Cascabel

Quite a bit of info here : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse_meat#China

Salted Horse is a slang term used for any salt-cured meat. The term was often used by soldiers in a derogatory fashion when referring to their low quality meat rations. Actual salt cured horse meat is eaten in some Asian countries.

Facebook is a really terrible venue for anything important, because new postings push things down the page to eventually drop off the bottom to be lost forever. Things like kitten pictures, personal posts, etc. just load up the page, and eventually cause the important stuff to be lost. A forum style website like what we have now is far better where postings can be easily found for future reference. I know nothing of setting up websites, so it may be cost prohibitive, but I think social websites like facebook are worthless !!

Actually, real skeletons are not very durable. They don't stand lots of handling and manipulation very well. Plastic is a much better choice for prop use these days !!

I would go with the brass one. If you give them a wipe with acetone to remove the protective lacquer, they will tarnish quite nicely over time, or you can help things along by giving them a wipe with dirty gun cleaning patches, after removing the protective coating.

A Jolly Roger looks just fine loosely draped over a tent, or a nearby bush, fence, or tree, as if hung up to dry out in your campsite. It will set the theme for your area. Of course, it needs to be tied or pinned in place so it doesn't blow down. I have a 10 footer that I display that way sometimes. Looks great, and no need to bring any kind of flagpole. A flagpole sturdy enough to not blow down would be a real problem !!

Me new outfit..... Hope everybody likes it.

I generally don't bother putting tips on the scabbards that I make. Never saw the need, other than for decoration.

This is the main U.S. distributor for Pedersoli. They have parts available. http://www.flintlocksetc.com/

Hmmmm..... To my eyes, the mounting looks a bit flimsy. Hope it holds up.

I covered this issue thoroughly in the "Lock Stock and Barrel" section of "Ship's Armory". Take a look at the pinned posting at the top of the page.

......and where is this wonderful event ?? City ? State? Country ???? Oooooops, I found it at the top of the page, in a gray font, and not very noticeable.....

Hmmmm...... That does not really inspire confidence if I was paying a high price for something !!

Nice looking stuff, but I can't find anything on their website regarding where they are located. I think that is rather important in case of a problem....

This is EXACTLY the issue !! The public goes to festivals to be ENTERTAINED. If they wanted education, they would go to museums and historic sites. As you say, authentic period garb is kinda drab. Sort of like expecting a crew of modern day construction guys to be interesting to look at. It must be kept in mind that for an event to continue to survive and prosper, it needs to provide what the customers want. The public is far more interested in pirate stereotypes that don't require them to think or ask questions than having to wonder "How come that guy is wearing that funny-looking thrum cap and sitting there hand sewing ?". I have been doing this stuff for a great many years, and have a pretty good feel for what makes an event successful. Often, if you offer a historic presentation without a bit of excitement, your audience will soon wander off bored to watch the belly dancers. Perhaps a bit unfortunate, but true !!