Hawkyns

Well, you're right about the tricorne, it shows up around the end of the17th C and then hangs around until about 1800. Breeches, however, (I assume that's what you mean by knickers) appear in about 1580 and are generally referred to as 'venetians'. The go through a few changes, mostly in how baggy they are, but in length are virtually unchanged until 1800. Sailors wore slops, a baggier, slightly longer version, not tied at the knee, and these again are good from Elizabethan times on. I suppose most of this depends on the Faire, and how it is billed. I would feel very funny wearing a 1720's coat and tricorne to an Elizabethan faire. Some faires are Tudor, some even earlier. If nothing is specified, I generally take my cue from who the King or Queen is supposed to be and dress according to that time period. Harbourmaster- I am of two minds about the boots. They are certainly period from Elizabethan times on. Problem is, they are cavalry boots. The have a stacked heel for the stirrup and the high barrel is supposed to protect your leg from rubbing on the horse. I'd really hate to be on a wet pitching deck in those. They may well have been worn on shore. I am of the opinion, though, that there may be a confusion between those and the sea boot, which shows up at the end of the 19th century. This is more akin to a modern fireman's boot, low heel, rubber sole, and a shorter barrel, to just about the knee. I think artists may have seen seaboots, and drawn what they thought was a period equivalent, and that became a staple of art and literature in the early 20th century. There are some Elizabethan variations that are low heeled and may have been worn by Drake and such people, but beyond that, I have my doubts. Your mileage may vary. Hawkyns

Scarlett- D'ye know where in Salem this is goin' t'be? I know the town reasonable well. Down on the harbour, mayhap? Hawkyns

I've seen the ordnance cartridge references from the ealier period. The cartridges for smallarms is new to me from that period. Are they in the same book? And is Garner in English? I've piggybacked a lot of my research from that period on Gerry Embleton's work, he being 'on the spot' so to speak. None of his work, or the sources that he's referenced and I've been able to find, mention the small arms cartridges. Hawkyns

Right you are, John. Between the originals in the collection and the fighting grade pieces, and museum grade replicas, I hate to think how much I have invested in steel (don't want Gwen to realise it, either). It's as much an addiction as any drug, but it's legal!!!! I just can't pass a good cutler or a decent weapons dealer without dropping some cash. Can't say I've been super impressed with Cold Steel's offerings, though. They always seemed too utilitarian to me. More designed for the survivalist than the historian. The smallsword is the first truly historic piece that I can remember. Hawkyns

Right you are, John. Between the originals in the collection and the fighting grade pieces, and museum grade replicas, I hate to think how much I have invested in steel (don't want Gwen to realise it, either). It's as much an addiction as any drug, but it's legal!!!! I just can't pass a good cutler or a decent weapons dealer without dropping some cash.

Check out the Coalition of Historical Trekkers www.COHT.org and www.HistoricalTrekking.com Both have message boards and you can find people in your area. In WI, you've got lots of options- regular trekking, hunting treks, and canoe treks up in the Boundary Waters. Hawkyns

For those of you who have the leather tricorns- How do they hold up in the rain? Not a misty day, but a solid constant rain. Our musters are not cancelled for rain, so kit has to be able to work as well wet as dry. I've looked at the leather ones, but unless they are practically sealed in some form of plastic leather dressing, they would seem to soak up water very quickly. Hawkyns

Uh, sorry, not correct. Transportation Safety Administration rules say no. Here's the link, it's a PDF, scroll down to prohibited items. http://www.tsa.gov/interweb/assetlibrary/P..._12_18_2003.pdf Hawkyns

Well, it shouldn't, but, as usual, there are caveats. It all depends how it's confined . In a paper cartridge, no. In a solid metal, or heavy horn, or even thick cardboard, container, it could do some serious damage. ya pays ya money, an' ya takes ya choice!! Hawkyns

I generally use 1 1/2 times my caliber in grains, i.e. .50 cal weapon gets a 75 grain blank charge. Aye, Cap'n, it's dangerous. Black powder, like so many other weapons, is a balance of control. You take the appropriate precautions, balance the risks, but, in the final analysis, if you play with weapons, you cna get hurt. 100 grains or so can injure, but it is less of a risk than a half pound going off. I have had a 125 grain BP grenade simulator go off in my hand. Got bruises and a second degree burn, but that was it. One of my troops got careless and let his hand drift over the barrel of his carbine while we were on parade. The heat cooked off a round into his hand and he still has got all the powder burns out 5 years later. Black powder burns when not confined, so powder in a paper cartridge will fizzle and pop, but not give a real explosion. So it's a lesser risk, but is still a risk. As I tell my sword students, if you pick up a weapon and walk onto the field with it, you can get killed, no matter what protection you are wearing or how 'safe' the weapon has been made. Same with black powder. If you are not willing to take the risk, or if you are nervous handling powder, then perhaps firing is not for you. Everyone should have a healthy respect for live weapons, even a bit of paranoia. Weapons are made to kill, and repro weapons do the job just as efficiently as originals. Hawkyns

I use either plain lye soap, unscented castille soap, or, if I absolutely have no other choice, Ivory. I also said small clothes- shirt, and drawers, and maybe slops. Weskits, coats, and raingear get brushed and hung. And I do not wash kit after every wearing. Nothing wrong with the smell of honest sweat, smoke, and tar. (one of my pet peeves is a historic site or person that looks right, but smells of modern perfume or deoderant). Doing the laundry in a tub on site and chucking it on the tent lines to dry is how much gets done. 2 birds etc. I wash what I need washed, and the public gets to see how laundry was done historically. Hawkyns

As a result of the Bristol accent being applied to pirates, there is a tendency to forget that many of the areas in the colonies took on the accents of the home of the colonists. The Carolinas, for instance, were heavily involved in the pirate/privateeer business, but a very large percentage of the population of those colonists came from Northern Ireland, Southern Scotland and the English borders. (Check out the book 'Albion's Seed" for details). Fair to say that instead of sounding like Bristolians, those colonists should have sounded more like people from Carlisle. And you think Bristol is hard to understand..... Hawkyns

Yeah, my Billy Bones coat is a bit mottled in places. The wax is really great against the rain, though, and it doesn't get heavier as it gets wet. Washability is not an issue for me, though. I take care of my pirate clothing in a period manner, which is to say hand wash with soap and line dry the small clothes and just brush the excess dirt and air the outer clothing. I figure that the closer I take care of my stuff to a period correct manner, the more it will look appropriate to the character. Maybe that's a question for another forum- do you use modern or period cleaning methods on your kit? Hmmm..... Hawkyns

So, Scupper and Scarlet Is this shindig still on? I'm planning to be there with a couple of my gunners if it is. Are we doing this in full kit? Has the bar been warned? Hawkyns

Instead of using a spray to waterproof the canvas, get some of the wax used to re-waterproof drovers coats and waxed cotton coats. Get it at an Orvis dealer or other high-flyfishing or hunting shop. Took me about 3 hours to work it in to the canvas and use an iron to melt it into the fibers, but it's much more sturdy and will last longer than a spray. Hawkyns

What yer talkin'n about is sweat, oil, and black powder spooge. A couple of weekends on the range, or a couple of good re-enactment weekends can get rid of that new look right well. I wouldn't be willing to shoot an original. Every shot could blow the barrel, break springs, even break bigger parts. Age, rust, and lack of care does funny things to metal, which probably wasn't the best to start with. Some people do, I know, but unless you are really familiar with firearms, I wouldn't recommend it. Hawkyns

Revolvers are different. You are not loading them while still hot from shooting (or you shouldn't be). When I was doing ACW, I carried 2 extra cylinders for my brass frame Remington .44 (colts, ptuii). That gave me the extra shots without rapid relaoding. Loading a revolver is more of a protracted procedure, cleaning, loading, wadding, and sealing the cylinders. If the cylinder is clean and cool, then having a left over spark is not an issue. If you are reloading hot, then yes, I'd definitely use a separate measure. Hawkyns

it's not a faire, it's the second largest SCA interkingdom War. Here's the website http://www.estrellawar.org/ Been to it once, but that was a couple of years back. Being from the East, it was quite a bit different than what I'm used to. Hawkyns

Nay, don't apologize Bess. I were rather enjoyin' the discussion of ....chests Hawkyns

When I make my cartridges, I put in an extra 5 grains. When I bite the cartridge, the first few grains go into the pan, before the main charge goes down the barrel. This is correct procedure from all the military manuals of the period. Under normal circumstances, you can prime with the same powder that you use in the main charge. I carry a small priming horn, 75-100 grains of FFFF for use if I just can't get the charge to go any other way. This procedure is the same for any musket I'm firing with cartridge, no matter what period. If I'm firing a matchlock and using a bandolier, then the priming bottle is small to start with. I do not ever follow the procedure of using 2 horns, one for the main charge and one to prime, even though that was common among early musketeers. It came back into service in the 18th century. If I'm carrying 2 horns, the powder goes into a measure before going down the bore. Either way, it means that I'm never holding more than a hundred grains or so over the muzzle or the touchhole, whether in a horn, a measure, or in a cartridge. Hawkyns

Not too sure about posting pics- I'm officially designated 'Computer Challenged Luddite' but here are a few links to sutlers sites with pictures http://www.gggodwin.com/435.htm http://www.gggodwin.com/417.htm http://www.tuckahoetradingco.com/twc001b.jpg http://www.jarnaginco.com/French%20leather%20gear.htm The last one, the French boxes, are particularly typical of early pattern boxes Hawkyns

The book I was looking at last night was the Time-Life Seafarer series "Pirates". There are a whole series of woodcuts right at the front. But this morning I checked Angus Kostam's "The History of Pirates" which might be a bit more common in our libraries, and the woodcuts are in there, too. p103 Edward Teach- six pistols hung from the baldric on a cartridge box p104 Jack Rackham shoulder slung cartridge box on right hip p106-107 Bartholomew Roberts box worn in front from baldric p110 Charles Vane pistols slung from cartridge box baldric p131 Henry Every belly box worn with pistols in belt Most of these are from Johnson's "A General History of Pirates" and appear to be the work of the same artist. However- it is a primary source, and as such, I would expect the depictions to be accurate as seen from comtemporary eyes. Hawkyns

Nice stuff but way too fancy for me. I'd be forever worrying about getting mud or tar or powder spooge on it. I'll stick with working kit, thank'ee. Good linen, hemp, and leather is more to my taste. Here's one sutler I get stuff from: http://www.barkertownsutlers.com/ Two others I use are Druid's Oak, and the Ohio Valley Peddlar. Unfortunately, neither one has websites, so you have to catch them at 18th C trade fairs around the OH, PA, MD, VA area. Hawkyns

I was just looking at a bunch of woodcuts tonight of the various captains. Most of them are carrying a belly box for holding premade cartridge. Much easier and quicker than the horn. I would expect that most people carrying a firearm would carry cartridges in some sort of cartridge box. Matter of fact, one such box was found on the Wydah. Hawkyns

OY!!! LONGARM!!! be a nice pirate and put down the cutlass and pistols.... Now- Drink t' yer birthday like the bloodythirsty bugger ye are HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! Hawkyns