Morgan Dreadlocke

Runned across another european company makin' instrument kits. They's more of luthiers kits, still laser cut. In the $350-$400 range depending on the exchange rate. The gurdy looks nice, I could see playin' it without much blowback from the purists. The Nykleharpa seems ok to me untrained eye but CRIKEY its got a lot of finger pedals to fidget with. https://www.nerdygurdy.nl/

A question of technique instead of instrument- Tis possible to play a violin in the manner of the pic? (limited wrist mobility)

Originally built around '09 ish, might be a pic or two somewhere in the Pub archives. Conversion was last September just before the Tucson comic con circus, couldn't have flame and didn't want glass near so many people. Conversion was really easy, bust off the decorative plastic shell, remove the white diffuser tube and drop the whole mess into the hole in the top of the lantern. Az sunlight eats up the little solar panel so a newer unit will last a few hours longer. Brightness is still about 1 candle power. The glazing plastic is 2' x4' sheets for fluorescent shop lighting. Have to experiment with a scrap to see how it looks after sanding and/or a spritz of some narsty solvent.

I like Stynky's etched glass idea, looks better than pebbled plastic. Here be an over the hill lantern converted to solar flickering LED. Lasts about 4-5 hours after a full days sun. Not enough light to read by though.

Perhaps we should be askin' wot sort of modern instruments would be acceptable, or could be retrograded to a reasonable degree.

It's a generic comic con type event. Geeks of all sort will be present.

Megamania, the shortest Con in the southwest happens July 15th at Pima college's downtown campus, Tucson Az (Speedway/Oracle). The Crewe will be aground here from 1-5pm.

Here be the missing link- www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQGgFKdjV_U&t=18s Theres a ton of videos on youtube of it being assembled and or played and upgraded. Wi' a dash of the paint t'would be at home in a steampunk environment or hangin' off the side of an 1800's gypsy vardo. Truth be knowne, if I didn't have so many irons in the fire I'd probably buy one.

I think they advertised parkin on the QM side with a ferry service to the Aquarium side. Not really familiar wi the area as it was all underwater when I was a'growin up there.

There is plans available for several historical models. Have seen a kit for a Henry 111 model...about $2000ish, twice if built. Lowest custom built one I has seen were $1200 with about a year wait for delivery. Theres LOTS on ebay and etsy. Theys mass production from China and Ukraine, very pretty in the photos but the quality ain't there for the @$1300 ticket. If ye MUST have something to play around with, there be a $90 laser cut wood puzzle kids toy from u-gears. It'll either spur ya on to get a real gurdy or kill the urge entirely. Did see a diy plan fer a measly $11 but it ain't historical in any sense.

Couple 'o the Tucson crew went last year. Said it were pretty good. Dumbfounded that it don't take place at the Port's 'o Call village across the channel. No lack of fresh seafood there.

There's been great advances in the miniatures technology. Cast resin and 3d printing are equals to the best white metal figures. Found a whole line 'o 54mm pirates from a UK outfit- Pirates Of The Caribbean | Andrea Miniatures Catalogue | ANDREA WORLD (andrea-world.com) . Lots of others at a much cheaper price on Etsy. The olde Aurora Blackbeard plastic model is back if ye be needin' something larger and less detailed.

Good call! Youtube has him as www.youtube.com/c/eugeniomonesma/featured . Much easier to navigate than the Book with all its loopholes.

I's not heard a peep from or about the Corsairs in over a decade. Not sure if they still around. There IS groups to join in Arizona. The Salt River Scallywags in Phoenix, Pirates of the high Desert in Bisbee, have heard of a group in Sierra Vista. Think I can whip the Commodore of Phoenix's Dread Fleet to put up a shingle and I'll have a recruitin' flyer for me own Tucson group up within a fortnight.

Surfin' the web a'while back and I runned across a feller who's facebook page is dedicated to OLD techniques and processes fer just about everything. Foods , building supplies, makin' bells, stonework, horn, hammerin' out gold leaf, makin saddles outta grass and the like. The videos are kinda longish and the translations from various languages is odd at times. Yer skills WILL be enriched by wotchin' this character. T'ain't necessarily pirate arts, just the way things was/is done by hand me down knowledge. www.facebook.com/eugeniomonesmalosttrades/

I highly recommends the Wikitree.com site. It's free, fairly easy to use, and has forums to ask questions on how to do. The few names and dates I had quickly linked me into my ancestors. Most of the work had already been done and documented by others. It DO get a bit squirrely when there's several generations of sons bein' named after their grandfathers and Jr's 2 and 3. It's a big step up from that useless book at Celtic Fests where people look up their "Coat of Arms" and everyone seems to have a connection to the Duke of Devonshire. Thankee Duchess. That removed thing has been drivin' me nuckin futz and at my age it ain't a long drive.

Buckeye Az. Its just west of Phoenix. It's a little manmade fishin 'hole that holds a Pirate fest in the cool of January.

Couple 'o years back I started trackin' down me ancestors. Had always heard me Grammaw sayin' we was Scottish, Irish and native Indian. Well... found Scottish, English, Cherokee and a large portion from the Netherlands/Bavaria. Not an Irishman to be found. Usin' the tools provided by Wikitree and Ancestry I's been able to dig up several stories of piratical interest. The earliest occurs in 1499 when Breton Pirate Colyn Dolphin ransoms a Sir Harry Stradling for 1 or 2 thousand marks (depending on the source). Sir Harry is 17 degrees away so It's just an interesting tale. Fast forward to the mid 1600's and the Scottish/English ancestors are gettin' deported and leavin' the Empire for the Colonies. Mid 1700's river pirate Samuel Mason pops up as a 13th cousin 6 times removed (wot the bloody 'ell do all that mean?). Come the Rev War and me 6th great grandfather is in the sacking of Ft Ticonderoga in 1775. Quite certain King George would have considered that an act of Piracy. In Sept of 1780 a newspaper puts another ancestor and his son on board the prison ship HMS Jersey. I finds a certain Phineas T Barnum to be a 4th cousin 6 times removed (Yeah, THAT Barnum LOL) and a 20th cousin 4 times removed in Robert Louis Stevenson. So, Who's lurkin' in yer tree?

16 years has passed and I still ain't got me little boat built. The fat cat slept in and busted up the original model years ago so's I built another slightly larger sample. This one will carry 4 comfortably for cruzin' around small city park lakes. Waterline length @ 11', beam 5" across the oarlocks, 4" across the bottom. 'Bout 6" draft and bottom of the rudder at @ 18". Small electric trollin' motor sandwiched in the rudder wi' the batteries hidden under the center bench. Aimin' for a christining at the '25 Hidden Lake Festival in Buckeye. AYE gots pics now, no more 'o this photobucket blackmail garbage. 1st pic is the original 2 man tub. Others are the 4 seater.

Happy to be back aboard me friends. We gots a crew started in Tucson and a motley bunch they be. A might heavy on the Hollyweird and blind to H A, but it's the only action within a 2 hour drive. We'll be signin' on new crew as soon as I can herd the other BOD members into the Pub.

At inch and a half the die ain't comfortable to carry, At three inches... well they makes a good life preserver. Now goin' back to reread Patrick's rules cause our groups been doin' it wrong.