Pirate swords and weapons

spiral · 22nd December 2007, 10:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt Splatt

Spiral, you are a bit off I'm afraid. In the mid 1800's aluminum was more expensive than gold but by 1880 it was about the price of silver. In 1886 the Hall-Heroult electrolysis method made it cheaply and in industrial quantities. By the mid 1890's it was so cheap it was used as a building material. It was a quite heavily used in the tropics because of its corrosion resistance. A prime example of this is the aluminum dome on the Chief Secretaries Building in Sydney Australia completed in 1895. So I don't think the aluminum is a problem with the date.

Thankyou Matt! Yes I was clearly mistaken on that dating. Apologies. Ill look at my sources again but it was probably just my memmory at fault!

Spiral

Berkley · 22nd December 2007, 07:17 PM

Among the relics recovered from Blackbeard's flagship Queen Anne's Revenge are a brass blunderbuss barrel, a sideplate from a pistol, and a whetstone. Regrettably no edged weapons have been found. The sea is not kind to iron and steel

.

Freddy · 22nd December 2007, 08:31 PM

I'm not really into guns, but sometimes one finds something interesting so I buy it

(just can't help it).
I liked the pistol Matt displayed and I want to add this one to the arsenal of pirates.

It's a blunderbuss I bought some time ago. According to the former owner, it came from North Africa, although anywhere along the Westcoast of Africa could also be correct.

It's about 48 cm long and has a bore of 4,5 cm !

This type of weapon was used aboard ships to repel boarders and mutineers.

It's crudely made and resembles a bit Matt's pistol.

fernando · 22nd December 2007, 08:48 PM

Hi Freddy
Is the action working ?
Is 48 cms. the total length ?
Fernando

Freddy · 23rd December 2007, 04:26 PM

Yes, the total length is 48 cm. Quite a compact piece.

It's possible to pull the hammer back and from time to time it reacts when you pull the trigger. Unfortunately, some barbarian

put a nail in the hole where the percussion cap had to be placed to ignite the powder.

But still, it looks nice on my wall.

fernando · 23rd December 2007, 06:12 PM

It seems as piracy chronicles are traditionaly fancifull, and rather dificult to discern which were the actual devices tose guys used in action. According to Exquemelin's way of portraying his favorites, those operating in the Antilles, the main weapon was indeed a short piece, practical for boarding melee.
On the other hand Teach ( Black beard ) can be seen portraied in "speciality books" with various pistols ( three according to chronists ) and a full sized sword ... and two burning priming cords pending from his hat

William Kidd is a figure that still sustains lots of mystic as, just the other day, certain researchers went back to the files to try and determine that Kidd's condemnation was a judicial error

.
All this and much more comes in an interesting book about Piracy and Corso from all times, published in 1997 ( ISBN 972-759-044-6 ).
A pitty that the weapons used are the least contemplated part.

fernando · 23rd December 2007, 06:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Freddy

But still, it looks nice on my wall.

You already answered my next question

I wouldn't mind fixing that problem of the nail stuck in the fire hole

.

Jim McDougall · 24th December 2007, 11:06 PM

Fernando, thank you for the great posts of these illustrations! These are great for point of reference as we look at how artists and illustrators perceived the weapons carried by the pirates, and we wonder how accurate or fanciful these renderings are.
I think poor Captain Kidd really got a bad rap!
All the best,
Jim

22nd December 2007, 07:17 PM	#2
Berkley Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Austin, Texas USA Posts: 257	Queen Anne's Revenge Among the relics recovered from Blackbeard's flagship Queen Anne's Revenge are a brass blunderbuss barrel, a sideplate from a pistol, and a whetstone. Regrettably no edged weapons have been found. The sea is not kind to iron and steel .

23rd December 2007, 06:12 PM	#6
fernando (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Portugal Posts: 9,694	It seems as piracy chronicles are traditionaly fancifull, and rather dificult to discern which were the actual devices tose guys used in action. According to Exquemelin's way of portraying his favorites, those operating in the Antilles, the main weapon was indeed a short piece, practical for boarding melee. On the other hand Teach ( Black beard ) can be seen portraied in "speciality books" with various pistols ( three according to chronists ) and a full sized sword ... and two burning priming cords pending from his hat William Kidd is a figure that still sustains lots of mystic as, just the other day, certain researchers went back to the files to try and determine that Kidd's condemnation was a judicial error . All this and much more comes in an interesting book about Piracy and Corso from all times, published in 1997 ( ISBN 972-759-044-6 ). A pitty that the weapons used are the least contemplated part. Attached Images

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22nd December 2007, 08:31 PM	#3
Freddy Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Sint-Amandsberg (near Ghent, Belgium) Posts: 830	I'm not really into guns, but sometimes one finds something interesting so I buy it (just can't help it). I liked the pistol Matt displayed and I want to add this one to the arsenal of pirates. It's a blunderbuss I bought some time ago. According to the former owner, it came from North Africa, although anywhere along the Westcoast of Africa could also be correct. It's about 48 cm long and has a bore of 4,5 cm ! This type of weapon was used aboard ships to repel boarders and mutineers. It's crudely made and resembles a bit Matt's pistol.

22nd December 2007, 08:48 PM	#4
fernando (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Portugal Posts: 9,694	Hi Freddy Is the action working ? Is 48 cms. the total length ? Fernando

23rd December 2007, 04:26 PM	#5
Freddy Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Sint-Amandsberg (near Ghent, Belgium) Posts: 830	Yes, the total length is 48 cm. Quite a compact piece. It's possible to pull the hammer back and from time to time it reacts when you pull the trigger. Unfortunately, some barbarian put a nail in the hole where the percussion cap had to be placed to ignite the powder. But still, it looks nice on my wall.

24th December 2007, 11:06 PM	#8
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,189	Fernando, thank you for the great posts of these illustrations! These are great for point of reference as we look at how artists and illustrators perceived the weapons carried by the pirates, and we wonder how accurate or fanciful these renderings are. I think poor Captain Kidd really got a bad rap! All the best, Jim