michaelsbagley

Thats a great looking bedroll Stynky! MadPete, that leather cutlery roll is awesome. Brilliant work all around!

Sweet! I'm glad they worked out for you.

Since all the khuul kidz gone done it... true to my word, I have become a trend follower. I did at least opt for a different finish (classic black instead of distressed). But dang, these lanterns are nice.

I'll throw my two two cents in on the hat. One of my hats, was done with shellac, but perhaps not as thoroughly as it should be. Any rain, or even a heavy damp fog will cause that hato to droop... its an earlier period hat, do ive dragged my feet for a few years now re-shellac-ing it. But it sounds like you've made a ton of awesome progress. Cheers!

Williamsburg have see-sawed a little over the years on quality. Their reputation remains consistent despite periods of time it quite frankly doesn't deserve it. I haven't been in 2 years, and when I was there last, it seemed it was still undergoing covid recovery (they lost a lot of staff to layoffs, and hadn't been able to rehire to previous staffing levels). So my last experience wasn't exactly great. There was enough quality to really even judge quality fairly.

"Williamsburg approved"? I could see Jamestown approved (which is just down the road), but I'm incredibly surprised to see Williamsburg approved.

From a purist perspective, these are pretty early. (ideal for 1580s through 1640s, maybe a little later\earlier by 20ish-30ish years). Although I used a similar pair at Searles Raid (1668) one year because I had worn through my later period shoes. And they certainly are a lot more comfy. Regarding later shows and bock heels, is it the higher (1-1/2+ inch heel) that bothers? Or would a lower 1/2 to 3/4 inch heel be tolerable? I have gotten later 17th ceentury style shoes perviously with that 1/2-3/4" (ideal for 1660s through 1690s) which would be closer for a 1720s impression, although finding those shoes can be very hit or miss (or more often miss). But the shoes Stoney Hollow are currently selling, have only a 1 inch (maybe 1-1/8 inch) heel, which isn't too intolerable. They are certainly a lot more comfortable than the 1-1/2 to 2 inch heels that most of the early 18th century shoes being sold have.

Yeah, a lot of old broken links... but luckily I still recall most of the info.

Thanks Stynky. There were definitely beers, and it was a day!

Reconstructing History does digital downloads now as an option (they gave for a few years now). It knocks at least half off the cost (maybe even closer to 2/3rds off?), but it requires you having a home printer in good working order with a fair amount of ink.

I have a pair, but haven't worn them yet. It was a proactive purchase for when my current ones wear out. But visually, they seem as good as any others I've owned at a comparable price point.

Yeah, I agree with what MadPete said, make the repairs needed to make it serviceable, and forget refinishing. The murphy's soap scrub is a great idea. I've been restoring a fair bit of antique furniture over the last few years, mostly it has been reupholstery work, but the few time I ran into wood damage, I just poured in a little watered down wood glue (somewhere between 1:1 glue:water and 2:1 glue:water. if the cracks are fine, this will help slow down additional cracking, if there is any gap, this will not work, and you will have to introduce wood filler, or sawdust to thicken the glue/water for filling.

I'm anti-social, so it is a company of one

So, after some 16 years, I am actually going to get to use all the research myself and others put into the early 18th century British uniform portrayal. Much of that research can be found here -> (although a number of books in my personal library, and discussion on other forums has padded this info out a lot) Currently, I have almost everything needed for this portrayal, and have worn various iterations of it out over the years. To really nail this down to "as perfect as I feel I will ever get it", I need to accomplish the below 1. Remake the hat. I have a black hat blank, and wool trim that has been waiting for months for this. I am going to make a hatblock to get the shape correct. 2. Retrieve the sword. During an event 5 or 6 years ago, the sword I bought for this portrayl ended up (due to hasty pack-down) in someone else's possession. We chatted this weekend, it is still safely stored, it's just a 2+ hour drive each way for me to reclaim it. 3. Remove the buckles from one of my old mostly worn out pairs of shoes, and slap them on a newer pair. 4. Maybe some smalll accessories to give extra depth to the portrayal... but in truth, I have quite a bit I'm actually excited, to actually be able to use my Independent Company of Foote impression at a place where it is not only documented, at event perfect for it.

Maybe consider a tumpline for the bedroll. They are great, and you don't have to do one of those hugely complex woven native style jobs.... a simple 30-ish inch leather strap (about 3" wide, or whatever width you are comfortable with), then add a pair of holes on each end, tie long-ish leather thonging through each hole... and voila, instant tumpline/burden-strap. They are a very diverse and useful carrying tool. But looking great on the other gear. Regarding the cookwear, use wooden utensils whenever possible. It's so much lighter, and considering you fly to many (most?) events, it might help a lot. Also, cooking tripod.... doing the "trekking" thing, I have learned that wood tripods (just lash three sticks together) is so much easier than fire irons. I still use the irons at events I drive to out of convenience, but the ease and convenience of lashed sticks is seriously undervalued in the hobby.