Saltire Needs a castle

**cessna152towser** · 31st July 07, 02:41 PM

Excuse my ignorance, but what is the "Butcher's Apron"?

Its the union flag.
All flags have their place and when I'm on duty at Solway Aviation Museum I run up the butcher's apron on the flagpole, which is in my view the appropriate flag for a museum of Royal Air Force artefacts coveing an area having both English and Scottish coastlines. I'm always careful to hang it correct side up.

**McMurdo** · 31st July 07, 02:51 PM

Originally Posted by beverlonian

Excuse my ignorance, but what is the "Butcher's Apron"?

Here is a link regarding the Butcher's Apron, AKA Union Flag or Union Jack

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Flag

**cloves** · 31st July 07, 03:14 PM

about flag poles......
I have one in my back yard that's terribly rusty. I intend on painting it in the next week or so. Here's my problem.....what color?
I've seen poles painted white, and I've seen them left bare..sorta brushed aluminum. Obviously i can't go metallic.....but I don't really want to re-paint it white.
I said "black with a gold ball on top"....my Dad shot me a "you're crazy" look.
Why? Is black a bad choice????

**McMurdo** · 31st July 07, 03:18 PM

I have seen both black and white although white would be by far more popular I really do not see anything wrong with black.

**macsim** · 31st July 07, 05:37 PM

Originally Posted by Hamish

It is the poles that are the problem, not the flags. Huh!

Then they must go back to Warsaw if they can't behave themselves.

**MacWage** · 2nd August 07, 08:09 AM

Originally Posted by cloves

about flag poles......
I have one in my back yard that's terribly rusty. I intend on painting it in the next week or so. Here's my problem.....what color?
I've seen poles painted white, and I've seen them left bare..sorta brushed aluminum. Obviously i can't go metallic.....but I don't really want to re-paint it white.
I said "black with a gold ball on top"....my Dad shot me a "you're crazy" look.
Why? Is black a bad choice????

White is probably the most common for materials that MUST be painted. Aluminum doesn't need paint.
I REALLY like black and would paint it black.

One of the main reasons for white is visibility. There is an idea that black is "hard to see." However, black can also be VERY high contrast is the right conditions.
In one of the bombardments of Charleston, South Carolina (I think it was the Revolution, but it may have been the Civil War, I forget), the citizens thought the white steeples were too visible, so they painted them black. However, the black steeples against the light blue and white (clouds) horizon were MUCH more visible in black than they had been in white.

If I were you, I'd paint the pole black.

**MacWage** · 2nd August 07, 08:12 AM

Originally Posted by Phil

There was a debate in the Scottish Parliament about this a few years ago and they decided that the correct shade of blue was to be Pantone 300 (whatever that is). Here is a link for those interested - http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=210112003

Again, thanks. I had thought it was officially more of a royal blue. I didn't realize it was PMS 300 and more of a "sky" blue (a shade known down here as "Carolina Blue"). That shade is SIGNIFICANTLY lighter than I had expected.