Landlubber Mike

Hello all,
I am just in the process of finalizing the logo for The Bottled ShipWright you see above. Should take about a week or two. Once completed I will launch our club. It will be open to all members who want to participate. I will create some newsletters and most likely a bi-annual journal that will contain a wealth of modeling techniques and will pull ideas/techniques/instructionals from past members contributions from and to SIBAA et al.
Stay tuned ... Jeff

Really nicely done!  Love your first two models too!

I built the Amati Hannah SIB a couple of years ago (I might have a log or at least a picture on here).  It's a nice kit, though I wouldn't spend full price.  I think I spent $30 off eBay for it.  It was a nice introduction to the hobby.  I did not like the photo etched parts - having masts and spars and the bowsprit that thin led to a lot of problems aside from scale.  The bowsprit snapped a couple of times for me, which was a hassle.  I was worried in inserting the ship into the bottle that the main mast would snap as well, but it hung in there.  Overall though, I think the kits aren't a bad introduction.
Though, if you have the materials and one of the many books out there, you can certainly jump right into a scratch build.  In many ways, it seems easier than to work within the confines of a kit.  Much different from working on one of the bigger scale models.

I did one of the Wood Krafter kits starting out.  They are made for kids and not accurate in any way but they did help me learn starting out.  I agree with Mike though.  I learned much more from Don Hubbards book.  In it he has three or four simplified models and you get a start into scratch building.  
Kits in this hobby are not very common at least not compared to the bigger models. What's out there is hit and miss.  If some one wants to peruse this hobby for a long period of time they will need to pursue scratch building at some point.  Which isn't as tough as it sounds.  The best part is the freedom of it.  You can build what ever you want.    

Yes, I agree, Mike!

I built the Amati Hannah SIB a couple of years ago (I might have a log or at least a picture on here).  It's a nice kit, though I wouldn't spend full price.  I think I spent $30 off eBay for it.  It was a nice introduction to the hobby.  I did not like the photo etched parts - having masts and spars and the bowsprit that thin led to a lot of problems aside from scale.  The bowsprit snapped a couple of times for me, which was a hassle.  I was worried in inserting the ship into the bottle that the main mast would snap as well, but it hung in there.  Overall though, I think the kits aren't a bad introduction.
Though, if you have the materials and one of the many books out there, you can certainly jump right into a scratch build.  In many ways, it seems easier than to work within the confines of a kit.  Much different from working on one of the bigger scale models.

So the next part is adding on to the stern bulwarks.  I cut out part of the plans to get the sizing that I needed and then cut out a piece of wood to glue in place.  I soak the wood for a couple minutes and then glued it to the top of the bulwark. 

After I send the bulwark down I work on the rail to go on top of the stern bulwark. I cut out another 1.5 mm piece soak it for a a few minutes and then do a grain break at the very end to give that lip between the two rails.  Then I glue it in place.  

I send that piece down to thin it out and then move on to the stern cabin.  I start with the front of the cabin that will be on deck cut out a piece that fits in the place where the cabin will be and then sand the top edges to round it out.  


I decided to cut out the door on this model this is more for my own experimentation it doesn't have to be done as part of the beginners build.  For the door typical I'd go out a piece of paper paint it and then glue it in place I wanted to try this out since the cabin is open and I will  glue the door hinged open so that it looks like you can walk inside. 
After the front of the cabin was placed I put in the back of the cabin this is kind of the same thing placing the piece sanding off the top edges to round them out and gluing it on.  

I was able to get some more work done on this project but ran into a snag.  I grabbed the wrong stain and stained my ship darker than I wanted.  So I made a second one.  It works because theres two different methods I could use for rigging the main sail so now I can show both.  

This is the first one.  The transom is completed and I added the roof on the stern cabin.  For this ship I used a piece of paper cut to size and glued on.  After doing so I can't say I recemend that method.  The paper bends funny and can leave weird divots in the roof.  Instead cut out one millimeter planks and plank the roof just as it would have been done.  This will cut out the divots and look more accurate.  Its more tedious but I think worth the time. 

The second ship is not far behind.  I will get the transome and roof on and then its time to start on deck furniture.   

Continuation
Artur

This was mentioned in a build,log amd I thought it wouldbbe an interesting post.  What are your horror stories?  What went wrong? Did you recover?  What did you learn? 

This is one of mine.  I was trying a new rigging method with upwards of thirty lines running out of the bottle.  It wasn't well organized and the entanglement made it impossible to get the ship up.  I yanked the ship out which further tore it up.  It sat on a shelf and eventually went in the trash.  I've yet to revisit that method.  
 

If this worked, this is the pilot schooner Hesper with copper wire eyebolts clear on the rail. maybe a tad too obvious, with knot blocks for the upper deadeyes.  Fly tying silk is used for lanyards.  This is in a 2 liter bottle and is about 4" from waterline to top of the mast.

Boa noite amigo sou do Brasil gosria de saber se vc tem algum plano do mercante Baron Douglas , Baron Newlands, Baron dechmont

In progress... On the slipway...

Started making plastic models as a kid.  The silver age types...Aurora, Pyro, & Airfix were my favorite.  My sketchbook was filled with ships and seascapes.  At Boy Scout camp, got into wood carving with the handi-dandi-cut-yourself multi-bladed knife I got at the trading post.  Shortly after that, I acquired the First Aid Merit Badge.   Got out of models in high school then picked up wooden kits while in the oil field...worked on RC sailing schooners & some static pieces.  Launched my first RC schooner in an Oklahoma cow pond where dozens of water snakes came up from the deep to see what was on the surface.   Took a break from ships & carved about 100 decoys which I sold.  Returned to making ships & one, the 1807 Hornet,  was accepted into the 200th Constitution model show.  Have made several models for museums since then.  An artist friend suggested that I try a ship in bottle, so I read two books and got hooked.  Sold to a gallery on the Outer Banks and then discovered art shows & maritime festivals.  Am thankful for the various  museums support  over the years.  In preserving this art, one has to learn glass.  That in itself is just a interesting.  The ions in the silica mixture will give the glass color, and Uranium will yield yellow to orange...and it is still hot ! Am slowing down now due to  family genes ( if Mom & Dad wanted to give me something, a T-shirt would had been dandy !!! ).   Still have numerous vessels to build both in and out of the bottle.  Often I ponder, as perhaps others have, if the affinity with ships and sailing is a past-life carryover.  
Cheers & Fair Winds,
Jim 
  

How about old school please see attached ... Jeff

If that doesn't work I have a method that will.  Go to the hardware store and get a two or three inch paint brush.  Glue a few bristles together to get the thickness and paint it black.  Using the same tool you already have you can glue it right in place.  The bristles won't sag like thread does.  If you haven't already look at the end of my Scavenger build log.  I used the same technique there.  
One other thing you could try if you want to use thread is pull a length of thread tight and apply some super glue then let it dry.  Sometimes super glue leaves white bits so paint if needed but it will make the line stiff so it won't sag.  

I appreciate the conversation, Mike. Look at the photo from 4.1.17 of single line channel to see how small (or big!) a peg can be.
Following are photos of a line I'm replacing because I can't get the kink out of it. It was a tight loop that was in the mast for quite a while then pulled through. Moistening it had no effect. We see the line, then one end cut followed by a glued extension to it to prep for the last cut. (Could have glued first before the first cut.)




This will carry the new line to the masts. This new line is CA coated thread.

Trial run. More later.

 
 
 
 

Thank you for your gracious comments, Mr. S. and Landlubber.
Mike, further up on this page there are some photos that show all of the lines that I ran underneath the hollowed out hull.
On my project, the shroud lines and back stays are attached to the masts then are threaded through holes in the channels then take an immediate bend to go through holes in the hull. They all then exit at the bow where they will be cut and all of this is below the waterline. This method would work with a split hull or not.
Here are my thoughts about your plan for securing the lines at the channels first then trimming them at the mast. Masts can be relatively sturdy or maybe not. How much side force can they take especially unintentional movement? Adhesives can make cutting difficult and especially on a delicate mast.
How’s about attaching the lines at the mast and also to the channel before putting them in? When it all goes in, bring the channel to the hull. All of the line trimming would have been done outside of the bottle. Maybe the channel can be pegged to be set in a hole in the hull. You may have any adjustments in line tension so careful laying out would be in order. (BTW, the channels on my project are all pegged. I believe in pegging everything possible for strength and it paid off.)
Let us know what you think, Mike.

Wow, really great work, thank you for sharing!  
Can I ask what is probably a dumb question?  For the shrouds, I see that you run the lines long to help get a little tension in them.  Where they connect to the hull at the channels, where do the lines run?  Do they run through the hull?  And where do they get cut off?  I've always been a little unsure whether lines run through the hull and out the bottom (or the bow), how that works with a split hull, and how that works if you are going to add sea to the bottle.
I'm working on a simpler schooner but also would like to install the masts separately rather than use a hinge.  Wanted to prepare the shrouds like you have, but rather than running the lines fixed on top and open at the bottom, because I'm using a standing bottle and inserting from the top, I'm thinking of fixing the shrouds at the channel, then running the line through the masts and gluing/cutting them off there.  Seems much simpler, especially if I add sea to the bottle.

Progression of trimming the excess of two yard braces. Third photo is of right after the cut. Last photo.... ready for the bowsprit. About the flag, that's the fourth one and I'm still not happy with it. I couldn't get it fully seated on the thread before the glue set.

And...

In my imagination, I think the balcony area(?) at the rear of an old galleon, with a beautiful lady, a glass of wine and fair winds would be the most romantic thing ever.  Redoing the rear, it looks a mess right now. Part of my issue is the unconventional way I'm dividing it up to get in the bottle.

Learning process it is... So far I have redone the atea around the bowsprit 3 times. I am fairly happy with the hull but I have decided to redo everything else. The railings are too inconsistant, I'm going to try styrene for that. The whole rear end has been mind bending for a newbie not sure of what he's doing. The balcony, ( please forgive my ignorance of common ship language) in the rear I have some ideas about how to do better.  At any rate through trial, error and reading posts from you fine folks, we'll get there eventually. The great thing about this forum is that you are not satisfied with just O.K., when the informationis here to do it better. Cheers!

Thanks for the input. Curious your method for cutting the hull in 2 pieces. I have some nice tools/saws that are inaccessible for a few more weeks. Scary thought splitting but I def. want to try. Not sure if this is the one though. This was my plan, Picture A, labels masts and decks once raised. Picture B shows how I was going to lay the masts down. Picture C shows the caps I would place after the masts are up. If this seems silly please let me know, my feelings wont be hurt. These first few builds are to be learning experiences for me and I welcome any and all input.