Onni

As promised,the finished article; HMS Trincomalee in all her glory

Welcome aboard. Onni

Thanks. I have actually finished her but I can't post any photos yet because at short notice I had to make a trip to the UK . Hope to post pictures next week. Sorry to keep everyone waiting

Hasn't been all plain sailing(forgive the pun).The foremast actually turned out to be the most difficult to get in place probably because the angles inside the bottle are greater at that point. Rat lines were difficult to attach to the hull and the two anchors even more so. Foresail just wouldn't go into the right position so I guess the miniature able seaman in charge of that sail has been disciplined by the captain! Added a few cannons but they are not really to scale as of course neither is the ship as the masts should be much taller.

Fixed the main mast in place,added ships wheel,capstan and hatches. Seems to progress nicely

Lifeboat hooked up to the davits then get the deck on. I try to offer the deck in one piece through the neck of the bottle, usually by steaming the thin veneer(deck) and then forcing it through. Most times it works without splitting by it does sometimes warp the veneer a bit. Glued the stern surround complete with ships lanterns. Introduced the mizzen mast and fixed it in place. Hope to maybe finish her this weekend.

That's heartbreaking! Hope things go better next time.

The main hull is a bit more problematic and is a tight fit but in the end it all fits together.

Hull bottom goes in quite nicely with no real problems!

Here's all the bits and pieces which will have to go into the bottle. Neck of the bottle is 17mm.

Made a 'turks head knot' (or is it wove) which took about 40 minutes but then discovered it didn't fit over the bottle neck ,so wove another simpler version which fits perfect. The one on the left (white) is the reject one but I found that it fits nicely on a rum bottle so its not completely wasted time. I always find that for me; there is a learning curve with ships in bottles no matter how many I have made.

.....but remembered the 'seat of easement' (the crew's latrine)!

I can't believe it. I actually forgot the jib boom. Had to quickly make one (top right).

Thanks tazam. Nowadays I use a auto suture for gripping and standing up the masts. The rat lines will be glued to the hull after.

Thanks Igor. I will certainly try that next time.

Actually does anyone have any suggestions for making sails. I used to make them with paper but then changed to thin cloth/linen,( for example a handkerchief). This I formed ,around a roll and used watered down wood glue brushed on to give it shape when it dried.As you see ,not with any great success . Any ideas?

Thanks Igor. Yes you are right,the sails do look a bit deflated. Maybe the ship is becalmed I will try to give them more shape and texture but I probably should of done that before I glued them to the yards. Tried to create a sea using a method described here,with plasticine,acrylic paint,and glue over the top . The white loops are for pulling through rigging threads later on in the bottle (if she ever gets in!)

Done some of the rigging and some of the sails. Still plenty to do but I have been told to put it aside(by the wife) during the festive season! Oh well, hope to carry on after Xmas.Merry Christmas everyone.

Welcome . Enjoy your new hobby!

Surrounded by Finland's green gold(trees).No shortage of wood to carve

Been working on the transom,davits and dolphin striker. The weather has held me up a bit (snow clearing) Also painted the flag;white ensign.I prefer to make my own flags rather than print them. Usually make two flags and then choose which I think is better. Made the lifeboat as well but not that happy with the shape of it so I may redo it.

Hi Jesse,The sea was modelled out of plasticine and the rise in temperature didn't seem to effect them too much as the sib's were positioned someway aways from the source of the fire (kitchen). They must of been exposed to a fair amount of heat because I can remember the Fire chief telling me that if the house had burnt another 5 minutes it would of exploded! Anyway that's all water under the bridge now but at least we know our Ships in Bottles are durable; unless you drop them on a concrete floor!

Superb!

Way back in 2011,first April (April fools day!) my wife phoned me at work and told me the house was on fire. The main thing was she and the kids were safe and that we were insured.By the time I got back it was all over.House was still standing but all contents lost, bar for a few items... Would you believe my ships in bottles survived,minus their stands and turks heads knots but after a clean up

Many thanks. It's really encouraging to receive positive feedback.