Hawkyns

Don't include me in that, mate. I'm Yorkshire, born and bred. I'm living in exile, over here in the colonies Hawkyns

Foxe, you have no idea how much nastiness this subject has caused in the French and Indian War community. There seems to be a presumption, on the part of many, that everyone should be from a respectable, eastern US background, and that stays are a requirement. When women, including my wife, have shown up to events as one of the disreputable lower sort, there has been behind the back snarking up to outright confrontation. When Dodderidge is brought up, he is dismissed out of hand. When Hogarth is cited, they claim that was merely an artist's fantasy. Part of the situation, on this side of the pond, comes from a wish to see the founding fathers and their ladies as paragons of virtue, virtual demigods who tamed a heathen continent for the supreme race. The fact that New York, Boston. Charleston, and Philadelphia had their low sections around the docks can not be assimilated. There are musters that we have been to, where I have played the part of a smuggler, and she has played the part of a cheap tavern doxie. This is complete with sleazy cut stays, off the shoulder shift, and frayed finery, right out of Hogarth. It is guaranteed to get the 'respectable' people and officers into a real knicker-twisting frenzy. Also, for some of the back-country events, we have done the Border Scots settlers of Dodderidge's descriptions. this has also not benn well received. I guess I feel that there are a lot of people doing the more respectable or slightly lower strata of society. Not enough people want to show history for what it was, with the drunks, thieves, whores, slaves, and all other low/criminal elements that are part of society. Hawkyns

Aye, I'll be there, arriving landgrab morning and staying the duration. Camped in B08 on the corner of the battlefield. Artillery HQ and Base for the Guild of St. Barbara. Just a reminder for those of you what's got 'em. No gunpowder is allowed on site unless it is officially sanctioned as part of the Marshallate signalling group and all said powder must be stored in the central magasine under my (staff) control. We will be offering our usual classes in blackpowder firearms, with an opportunity to join us on the line to fire for battles, both as small arms and cannon crew. All firearms at Pennsic must conform to the Society standard of being pre-1600. This means handgonnes, matchlocks, wheellocks and snaphaunces only. Any smallarm or artillery piece that will actually be fired in the classes or on the line is subject to inspection and acceptance by the Captayne General of Artillery and his staff. Hawkyns Captayne General of Artillery

Well, I suppose it all depends. For the earlier periods, Elizabethan and Jacobean, the hip length cloak is a fashion item and would have been worn by the gentelemen on board. It dies out in the mid 17th century and is replaced by the Dutch coat and the cassack. Then at the end of the 17th C seems to make a small resurgance as the boat cloak, a heavy waterproof cloak for standing watch. The most famous of these, of course, is Old Grog's- Vice Admiral Edward Vernon, famous for implementing grog as the shipboard drink. The thing that all these have in common, though, is that the cloak is a for quarterdeck wear. Officers, gentlemen, and masters wore them, not the deck crew, sailing crew, or idlers. Would a pirate wear them in an attempt to ape the gentry? Possibly, though probably only when ashore. The cloak used as a defence against swords is primarily a rapier style- long, pointy, and thin. It would be effectively useless against the heavy chopping motion of the cutlass or boarding axe. Hawkyns

OK, guys- take it to one of the other threads. This is for history. Hawkyns Moderator

ATTN ON DECK-- mod here. This thread is way off course and has developed into a parallel thread to 'Askin yer Advice'. I'm going to request you post answers to it over there. Sorry and all that, but we only have one section for the real history and we're quite a bit away from that. Hawkyns Moderator

The lock looks like one of the pseudo miquelet locks that Dixie was selling a few years back. I picked one up but I haven't found the right piece for it yet. I'm real tempted to get one of the barrels and mount it up with a matchlock. Somewhere around here I've got documentation for one of these things back to the late16th/early 17th C. Hawkyns

Lucky Man - Emerson, Lake and Palmer

Hmmmm.... flogg ..... Oh- this isn't an adult thread is it? Blast!!! Hawkyns

Pearl, I have been accused of many things in my life, most of them legitimately, but I have *never* been accused of being a prude. Immoral, perverted, shameless, and hedonistic, perhaps. The right Hand of Satan, oh definitely. But NOT a prude. Hawkyns

Or ye could post the before and after pics, and maybe a step by step of the fitting Hawkyns

pretty good. My crew's liability insurance just came through so I'm good to set up for the CCMA's Re-enactor's yard sale this weekend. Hawkyns

Charity, it all depends what you're looking for. Some people are looking for inexpensive, bsic clothing so they fit in at faire. Some people want to be ultra authentic. Some people want to go with a more fantasy element. Some people want to go for a more edgy, eye-grabbing appearance, almost fetish crossover. The variables are endless and the prices, likewise. It's like buying weapons. Some people buy common Pakistani blades and nonfiring pistols. Some of us pay mutiple hundreds of dollars for custom forged swords and handbuilt firearms. You've got to find what works for you, your persona, and your budget. Hawkyns

Not pushing anything, merely commenting on quality and styles. As I said, I know people who have both their leather and their fabric and both types are well liked by those who own and wear them. Besides, the leather ones from BruteForce are not particularly suited to most faires, due to the overly prudish attitudes of most faire managment. They are far more suited to a more....eclectic.. environment and a more cosmopolitan crowd. Hawkyns

Yeah, like I said, pricy. but the pics don't do them justice. The leather work is, I am told, lasercut. Certainly I have never seen such clean crisp lines with any kind of knife. Those who I know that have bought them swear that they fit perfectly and nothing shifts. They don't show pics, but they've made a full leather dress of about 6 oz, laser cut, studded and spiked. The spike bra was interesting, too. Hawkyns

Most of the ladies I know swear by these guys http://www.bruteforceleather.com/scripts/p...p?idCategory=17 Pricey, but worth it. I know they do quite a faire circuit, and Pennsic. I've seen them at the Fetish Flea in Boston, too. Hawkyns

I see you found Bennie Coogle over on the H.T. board. Good stuff. I've seen a couple of these weapons over the years. Brad Spear had one that was slightly smaller calibered, that we used to fire raquet balls for siege events. There was one at the Thirty Years War event at Ft. Mifflin a cuple of years ago with matchlock ignition. I've got a spare matchlock on the bench and wondred about building one of these. Let me know how the casting on the barrel is, and if it needs much cleaning up. Hawkyns

PoTC soundtrack- while cleaning and sorting the gun tools and kit, cleaning leather, and oiling and greasing the cannons. Generally getting ready for a new season. Hawkyns

Rare and Precious Chain- Tull Hawkyns

I've had a number of jacks and bottles over the years, lined with beeswax, pine pitch, or a combination. I've also had some lined with a thermoplastic that they use to line brewery tanks. Thise are the ones I prefer. It's plain black, looks like pitch, and doesn't add an annoying taste when mixed with alcohol. Much preferable to the other stuff. Hawkyns

Unless you've got a fair bit of experience with traditional gun building techniques, you probably don't want to use a period finish. Most wood staining techniques used various iron oxides dissolved in nitric or other acids. Using them is finicky and a bit dangerous. It also involves heating the wood to change colours. Not stuff for the novice. Other period techniques involved painting the entire gun with tar to protect from rust. Kit Ravenshear, probably the best of the gunsmiths specializing in reproductions, made up some period guns a few years ago. The stocks were cut from whatever wood he could find, the forgings were rough. He painted the barrels with thinned roofing tar, and the stocks with deck paint. All in all, one of the ugliest things I've seen, and every bit of it documented from primary sources. Now true, this was not all guns, but it was more common the earlier you go. I'd recommend getting a good stock stain from someone like Vernon Davis, and following it up with a hand rubbed oil or wax finish. For details on period finishes, see if you can find a copy of "Staining and Finishing for Muzzleloading Gun Builders- Methods and Materials from 1750-1850" Willaim A Knight and William R Mende The Alchemist Press, 1999. http://mygunroom.com/vcdavis&co/ Hawkyns

So- any takers? Anybody coming to the festivities? Hawkyns

Morning, All!! Back and bleary eyed from the winter camp out at Fort Fred, it's time to get into gear for the SotM. Kit requirements are on the website, but they prefer period kit if you have it. Whatever you wear, don't wear clothes that you mind getting tiny burn holes, black powder spooge, and assorted stains on. Being a musketeer is not fancy like they show in the movies. The dates are Friday at 5PM until Sunday afternoon. If you only have a day, pick the one with the track that suites you best. The Fort schedule doesn't talk about Friday arrivals for participants, that's why the discrepancy. Hawkyns

Sorry, forgot the website http://www.friendsoffortfrederick.org/marketfair.htm It's about 20 miles west of Hagerstown, exit 12 from I-70. about 90 miles from Baltimore. As I said, I'll have a St. George Cross on the front of the tent. Small 8x10 wall tent with a fly off the front and a 5x7 wedge next to it. Come on Down!! Hawkyns

Anyone going? Lots of great shopping at a great historical site. I'll be camped all weekend. Look me up, if you're going. St. George cross on the front of the tent. Hawkyns