michaelsbagley

@Duchess for the win. Best comment ever!

Well..... My original list was from when I was just getting into this era of reenacting.... I think I will revise my list with a couple of years experience behind me now. 1. Latchet shoes. This has not changed, as it is one of those items that almost NO ONE has extras of to loan out (for the one or few people out there that have managed to be exceptions, please just don't contradict me here...) 2. Basic clothes. I had these broken out previously, but combining here. While many clothing items can be borrowed, many experienced reenactors will have one or more extras of most pieces, it is often more comfortable to wear your own clothes. Specially socks and shirts. More often than not, we get super hot and sweaty, wearing something someone else has sweat a lot in is unpleasant, and it isn't exactly pleasant to sweat a lot into borrowed items. 3. Hat or cap, I don't care what style it is (or for female impressions there are other head coverings that might not fit tidily into the hat/cap category.... but some sort of head covering appropriate to the period. 4. Eating gear: plate and/or bowl, drinking vessel in wood, leather, or earthware is highly recommended (NOT pewter/tin/white-metal), spoon and/or fork. Get as close to period correct as you can... but these are items that can often easily be store during "public hours" and will get the most lenience for strict authenticity standards. 5. Shelter. Whether a tent, or fly, or sunshade or whatever. Unless you know the event you are attending have accommodations (which is rare), this is another item that is exceptionally difficult to borrow. I say this as a person who at one time in recent years owned my own personal tent, and 3 loaner tents. Go small. Everyone loves the canvas palaces.... but smaller tents are easier to set up, take down, store (when at home), and significantly easier to cram into smaller spaces when camping space is at a premium. 6. Period bag/luggage. Whether a snapsack, sailor's bag, sea-chest (that can be easily carried fully loaded), or whatever era-appropriate thing you want... having period-looking storage for your clothes and gear is a lot more important than many beginners think. 7. A good well made period knife (as close to period correct as you can get). Over the years, the usefullness of these has come up so often... and it is also one of the items folks continue to lean into "over-the-top" exagerated "weapons-looking" type knive. Seriously, a 5"-6" blade simple period sutting tool will be FAR MORE USEFUL and better than anyting extravagant looking. This item can and should be able to double as a reasonable eating utensil. 8. Bedding. A wool blanket and a sheet (or lighter blanket). Linen would be "better" for the sheet/lighter blanket, but even I use a block-print cotton sheet (later 18th/early 19th century design). People often skimp on the wool blanket part.. because wool blankets are not cheap. But the amount of times I have had to loan out one of my extra wool blankets, is a strong testiment to the value of this. You can always put the wool blanket under you for extra cushion if the weather is hot. If you don't have one (and there are no loaners are available as there rarely are) and it is cold.... you are in for a rough ride, and potentionally dangerous time. 9. I'm going to think more on #9 and #10 before circling around and editing this post to complete my list. But I promise weapons of any variety will not make my list. Weapons are always the thing people have the most "extras" of.... and I also know, contrary to the good advice of "get weapons LAST" , it is advice absolutely no one in this hobby is capable of following (or exceptionall few people can follow that advice).

The second image likely has to be post-1703 (1704?), as it depicts the stone fort which was not completed until some time int he first handful of years of the 1700s. But yeah, as a frequent traveller to St.Augustine, it is flat there.... almost as flat as Ohio even.

Ohhhh, I love the rarecooking.com site. I tried making an "almond pudding" recipe a couole of years ago, which turned out to basically be an almond custard pie with a lot of citrus rind to zip up the flavours. It was great. In fact I am looking at taking another crack at that recipe in the coming weeks for a different event. But yeah, I love how the rare cooking site gives a recipe, shows the source, and more often than not, privides a modern interpretation as well. Rose water is easiest found on Amazon.... I don't care to buy things there, but it is what it is. If you live in an area with a lot fo ethnic grocery stores (especially Eastern Medditeranean or Arabic or Persian based ethnic grocers) it can often be found there.... but II ended up having to go to the online order. Edit: The post I made when I tried the recipe... I made it as a whole pie whereas the rare cooking site did it as tarts. https://www.facebook.com/michael.s.bagley/posts/pfbid0Gv5G4Lk88AN6jpgFPUkWCmrEa8DZB6CPdy7sXspnS6ykPctaw4KCjVA1CBenJ9Grl

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.

One comprimise I make that works (for me) is years ago (and possibly still?), there was a rash of the typical reenactor vendors that got stock in "Lindsey-Woolsey" stockings. The price was reasonable (a little more than the cotton, less than wool), the colour was that pale natural mottled tan colour (think oatmeal, and make your jokes with that!), but did not have the gusset. They were a little heavier than cotton stockings, but way lighter than wool ones, and I found them to be an awesome middle-ground. Check around, and if they still exist/available, grab a pair to try them. Edit - On second thought, don't look. It was Hamilton Dry Good that was the primary source for them -> https://www.hamiltondrygoods.com/socks/ (scroll to bottom of page). I think all fo the other vendors just purchased them from there and resold them.... and it seems now they are "Rare" and sold out everywhere. If you happen to find them, grab them, but don't waste your time hunting for them, as it would likely be more effort than it is worht.

Currently, the arguably best place to get shoes for our period is Foxblade Trading (also operate as Re-enactment-Shoes) out of the UK. I've had two different pairs of shoes from these guys, both have served me well, and are still in action. http://www.re-enactment-shoes.co.uk/ For men, the S1 appears best, although the S1A open side latchets or S1C could serve for those who do earlier stuff as well (and assuming the 1721 will be flexible on these details). For women, the S9L or S9AL appear the best to my eyes. However Historic Stony Hollow are selling them, their easiest approach vector is through Facebook. I have a pair (I bought as a backup. as my current ones are getting old), but have yet to wear them. https://www.facebook.com/historicstonyhollowllc/posts/pfbid02Eguxi2WNbMGBmFxVGBNMdcs9Z6TyWbE1rpMbFJGH1TTYg2X6tFsNFTXjqZju1DPil American Duchess carry latchet shoes, which definitely are a little on the early side for 1721, but I would rather have someone in good quality "just off" footwear, than not have them attend for fear of not having "good enough" gear. For men, 4 colours available (one being sold out as of this posting) https://www.americanduchess.com/collections/men-latchets/mens For women, either the "Mary" or the "Nell" style could serve with the above caveat https://www.americanduchess.com/collections/men-latchets/mens

Stockings is one I tend to gloss over. From a historical accuracy perspective, they should be knit of wool (or silk if higher class), and have the strange narrow triangular gusset running from just above the ball at the side of the ankle to the sole (point of triangle goes up). From a pragmatic standpoint (which I tend to lean to in most cases), "clocked stockings" are generally the only "commercially" available stockings with that gusset, and if memory serves, anywhere that sells those clocked stockings, tend to only do so in cotton. This leads one to a decision: a] Your stockings look more accurate, but are of inaccurate material (cotton) b] Your stockings end up of the more correct material, but missing a detail c] You end up spending too much money on such a low impact item to have someone custom make/knit them for you. I tend to gravitate to option "B", specially as I tend to do a fair amount of cold-weather events. But I do that with absolutely no judgment to anyone else that chooses elsewise. Let's face it, most of that gusset would be covered by shoes (which we all should be wearing), and the little wedge sticking out is so subtle, only a pedantic putz of a "thread-counter" would notice, let alone say something about it.

Now that I know of the extra special significance of that particular duck. I will cherish it all the more... until the next time I participate in one of these (next year), and forward it to the next person with the same short history lesson. Rubber Pirate Duck can become the Pub's unofficial flat Stanley.

Okay, now that I have finally sent the gift to my recipient (and since she knew who her giftee was, I forwarded a tracking # as well)... I received mine back in mid-December... I tore into it thinking it was a random package from a known prankster, only to realize that said prankster was my generous Xmas-gift-giver. Hawt damn, there was a lot of amazing goodies in there. But most amazing, a pair of cat-toys for my two cats was even included! But seriously Stynky, that was an amazingly generous bundle, and I truly love it all. Specially that brown hat-blank, it definitely matches my general earth-tones vibe that I cling to for my re-enacting gear.

Neat, I hope the archeological stuff can be rescued despite the monetary stuff, or at least a balance found.