michaelsbagley

Anyone can lose their head and come off high and mighty.... But it takes real character to see it, reflect on it, and publicly admit it and apologize for it. I don't think you did or said anything here that really requires an apology, but it is a nice gesture. I think the move to humility will take you far, and expand your horizons. Cheers, and all the best to you going forward. P.S. Since you are in the same state, feel free to hit me up for getting involved in any of the events I help organize... Put-In-Bay being the one that is likely closest and most convenient for you.

Having contemplated making shoes at a few different times.... The tools and materials one would need would be more expensive than actually buying a $125+ pair of shoes already made. Over time, I have collected up most of those tools.... and I have made more than a few pairs of earlier period (medieval) turn shoes, but I have still not taking the full plunge into making proper late 17th early 18th period shoes. The main reason is it can not be done without the proper shape "lasts".... Which are not easy to buy, and would require more tools to make, plus developing the specific woodworking skills to make "lasts". As you can see, making shoes is a very deep rabbit hole. If you already have the leather working skills (from making belts, strapwork, bags, pouches etc.), then you are only at the beginning point of where you might want to consider making shoes. Then you have to find/buy or make the wooden shoe lasts (although one can find more modern hard plastic lasts, but usually not in the correct shape for period shoes)... A friend of mine came across a collection of shoe lasts within the last year, some of them are the correct shape (or close enough) for pirate era shoes... This friend has been most generous in offering to allow me to use some of the lasts to try and make shoes, but I am hesitant.... and I have been a pretty regular leather worker for about 7 or 8 years now. But I think the below link is the web site Patrick Hand was looking for. I learned to make medieval turn shoes from this site (and some tutoring from more experienced leather workers)... He also has a couple of articles about later period shoes, which is where I started to learn the processes for making shoes appropriate for pirate era... But I know I need other resources to help me actually get it done. http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~marc-carlson/shoe/SHOEHOME.HTM The advice for using thrift store shoes recut to mimic the shape and style of period shoes is the best advice anyone can give you for cheap period shoes... Because let me tell you, unless you already have most of the tools and skills, making shoes is a very expensive road to travel down.

Boulanger (Pavlik) is great. I have met him twice over the last few years, and bought bread from him at every opportunity. He is great at mixing his real trade with living history. He actually had a special batch of flour ground for him at the working windmill at Holland Michigan for use in some of his recipes. Talk about taking it to another level.

Easy to answer Jib, just like some modern kids wear their pants so low they can't even run.... the gents aren't wearing their swords ready for use but to look cool. High fashion is meant to look good not be functional (in many contexts)... if you want function dress like a soldier of the period, you'll note period images of soldiers have their swords worn at s more reasonable level.

Yeah, count me in too.

I will try and post pics later, but my interpretation of this is basically a vented sleeve on my doublet style coat. Last year at Searle's raid (and maybe the year before as well) I did wear my slitted arm green doublet, and when I got too warm I put my arms through the vents to cool off and it looked similar to that.

What are the actual dates. I have one more War of 1812 obligation this season (and I think it is on the same weekend)... But if they are different weekends, I would definitely consider it. Regarding the woods walk shoot. Do they have different categories for smooth-bore and rifle? Or would smoothbores be competing against rifles (hardly fair)... I have both, so can compete either way (as long as it isn;t the same weekend as the Muster on the Wabash event).

I would second the recommendation from McCool, for fiction with a pretty decent historical flair, I really enjoyed the James L Nelson series "The Guardship", "The Blackbirder", and "The Pirate Round". Almost any of the three could be read independently as a standalone(except for maybe the last one), but they are best as a series.

Love it. Oderless hit the nail on the head when he called it minimalist. That belt/rig epitomizes the best in "less is more" working gear. Well done Dutch

Cool, it's great to hear that there is a shift in things and thoughts to make things better, even if you can't share those until the event (meaning I don't get to find out about them until after )... And I'm with Mission, the pogs were great! We need more pogs! More so than even cowbell!

I guess the punctuation here is stressing "in the battle". Most of us can blow off some powder at any opportunity. But being in a dynamic battle makes blowing dome powder off infinitely more interesting. Being offered the chance for a sunset salute isn't much consolation for being marginalized in the battle. And I thing the Sunday wide flank was a great first step, and I hope more ideas like that will be forthcoming. And I do appreciate the thoughts and openness to suggestion and constructive critique this whole event is done with. But i feel it fair to point out the small arms folks get the really raw end.. any casualties (which were cried for by the audience, and repeated in the Sunday battle planning) have to come from small arms, as it is unsafe for artillery to take casualties (diminishing a firing crew), the pace and flow of the battle is dictated by artillery (again safety reasons), the previous two factors pretty much all but keep small arms out of the sword fighting (but not necessarily so). What can be done to throw the small arms folks some incentive for the battles?

I don't like raising points like this, specially on game year I am not attending... Haunting Lily, you raise a good point about the battle being changed rocking the boat of the artilerists who at often significant personal expense travelled with their canons to the event.... but in that same breath, what about those with small arms who travel equally far? I really felt last year the small arms folks were heavily marginalized in the canon battles. I did raise the issue at a battle meeting, and a small concession was made and attempted (to reasonable success), but that only changed it so that a small percentage of the small arms folks got to be involved in a dynamic way (4 of us out of the 20 something small arms participants). Not sure if there is a solution to that at the moment or not with the current constraints, but it might be worth keeping in mind for future years.

Answers already covered... stupid phone didn't display them when I typed the response... please ignore

Weekend late in June, Put-In-Bay pirate festival

I'm considering it.... I'm still on the fence about it though. I will definitely make a firm decision when the time comes.

Possible.... well maybe. Likely, not very. Rifles were a rare and valuable item in their early years. And rifles barrels are more susceptible to rust than smooth bores. Rifles really did not start to become common in the colonies until after the GAoP. And they were first popularized as a hunting tool, not a weapon, and ship records would likely have noted such an uncommon item being on board.

I both agree and disagree with you here William. Last year while there, I found that there were far too many people at the meetings, and there was a lot of chatter going on, and half the message of the meetings were lost. I do believe folks need to attend and pay attention to the meetings, but I think fewer should go. However... I also don't see that happening, as I think the odds of the message not getting relayed is too high, nor do I envision a willingness for folks to not attend and make a modest effort to get the information after. Kind of a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation. Worst part was those I felt needed to listen the most were not...

The NPS training and certification is definitely good for general handling and demonstrating firing. It is probably some of the best you can get with regards to that, however if battle re-enactment is what you are interested, I would suggest one of the State systems... Although you would want to do a bit of research on which states have decent training for such a thing. Or better yet, train with one of the bigger Rev-War or F&IW societies, they will train you in shoulder to shoulder firing, but it is easy to adapt that to more open formation use. Another good source for general black powder training would be the NMLRA (National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association), they are basically the NRA for black powder. Membership is about $40 a year. Speaking more on topic and in general, I would advocate more for the open adaptation of one of the big established societies rules for open pirate combat rather than building up something new (why reinvent the wheel, when you can take the training wheels off and use tried and true methods?). Considering how "proprietary" some of the regional or smaller groups can get, I would be very reluctant to "buy into" a local ruleset trying to go national.... Let's "pirate" a national rulset and adapt it as an open source project rather than start with someone's "branded" rules.

What group in Ohio? I wasn't aware of a pirate group in Ohio? Specially one that uses caplocks! NPS training won't help you for visiting other sites.... Well it is a big name, and people who don't know better might be impressed by it. But those who are in the "know", know that NPS rules STRICTLY forbids "Opposed firing" of any sort. which means the mock battles most events do are completely outside of NPS rules and hence having an NPS certification won't help you out. Don;t mean to knock your idea, just trying to ensure you know what you are getting out of your time and/or money spent on NPS training.

I don't want to stir the pot on this, but has it not been that flashguards have been in the rules for this event for years? And not very strictly enforced? Or at least judging from the weapons I have seen on the field.

To add to Foxe's comments.... I have been volunteering on the Santa Maria for 5 years now, and regularly climb (low) in the rigging. I've done it in shoes many times, and barefoot... ONCE... Never again. I disagree with this... Strongly. Canvas is more readily available and cheaper than leather even in period, specially for sailors. Gaiters are starting to become commonplace by the 1690s, and likely earlier than that. Why wear expensive boots when even Dragoons (light cavalry) wear shoes and gaiters in the period? If you do any research on the military of the period (which I have done a lot of), you will find that pretty much only TRUE cavalry (as in heavy cavalry) wear boots. I know the 1699 Rene Desportes (sp?) painting show gaiters for the guy on a hunting trip. He's a gentleman who could likely afford boots and CHOSE shoes and gaiters over boots. Historical evidence, critical analysis, and common logic all dictate (at this point) boots are an affectation of ego/pride in pirate re-creationists and have no real basis in history.

Although I recently swore to take a 6 to 8 month break from pirate events.... recent changes in my constantly fluctuating life put short odds of my being able to attend this year. I'll know better by early October, but for now please list me as very tentative. (With the Mercury Crew)

Nice... looks like it also may be a turn off barrel. Is it? Will you be reproducing it as such if it is?

As one last plug for this event... How often do we as re-enactors get to actually engage in piracy as a part of an event. Picture curtesy of M.A. d'Dogge...

I don't have the citation handy... but I think I posted it here in this topic some ways back. The citation was a report that some island militia (I think Bermuda? Maybe Bahamas?) were dressing in all red to emulate proper soldiers. The tone of the report made me believe it was an u common thing, so going from that one peice of evidence militias were likely nit very uniform.