Powder Bottles

[spectre1953]

Anyone know where I can find powder bottles, like the ones pictured below?

Powder bottles

[Bright]

Anyone know where I can find powder bottles, like the ones pictured below?

Powder bottles

I try heres mate http://sykesutler.home.att.net/index.htm

[Red Sea Trade]

Goose Bay Workshops makes a handsome, all metal powder flask.

[BlaggardMike]

how would this be worn?

[Sgt Johnson]

how would this be worn?

They would be worn over the shoulder in the same fashion as a sword hanger.

[callenish gunner]

Our own Sutller Jim from ol' Sutler Jon make them ... Ol' Sutler Jon and does a fine job!

[Cuisto Mako]

Was it the only style of powder flask used during the 17th century or did they also used simple powder horn (more 18th century style)?

[michaelsbagley]

Was it the only style of powder flask used during the 17th century or did they also used simple powder horn (more 18th century style)?

I think the bandolier/wooden powder holders was the dominant means of storing powder charges throughout most of the 17th century, but I have found references to shot boxes (cartouche boxes) going back as far as 1664, and there is a popular image of some Dutch soldiers dated to the 1690s that shows them with powder horns and what may be a shoulder slung shot pouch/bag.

I think Patrick Hand uncovered some cool info on how the early Buccaneers may have carried their powder and cartidges (see the Buccaneer Projects discussion topic for that info)

[Capt. Sterling]

Goose Bay Workshops makes a handsome, all metal powder flask.

Aye and here is the link http://www.goosebay-workshops.com/THE-SHIP-S-STORE

scroll down

Edited October 6, 2009 by Capt. Sterling

[casketchris]

i was not very happy with the price of the ones on the market so i made my own out of stool legs

if you or anyone want a how to or better pics pm me

[Cuisto Mako]

Was it the only style of powder flask used during the 17th century or did they also used simple powder horn (more 18th century style)?

I think the bandolier/wooden powder holders was the dominant means of storing powder charges throughout most of the 17th century, but I have found references to shot boxes (cartouche boxes) going back as far as 1664, and there is a popular image of some Dutch soldiers dated to the 1690s that shows them with powder horns and what may be a shoulder slung shot pouch/bag.

I think Patrick Hand uncovered some cool info on how the early Buccaneers may have carried their powder and cartidges (see the Buccaneer Projects discussion topic for that info)

Yeah I know that image and you're rigth those are powder horn for sure. Regarding the early buccaneers they did use calabash sealed with wax, but I was under the impression that it was to store large quantity of powder not to cary it with them, but I could be wrong.

I was curious about the horn versus the flask since cowhide was pretty common in the carribean with the hunting buccaneers, so I guess so would have been the horn...

[Hawkyns]

Was it the only style of powder flask used during the 17th century or did they also used simple powder horn (more 18th century style)?

I7th century flasks were made of horn, among other things, but did not take the same form as the 18th century common american horn. The 17th c horn ones were generally flattened and had a spring loaded cover to the opening.

The trapezoidal flask was also very popular in the first half of the century

Horns were also frequently made from stag or elk horn.

Hawkyns

[Cuisto Mako]

Hey thanks Hawkyns! Those are splendid! :)

[Red Sea Trade]

What is curious is that you see engravings of Landsknechts in the early 16th century carrying powderhorns that look very similar to 18th and 19th century horns, but you don't tend to see the same shape in the 17th century. Somehow it seems to have skipped a century.

[MarkG]

Was it the only style of powder flask used during the 17th century or did they also used simple powder horn (more 18th century style)?

I7th century flasks were made of horn, among other things, but did not take the same form as the 18th century common american horn. The 17th c horn ones were generally flattened and had a spring loaded cover to the opening.

The trapezoidal flask was also very popular in the first half of the century

Horns were also frequently made from stag or elk horn.

Hawkyns

Notice that a couple of these have two levers. You would turn it upside down while holding the first lever and shake the flask a bit. Then you would release the first lever and push the second one. This would release a measured charge. I've seen this arrangement on several 17th century flasks. The alternative was to pour powder into a separate measure. Neither of these is suitable for warfare. Fancy flasks lie these would normally be reserved for hunting.

Musketeers normally used a bandoleer (in the 19th or 20th century they started calling this a band of apostles but this was not a period term). These were drilled so that they would hold a measured charge. They are very quick to load from and the wood bottles do a good job of protecting the powder. I've seen people people have a priming flask go up in their hand with none of the main charges going off.

Bandoleers were too difficult to use from horseback so cavalry and dragoons carried cartridge boxes with paper charges.

From long experience I can say that each has advantages and disadvantages. It takes longer to make paper cartridges and they go through a lot of paper - a big consideration in an age when paper was rarer than today. It is also slightly faster to load from a bandoleer although this goes down as you use up charges since you have to double check that the bottle you selected is full. On the other hand, it is much quicker to distribute paper charges. Once they started including the bullet in the cartridge the paper cartridge was faster. At the same time, paper became easier to come by.

By the end of the 17th century, most armies were using paper cartridges instead of bandoleers. You can make a case for pirates continuing to use bandoleers later than Europeans armies since they were a long way from a source of paper. Buccaneers (cow killers) probably used flasks since they started out as hunters and bandoleers rattle.

Mark