Hi Gordon and co, some pics as promised.

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The armour, clothing and weapons are in an "as used" state. I keep them clean, oiled and cared for, but I also like them to look used. So this means the odd bit of rubbed off rust, as seen on the breastplate. My blades are cared for but do have nicks and marks. The clothing has patches and worn areas and of course dirt, horse sweat and snot. :D

As you would know Gordon, you cannot spend 3 minutes with the horses before you too are filthy and smelly. Horse sweat and snot is the absolute worse thing for metal. Add blackpowder and you soon end up very grotty.

I like to present an "on campaign" look and feel for this period.

Rod;

Great stuff! Those are great pictures of you shooting your carbine off your horse! He jumped a little, eh? Well, not a lot of horses will stand PERFECTLY still when you shoot off of them, that's for sure, ;) ! And fancy that, an Aussie style Saddle, in Australia, no less! What will they think of next? :D It looks good though... as I'm sure you know, there are a couple of extant 17th Century saddles that, with the exeption of the large square skirts, look almost identical to the modern Australian Saddles with the bucking rolls (or what ever you guys call them). Pretty cool!

I like the porte-tashe that you have too... looks just right! But question: Do you load from flask and priming flask, or do you generally use paper cartridges when you load from the saddle? I've here-to-fore used only paper cartridges, even though they weren't commonly used for carbines in the period (though they were for pistols, of course). What's your experience?

Ah yes, Horse Sweat and Steel! Jeeze... takes the blue RIGHT off a gunbarrel! And I mean NOW! :eek: I had a repro extra-long barreled Winchester '73 Rifle that sort of stuck out the bottom of my scabbard, and lord, I might as well have stuck the muzzle in Naval Jelly, then salt water! Yikes! I'll bet that the muzzle of your carbine gets kind of, well, colourful after a days shooting and riding, though, what with a bore full of caustic fouling, and the outer barrel covered with caustic horse sweat! Time for a serious go with the abrasives and oil, I suspect.

So THANK YOU for posting these pictures! Love the look, especially the "lived in" Campaign look that you have "achieved"... doesn't take long though, does it? :D How on earth anyone can stay nice and clean and still be on a horse is beyond me... I guess our forefathers had plenty of grooms to do that sort of thing, and just showed up for the battle and the parade, LOL!

I'll be passing these on, no question! Thanks a bunch, I really appreciate it. After our little School of the Renaissance Soldier, I'll post a few cool pictures too. Maybe we can start a trend here...

Take Care, and stay safe!

Cheers,

Gordon

He did have a little jump ;) It has been about a year since I last shot off him so I was pretty happy with him only having a little hop.

I purchased the saddle about a month ago. I intend to peel the leather off the front of it and build it up so I can bolt a steel plate to it and use it for jousting. I also want to track down a Portuguese saddle to use for my 16th and 17th century stuff.

I would also like to put together some Border Reaver kit as well and track down some wheel lock pistols.

I usually use paper catridges down the barrel and a small flask for the pan. The flask has a finer powder in it. If I am in a hurry I use a pinch of powder from the paper catridge. The leather porte-tashe is copied from a surviving example. I made it in a hurry before an event about 6 years ago and have never gotten around to making a better one.

All of the gear in the pics was brand new in 1999. We put it together for an event. By the end of the day, spent in the saddle, it was filthy, smelly, rusty and very lived in. :D Over the years it has become very nicely aged and doesn't look like a 'costume' anymore.
The breeches even have a repaired area on the thigh, stained with blood, where I was stabbed in the leg during an event :cool:

Rod;

That saddle looks great, and will be a good basis for your Arming saddle I think. I really like my Portuguese saddle, not just for the look, either. My spookey horse tried to buck me off while we were using it once, and it held me in VERY well. Beats the heck out of a McClellan, I can tell you that! But the pommel looks as though it would be good protection, too. All in all, I'm really pleased with it, and now that its well broken in, it fits me great. Fits the new horse well, too, which is handy.

Ah, Border Reivers, on of my favorites! Nice padded jack, burgonet and a Border Lance, with a good Gus Trim/Eljay Erickson Baskethilted Broadsword at your side, and riding "a horse that is both fleet and able". Ah, the Romantic Anglo-Scottish Border! :D (Something about "Your lot used to hang My lot" comes to mind...)

And Wheellock Pistols... one of my Favorite Subjects! I can certainly send you the info on my wheellock artist/smith, Dale Shinn... but are the legalities of even muzzle-loading pistols favorable in Oz? I know that a couple of suppliers of ECW and later products in Canada ship their firearms off without the vent drilled, and thus it isn't a "real gun" until you do so... thus reenactors in England can have them too, and when you get the permit, then you drill. I guess that you could go the same route, get them imported as decorators, then drill when the licenses come through. Saves a lot on importation fun!

I do admire your porte-tashe even if it was thrown together in a hurry. Seems as those are the things that just seem to stick around, and never get replaced, LOL! I remember this scabbard... Anyway, what you are doing is my plan for training my Horsemen, i.e. using paper cartridges for the main charge, and then priming with the small flask. And although I sure do prefer when on the ground to prime first, like in the drill, for horseback, I think we'll prime LAST. Too much to go wrong otherwise, especially with no doglock safeties to engage. MAYBE with wheellocks and Snaphaunces, but NOT with real flintlocks!

Hmmm... blood stains on the breeches from being stabbed in the leg... hmmm... well, at this point, my Friend, I think You Win the Cool Award. :cool:

Thanks again for the cool photo's! And I think that ALL horses start just a bit when you shoot... its just that if you're moving already, you don't notice as much, LOL! (unless they start bucking, THEN you notice! :lol: )

Cheers!

Gordon

Very Impressive, Rod! Thanks for the pictures!

Rod thats really neat. As Gordons aware i'm a huge 16-17th century fan and you've a really great rig put together for the period! Excellent!

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Great photo, Rod!



Mike

From another big fan of the 17th c., great looking pics, Thanks for sharing.


Bill

I'll add my voice to the others, THANK YOU! for posting the excellent pics!
I'm also a fan of 16-17 century and you've got a great kit for that period. As you say, very 'lived in' and not costume-like.
If anyone finds a good source for wheel lock pistols please let us all know!

Thanks again,

Thanks for the info Gordon.

Coincidentally, I came across that same thread about two days ago. Yes, a very impressive pistol. I was *this close* to placing an order from TRS but now, after further reading, I'm not so sure. I guess I'm just not a Zen master. I plan to join that forum to learn more.

I do have an order into Albion Small Arms for a wheel lock carbine with a fish tail stock. I ordered in June of 2003, we'll see...

I've been trying to add a wheel lock (or other 'pre-flintlock') to my collection of 16-17th century replica swords for years. So far, no joy. But I'm still tryin!

Thanks again,

Kevin;

All this talk, and Rod's pictures, have made me jealous! So I had to put up a couple of shots, including poster that my friend Stephen Jacobson put together of me and my old Warhorse, Taxi going at a quintain.

The upper shot, as mentioned, is a poster of me on my old Warhorse Taxi "at the Charge". Not much, but I love that old horse, and it's kind of a cool "action" shot, even though I'm not wearing armour or packing any guns... sad but true!

The second one is of me and my friend Patrick, just "horsing around". He's on an out-or-period McClellan saddle, but he DOES have a cool snaphaunce pistol in his hand to make up for it! I'm on my big Quarterhorse, Twister, and you can just see my wheellock holster in front of the saddle. Unfortunately I didn't have it in hand!


Anyway, just for fun!

Cheers,

Gordon

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Nice shots Gordon..(no pun intended) Thanks for sharing.....again.

Wish there was some interest of this time period in my general locale, but being tucked away in the Blue Ridge Mts. ..not
happening. Lots of Amer. Civil War but as far as ECW...notta...seems I'm the only one.

But seeing all these pics of people all dudded up in their period finest...may I share a pic of myself in the time period of about 80-90 years before. This is the wife and I portraying Sir William & Lady Anne Fitzwilliam - Lord Deputy of Ireland under Elizabeth I rule. The wife (who's a born Brit) makes period clothing for all types.

Thanks for all this great discussion on matchlocks as well, very informative.

Bill

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Cool,,,, 16th century stuff, can I play too :D

Sir James Elliot (little 'ol me) at tournament.

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and Sir Jame just horsing around :cool:

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Dang... Rod one-ups me again! :p Still, that's a great shot! I love that late Elizabethan armour, it has it's own really fine line that is just, well, cool.

Thanks Bill, I appreciate your comments. Wasn't Fitzwilliam the one who replaced Sir Henry Sydney? The one whom is pictured in "Image of Ireland"? Those are some really nifty prints, with a HUGE amount of detail on English military equipage of the day.

Hmmm... Okay, I'll post something else here, just for amusement. This was getting folks warmed up in a Renaissance Cavalry Class I held last May... note the rather, er, broad selection of time periods and dress! I had everything from Norman to WWII Cavalry reenactors there! But hey, it was a place to start from, and now there are a few more folks getting their kit together for Renaissance Cavalry, so it's all worthwhile. Hopefully I'll have MUCH better stuff to post in another month or so!

Cheers!

Gordon

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Gordon,

You are correct. Sir William did replace Sir Henry who was actually Lady Anne's brother...guess it was all in who you knew back then too.

Bill

Gordon,

i just happened to be in Barnes & Noble today, picked up a copy of Reniassance Magazine to flip thru & lo and behold..there in living color a full page color shot of none other than our Gordon Frye......wow NOW your famous :wtf:

Bill