Cascabel

Anyone offerin' a poor pirate instructions on how to make one ???? >>>>> Cascabel

Aye, Petee.... It will be good to see ya again, along with the rest of me West Coast shipmates. Keep a weather eye out for an up coming article I wrote for No Quarter Given on flintlocks, if you are a subscriber. >>>>> Cascabel

Well, Shipmate..... If one of the more computer literate folks would post a tutorial on how to do it, I might give it a shot. Might be fun !! >>>>> Cascabel

Aye, especially when the bagpipes got going !!!!! >>>>> Cascabel

It's not on the website, but is in the catalog., which like you say Blackley's is, there is much in the paper catalog that is not on the website. Likely a phone call or e-mail to them will get what you want. >>>>> Cascabel

Ahoy, Paul.... I have had experience dealing with The Rifle Shoppe on several occasions. Their waiting time can be considerably longer than the three months that you stated. If the item you want happens to be in stock, shipping is quite prompt, but bear in mind that they are considerably "less than truthful" about what is in stock. They seldom answer the telephone, and and are unreliable about responding to e-mail. When you are able top get a response out of them, they make delivery promises that they are unable to keep. However.... They are not dishonest, and you will EVENTUALLY get what you ordered. They are just terribly frustrating to deal with. The quality of their parts are excellent. The only reason I continue to have dealings with them is that they are the ONLY source for much of what they sell. You may want to try Track of the Wolf http://www.trackofthewolf.com/ also. They stock castings for the Heavy Dragoon pistol buttcap with the long graceful side extensions. These could be cut off or shortened if needed to create another style of cap. They will take orders over the phone, and are quite reliable. They also have an EXCELLENT catalog. Being that you are in the U.K., you might want to check with Blackley & Son. http://www.blackleyandson.com/ I have not tried them yet, so cannot give an opinion, but if they are close to you, you can at least pound on their desk and raise Hell with them if not satisfied. >>>>> Cascabel

Blunderbuss barrels for $100????!!! Do tell, Shipmate.... Where ?? >>>> Cascabel

Very well done for both of ye, sez I !!!! I'd be proud to stand along side of ye anywhere. Always glad to see young'uns started on the right course. Carry on.... >>>> Cascabel

I got me a couple of boxes of the POTC cereal at Publix just now. One for me and Izabel, and one for a gift. They were down to four boxes on the shelf.... >>>>> Cascabel

A few years back, I had a gig in Orlando, and the management of the dinner theater invited all of us for a free dinner and show, as long as we showed up in costume and sang a few songs during the pre-show. They treated us very well, and gave us the best seats in the house. The show was a bit "hokey" for sure, but fun in a Vegas sort of way, but was not intended to be otherwise. The public seemed to enjoy it, and that is what it is really all about. I didn't expect it to be authentic at all. If you go, just enjoy it for what it is...., a light-hearted pirate themed dinner show. >>>>> Cascabel

Ahoy to ye, Jib, and thanks for the kind words. Great report, and great meeting you !!!! PiP was under new management this year, and they were sort of feeling their way along about how best to do it. In the past, it has been far more intense. I look for it to be considerably better next year, as things fall into place. Hurricane, Shipmate, sorry you were not there. I would have enjoyed hanging out with ya. >>>>> Cascabel

I have made belt hooks for all of my pistols, and generally carry one on my right side, toward the front to protect it from getting damaged by my sword banging in to it. Two work just fine, and a third can be neatly hooked on to the baldric at the bottom where it comes together. It stays in place nicely here, and looks great. another can be hooked behind me if need be. Most of the time I only carry one, as they get rather heavy. http://www.pyracy.com/gallery/details.php?...508&mode=search I have seen various attempts to carry pistols on the front of baldrics which usually does not work out very well, as the weight tends to bring the pistols to the bottom causing the sword to move around to the back. I suppose it COULD work if the baldric was secured in some fashion, or if the pistols were light weight. Another, but less practical aspect of belt hooks is that the whole pistol is exposed, and really looks great hanging on you !! >>>> Cascabel

Gilkerson shows a picture of a 1720 Royal Navy Sea Service pistol, and mentions it having a belt hook in the text, but does not show the other side of the pistol carrying the hook in the photo. He also shows an English snaphaunce pistol with a belt hook c.1615, in the collection of the Palazzo Ducale, Venice thought to have been captured from a British privateer in 1628. All examples of the all-metal Scots Highland pistols that I have come across, including the very earliest have hooks. I'll dig around in some of my other books when I get a chance, and see if I can find some other examples. >>>>> Cascabel

There is a good discussion of belt hooks in Gilkerson's 'Boarders Away', in which he contends that belt hooks were quite common in the 1600's, and fell out of favor in the military land forces eventually, but continued on sea service pistols throughout the flintlock era. They were also common on civilian pistols of the period. >>>>> Cascabel

The type of innacuracy I refer to is for instance, the rig that Blackbeard is wearing in the engraving. Such a rig would swing side to side in a very clumsy fashion unless secured by some means like a waist belt. It would be awkward to walk in, much less to fight in. >>>>> Cascabel

I generally take a lot of the old engravings and woodcuts with a considerable grain of salt. They are not photographs, and many were done by artists that never actually saw their subjects. A lot of the details are rather vague, especially in the weapons. >>>>> Cascabel

Ahoy back to ye, Blackjohn. All is well in my world, and best regards to you and yer Lady..... >>>> Cascabel

Ahoy, Blackjohn.... The picture almost looks like a pistol wrapped up for storage in a greased leather wrapper, judging by what appears to be cord wrapped around the handle area, rather than a holster. Any pics available from other angles ?? >>>>> Cascabel

There are pictures of a couple of the ones that I made in the archives, but I'm not sure how to post a link for my posting on the subject. See if this works : http://pyracy.com/forums/index.php?act=Sea...osts&hl=&st=150 Or maybe this: http://pyracy.com/forums/index.php?act=ST&...findpost&p=3783 Anyhow they are good pictures of types typical of the period. >>>>> Cascabel

The belt holster (as we think of it today) did not exist in the 18th century. Holsters were part of horse equipment, and were sort of conical shaped containers with covering flaps attached to the saddle. Carrying a pistol was normally done with a belt hook, or simply shoved through the belt or sash. Smaller pistols were simply dropped into a coat pocket. The exposed working parts of a flint lock prevent practical use of any sort of compact holster on the belt. Carrying them on a ribbon or something like that, although "period correct", is not very practical, as pointed out by Blackjohn. I suspect that after fireing, pistols carried in that fashion would have been dropped as soon as possible, if in heated combat. The issue of what to do with it after fireing was not the same "back then" as it is for us. If in the midst of battle, the fired pistol was then used as a club, thrown to do the most damage, used to deflect sword cuts, or simply dropped to be retrieved later. I have installed belt hooks on all my pistols. I prefer them fairly long to prevent loss when moving about, or to allow shifting of the pistol's position when sitting. >>>>> Cascabel

Your first order of business should be to finish inletting the barrel. Howevever..... Do the inletting WITHOUT the breechplug installed. You will find it much easier without the breech tang getting in your way. The barrel must seat squarely against the rear of the barrel channel in order to transfer the recoil shock evenly to the stock to prevent eventual splitting of the wood. After proper fitting of the barrel, the plug is installed, and the rear tang inletted. I recommend polishing the face of the plug to make it easier to reflect light so that you can see if the bore is clean when cleaning the barrel after firing, however this is not much of an issue in a short barrel like this. After tightening the plug properly, strike a "witness mark" on the bottom across the plug and barrel joint with a sharp chisel or center punch. If you ever have occasion to remove the plug, lining up the mark when tightening the plug will assure proper alignment. This will make sure after re-installing the barrel that the mounting lugs and touch hole will be in their proper places in relation to the stock. It will also insure that the plug is completely tightened. Be careful when tightening the plug into the barrel, and keep in mind you are dealing with a brass barrel, which is soft material. You don't want to strip the threads by over tightening. >>>>> Cascabel

Should not be too bad of a project. I've built several guns from parts like this. Just take your time, and work carefully. I did not see a breech plug in the pictures of the parts. Did they include one? >>>>>> Cascabel

Aye, most of what goes on happens on the final weekend. The event starts off slow and builds towards the end. If you can't stay for the whole thing, then the final weekend is best. >>>>>>>>> Cascabel

Ahoy to ye, Jib and welcome aboard.... Ye got far too many questions for me to answer properly on this here message board, but feel free to e-mail me personally, and I'll help ya however I can. Suffice to say that you will have a great time and meet some fine shipmates at the event. Be sure to find me at the event, and I'll help you as much as possible, and glad to do it. I'm easy to find...., I'll be dressed like a pirate !!!!! But seriously, just ask around. Everyone knows me, so I won't be hard to locate. If you e-mail me when the event gets close, I will let you know where I will be staying so that you can find me even easier. For starters, There is a Denny's and also an IHOP which I sometimes use to avoid both high prices and Burger Barf type places. Decent chow, and fair prices..... You will find that most of us will be happy to advise and assist newcomers. It is a very friendly event. >>>>> Cascabel

Aye, shipmates..... And I've got a gen-you-wine 250 year old pirate boarding axe that once belonged to a famous pirate. It's only had four new heads and six new handles.... >>>>> Cascabel