Littleneckhalfshell

Uh, yup, they got that covered, on our Engines we have the capability of 'foam induction' so your feared anit-pirate weapon is already out there

Actually except for it being made in stainless steel, it looks just like the 'deck guns' on my Volunteer Fire Dept. pumper engines. And though some of them are able to be used by remote control, it is a lot more fun bringing it around by hand. We get over 1000 gallon per minute out of ours and you can uproot small trees with it, but it is really a close quarters weapon, as the water starts to spread out the more the distance from the bore tip. I don't think you could knock a man over if he was more than 70 yards away, but he would get very wet!

Hey Rumba Rue, THEY ARE SOLAR! says so right on the box. if you go to the site, you can get ones that run off of Solar, batteries, or electric outlets. They have all the bases covered. Too bad they are not a little bit cheaper, I would go broke with the number I would want to put in my 'pirates cove'.

One of the things I seem to remember regarding spiking a gun is the 'spike'. They were if possible specially prepared and carried on a mission that was meant to take fortification cannons out of action. The spike would be made as 'hard' as possible on the part that would remain at the touch hole, but the end that was to be put down the hole was made 'soft' so that it would bend, thus preventing it from being easily removed. Think of a clenched nail. With the hardened end broken off flush, what remained would be difficult to drill out. An alternate hole could be drilled and the gun tube put back into service, but this would take time, thus allowing whatever action it was intended to permit, ie. getting a ship cut out from under a fortified position. Spiking a cannon is much faster than busting off the trunnions if you have the proper tools. Speaking of more modern times, my grandfather who was a member of a heavy machine gun group in WW-I in the trench warfare, spoke of there being a particular part of the water cooled machine gun that could be removed and tossed into the latrine before abandoning your position if it was about to be overrun, thus preventing your own gun being run around 180 degrees and being used upon you as you retreated. Basically, what they did was in a sense 'spike their gun'.

I got mine out of the oven and tried to break one in half just using my hands. I couldn't do it! I had to hit it with the back side of a big meat cleaver to bust it in half and then with further blows into smaller chunks. I was able to 'gnaw' a bit on a small chunk and finally finished it. If I had molded them into star shapes, they might double as lethal weapons. I always thought the stories were a little bit 'over the top' regarding the difficulty of eating ship's biscuit, but now I am a believer.

I am giving a shot at making 'ship's biscuit' today. I have checked a lot of recipe sites and from what I found, (feel free to refute any of it) Ship's Biscuit, or hard bread, and a host of other names, was different depending on the time period. It is not supposed to be made with anything but the flour and water, no, not even salt. It was not called hardtack until after the war of 1812, so that term is not really proper for GAOP It was not made with 'white' flour until sometime in the 1800's - coarse milled whole wheat flour is what it should be for GAOP It was usually round in the earlier form, (which I think is what our period is) and later on could be square or hexagonal It was different sizes in different time periods, bigger earlier and smaller later. Civil war 3.25" and I think in Nelson's time. but for earlier, it could be 4.5" to 6" Anyway, after all that, I went for a 4.5" round, roughly half inch thick, dough made of Graham flour, which is a coarse ground whole wheat flour. Not sure how far off that will make it, as Graham flour has the three parts ground separate from one another and then mixed back, the endosperm, starch portion ground fine. Anyway, I am giving it a try. 4 cups of the coarse graham flour, 1.5 cups water Made the dough in a Kitchen Aid mixer with a dough hook, kneaded for 15 min. after the initial mixing and ten min. rest. punched holes in both sides with a meat tenderizer that had some 20 nail points on it. And now baking the heck out of it, I have heard baking instructions all over the chart from high to low heat, so I am going for three hours at 250 F. and then leaving it in the oven over night. Baking it on a pizza stone, as I figured that a tile would be more like what the oven was like back then, rather than a cookie sheet. anyone else done this? or can steer me in a better direction for the next batch? The bag of flour ( one pound, eight ounces) made 7 biscuits. I have another bag that can be another batch if this one turns out ok.

These links are from a site about Jap. rope sandals, the second link is also found on the first link site and is a pattern that gives an idea about how they are made. It might be a starting point. ? http://www.rhinohide.cx/tousando/yoriaku/waraji.html http://www.rhinohide.cx/tousando/img/waraji.jpg

Ok, looked at sykes and practical goose, but Big Bear Trading poses a problem. Which Big Bear Trading are we talking about? I googled and got that name listed in MI, RI, NM.... etc. Most sites are out of date 2005 or 2007 and I am not finding any ready made clothing on any of them. Mostly just 'stuff' period combs, personal items, etc. Now I know why Patrick Hand sews all his stuff, not because it is cheaper, but because dealing with these online things can drive a man madder than being marooned!

Sykes is still listing their virtual 2007 catalog, their travel is a little more up to date, but still behind the times as their only listing for where they will be attending is "School of the Musketeer at Fort Mifflin on the Deleware, Philadelphia, Pa on April 19 - 20 2008" That is almost a year old! Anyone actually dealt with them recently? The practical goose site is "under construction" and only has a half working link for some knitted hats. :-( Seems like I keep running into sandbars trying to navigate this britches question.

Faire ain't no place to shop. Eat, drink and get laid, yes. Shop, no. Here's a small list of vendors providing off the shelf and some tailored 18th century goods. Caveat emptor! Do your research before you buy! Know if that gear is right for your impression! (list of Vendors) This is where I get confused, most of those vendors listed, speak of their wares being proper 18th Cent. and some particularly to the latter half of the 18th Cent. This puts them OUT of the GAOP period. With some information making the point that what is appropriate for the Fur Trade era is not for the Rev.War. So what exactly can I get that will work for GAOP?! I don't car for the petticoat slops, and would like a pair of knee britches, So is the french fly the one that will keep me in the proper period? I have yet to see a listed vendor speak of their ware being proper for GAOP or even 17th Cent. which is where we want to be, no? middle to late 17th Cent and just a couple of decades into the 18th. 1650-1720 no? Maybe that is why some people go Hollywood, with Hollywood, anything goes, and if you are trying to be at least close to period correct, there is so little to guide you to get it right and even then, you might get it wrong. I know I am stuck in irons as far as which way to tack, not Hollywood, but where to go for 1700 proper. Help!

now wait a minute, that is just the thing to discuss gigs and ram. You might want to order a new gig.... ""Wooden captain gigs In general, during the era of wooden ships, it was smaller and lighter than the longboat or the barge or the pinnace. It was usually crewed by 4 select oarsmen, and a coxswain. Generally the oarsmen sat one to a seat, but each only rowed a single oar on alternating sides. The gig was not as sea kindly as the longboat, but was used mostly in harbors."" or as to the discussion of Ram, I think it is a perfectly proper action if in regard to putting home a charge in pistol, rifle or cannon! or you could write about the inexperienced coxswain, who rammed the gig into the side of the dock

"" ok...gotta ask....wot are the rings on the strings above the stopper fer??....i dinna have any on me set???....and just cant deciefer why in the pics??"" I believe it is to keep them from tangling up when they swing. It prevents one from swinging around the other to some degree since the rings connect lines between two apostles.

Mission said "There are worse ways to waste your time. (Like The Crimson Pirate. *shudder*)" Hey! Crimson Pirate was a major way for me to waste my time when I was a youth, it seemed it was the only movie that was playing for weeks on Independent Channel 11 WPIX NYC when they were scrambling for content to fill their program day. Many a Million Dollar Movie presentation was "The Crimson Pirate" I particularly liked Mr. Bellows. I still enjoy it, yes it was 'campy' but I really don't watch pirate movies expecting to see a lot of historical accuracy anyway.

Just a note: I had wanted to attend the Feb. meeting, but one of my four children, (2) daughter is moving out of her apartment this coming Saturday over in PA and I have become a major part of the moving team. Said same daughter is getting married the last Saturday of March, so I guess I am questionable for the March gathering also, unless it is not that Saturday, I only focused on this month as with all four of the kids having bids on my help, it keeps us kind of busy in our free time and I rarely look more than a few weeks into the future for personal plans. Eventually I will get around to meeting you all.

I was trying to find information on the Grappling hooks that were used to bind two ships together when boarding. What I have found is somewhat confuseing, since apparently a Grappling hook, or Grapnel, can also be a type of Anchor. A number of times, what showed up as promising on a google search, when I saw a picture, it was clearly bigger than something that could be thrown by a man and was often described as a small boat anchor. The other problem that comes up in searching, was those Ninja things, but lets not go there. One thing I did find is that a Grappling hook could be one to four hooks and still be called a grappling hook. I have a single hook, that I picked up years ago, I assume that it is a line hook or a rigging hook. But if I want to make a GAOP grappling hook, (I fiddle around with blacksmithing a bit) what would be a common style and what dimensions? Again, what I am looking for, is a grappling hook that one man would throw, either to scale a wall, or use to bind two ships together to facilitate boarding. scaled Pictures would be helpful. Actual archeological artifact pictures would be great, but even a nudge in the right direction would be greatly appreciated.

Snow is fine if it is in it's proper place, up on the mountain for instance. Snow that is fresh, scooped and packed into a low glass and saturated with Rum, is another proper place for it. Just keep it off of my driveway and the roads! But just to share a trick I learned on how to at least partially thwart the dastardly snow plow drivers. When I clear the driveway, I also clear 'downstream' from my driveway entrance. I snowblow as much to the curb as possible and down the road about two to three fathoms (12-18 feet) Then when the snow plow comes along, there is not that much for it to push forward and over into my drive. Takes a little longer to do, but usually if I wait until the storm is mostly done and over, they don't get me with that last run that is meant to clear back the shoulder. it also lessens the amount they can plow in, even if it is a long storm and requires one to go out a number of times to clear. Also I think it frustrates the snow plow drivers

Boy is it quiet around here. Just thought I would post before all that is heard is the wind howling up the Hudson. This is directed at Bilgewater Brown, (I assume that you are the fencing part of the talent posted for the group) but I welcome the thoughts of any and all in the crewe as regards the following..... have you taken notice of the 'documentary' (if that is what it is), about 'Reclaiming the Blade' that was first posted on the Ship's Armory section, under 1stMate's Forge, Documentary of the Sword, by hurricane? I just got another newsletter from them today and they promised that in the next newsletter there would be something about a 'release date'. I was just wondering if there might be an opportunity related to the release of this to promote both your fencing and the Half Moon Marauders?

Just got a new newsletter from Reclaiming the Blade and they said that in the NEXT newsletter there will be information regarding a release date.

the one important part and not so easy part is found in the instructions you posted regarding the riddling board. once the bottles are turned upside down and the sediment is allowed to collect in the Neck of the bottle, it is not just uncapping it, if you did so, you would lose most of your mead. A sad thing, if you are not prepared. Anyone who wants to do this may want to experiment with some simple sugar wine first to get your technique down. I speak of the part where the instructions tell you to 'freeze' the neck of the bottle in salt and ice (like you make icecream in a hand crank machine). It is necessary to freeze the neck so that you don't lose the carbonation along with the sludge that you want to get out. In fact, I would make an argument with the site, as they speak of having the ice plug 'blow out'. I always thought you froze the neck to the point where the shoulder of the bottle prevented the ice from being blown out, you then 'scraped' away the used yeast sludge and then quickly topped off the bottle and re-capped or corked. think of the bottles of champaign you have seen that just gushed out a fire hose stream and how little was left for the glass, fine in locker rooms, but not so fine if you actually want to taste the stuff. But either way, I would say to practice first. Maybe use some soda for practice, if you don't want to make up a simple sugar wine. But please, don't waste your mead due to a inexperienced attempt at riddling. I would rather go with the loss of the little bit down at the bottom of the bottle, like people do with home brew, bottle conditioned beer, than to have the mead rush out when you uncap it upside down to get rid of the yeast sludge.

Ok, now that we are here on the hiding keg post area, a question? The attitude of the Keg? No not if it is happy or grumpy, but is it vertical or horizontal ? I know I have seen kegs both ways, but usually the common way is horizontal, but this presents a little bit more difficulty for hiding the modern keg, since it too then has to be on its side, and modern kegs (beer) usually are meant to remain vertical. Just a side note regarding wine. I have already in the past put a full bag from a boxed wine into a wooden barrel and brought it out through a re-designed head so that it looked like I was dispensing from a real barrel of wine, that was easy, by comparison, beer is hard. I know that if I left the barrel vertical and put the tap down near the lower end, it would work, (and making it able to hold ice would also be a plus, warm beer just does not float my boat) but would it be an acceptable way to hide the modern keg in a in period encampment? What say ye?

you may be interested in reading a project Gutenberg piece on a road trip from NYC to Albany along the old post road, it makes comments on the towns that the person went through back in 1909 I believe it was. http://www.scribd.com/doc/2380966/The-New-...Made-at-SundryC Pages 9-10 I think deal with Tarrytown, but on the subject of sleepy hollow, Katrina Van Tassel et. all. you may also want to read the section on Kinderhook, page 27 where it starts talking about Lindenwald and Jesse Merwin. You see, Jesse Merwin was the model for Ichabod Crane. I graduated from Ichabod Crane Central High School, located in Valatie NY, just next to Kinderhook. The Van Allen House, an old Dutch brick house still stands and it is often also associated with Katrina Van Tassel. Kinderhook still is a very 'sleepy town' still very much a farming community and filled with old buildings many going back to the dutch days and many also from the Revolution.

A toast, grab a mug of whatever floats your boat and toast 6 years at the Pyracy Pub. I know a lot of you have not been here so long, but though I don't post as often as many of you, I enjoy reading what you write, both the serious technical stuff and the lighter fare. That is just how a good pub should be, good strong food for the body, and good strong spirits for the soul. Here is to many more years at the Pub!

Of course if you are set on a wooden tap, Jas Townsend has one for $7.50 http://jas-townsend.com/product_info.php?c...;products_id=34 Maybe I will see about doing something like this myself, I have a 3 gal. soda keg, just a bit shorter than the 5 gal ones (have two of those) I used to use the 3 gal for bringing some draft beer from my home half barrel to parties. I think it would fit nicely in one of my old wooden barrels, though, I think I might try to use my regular modern beer faucet, it does not look too different and with a 'key top' instead of the paddle, it might pass a ten foot test in the dark of the tent. ;-)

I have an old one that does not look too different from either of them and it was my grandparents. I also seem to remember that there was one in an artifact list of an older shipwreck, but can't find it right now. I think they were a very basic item over a large time span.

I don't think you have to use wood, brass taps were period I believe, here is testimony from a 1786 wreck ""Seadart Divers have been concentrating their efforts working on a wreck site off the Dorset coast in the UK. The wreck is of the ship Halsewell, a trading ship of the East India Company that was lost to a storm on the 6th January 1786. As "salvor in possession" Seadart Divers have always taken a keen interest in the archaeological side to our finds."" here is a picture of the artifact. And these are modern ones available for purchase. I think TBG04 looks similar and could be plumbed to your beer line.