Cascabel

Any ideas on how to keep me leather boots erect? I don't want to be walking around with saggy leather flopping around.

Thank you for your help in advance

Capn Antonio Malasses

.........They have pills for that problem !! :lol:

Out of curiosity, where is Deltaville ??

^{Well said, Commodore !! I have also not fired at events where I disagree with the rules. Not worth arguing about, just let it be.....}

From the pictures, they appear to be a close but not exact copy of the Pedersoli.

Sounds a whole lot like a cheap copy of the Gasparilla legend, which is also a scam.

I believe he is not carrying fuses in his mouth, but a piece of slow match to be used for lighting the grenade fuses. It is lit at both ends, similar to the technique used for a matchlock gun, in case one end gets accidentally extinguished. It can be re-lit from the still burning end. Actually a very sensible idea to have a handy way to light your grenades without occupying your hands. Easily dropped from his mouth when no longer needed.

>>>>> Cascabel

Black powder can indeed be made at home, however if not done carefully, it can get dangerous. Making GOOD black powder is a fairly involved multi-step process, starting with the purity of ingredients, and properly preparing all of the components. There are only three ingredients, but it must be made properly for satisfactory results. Considering what is involved to do it correctly and safely, you are far better off buying commercially made powder.

Interesting....... The handle looks like the handle on a plug bayonet.

YEs I am referring to the scenario where people want to be in a picture with some pirates and part of the pose for the picture includes said pirates pointing their real functioning pistol at the people's heads, bodies etc. I have also seen very large and sharp knives and swords pointed at people. I don't believe this is a good idea in any shape or form. If I understand some of the comments correctly, I think I am hearing that if one is a trained re-enactor it's okay to do this? I hope I am misunderstanding this.

Ahhhhh....... That does make a difference, as opposed to posing for a shot of hostage taking, action scenes, etc. with other pirates for promotional purposes. Posing with the tourists is another matter entirely. I think there has been some misunderstanding.....

I don't believe that gun safety stops when you pose for a picture with folks. I've seen people put sharpened knives and such to peoples throats, stomachs etc. One slip, one bump and, well..... I just don't believe it is a good idea. Cascabel, I am surprised with your weapons background that you support people pointing functioning muskets and pistols at peoples faces, heads, bodies while posing for pictures. Think about this for a second - Pirate Pete has a few beers while hanging around camp, goes to the firing area and unloads a few rounds through his pirate pistols. Afterwards, it's back to camp for a few more beers. The Smith family makes their way through camp and sees Pirate Pete and decides that a group shot with him would be perfect for their Facebook. As Pirate Pete let's out an "aaaarrrrg" and points his pistol at Jimmy Smith's head, he struggles to remember if he left a load in or not.....

You introduce another factor entirely with Pirate Pete being drunk. I am not a drinker, and have very little tolerance for those that cannot control their actions when drinking. There will always be people that act innapropriately when drinking, so we must police ourselves. There are already rules in place about guns and drinking, (which are routinely violated at some events, by the way).

As I said, I do NOT support randomly pointing weapons at people, and I advocate being aware of your surroundings at ALL times. Drawing a pointy weapon in a crowd is stupid, as you could get bumped while holding it. Again, being aware of your surroundings is important. I guess stupid people will always exist and will bear watching. I think a "one size fits all" rule is not very suitable.

The possibility of having to supervise or be responsible for others and their actions is one of the big reasons that I refuse to be part of a "crew" or group, and will not usually act as a "safety officer"

While I see the argument about firearms (not that I neccesarily agree with it as a blanket rule), what is the problem with steel? Seems just a little too PC to me. We actually hit each other with those weapons, and fire the guns at each other during reenactments. What makes posing for a picture different?

Hawkyns

Agreed. Posing for pictures is not the same thing as going around "pointing weapons at people". It is no different than acting in a movie.

Worrying about what "somebody might think" about it is a bit silly. I seldom do it, but sometimes it makes for an interesting picture.

You must always keep in mind the rocking of both your own ship and the target. The effective range of a weapon will not be the same as when on solid ground. A well aimed shot can completely miss the target when fired from a ship in motion. I would not attempt a shot beyond 100 yards with any expectation of a predictable result. The shot would carry much further, but the likelihood of a hit is greatly diminished. Of course, many shots, as in a broadside can increase the probability of hitting somewhere on the target.

>>>> Cascabel

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All that plus artistic licence/interpretation and the limitations/skill of the artist aside my vote is for badly drawn cocked hat.

My vote goes to the badly drawn cocked hat. Don Maitz, who is a good friend of mine and a very accomplished pirate artist tells me that a tricorne hat is one of the most difficult things to draw and have it come out looking right.

>>>> Cascabel

That's what garters are for...

No garters are for making you spend money on something that either cuts off the circulation to your legs or don't work properly.

Actually, my big problem with garters is that to work with some of my breeches, they'd have to be worn above my knee. As if the damned things don't already look silly enough when you put them on below your knees... Well, IMO. But then I don't like the breeches much to begin with. Although I like 'em loads better when they go down to my upper calf, which I'm told is a later period look.

No......... Garters are for slipping dollar bills into !!!! :lol:

I certainly hope the upgrade addresses slow loading pages !! This is the only website I have that problem with.....

I don't think anybody is suggesting that pirates wore fancy hats and coats, etc. while working aboard ship. I expect that when going ashore to frolic with the ladies that pirates would make an effort to look more presentable and perhaps even impressive if they had the means.

Re-enactors at events are not necessarily trying to portray pirates in their working clothes aboard ship, but pirates ashore in whatever "better" garb they could come up with. However, I think an over-all scruffy appearance is good, even when dressed in nicer clothing.

>>>>> Cascabel

There are also some very nice short military hangers available. Usually not real expensive either. They have cast brass hilts, and serve quite nicely for a pirate cutlass. Blades are curved and in the neighborhood of 20-24 inches. The British ones are more attractive than the French style in my opinion.

A great gift from him, and a very graceful piece. I have always loved the look of a swept-hilt rapier.....

>>>> Cascabel

is this a wip?

.........OK, I give up..... What do you mean by "wip" ??

A word of caution before ye spends yer hard earned money........ "Affordable" is relative, and you get what you pay for !!! Cheap guns are not likely to blow up in your face, unless you do something incredibly stupid, but they DO have reliability issues, and the styling is less than the best. Those suggested by Brit. Privateer are good choices.

>>>> Cascabel

Looks like a pretty decent kit !!

The vendors that seem to do best are the ones that have LOTS of low-end stuff for kids. Plastic swords, pistols, pirate hats and such. I know that stuff is tacky, but it sells very well. Some events may not allow plastic stuff, so consider wooden swords instead. Seems like people always buy stuff for "Little Johnny" to keep him quiet. Inexpensive costume items in kid sizes are popular also.

You have to keep in mind that most of us "pirate folk" already have most of the stuff we need, so you need to cater to the tourists. There is always a market for T-shirts also. Quality items of garb sell, but slowly due to cost. Unusual jewelry can do well, if different from what the other vendors have. This is just my experience based on many years participating in pirate events. Your mileage may vary !!

There are carriage patterns available on line. A Google search should turn some up. Best advice I can give is that you keep in mind that the "steps" in the back of the carriage are not just for looks, but serve a definite purpose. They are located according to where the long through-bolts need to have a place to seat, and also they act as a fulcrum point for the handspikes used to adjust elevation. THERE SHOULD BE NO "STEPS" ON THE FRONT OF THE CARRIAGE, contrary to some I have seen !! The trunnions should be located well forward on the carriage.

The through-bolts hold the parts of the carriage together and extend completely through the carriage from top to bottom for strength. They also hold the axels in place. Usually, the front of the trunnion caps are held by a through bolt with a head that allows the trunnion cap to hinge on it. It extends completely through the carriage, and holds the front axel. The rear of the trunnion cap is held in place by a through bolt with a head that fits through a slot in the trunnion cap, and a removeable wedge holds the cap down. This through bolt often also helps to attach the front axel, but sometimes is behind it, depending on axel location and width. The rear axel is usually held by two through-bolts that seat on two adjacent "steps" on top of the carriage. Additional "steps" are located at appropriate spots for adjusting elevation by levering up the breech with handspikes. The wedge shaped "quoin" is then positioned under the breech to support the gun at the desired elevation.

Depending on the size wood available, and the height of the carriage desired, you may require additional pieces in the "stack" that makes up the sides. If so, add a through-bolt at the rear end of each piece, which will also be one of your "steps". The front of each piece of wood will be held by the forward through-bolts.

There are cross bolts at appropriate locations to hold the sides of the carriage together. The front of the carriage has a piece of wood called the "transom", which is held by one or two cross bolts, depending on its size. At the rear of the carriage, there will be one or two cross bolts which also support the piece of wood that the "quoin" sets on. These must be located at a height that does not interfere with the breech of the barrel. These cross bolts often have rings to attach the handling tackle and breeching ropes.

Always use square nuts and washers on the through-bolts. Hexagonal nuts did not exist in the old days. ALL bolts should extend completely through the carriage. There are NONE that are screwed into the wood. The thickness of the carriage sides is dictated by the length of the trunnions. The relationship of the sides of the carriage to each other should match the taper of the barrel.

>>>>> Cascabel

.......BUMP......STUMBLE.....STUMBLE.....CRASH..... Dammit, Stynky moved the furniture again !!!