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Nearly done knitting chainmail sleeve #2,
leatherworking pals are working on buckle design which will make the chainmail sleeves more true to the show, also more adjustable!
I have round 2 of dye ready to roll as soon as Sleeve 2 is knitted completely
Found Silver colored mylar at Texas Art Supply :)
oh and coworker gave me their clothing iron actually, two of them.... sooo fun with heat, glue and shiny stuff will probably ensue after Saturdays Big Houston BC holiday Shindig.

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As for the boots, wear them around the house if need be, just wear them. Also, get yourself a pair of wool socks. You can get ‘boot socks’ at any Army/Navy Surplus for a buck or two. If you wear gym socks you will likely blister. Keep that in mind. I found a couple of cool boots for those interested.
This is the pair I’m getting:
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/cb/cb.asp?a=277974

And some others:
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/cb/cb.asp?a=306854
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/cb/cb.asp?a=315859&pn=5
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/cb/cb.asp?a=277975
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/cb/cb.asp?a=286747

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I find no reason to believe that an Independent army, formed by volunteers from border planets would be all that different. It could be that Mal's pistol was an individual weapon Mal either brought with him, was issued, or found on a dead soldier. I would think it highly likely that other browncoats carried personal weapons as well. I think we should try to stay unified to a point on uniform and long arms, but that if individuals want to add sidearms, knives, etc, it should be okay. It would give us that frontier, individual feel of the browncoats. Unified for a purpose, but still individuals.

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The coat I am basing my design off of (and will be offering for sale and possibly the pattern, too...we'll see how that goes) is a straight-cut single-breasted long coat. It is NOT a trench coat. I have several long coats in my closet, and the Independent coats don't match any of them. The best shots of the coat I am trying to recreate are in the flashback scenes from The Message. I have a working pattern right now, and am in the process of creating a shell. I should be able to post photos some time next week so y'all can get the general idea. The color is a light brown, close to a Khaki. I am currently using a cotton duck, but it may be too "stiff", so I may have to switch to a different fabric. I am sticking to the non-wool cloth for several reasons, cost and heat factor are the major ones...our first parade will be in downtown Atlanta in September...and it gets a bit warm. My ultimate goal is to have a lined and unlined version available for sale within a month or so. Same goes for the "smock" (I need a better word for that!) that goes under the vest for the Type B uniform, ala Zoe.
If nothing else, as I know there are people who already have coats in mind, is the color and basic cut. These are supposed to be uniforms, more or les, so they should at least all look similar. I would hate to have a dozen different shades and cuts of coat marching down the street. I am sort of stuck here...I would love to be able to build everyone's coat, but I don't want people not to march because they think they HAVE to buy my coats. That is why I will probably also offer the pattern to the members of the 76th along with the finished coats as close to cost as I can absorb. I would also be willing to allow other sewers access to the pattern so there are several of us making them at the same time. I need input on that from the other stitchers in here.

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Seeing as the independents were stretched over multiple planets, I would not be surprised to see variation from area to area on the color of the cloth, think about it the border planets do not seem to have the manufacturing capabilities of the central planets, and everything seems rather homespun or made, makes sens that if the war started that alliance would cut off shipments to the rim and folks would make do with what is on hand, that means handdying fabric, its much easier to transmit a pattern and have things made locally if push came to shove...

just a thought

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ArtCat, thank you. I had not thought about that. Huh!

I would still like to keep everything as close as possible, though. Again, to the theoreticals of the formation of the 76th:
We may have been from different planets, but the muster and formation would have been on one of them. This would mean, hopefully, a collection of indentical or near-identical uniforms, helmets, etc. Recruits would still have personal items such as pistols, knives, pouches and bags, but the majority of the gear would be issued by the Independents. As we are creating a "newer" Battalion, I would think this would be the case...but again, I realize that we will be coming from all over the world, so the best we can hope for is coordinating uniforms with a few of the basics identical.

Good thought, ArtCat. That's going to have me pondering for awhile!

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There is a Late Great Unpleasantness... ahem, Civil War... historical precedent. The Confederacy had a basic shell coat pattern, which was adopted by the several state armories. However, each armory put out coats with slight variations in color, trim, buttons, both because of supply issues and to emphasize the independence of the states of the Confederacy.
In fact, CW re-enactors seek sutlers who will reproduce the shellcoat from the armory of their unit whereever possible.
So. Our uniforms are supposed to represent a unit at the start of the Serenity Valley campaign. Nonetheless, some degree of mild color variation is well within the Civil-War-like art direction which Joss' team was working with.
MILD color variation. No Confederate *ever* wanted a blue shellcoat, after all. ;-)

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Thank you for the idea of posting fabrics, Sister. As soon as I decide on a final type, I will do so. Might even be able to include swatches with the patterns!

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The SEBC are going to be at a con in Atlanta on New Year's eve and at two cons (FXShow in Orlando and ChattaCon in Chattanooga) in January. Do you have a flyer design you could email me? I'll make sure we have flyers on all our tables to pimp the 76th. We'll also be doing cons all the way up to D*C, so I'll make sure we bring flyers to all of them, also =)

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Originally posted by Tristan:
BrownCoat1, morning!
I agree about Techie, but I do understand where he's coming from. I am dying to see the M60 in person, though, so I do hope he plans on marching!

As for the rest, if you do come across a good deal on the G36's, let me know. If you pick up a few extra, I may buy them from you....assuming you would sell, of course. I already have the two, and they are very addictive...the next one will be the K version from airsplat, depending on your "review".

And thanks for keeping an eye out for the insignia, etc. If you do happen across a large number of helmets, email either me or BWTP. We had chosen a Russian design for looks and price, but if they can at least match the price and have a good supply, it may be worth looking it to.
I don't know that this was discussed, but the helmet finish we are looking for is rough...not the smooth, shiny NATO-type look.

Thanks again!

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We did also talk about the heavy weapons, and that may be something we open up in the future, as we grow. For the first parade, though, we are going to stick with the G36 variants. There is a SAW version out there. But, as there WILL be a future for the 76th and we WILL be growing , the heavy weapons discussion will come about again. Thank you for your input on that!

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Originally posted by Tristan:
Evening, all!

As far as the sniper rifle, thank you for that link. There is also a civilian version of that rifle called the SL-8 out there. It is also based on the G36. In following with the 76th's weapons guidlines, this is an acceptable rifle for the snipers. Not sure you want it that bright, glaring white, though! ...

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SHINY. I believe we have a Volunteer who already has one of these. Spiffin'... I conjure that the robust lines of the SL8 would allow a devoted propmaker to build a hefty "anti-tank rifle" by attaching an oversized barrel to the frame. Next best thing to a bazooka!

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"Jubal 'Doc' Harris" // Bill Ernoehazy

Volunteer, 76th Independent Battalion

Ever marched with the Independents?
Wanna?
Sign up and info here:
http://76thbattalion.homestead.com/index.html