Two good 18th Century Forums worth Joining.

The Woodsrunner Forum: http://neclhg.freeforums.net/

The Minuteman Forum: http://minuteman.boards.net/

Pirates & Privateers Newsletter.

https://pub47.bravenet.com/bravemailer/v2/online.php?id=861&usernum=3977197897&e=historicaltrekker%40gmail.com&cname=Keith

Crusoe's Plunder. Author's Design.

Crusoe's Plunder.

Tools Of The Trade UPDATE.

I have updated my equipment of late, I removed the pewter bolster from my hunting knife & fitted a new handle. This one as you can see is antler. Also shown is my fairly new clasp knife.

Keith.

Origins of the Tomahawk Name. PDF.

https://anthrosource.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1525/aa.1908.10.2.02a00090

Theodore Aboriginal Axe Grinding Grooves.

See more images at Dave's ACT blog here: http://www.davesact.com/2018/10/theodore-aboriginal-axe-grinding-grooves.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+http%2Fdavesactblogspotcom%2Ffeeds%2Fposts%2Fdefaultaltrss+%28Dave%27s+ACT%29

Survival Prepper Forum

I am constantly looking for a decent Australian survival forum, so far no luck. The Australian survival forums I have found so far are no better than the American ones. America is different from Australia in many ways, so the discussions on those forums are not of much use if you live in Australia or the UK. Australian forums have other problems, the forum managers & moderators are slack & do not control the forum members when they get out of line. The other factor with Australian forums is that they often look at someone's post, but do not comment. It does not take much to comment, preferably a nice comment. Fair enough if you think the post is totally pointless, just say nothing or politely point out where you think they are wrong. But to say nothing when in fact it was a good post is not very encouraging for the person who made the post.

Anyway, not commenting can be a problem on all forums, but some forums are better than others. I decided to register on two forums, one is an American forum on which I am a moderator, & the other is a UK forum on which I am a forum manager https://www.preppersforum.uk/  I find that on this UK forum we have more in common than any American one. For the most part members are friendly & the managers & moderators do a good job of keeping spammers out & controlling disagreeable people.

Anyway, if you are in Australia or America or the UK & are looking for a decent survival prepper forum, come & check this one out. Frankly I could do with a few more Aussies on this forum!

https://www.preppersforum.uk/

Regards, Keith. 

National Museum of the American Indian. A Link.

 Joseph Brant, by Gore Romney

My thanks to my friend Swampfox for supplying this link. Thanks mate.
Keith.

http://www.nmai.si.edu/searchcollections/peoplescultures.aspx

Royal Museum Greenwich collections.

http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections.html#!cbrowse

British Museum Shot Pouch. Undated!

 Museum number

Am1991,09.4

Full: Front

Rectangular flat pouch or bag, with strap, fingerwoven of wool. The flat bag is constructed from one or two pieces of red wool plaited cloth, with a central resist [undyed] paler horizontal stripe across the front. The vertical edges include black wool.

Rectangular flat pouch or bag, with strap, fingerwoven of wool. The flat bag is constructed from one or two pieces of red wool plaited cloth, with a central resist [undyed] paler horizontal stripe across the front. The vertical edges include black wool, with a line of opaque white beads and stitching in a brown vegetal thread. The bottom seam also includes stitching in a brown vegetal thread, with a line of quill wrapped wool fringing, each ending in a red hair filled metal comb, the colour of the quills being alternating black and white bands. The front of the bag is further decorated, just above the resist dyed strip, with a further fringe similar to that at the bottom. Woven into the front of the bag is a geometric design in irregular opaque white beads: two vertical lines of chevrons, with a double zig zag line up the centre and single zig-zag lines up both vertical edges. The points of the chevrons face downwards. The back and less faded side of the bag is decorated with a double row, vertical, each of butterfly-like geometric designs, each row being 3 high; the vertical seams each have rows of five small diamonds. All the patterns are in the same opaque white glass beads. The top of the bag is edged with green tape, enclosed in lines of white beads, back and front. The bag is lined with a coarse reddish manufactured cloth. // The strap is also plaited, in two greenish colours, that at the edge being slightly yellower than the reddish green colour of the body of the strap. The strap is attached by sewing with the brown vegetable thread at the two top corners of the pouch opening. The strap finishes on both sides with a plaited wool fringe, on the left [from the front] with six plaits, and on the right with five plaits. Woven into these plaits or braids are white beads, incorporating slightly darker green wool. The main body of the strap incorporates in the weaving a diamond pattern of white beads, with along the slightly contrasting colour edges, rows of white beads, at the absolute edge and at the boundary between the two colours. Repairs to the beadwork seem to have been carried out with this darker green wool.

http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details/collection_image_gallery.aspx?partid=1&assetid=110978001&objectid=516326;

Casting of birdshot and fowling lead balls. Diderot.

Plate I: Casting of Birdshot, Water Casting

Plate II: Casting of Birdshot, Water Casting

Plate III: Casting of Birdshot, Mold Casting

https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=did;cc=did;rgn=main;view=text;idno=did2222.0001.496

Diderot Search for 18th century items & Trades.

https://quod.lib.umich.edu/d/did/

Technological Adaptation on the Frontier: An Examination of Blacksmithing at Fort Michilimackinac, 1715-1781

Author's 18th century fire steel.

http://surface.syr.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1102&context=ant_etd

PDF. From Things left Behind: Voyageur National Park. Artifacts.

https://www.nps.gov/history/mwac/publications/pdf/tech84.pdf

Indian Goods List.

By Frances Back.

My thanks to David Swampfox for this list of goods.

In Public Record Office, C.). 5.61, London, England. Enclosed in a letter of Amherst to William Pitt, February 27,1761
p.334-335 Sir William Johnson Papers

A list of goods intended for Northern tribes.

A List of Such merchandise as is Usually sold to the Indians — the prices differ with the times —

Deep blue Strowds with a narrow white cord
Plain Blue Strowds
Black Strowds
Scarlet or Aurora Do
Garterings and bindings for strouds of different sorts
French blankets, or twilled lettered white blankets
Purple & white french Rateen for Stockings
English white blanketsof 20-24-&30 to a piece with black or Deep blue stripes
Wals cottons, or Pennistons for stockings
Green Knapt Frize for Do: & also for Blankets
Red, Yellow, Green & blue halfthicks
Flowered serges, lively colours or gay
Calicoes, Claimancoes for gowns &ca
Ribbons of all sorts, especially deep red, yellow, blue & Green
Linnens & ready made Shirts of all Sizes
Light coloured & white threads
Needles sorted
Awl blades for making Indian Shoes
Scalping and Clasp knives
Vermillion and Verdigrease
Jews Harps small & large
Stone & plain rings
Hawks bells different Sizes
Small white Beeds & other coloured Do Small
Horn Combs different sizes
Brass wire different Sizes
Scizars & Razors
Looking Glasses….Different sorts
Brass & tinn Kettles large and Small
Women & Childrens Worsted & yarn hose with clocks
Roll of paper Tobacco. Also Leaf Do
Pipes long & Short
Red Leather Trunks in Nests
Black & white wampum in great demand
Silver works or toys, which the Indians wear of different kinds
Tomahawks or small hatchets well made
Also pipe Hatchets
Tobacco & Snuff boxes
Pewter Spoons
Gilt Gill Cups and half gill Do
Good Gunpowder, large grain
Flints
Small bar lead of 1-1/2 lb each
Goose, Duck & Pidgeon Shot
Light & Good Fowling pieces
Beaver & Fox Traps
Iron Spears or giggs for striking fish with & Beaver with
New England, or York rum in rumlets of Caggs of 12.10.8.9 & 4 Gallns each

Note the mention of tin kettles large and small. More on this later.
Keith.

The use of Bow, Arrows and Slings. Colonial America.

Photo credit: https://medicinebows.com/2016/08/16/hornbows/

Article on NECLHG Forum: http://eighteenthcenturylivinghistory.freeforums.org/unusual-weapons-in-the-colonial-period-t1568.html

Wooden Practice fencing swords found in a latrine.

More Information Here: http://archaeofeed.com/2016/12/wooden-spades-from-a-18th-century-latrine/

More On OTZI The Iceman.

Bearskin Cap.

http://www.iceman.it/en/clothing/;

Shoes.

http://08sainje-theiceman.blogspot.com.au/;

Reproduction Tools & Pouch.

http://www.crystalinks.com/otzi.html;

Axe & other tools.

http://www.age-of-the-sage.org/archaeology/otzi_the_iceman.html;

Bow, quiver & arrows.

http://woodtrekker.blogspot.com.au/2010/10/tool-kit-of-otzi-iceman.html;

More Information Here: http://www.primitiveways.com/Otzi's_bow.html
http://www.iceman.it/en/equipment/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%96tzi

Blades & Gun Update.

A subscriber to my video channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHEOMSZJETfj3GnoyONuvCQ?view_as=public) said they would like a closer look at my knife, so I decided it was easier for me to post images of the blades & guns I carry here on my blog so it is there for future reference.

My .62 caliber/20 gauge flintlock fusil. 42 inch smoothbore barrel with a steel ramrod.

My .70 caliber smoothbore flintlock pistol.

My axe/tomahawk.

Hunting knife.

Legging knife.

Stag handle friction clasp knife.

18th Century Colonial Spanish Dagger.

Spanish Colonial Dagger 18th century. Flamboyant blade with gold inlaid design including the letters "R.S." Excellent brass-mounted horn hilt with pommel in crown form. 14 7/8" overall, blade 9 1/2".

https://www.antiqueswords.com/product/BQ1037/Fine-18th-Century-Colonial-Spanish-Dagger.html;