English civil war lead powder cap

Raf · 14th March 2014, 09:12 PM

I think I remember reading somewhere that wood caps were prone to jamming because of swelling in damp conditions , hence lead or pewter caps were a preferred alternative.

Marcus den toom · 14th March 2014, 09:21 PM

Hi Raf,

I think you have a good point right there, especially when you think about the weather conditions in England.
As far as i can grasp, the lead end caps are mostly found in England. Other countries more to the south are generally less damp thus a wooden plug might work better.

Matchlock · 15th March 2014, 11:14 AM

Hi Marcus and Raf,

Here is another British instance of a leaden cap for a powder measure from a bandelier, and one of the powder measures on one of my perfectly preserved bandeliers from the Emden armory is completely made of lead, not just the cap, and all covered with black leather; the other measures are all made of wood.

I guess I should also point out once more what I wrote on bandeliers in my thread, post #8:
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...27s+bandoliers
The earliest powder measures for arquebusier's bandeliers in the 15th c., according to sources of period artwork like the Bavarian Landshuter Zeughausinventar (armory inventory) of 1485 where they are called 'hultzein ladung' (wooden load container), consisted of drilled wood shaped in a lathe. By the early-16th c., the measures for each load on arquebusier's bandeliers were mostly made of tinned iron, as the tapestries with scenes from the Battle of Pavia, 1525, depict.

Best,
Michael

Matchlock · 15th March 2014, 12:01 PM

Some close-ups of the - highly fragile! - tinned-iron powder measures on my early-16th c. bandelier, and some unique late-15th c. brass caps from such measures, figured, embossed and pierced with Late Gothic tracery and lettering in Gothic minuscules; the script on one samplle seems to read 'maria'. They are all from my collection!

For details on early-16th c. bandeliers, please see also

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ght=bandeliers

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ght=bandoliers

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ght=bandoliers

and

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ght=bandoliers

At bottom, two details from Melchior Feselen's painting The Battle of Alesia, dated 1533, depicting arquebusiers wearing bandeliers with small metal powder containers/measures.

m

Martin Moser · 15th March 2014, 12:38 PM

Truly amazing pictures, Michael! I love the details, which I have been able to get a view of so far. Some of these are in your collection you say? Wow!
Can you tell perhaps how the leather is attached to the apostles? Glued or sewn on or a combination of both?

Matchlock · 15th March 2014, 12:53 PM

Hi Martin,

I'm glad you like my pieces as all these bandeliers, bundles of matchcord and caps for Gothic powder measures are in my collection.

Marcus will remember seeing most of them when attending me. I'm not sure though whether he noticed the small Gothic brass caps in one of my glass cases. They range among the greatest rarities of historic weaponry.

The leather was scratched down to an extremely thin layer, watered and wrapped tightly around these powder measures/'apostles'/powder flasks; no glue was needed. It can be easily scratched off nowadays, which makes these items so fragile!

Best,
Michael

Marcus den toom · 15th March 2014, 01:33 PM

Visiting your collection was the most educational experience i ever had, but due to our time limit we didn't get to the gothic brass caps

. I am sure you could tell a story about every item of more than an hour each, but i didn't have a sleeping bag so we will save that for next time (i hope

)

Why was the complete powder measurer made out of lead on your bandelier from the Emden armory? It would seem to me that they are haevier and more fragile than the wooden ones? Only the weather factor is of less importance on these lead powder measures. The powder inside such a lead measurer would, i think, be less prone to humidity and thus be more effective when shot?

15th March 2014, 11:14 AM	#3
Matchlock (deceased) Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Bavaria, Germany - the center of 15th and 16th century gunmaking Posts: 4,310	Hi Marcus and Raf, Here is another British instance of a leaden cap for a powder measure from a bandelier, and one of the powder measures on one of my perfectly preserved bandeliers from the Emden armory is completely made of lead, not just the cap, and all covered with black leather; the other measures are all made of wood. I guess I should also point out once more what I wrote on bandeliers in my thread, post #8: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...27s+bandoliers The earliest powder measures for arquebusier's bandeliers in the 15th c., according to sources of period artwork like the Bavarian Landshuter Zeughausinventar (armory inventory) of 1485 where they are called 'hultzein ladung' (wooden load container), consisted of drilled wood shaped in a lathe. By the early-16th c., the measures for each load on arquebusier's bandeliers were mostly made of tinned iron, as the tapestries with scenes from the Battle of Pavia, 1525, depict. Best, Michael Attached Images Last edited by Matchlock; 15th March 2014 at 01:00 PM.

15th March 2014, 12:01 PM	#4
Matchlock (deceased) Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Bavaria, Germany - the center of 15th and 16th century gunmaking Posts: 4,310	Some close-ups of the - highly fragile! - tinned-iron powder measures on my early-16th c. bandelier, and some unique late-15th c. brass caps from such measures, figured, embossed and pierced with Late Gothic tracery and lettering in Gothic minuscules; the script on one samplle seems to read 'maria'. They are all from my collection! For details on early-16th c. bandeliers, please see also http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ght=bandeliers http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ght=bandoliers http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ght=bandoliers and http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ght=bandoliers At bottom, two details from Melchior Feselen's painting The Battle of Alesia, dated 1533, depicting arquebusiers wearing bandeliers with small metal powder containers/measures. m Attached Images Last edited by Matchlock; 15th March 2014 at 01:45 PM.

14th March 2014, 09:12 PM	#1
Raf Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 252	I think I remember reading somewhere that wood caps were prone to jamming because of swelling in damp conditions , hence lead or pewter caps were a preferred alternative.

14th March 2014, 09:21 PM	#2
Marcus den toom Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Netherlands Posts: 534	Hi Raf, I think you have a good point right there, especially when you think about the weather conditions in England. As far as i can grasp, the lead end caps are mostly found in England. Other countries more to the south are generally less damp thus a wooden plug might work better.

15th March 2014, 12:38 PM	#5
Martin Moser Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Near Munich, Bavaria, Germany Posts: 12	Truly amazing pictures, Michael! I love the details, which I have been able to get a view of so far. Some of these are in your collection you say? Wow! Can you tell perhaps how the leather is attached to the apostles? Glued or sewn on or a combination of both?

15th March 2014, 12:53 PM	#6
Matchlock (deceased) Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Bavaria, Germany - the center of 15th and 16th century gunmaking Posts: 4,310	Hi Martin, I'm glad you like my pieces as all these bandeliers, bundles of matchcord and caps for Gothic powder measures are in my collection. Marcus will remember seeing most of them when attending me. I'm not sure though whether he noticed the small Gothic brass caps in one of my glass cases. They range among the greatest rarities of historic weaponry. The leather was scratched down to an extremely thin layer, watered and wrapped tightly around these powder measures/'apostles'/powder flasks; no glue was needed. It can be easily scratched off nowadays, which makes these items so fragile! Best, Michael

15th March 2014, 01:33 PM	#7
Marcus den toom Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Netherlands Posts: 534	Visiting your collection was the most educational experience i ever had, but due to our time limit we didn't get to the gothic brass caps . I am sure you could tell a story about every item of more than an hour each, but i didn't have a sleeping bag so we will save that for next time (i hope ) Why was the complete powder measurer made out of lead on your bandelier from the Emden armory? It would seem to me that they are haevier and more fragile than the wooden ones? Only the weather factor is of less importance on these lead powder measures. The powder inside such a lead measurer would, i think, be less prone to humidity and thus be more effective when shot?