Landlubber Mike

This is a project just back in the shop for a visit after an exhibit and back to her owner, who graciously loaned her for the exhibit.  She is the yawl Sandrala, an Alden designed "Off Soundings" cruiser, built in 1940 at East Boothbay, Maine.  Still afloat today, she has been lovingly restored by her current owners.  I was aboard in 2012 and was inspired to look up her lines and create this model in a 5 liter bottle.  The scale is slightly smaller than 1/8" = 1', which allowed working blocks in her rigging.  Rather than represent her as she appears today, this model shows her as she looked when first launched.  To avoid painting, I built her up of natural woods, using aspen for her pale topsides, redwood for her lower hull, boxwood for the boot topping and a variety of pines for her planking, cabin and rail.  The stand in the bottle is oak and the standing rigging is a fly tying line called "French tinsel".  It was a satisfying project that took 137 hours (including one abandoned hull) which I look forward to repeating when another suitable design turns up.

Finished and bottled my Steamboat. Not as high quality as others on this forum but I do enjoy myself and feel good when finished.
Tried to post photo but the file size is to big (680 mb).
 

 
(edited by Gwyl)  Added photo for Bob

Here's my current project.  I think I'll send it with a friend to Manitowoc to be in a competition out there.  We'll see if I can get it done in time.  I did a build log for a similar ship that one I gave to a charity auction and I ended up missing it so I'm building another one.  I did a couple different things with this one.  Maily I used cherry darkened with ammonia fuming.  I really like the color deck that gave me.  
 

 

 

It certainly seems that one of the poorer choices for bottling a model is the traditional liquor bottle, since the optics obscure both details and proportions. Interestingly, one of the better bottles i've seen contained a sweatshop model. Rather than having been mould blown from a glob of glass, the bottle appeared to have been formed from a thin-walled tube of about three inches in diameter. My experience with glass blowing is limited to laboratory glass, but i have made very clear, though rather small bottles, by drawing 1/2" o.d. tubing out to form a narrowed neck, and then heat sealing and flattening the other end. The sweatshop model may have been made through an industrial version of a similar process.
 
  My preference though is for the 375ml. hip flask. With a hip flask the model is closer to the glass than in a round bottle, which decreases the effect of the distortion. Obviously hip flasks are quite limiting though. There is very little room inside to operate with tools, and the mere size tends to constrain model scale to around 1:500-1:1000 for models with multiple masts.
  The worst problem regarding 375's though, which i have bewailed in a couple of posts already, is that the liquor industry has almost entirely replaced them with plastic bottles, at least around where i live in Massachusetts. Yesterday i bit the bullet, and ordered a 12 bottle case of empties online, and was astonished that they arrved this morning. The company, E-BOTTLES, is located in Bethel, Connecticut, which may explain the speedy delivery.
 
  In cross section the bottles are generally rectangular, but the rectagle is curved;  creating a convex face on one side, and a concave face on the other. I've seen this shape before and have generally avoided it in preference to bottles with two more or less equally flat sides. The neck i.d. is 3/4, which is usual for 375's in my experience, the bottle's height measured outside is 3-3/4"; a bit more generous than either Beefeater or Mcgillicuddy's which are 3-3/8".
 
  Probably anything modelled in these bottles is going to have a "good" side and a "bad" side based on the bottle's curvature, which may prove interesting, only time will tell. In the immortal words of Ralph Preston though, it's time to "hit the bottle".
 
TJ
 

While I like bottles with no distortion whatsoever I also like bottle with just a little distortion as well.  I think it adds a bit of charm and almost dream like look that adds to the adventure of the scene.  It has to be done right though and that's hard to explain.  I think ships in pinch bottles might be a good example.  I need to get some of those.
 
I have once built in a bottle just for the challenge of it.  The bottle was a Japanese Ramune bottle.  It's different in that it has a glass marble that keeps the soda sealed.  You open it by pushing the marble into the bottle.  The marble sits in a separate chamber from the rest of the bottle.      
 

 
The plastic cap is deceiving in that it looks like it comes off but it doesn't.  Most ramune bottles it's set in such a way that you would have to cut it off.  A very few of them it screws off clockwise.  The bottle I used the plastic cap didn't come off so I split the hull to get the ship in.  The clarity actually isn't bad.  The tricky part is getting the ship through the bottle neck, over the marble, then into the second chamber.  Working the tools around the marble is hard too.   
 

 

 

After looking over the miniature bottles and such at the Etsy site I posted above, I made a purchase.
 

Mini Erlenmeyer flask made from borosilicate glass - about 2 inch / 50 mm tall, 1.25 inch / 32 mm diameter.
 
I have acquired more than enough bottles without having a specific project in mind for any of them, but I had to have this, just in case.
 
Dave

Hi Jeff,
I doubt if the masts were black.   I made mine brown which is what they appear to be in all the photographs I have seen, mainly in the book
Konigin de See Funfmast - Vollschiff Preussen by Horst Hamecher.
Bob
 

To get back to USS Constitution, I thought I’d post these.  Someone suggested getting pictures of SIBS along with the vessel they were intended to represent.  I thought I’d try with my latest model of the great frigate.  Approaching security at the ship, it got complicated.  I was referred to the Navy, and the ensign who met me at the gate had to call his immediate superior.  That officer called the OOD.  Finally, the Commandant was called.  Once permission was granted they couldn’t have been nicer.  The ensign who escorted me to the ship kindly offered to take this picture alongside.  (I can’t help but notice how the evidence of my good living complements the tumblehome of the ship)
 

 
On board I decided not to push my luck and take my own pictures.  This shot of the model on a quarter deck carronade slip is a striking look at scale.  The model is large for me, at 29’ = 1”, in a 10 liter bottle.  It seems quite insignificant next to a minor detail of the real thing.
 

 
In my notes after completing this model some 3 years ago, I wrote that it was not an experience I was eager to repeat anytime soon.  Reading the notes above and David’s research I now wish a Constitution was going to be on the desk sooner than later.

In order to get ‘some scale port holes’ small enough and to add some realism to the Preussen I set upon this little project to make myself a small bore tubing cutter.
 

 
As a bonus it can nip off spars and masts as well.
 
I have to commend Igor Sky as his post on Model Ship World got this project rolling as he was struggling with the same issue in trying to cut small piping without crushing it. The following photos show the process of installing the blade assembly, blade cover, piping receiver, and thumb screw assembly to put some pressure on the piping when cutting it off.
 

 

 

 

 
The candidate for the project is 1/32” brass piping purchased from K and S out of the USA. Also I had one small piece left from my Father in Laws aeroplane modelling days to play with as well. The small screws came from an old smart phone that cratered on my eldest son. Smart phones are a treasure trove for small scale project's as the shapes are miniature and square to the earth!
 

 
I also had to heat the cutting blade cherry red then dip it in some motor oil to temper and harden it. In order for the tubing not to slip out of my grip a ‘Tee Handle’ was soldered on so I could cut the piping off. I made the blade cover removable by removing three screws and then quickly swinging it out of the way to change up blades as I go.
 

 

 

 

 
So there you have it a nice little tool to aid in the build of small scale port holes ... Jeff
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Thanks, Landlubber Mike! I purchased one of these from the supplier in the UK. Can't wait to get it!

Consider using paints made for war gaming - War Hammer and Vallejo paints are very good.  I painted some miniatures back in high school, and using primer was key.  I'm not sure if the new paints have primer in them or not, but priming is probably necessary.  Enjoy!

My first SIB was the Amati Hannah kit which I completed last year.  I've been working on my larger non-SIB models since while reading a number of the SIB books out there.  I probably have most of them, which I generally got used for good prices on sites like Abebooks.com.
 
Along with Dave's recommendation, I would add "Sailing in Glass" by Joop van Schouten.  It's very well done with great tips and nice models with step by step directions.  This and the Needham book I think are very good for the beginning and intermediate builders.
 

 
 
If you really want to learn all the tricks in the trade from the masters out there, "Ship Models in Glass" by Hille and Young in my opinion is the must-have book.  In fact, I would say that if you only could buy one SIB book, this is the book in the hobby to buy.  The authors specifically note that the book is a compendium of tips and tricks of the trade from all over the world (see the long bibliography), which pretty much every topic covered.  It's really an amazing book in my opinion.
 

 
 
Don't buy the book on eBay or Abebooks, but buy it new directly from the publisher in the UK where it's much much cheaper, and brand new, even after international S&H.  If interested, you can buy the book here:
 
http://www.skipper.co.uk/catalogue/item/ship-models-in-glass
 
 
For my first scratch SIB builds, I am going to start with some of the basic builds in the van Schouten book, modified with some of the more advanced techniques found in the Hille and Young book.

My first SIB was the Amati Hannah kit which I completed last year.  I've been working on my larger non-SIB models since while reading a number of the SIB books out there.  I probably have most of them, which I generally got used for good prices on sites like Abebooks.com.
 
Along with Dave's recommendation, I would add "Sailing in Glass" by Joop van Schouten.  It's very well done with great tips and nice models with step by step directions.  This and the Needham book I think are very good for the beginning and intermediate builders.
 

 
 
If you really want to learn all the tricks in the trade from the masters out there, "Ship Models in Glass" by Hille and Young in my opinion is the must-have book.  In fact, I would say that if you only could buy one SIB book, this is the book in the hobby to buy.  The authors specifically note that the book is a compendium of tips and tricks of the trade from all over the world (see the long bibliography), which pretty much every topic covered.  It's really an amazing book in my opinion.
 

 
 
Don't buy the book on eBay or Abebooks, but buy it new directly from the publisher in the UK where it's much much cheaper, and brand new, even after international S&H.  If interested, you can buy the book here:
 
http://www.skipper.co.uk/catalogue/item/ship-models-in-glass
 
 
For my first scratch SIB builds, I am going to start with some of the basic builds in the van Schouten book, modified with some of the more advanced techniques found in the Hille and Young book.

Added the other stairs and caprails. Alsothe person the ship is for requested I replace the blue with black.

My latest U-Tube presentation:
https://youtu.be/KtVrtCvKeqs
Building the barque Caithness-Shire.
Bob
 

I have definitely decided on the 50 L boiling flask by Corning/Pyrex. 18 inches / 46 cm dia., 3 inch / 76 mm neck ID, 5.6 inch / 140 mm neck length. The supplier wants US$300 to shorten the neck so I'll leave it as is. This will work well inverted similar to the Biondo SiB in the photo posted earlier. Scale will be 1:240 (20' to the inch). Length on deck, a bit less than 9 inches / 23 cm; overall length, about 15.5 inches / 39 cm.
 
In order to resolve the issue of the stern decorations and number of windows I found photos of USSC taken during the 1873-77 reconstruction during which all the planking above the waterline was removed and replaced.
 

Bow view showing the very closely spaced ribs. Notice the very pronounced flair around the bow above
the spar deck which was most likely added during a re-fit in the early 1820's. The narrow opening at the
shear line was for the cat head; the opening inboard of that was not a gun port, it was for crew access
to the head.
 

Stern view also showing the closely spaced ribs. The stern openings at spar deck level were not gun
ports, they were windows into a structure added to the aft end of the deck for USSC's tenure as the
sail training ship at the Naval Academy. It's difficult to see the framing of the transom and counter.
 

I attempted to enhance the contrast in this cropped version in order to see the frame members, without
much success, just enough to see that the frames are almost side by side. The gun deck level openings
are an artifact of an earlier re-fit but documentation does not clearly pin down when these were done.
 
I came across photos of a model of USSC depicting her as she appeared at her commissioning or shortly after. The model was made by Mark Antczak at 1:48 scale. For more of this model see:  http://www.shipmodel.com/models/constitution-old-ironsid
 

A port quarter view of the stern. Here can be seen that the arches portion of the detail is built out
significantly from the base transom. The detailing is very consistent with Joshua Humphrey's written
description in his notebooks. The biggest difference between this and the Hull model is the planked
over aft-facing quarter gallery windows in the latter.
 

Another view of the stern. On the underside of the center of the built out arch can be seen what looks
like may be an eagle with spread wings and six stars viewed almost edge on. Notice the similarities
with the stern details depicted on the Hull model stern photo in one of my earlier posts. Notice also
that the space between the taffrail and the top of the transom is not planked. 
 
There are log entries mentioning repairs to the stern decorations and quarter galleries by an outside contractor, and bills and payment vouchers in the record for the same, dated at about the end of the First Barbary War. Unfortunately, none of these detail the extent of the repairs, but it's easy to imagine the craftsman discarding elements too weathered or damaged to re-use and repairing and slightly re-arranging the rest. He could have also simplified the repairs by removing entirely the thick arches. We may never know - I'm at a point where all I can do is make my best guess.
 
I spent hours studying the Hull model stern photo and having a very strong feeling that I had seen it somewhere before. I realized that the detail was very similar to the Revell USSC model I had built 50 years ago.
 

A Revell USSC transom and counter. Clearly the Revell researcher(s) studied the Hull model.
The colors are the model builder's interpretation for a natural wood coloring. This photo is very
crisp and will help me reproduce the details better than I could from the Hull model alone.
 
I mentioned earlier that I intended to draw studies of the structure required for five windows and for six to help make my best informed guess for them considering the conflicting information. First was to sketch a profile of one of the major vertical structural members and then project the three angled surfaces at near true size onto a single plane.
 

Profile of one of the transom and counter frames. The following studies show the
three surfaces of the aft line (at left) as if that line was straightened out vertically.
 

Six window study. Here I have the likely framing, consistent with the frame spacing shown in the 1873-77
photo and usual practice as illustrated in The Construction and Fitting of the English Man of War 1650-1850
by Peter Goodwin. At the right are an approximation of the starboard quarter gallery and aft facing gallery
window as seen in the photos above of the Antczak model. I left out many of the sub-frames on the port
side as being unnecessary for this study. The pinkish frames are the major structural members. 
 

Five window study. This shows that after planking over the gallery windows it would be a major reconstruction
job to rearrange the framing for the remaining six windows into five. I could find no mention of such major
work in my research and little opportunity for it. I readily admit my conclusion doesn't mean that it wasn't done.
 
With these studies and the Hull model I find that it is most likely to me that USSC had six windows across the stern at the beginning of the War of 1812 and not five as depicted in the Corne and Ropes series of paintings. I had wavered back and forth between the Hull model depiction and the paintings and drew the studies to resolve it.
 

I came across the earliest photo of Constitution taken during the 1857-58 re-fit in preparation for use as the
Naval Academy's sail training vessel. The major work done was to strip the copper and tarred felt, examine
and repair the underlying planking and replace the copper. Notice the completely closed in head and the
gun stripe that continues around the cut-water. Also note the Andrew Jackson figurehead.

Hello everyone, I'm Sashko from Macedonia, modelship builder for 15 years, i'm 27 now. Started with SIB building ayear ago. I've done 3 projects for now, America schooner, Bluenose and Kruzenshtern four masted ship. 
Found it really interesting so i hope i'm not gonna stop here
Here are some pics of my projects.

Here is a miniature I built years ago.   Not particularly good, on detail, and a funny colour as well!        It was that colour in real life!     My wife's grandfather was an able seaman in the Persian Empire in the late 1890s.     The rigging is a bit too thick, but it is often admired more than my better efforts!
Bob
 

SIB in perfume sampler bottle.
Needs some rigging though...

I was moving to Texas to work (I'm a healthcare provider) and friends and family gave me a going away party replete with gifts, food, drinks and everything! Everyone knew I had this new SIB hobby and were always on the lookout for nice antique bottles. My brother-in-law didn't quite understand the SIB hobby concept and I was gifted this 'bottle' purchased from an antique store. He didn't know what kind of a bottle it was but thought it would make it easy to get the boat inside! We never laughed so hard!
 
                                                               
 
 
 
This pic is an internet grab but is exactly like the one gifted to me!

I also bought some USS Constitution wood from http://store.ussconstitutionmuseum.org/  It appears to be long leaf yellow pine from deck planking rather than oak from the hull. The man who does the cutting of the wood is an avid ship modeler who contributes to MSW. There he said that he could cut pieces to larger sizes than the approximate 2" x 3" x 3/4"  (50 mm x 75 mm x 18 mm) sold through the Museum Store for a suitable donation to the Museum. He hates cutting oak - especially the live oak from the hull ribs - because oak is very hard on the saw blades and destroys the chain saw chains when he cuts larger pieces down to a size he can get it into his shop.
 
I plan to use my piece of Constitution for the keel on my Constitution build.

Made some progress on this one.  added cap rails on the stern.  added another hatch a capstan and some stairs.  I'm still not sure about the stairs.  I might redo them.  I've seen some good ideas for making stairs but these are supposed to be spiral stairs.  Not sure what I got myself into with this one.  
 

 

Made some progress with this one.  Added hatches, masts, spars.  Still need to do something about the stern and windows and doors.  Maybe some other parts too.  I added some green paint for good measure.  
 

Hi Everyone,
    Just joined the site, and posted a few things. I'm in the UK, been modelling plastic kits, drawing, painting, and built about 6 S.I.Bs so far. I'm more on the 'rustic' end of S.I.B making, but trying to improve all the time.
     I've only got my first ever S.I.B, now, as I tend to give them away (and regret it later).
Here's my first ship, from plans in a book.....
 
  Currently building a 4 masted Clipper, and trying to make it to a higher standard than my previous work!
     Anyway, loving the forum, and look forward to future topics on here :-)
 
Jeff.

I have used basswood (also called lime wood in Europe) for basic hulls almost exclusively with single experiments with mahogany and pine (specifically southern yellow pine). In many ways basswood suits our purposes very well - soft and easy to carve even against the grain (with caution) and it holds detail fairly well. Drawbacks include a tendency to go fuzzy with sanding and a loss of sharp corner/edge detail. Basswood also has a tendency to raise its grain with the first coat of paint. These drawbacks can be reduced with the use of a sanding sealer or primer followed by finish sanding but this would eliminate the use of natural finishes (stains and varnishes).
 
I moved away from the use of all solid wood hulls, like those shown in the "How To" ship bottling books, long ago. I went to hulls cut to the deck line with bulwarks inletted to keep the thickness of those bulwarks closer to scale. Mostly I have used hobby grade thin plywood (nominally 1/64th inch / 0.5 mm) for these bulwarks but this plywood is very hard and it takes great care to sand the ply to blend in to the softer basswood so as to not leave a step. I want to use apple, pear or holly veneer but they are hard to find except in quantities that would last me several lifetimes so I haven't followed up on this. They are also very plain woods with little noticeable grain or color variation and are not popular for most of the uses veneer is put to, so are subsequently scarce as veneers.
 
Boxwood is the premium carving wood and will hold the finest detail. It is very hard with little discernible grain, so hard that cutting edges on tools can roll over if the tools are ground and honed at too shallow an angle - and it's expensive. Boxwood takes a very nice polish and can look like yellowed antique ivory. Rotary carving tools work well on it. I haven't used it but look forward to trying it for a figure head on a large SiB.
 
Apple, pear and holly are harder than basswood but are better able to hold fine detail. These woods have very similar working properties and I look forward to experimenting with them when I can. Holly is the preferred wood (by many) for deck planking Naval vessels to duplicate the color of holystoned and sun-bleached decking because of its very pale color while others think it is too white. It's also notorious for not taking stain well, but when treated with a black dye will mimic ebony. Pear can be pink or white (heartwood and sapwood) but not as white as holly. Apple is also light colored but can have something of a greenish cast to it. Walnut and cherry are useful in applications where the builder intends to use natural finishes but are more difficult to work. Birch and silver maple are also frequently mentioned as useful. 
 
Two years ago there were two companies (each operated by old guys with long histories and excellent reputations) that supplied cut lumber for the conventional static ship model market. Both of those guys have retired or have stopped taking orders to phase into retirement. Another company has stepped into that vacuum but it is limited to boxwood and pear with holly coming soon. http://www.crowntimberyard.com/  I have no association with this company and no experience with it, but I am acquainted with the man starting it and trust his dedication to quality. I plan a purchase from him in the near future.   This is one of those areas of ship modeling that will never be resolved. Each species of wood - and even where it grew - has differences in working properties that all need to be balanced for the intended purpose, the builders tools and his abilities. Our needs as miniaturists are somewhat different from those of other ship modelers because of the scales we usually work in.