BILLY BONES

I rode the ride twice on Tuesday. I have to tell you, that I grew up around D-land, and was a frequenter of THE ride, so it was with trepidation that I rode it again, what with the changes and all. My wife and I recognised Mr. Rush's voice even before we entered the room, and were pleasantly surprised by the changes. Of the 3 appearances of Captain Sparrow, the last looked the least like him, in my opinion, but it was a wonderful effort. I had ridden the ride shortly before the renovation, when I was working on POTC II in L.A., and the nostalgia was thick, but the ride seemed a bit shabby for a Disney ride. Everything looks pretty ship-shape now! I, for one, am actually happy with the update.

I saw DMC at the cast & crew showing Monday night. This is really great, mates!!!

I surrender.

Me at work on POTC II & III. I was the armorer, and this was my work uniform. BTW, Thanks Black John, for you help!http://s66.photobucket.com/albums/h273/billybones_2006/pirates/

I've tried to order an Old Dominion cutlass several times, but evidently, they're not taking orders. Too much backlog.

Like the indiscrutable Miss Bess said in so many words, YIKES!!!! I never saw this being filmed, and I was there. Most decidedly a fake.

Well, I think I'll be steerin' a course fur Vegas, what with Rummy, Scarlet, and the like attendin'. I've got some friends what live there, so what the heck? I haven't seen many of you for ages, and never met most of ya. I'm a raiding pyrate wherever I go, so it matters not to me. Hope to meet you devils in October. BB

Well, that didn't work. It was a picture of me standing next to Rummy3, so nobody would have noticed me anyway.

/Users/kelly/Desktop/PIC00357 picture - Webshots.webarchive I'm the one on the right. Yes, guys, there's a person on the right.

Of course, for those who don't want to, or don't have the culinary talent to make them, you can order hardtack from two sources. One is the Mechanical Baking Co., and the other (which I recommend) is Bent's Cookie Factory. Both have made hardtack since the 1850s, and Bent's makes them on the original dies. Look at Bent's website (www.bentscookiefactory.com), and with alittle research, you'll find a rounder biscuit than their square Civil War biscuit. It looks quite similar to the above example. If I remember correctly, they sell the crackers in boxes of 20. Nice people to deal with too, and have a good handle on the history of hardtack. BB

Put me down for a pair. BB

Just a note: The mainsprings on the Pederasoli Queen Anne are flimsy, and are the same on the Harper's Ferry pistol. Granted, the Queen Anne's on POTC have been through more than any pistol has a right to go through, but I've changed the mainsprings on several. They seem to break right at the bend in them.

Whoever wrote that has never seen Kiera Knightly. She is friendly, cooperative, funny, and has no entourage. When she's not delivering lines, you might see her sitting on the steps to the quarterdeck of the Pearl reading a novel. Yesterday, she gave a long performance and was magnificent. She is the most striking woman on the set, but only through her natural beauty. She is quite friendly with the crew, and everyone I've seen her come in contact with. Where do they get this stuff?

My office is a captain's cabin. I'm still in the Bahamas, but return home Saturday, so maybe I can post some pics. Might give you some ideas. BB

But Foxe! Not for sale? Is it a rather large size?....Oh yeah...not for sale.

OK, mates. Being in the prop department of 2 & 3, and knowing the whereabouts of the props from the first movie, I can truthfully say that not one single actual prop has been sold on ebay, unless it was a Disney sanctioned sale, as were some of the original costumes sold early on. We are still using 90% of the props from 1, and I know what prop houses still have the remaining props. Even the coins are not the type used in 1,2,or 3. They were actually cast for the films, and are unlike any you can buy on the market. As far as cutlasses, they also were created for the film, and are unavailable anywhere at this time. The Sword in the Stone has some lookalikes available of Barbossa's sword, but since they made the original, it seems only fair. No props would be available to anyone, unless they were stolen, and the chances of that are extremely slim. Beware of locks, chests, etc. as well. Most of the chests used are made from scratch, or they are able to be purchased at pier 1, or someplace. No letters of authenticity are valid. Barbossa's hat was for sale? Yikes!!! Don't fall for that one! BB

I forgot. It's my feeling that bucket boots may have been worn as a stylistic trend, much as they are now, but only on shore, not universally, and certainly before 1700.

I, for one, ocassionally wear bucket boots to functions that I feel warrant it. By this, I mean that if I'm at a Halloween party, or a function where the general public will be present, I feel compelled to wear them, since that's what the public expects. Otherwise, I'm barefoot, sandaled, or wearing shoes.....OK, now there are the inevitable questions about educating the public about what a pirate really wore. Hey, I look good in bucket boots! I know what's right, but at certain times, I wear them anyway. As stated by previous posters, wear 'em if you feel like it. Just know what's correct for the function you're attending. BTW, I'm frankly quite sick of bad bucket boots, as it seems that every "pirate" on POTC must wear them, except, of course, the actual ship riggers, who go barefoot or wear tennis shoes. BB

Anything about Roberts could calso be good. Do you have a propmaster? I am one, and would be very interested!!!

When you watch Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and most especially 3, watch for a beautiful pistol-cutlass and a double-barreled blunderbuss with bayonet. There is also a grenade launcher present, and an original 4 barreled duckfoot. Pretty cool stuff, and should get some oooos and awwws from the oddball gun enthusiast. There are some pretty unconventional deck guns you might enjoy as well, but they're somewhat of a surprise. BB

Foxe, I was going to add something here, but I couldn't get past Hiram V. Noodlewhacker. My apologies. Actually, that sounds like a tome I would be interested in reading.

Hey mate. Sorry we couldn't meet. On the allotted time for your visit, we were filming in the Exumas, with no internet service to speak of. I apologize. BB

I think I'd go for a more serious saying, which mates more adept than I have already suggested. Just personal taste, but if I'm going to have something permanently on me body, it had better mean something to me. BB

Correct me if I'm dreaming this, but as encouragement to those who prefer to use a latex paint to simulate tarred items, I seem to recall a study of several Civil War (American) tarred haversacks, and the results on their analization concluding that many were covered in something closely resembling black latex paint. I'm sure that many were Confederate manufactured haversacks, which could have dubious ingrediants in their mixture. I have seen some reenactor haversacks which had been painted with latex, and in time, the stuff actually gets that kind of brown cast in the wear spots that actual tarring gets. It also repels water to a point, but doesn't seem to permeate the fibers like tar does. In other words, you get leaks. Just throwing that out there. BB

OK, I've made the flags, and every day, we fly one over the basecamp. There's been alot of nice comments, but also some controversy. Mainly on the shapes of the flags (proportions). Some of my flags are bordering on square. It looks better with some of the designs, and when flying your ensign from the mizzen, they don't interfere with the guns or drag in the water. I have yet to find a Pirates Flag Regulation Manual, but the production designer is appalled that they don't all fit the 3x5 type of format. It also seems irksome to him that some are 20 feet on the fly, and some are 10 feet, once again alluding to regulations. Of course, many flags of the period were almost square. I also took the liberty of painting a couple of the flags, rather than sewing on the design. It's my opinion that this is correct as well on some of the more intricate patterns. As far as materials, I've used linen, hemp, wool, and yes, due to budget, some cotton. Let's face it, the industry thinks that all pirate ships are the Queen Anne's Revenge, and that all pirate ensigns should be of the size for a flagship. No dugout canoes, pinnaces, sloops, etc. Now as far as the supposed Jack Rackham flag, The design is pleasing and the message straight forward. I can understand picking it. It would, however, have been just as easy to design something original. The ensign is well made, by the way, and is of linen. I was commissioned to make these flags in a month, during which I was home for Christmas, my mother broke her hip, my basement flooded, my dog died, etc., so it turned out to be the month from hell. Frankly, I don't care if even one flag makes the film at this point. I just want to go home. Oh, am I whining? Thanks again for your input. BB