MorganTyre

I know that the serving mallet is a standard of traditional rigging these days but does anyone know when the "modern" form of the tool was developed or was service applied with spikes or some sort of serving board arrangement during the period in question?

A sextant is certainly out of periodas the first wasn't even made until John Bird's work in the mid-to-late 18th c. The octant came about in the 1730's but were fairly rare pieces. The top of the line tool available for general use was the davis quadrant or backstaff (so named because it was used with your back to the sun) which was first described in 1595. Prior to that the standard was the cross-staff which was still commonly used well after the invention of the backstaff and was probably the navigational instrument most likely to have been found aboard ship in the mid to later 17th c. and was probably easy to find in the early 18th c. Other tools of great popularity are the astrolabe and quadrant though the latter is really only practical in relatively calm waters as it rely's on the use of a pendulum. For costuming purposes I highly reccomend the book Latitude Hooks and Azimuth Rings: How to Build and Use 18 Traditional Navigational Instruments as it describes the construction and use of all these tools and more. If you have access to any wood working tools any of these projects can be made for well under your $50 budget even counting the cost of the book.

As an alternative to a monkey's fist try a star knot. It's every bit as pretty, is relatively out of the ordinary, and makes for a decent button. Also, a doubled wall and crown is pretty, solid, and fairly easy to tie (easier for me than a monkey's fist actually).

The easiest source of info to find is in Ashley's Book of Knots (Clifford W. Ashley author, Published by Doubleday ISBN 0-385-04025-3) which can be had at most libraries and nearly all large bookstores. There are some more specialty netting books available but Asleys is a great general info source. Most books will give info along the lines of this site though: Basic Net Making which enough "fishing net" sort of info to get you started (along with cast nets). Ashleys has info on cargo nets,some decorative nets, and netted hammocks in addition to the fishing stuff.

You should be able to find primitive hardware on e-bay without much problem. That said, basic metal work is surprisingly easy to do. For doing riveted strapping like that all you would really need is a ballpeen hammer, vise, drill, small file, and hacksaw. Buy some steel bar stock and bend it to shape over the vise. It's possible to hammer it around a corner but you'll end up with a softer bend that won't look as good once you have it on the wood. Mark, drill and drill where your "rivets" are going to end up. File these holes square. Now take your ballpeen hammer and pound the hell out of the metal. You want deep, obvious tool marks. Even though it would have been easier to distress the metal when it was flat, it's a better idea to drill the holes first before the metal gets work hardened. Now assmeble your box using carraige bolts for the rivets. The best way to go is to use wood inserts which have a wood thread on the outside and a machine screw thread on the inside. You drill a hole in the wood and then screw the carraige bolt into that. You can do them blind so that from the inside you don't see anything and yet everything is held together very securely. A cheaper and easier option is just to through-drill the wood and put a nut on the bolt. Alternatively, you can cut the threads of the bolts off entirely and use epoxy to glue them into place. In any case, after a coat of paint or exposure to weather (and allowing them to rust) you get authentic all metal sturdy construction.

Over in the plunder forum there is a post by someone offering up for sail some great knotwork (check it out_ which got me thinking about handicrafts in general. I'm looking for pictures or descriptions of nautical projects people have tackled. Costumes are great but that's not what I had in mind for this thread. Barrels, Sea Chests, Cat-O-Nine-Tails, Seam Rubbers, Coins, Jewelry, Scabbards, Weapons, Scrimshaw (not to period but to 'ell with it), Pipes, Merrels Boards, or anything else you might have fashioned, show us what you've done. Alas, I personally only have some knotwork to my name and that vast bulk of that has been given away but I'm sure some of you out there have made some really fascinating items.

Yep, got it all figured out. Had to ask my wife for a spot to upload the pictures. She's very active on some other forums so I figured she'd know where to put them. Thanks.

Here's the sample I was talking about: The six strand diamond knot I was referring to is that bit just above the star knot. Also, just for the helluvit here are two pictures of a work in progress. The ocean plat isn't adjusted completely and the ends haven't been cut off and sewn into place but that's ok because the line is going to be cannibalized to complete the other mat which also needs considerable adjusting. The line is 7/16" 3-strand dacron that served as main and jib halyards aboard a boat I did some rigging work on fairly recently (including new halyards). p.s. ignore the sandal-tan foot

Very nice schooner but you'd need much more than 700k. The maintenance on a ship like that is expensive and unending and the slippage and insurance are also. Just keeping that thing in working order would probably run several grand a month on average and that's just upkeep. The boat is over twenty years old now and is probably in need of a new set of rigging (tens of thousands of dollars), a haulout and bottom job (thousands), probably an engine overhaul (thousands), and on and on and on.

Nice work on the star knot, those are particularly difficult. Is that nylon you made it out of? It looks really glossy in the photo but I can't really tell. Walmart markets an 1/8th inch cotton cord which is really nice to work with. It doesn't look period of course as it's braided rather than stranded but the end result is nice and if it's painted (like a bell lanyard) it looks really good. Also, I reccomend learning a six strand diamond knot. You can work it back up over the crown sennit and it has a completely different look and texture. If I can figure out how to post pictures here I'll show an example. In any case, it's a nice break during a long run of sennit.

No, I've just had an interest in casks for years though I'm not sure why. I've been decorating my bedroom with a combination traditional/modern nautical theme (to blend my historical interests with my real life occupation/hobby) and I have an empty corner so was thinking either sea-chest or barrel.

Here's a little tavern name 'generator' I came up with a year or so ago for laughs. I just came across it and thought you might enjoy. Just pick one word from each of the two columns. Note, I apologize in advance if the spacing doesn't work out right. Salty Mermaid Running Cutlass Scurvy Dog White Cannonball Infamous Wench Ugly Maiden Raving Sea-horse Drunken Spaniard Blue Devil Wandering Schooner Loose Sea-monkey Roving Plank Splintered Mug Steaming Rum Red Iguana Rusty Sailor Black Buccaneer Dented Horse Listing Knight Fallen Nobleman Scarlet Whale Broken Clam Tarnished Crab Dashed Dutchman Fighting Monkey Dead Arm Bilge Rat Sweaty Parrot Crying Spot Frozen Oar Shrunken Ring Brass Captain Iron Head Golden Corsair Dying Mosquito Crashing Pygmy Victorious Cannibal Crusty Swab Saucy Drunkard Lazy Mary Savage Squid

I know that no official DVD of the Heston Treasure Island has ever been released but does anyone here know where I might be able to find an unofficial copy? I saw the movie a decade or so ago and remember it as being absolutely great but I've not been able to find it since.

What sort of style tent would have been typical for a hunting buccaneer to use while in the field or would a tent have been used at all? Also, is anyone aware of any sites/books with more info on the bucan method of cooking other than a general description of it being a way of barbequing?

I'm looking for info regarding general cask measurements (ie. dia at top and bottom, dia at bilge, total height) for some of the different sizes.

Well, Buccaneer Days is fast approaching Corpus Christi texas and I was wondering if any of the readers of the forum here are aware of any local piratey events corresponding with the celebration. With the exception of a relatively small tavern-esque setup some ten years or so ago there really aren't anything on theme that I know of but I figure someone here might know more about it than I.