Hawkyns

Thanks for rebooting this thread, Mission. It's one we should all reread from time to time. Hawkyns

I'd have to say the final fight in Rob Roy, with Liam Neeson and Tim Roth. Broadsword against smallsword, and again, choreographed by Bill Hobbs, IMO the greatest fight director ever.

I saw this discussioin nearly 20 years ago in the English Civil war groups. There was the claim that Cavaliers wore round toes and parliamentrians wore square toes- or was it the other way about?? Real research on existing documents and extant examples proved that, in an age where there were not 500 pairs avaialble at Walmart, you wore whichever shoes you could get that fit comfortably. Hawkyns

There are very few period carriages left in existance, and of the ones that are, we don't really know what the original finishes were. Royal Navy painted them grey at the middle to end of the 18th C, but GAOP sources are few and contradictory. I've seen names painted both on the carriage, and on the side of the barrel, so no problem with that. Like so much else, it depends on your persona and time. If you're doing a privateer from the end of the GAOP, I'd say paint it grey with black lettering. If you're working towards one of Morgan's crew or something similar from the late 17th C, I say paint it however you prefer, within the guidelines of colours and styles in vogue at the time. Hawkyns

I've built 4 naval carriages and a couple of field carriages. Railroad ties would be too thick and heavy for a barrel of the size you are talking about. Plus, ties are frequently soaked in creosote which would be messy and a possible fire hazard. I'd recommend going to a lumberyard that specializes in hardwood and get some oak planks cut to a thickness the same as the length of your trunnions. I'd also get a copy of Muller's Treatise of Artillery from Museum Restoration Service. It has plans and scales for carriages and all the appropriate dimensions for different sizes. It also has the advantage of being a primary source (Rev War but still of a period where these guns were state of the art). You will alo need a blacksmith to make your iron work, and a source of square nuts, and square head bolts, and lag screws. Above all, once you get it built, BEFORE YOU FIRE, find yourself a trained gunner to show you how it's done properly and safely. As I tell all my students, when you are in control it is a cannon, Lose that control or focus and you have a very large pipe bomb. This is not the sort of thing that should be self taught or learned from a book. That way leads to injuries, amputations, or death. Feel free to PM me with further questions, or post here and I will answer the same. For St. Barbara!! Hawkyns Master Gunner.

Been reenacting for 40 years, everything from WWII Commando to 15th Century handgonner. Most of what I've done has been irregular, ranger, or spec forces types. When I got involved with 18th century reenacting I was surprised and disappointed to find out how they really don't like the non mainstream, or lower end of society, impressions. Just way too uptight and prissy, putting all those founding fathers and mothers up on a pedestal. So, being the contrary bugger that I am, I decided that it was neccesary to show them the part of society that they refused to admit existed. Now, being an authenticist from wayback, I wasn't going to do it hollywood style, but to show them reality, more reality than most of them ever wanted to see. I've evolved a bit since then, and moved back from 18th century to 17th, doing the impression as one of Morgan's gunners. And got hooked, completely. I still do other time periods, but my piratical ventures, as a gunner for Morgan, or, in an earlier incarnation, a gunner for Drake and Clifford, are really what I like to do best. Hawkyns

This Sunday, I'm going to a lecture and program on 18th C taverns, along with a presentation on the archeological excavation of a period tavern, at Minuteman National Park, in Lexington, MA. It's an open presentaiton, starts at noon, so anyone in the area can go. I'll report back on anything interesting. Hawkyns

OK, so since he was treated for shrapnel wounds himself, it's sounding more and more like this was a case of explosive breaching of the tube itself. Idiots will continue to do this crap and give us all a bad name. Stands on soapbox- Yet another case that will be used to hammer cannoneers and reenactors, even though we had nothing to do with it. The pirate community really needs to settle on a standardised set of rules that we all sign on to and gives us credibility when the rules monkeys try to shut us down. Hawkyns Master Gunner

I'm still trying to figure out where the advertising thing comes into this. What are they advertising? BTW, the link doesn't work and I'd like to read the original story. Hawkyns

Thanks, Ed. I wondered about the book, but like Mission, wasn't impressed with the $58 price tag. Sounds like one I'll wait until it shows up on the remainder table. Hawkyns

Dutchman- how does one get invited, and how about bringing another gun? I should be able to make it this year and would love to bring Voice. Hawkyns

If you can get to an event where Flying Canoe Traders is, mostly northeast , that would be my suggestion. I have a pair of their shoes with leather soles and rubber heels. Works great on a wet deck. I say get to the event because Louie doesn't mail order shoes, he actually fits them for you, then has you walk around for an hour to make sure they are comfortable. One of the best events to get him at is the Fort Frederick Market Fair, in Big Pool, MD. It is the 18th C Mall of America, with about a hundred sutlers of authentic (heavily juried) kit. Hawkyns

Our big issue is one that has been kicked around a dozen times, with no resolution. We have no governing body that can set a basic set of rules and require that anyone participating follow thm or leave. I've heard the "But we're pirates, we don't need no rules' too damn many times. I've been an artillery and musket safety officer for 25 years, in 4 different time periods. The one I dread most is dealing with pirates. I've seen just about every possible mistake under the sun when it comes to pirate events, to the point that I've stood my gun down a number of times, rather than participate. I'm a certified state of PA black powder safety inspector. I'm generally more of a hard ass than even those rules require, because I think they miss some things. Every time something happens with a cannon, it makes national news, like that kid who killed himself a few weeks ago with a desktop model cannon. It has nothing to do with what we do, not the smae group of people, size of gun, not even at an event, but all the news headlines say is 'killed with a cannon' and we're all tarred with that brush. One of these days we'll get past our fear of a standard set of blackpowder rules for the pirate community. Hopefully it won't be too late.

The one shown in the Sketchbook looks more like a three pounder. Obviously, though, these carriages would barely support a static 3 pounder, never mind one that is actually firing. The small size is likely due to the limitatioins of the carriages and the fact that someone building one of these is going for cheap, so getting the minimum tube neccesary to still be called a 'cannon'. Hawkyns

Mark- returning to this topic. The pic you have looks very similar to a French 'disappearing carriage' as shown in the old Sketchbook 56 series on the French and Indian War. Supposedly, this was a carriage that would allow you to collapse the gun behind a wall or revetment in order to reload in safety. All that said, the books were published years ago and much of the info has been debunked. Nevertheless, they give easy and cheap intro to the period and are still used by people who don't want to do the in depth research, or go for the correct kit. I have never seen anything like this outside those pages, so must view them with the utmost skepticism. Hawkyns

You are correct, the linstock is a shaft, sometimes with a spearhead, that holds match for the purpose of lighting the powder in the vent of a cannon. That particular method of ignition lasted well into the 19th century, until the invention of the friction primer. Some naval cannon, in the late 18th century, and into the 19th, were equipped with flintlock mechanisms that fitted over the vent. This, however, was usually reserved for the larger cannon, 18 pounders and above. There was an additional method of firing in the 18th century, called a portfire, a mixture of powder, sulfur, and binders that was attached to a shorter staff. This burned with a much hotter coal, much faster, and looked similar to what we think of today as a road flare. Road flares are, in fact, used in some places to simulate the portfire. These were not used on ships, for the obvious reason of fire danger. I think the issue is that you are calling the match, 'fuse', which it is not. They did have fuses, which were similar in nature to the portfire, but smaller, and used for granadoes and mortar bombs. Hawkyns

Not to take things sideway, but cannon in the period did not use fuses. They were fired by what is called hotshotting- putting fine grained powder firectly into the vent. On the original topic, the last matchlocks were not withdrawn from service in the British Army until 1711. That said, the matchlock is very much a military weapon, and civilians took to the firelock (flinlock, doglock, English lock, miquelet) long before the military. As early as the Mass Bay colony in the 1620's-1630's, colonists were recommended to acquire a firelock if at all possible, Hawkyns

I guess that idealism and romanticism is kind of what bugs me, I'm of the 'warts and all' school of reenacting. I prefer the truth to 'as it should have been'. Because of that, I guess I don't see enough of the warts that I know existed. I can't remember when I last some someone actually interpreting a whore, or drunk, or any of the other low end impressions of the period. I see a hell of a lot of captains, a lot of Morgan Adams types, and a huge number of 'successful' pirates. I don't see much of the other end. I've even taken crap from other pyrates because I don't dress in the fancy coats, lace, boots, etc.

Why "even" whores, William? That sounds as if they are somehow tangental to the Pyracy milieu. Realistically, if we are talking about Port Royal, or Charlestown, Portsmouth, or NYC, they should be seen in significant numbers around the camps, whether in a village setting or a beach camp. They are definitely under represented in our modern pyrate community. Hawkyns

Hurricane, do you know if there is a similar group for the Fort Taylor Invasion? Hawkyns

OK, I know its fantasy, I know it's only a movie but I really, really wish they'd keep all the garb in one period. I watched Captain Blood last night ands was impressed at how well they did keeping to the clothing of the 1680's/90's. If they could do that in 1935, why is it so damn hard now? Hawkyns

I'd wish that PoTC5 would be the missing middle years between 3 and 4. The Barbossa/Blackbeard situation, how Gibbs got arrested as Sparrow, how the Pearl would up in a bottle- There's way too much missing. Hawkyns

Saw it last night in 3D. Last movie I'll ever watch in 3D. I need to go see it again without the 3D distractions. Too hard on the eyes. For the movie itself, only two complaints. Blackbeard was way underplayed. I know Ian McShane can do a better job of being a villain than that, so I have to wonder what held him back. the character was underdeveloped, too. Second complaint was Barbossa's makeup. He looked like a leper or a survivor of Chernobyl. I'm hoping that was more the 3D effect that the actual makeup job. Other than that, it was pretty good. A bit more serious than the last two. Hawkyns