never check to see if the shooter actually knows what he is doing...

Aye tripped at PiP, it blew in at Deltaville, I was thrown in later, then I and it were thrown in at Pohick... hmmm I see a pattern emerging here... odds are the Hand Hat would survive, but I sure wouldn't want to have to reblock it...

That's right! I even go "swimming" in mine! So's I've got ye all beat... Seriously though...if anyone ever comes across some period account as to why folks were wearing the hats backwards, please post it... at least we have the drawings...so Mr. Merriweather can proceed with wearing his arsebackwards...

Fantasy Voodoo??? Now hold on a second... I thought we were discussing pc based on the pictures posted....

a grand trophy one would most likely sell certainly not keep...

Thank you and the red coat may be one from the V & A's Russian Czar exhibit...

the flat brimmed gray hat I usually wear is made of Beaver skin.

Doesn't get much bigger than the beaver..although my cocked hat's brim is no smaller than yours... although perhaps I compensate more by turning or tilting my head more than the normal in order to see because of the blind eye...i.e. I adjust my person in order to see, not my clothing .. and I have noticed with the beaver, that when the wind does pick up... leaning into it properly will keep that one on my head longer...can't use the backstaff with the beaver either...

Hmmm funny, I don't have this problem... perhaps because of one eye??... don't have this problem with the beaver either... but I could see a long musket getting in the way, after all the evolution of the cocked hat had the center corner moving closer and offset to accommodate muskets for infantry...who of course, are not sailors...but just try holding a backstaff with a cocked hat on right way round, perhaps they just wanted to show of their handsome faces....

Doesn't sound stupid at all, although the reason I often switch to a cocked hat instead of the Beaver, is the wind... I have not found the cocked hats to blow away unless we're talking gale force winds or poor fit...

Mr. Merriweather wears his backwards a lot due to the Woodes Rogers print... fwiw, try drinking out of a large tankard with your hat worn properly... (not pushed waaaaayyyy back on your head like some old, bad Hollywood western) and see just how often you smack the brim when bringing the vessel to your mouth... turn the hat around and you are no longer hitting the brim, which I have found no historical evidence to back it up, but makes you wonder...

No sketches??

Not a good point of reference.... But years ago, when I was still living in Canada, the Home Depots there had their canvas drop sheets listed as 100% cotton... They had some cheaper, synthetic ones as well. But I do distinctly recall seeing some cotton ones, no more than 5 years ago,,, hmmm the ones in Lowes are still listed as 100% cotton, at least in Virginia...

capt. sterling, is that a new coat ?? (haven't seen it before this fest ) i rather fancy the embroidery... did you do that yourself ?? and.... what fabric did you use ?? --- planning my future projects :) My apologies Silas... I just saw this post. Aye tis a new coat... all linen with silk embroidery and aye I did it myself after researching designs from the period along with proper stitches.

agreed

I just asked him over at Living History Worldwide... I will let you know what he has to say about them...as of last Feb., our time frame is not his but he has been looking into it since we last talked.. he is a splendid sutler and truly goes out of his way to help when he can.

There is a booklet on Death Head buttons which may pinpoint the actual time period... by Norman Fuss. William Booth, Draper sells copies... wouldn't hurt to ask him about the dates...the man is very good with what he sells... from what I have read on the item, I am under the impression that they are a later style button, as they run into the 19th century, but I have never run across specific dates as of yet... and Mickey, since the question was for cloth buttons, didn't you once post a thread on the cloth buttons you made, circles of fabric stuffed... not thread buttons like the Dorsets and Death Heads..

If you are sailors, why bother firing like a hat battalion? will save on having to put flash guards on the guns especially since only paynetown requires them...

Reenactorfest East cancelled, hmmm, why am I not surprised? Any way... IF we have access to the fort...if not all will be on the beach this year...