Landlubber Mike

Nice work Bob.  
 
I model a few static ships on occasion.  This one is in for a repair.
 

 
I also do a little rubber powered airplanes.
 

 
I have been asked to create some miniature furniture in 1/6 scale.  I am still considering if I will do this or not.

This is a tread dedicated to sharing your other builds that wouldn't normally have a place here on Bottled Ship Builder. Please keep it brief this is not a place for build logs but instead to show off your other projects.
 
My main passion is building wooden sailing ships but I do dabble in a little of everything.
 
This is my main project the (fictitious) topsail shcooner Byzantium.


 And here is a paper model I made of a WWI torpedo boat.

A model I am building of the sloop Mediator.

My HMS Triton cross section.

Also my interest extend beyond ships, here is a MT TUG Supper Jeep I made from two Jeep kits.

And the skeleton of a Basset hound that I am re articulating.


 
 
 
 
Lextin.

It was Donald McNarry in Shipbuilding in Miniature. After cutting several shavings with a block plane he moistens and uncurls them then glues archival tissue to the side that was the outside of the curl and lets it dry flat. He slices the shavings to width, paper side up. The paper helps to prevent the blade from following the grain rather than the straight edge. He glues the planks, paper side down onto a backer of archival tissue. He rarely does anything to simulate the tarred seams. When he has prepared enough deck for its intended location he scraps and sands the deck, then finishes it with the palest french polish which slightly darkens the plank edges. He sands the deck surface lightly with very fine sandpaper and installs it.
 
One problem that occurs with trying to follow McNarry's methods is his book was written in 1955 and he uses glues and finishes that are either no longer available or are extremely rare. The french polish mentioned above is a perfect example. French polish is made from the carapaces of a specific species of beetle dissolved in wood alcohol, filtered and allowed to evaporate leaving flakes. The flakes are sold by the gram (at a price comparable to that of gold), re-dissolved in wood alcohol and applied. It's use today is limited primarily to restoration of very high end antique furniture by the few craftsmen who know the very labor intensive process required. In 1955 it was available in several grades based on color which varied from almost clear to a deep transparent reddish brown.Today it's only available in one grade and the craftsmen will hand select individual flakes for color. Between the cost and working with a material that requires the use of a respirator (not just a filter mask) I don't find it practical in my work.
 
Lloyd McCaffery in Ships in Miniature cuts his planks using a model makers table saw and proceeds in a similar way to McNarry. He lays out the butt joints and treenails the planks in alignment with the deck beams of the model. He tapers the planks on models of vessels that used them on the deck(s) and nibs them into the border planks when called for. [i'll leaving nibbing for another day.]
 
I adapted the techniques of both to suit my tools (no miniature block plane or table saw) which I posted under another topic. Link:  deck planking  In that post the model was rather large scale (1/96) at a large size (4 inch / 100 mm length on deck) so the planks were wider than might be considered normal in a SiB. The black backing paper described doubles as seam tarring but can be adapted for smaller sizes at smaller scales by using glassine or archival tissue as backing then removing this backing after the planks are cut. 91% rubbing alcohol will soften pva and allow removal of the backing. As mentioned here and in the linked post, the backing paper aids in cutting uniform planks and is worth the extra step. Some black or dark brown acrylic paint can be used to dye the glue to simulate the tarred seams on smaller scale and/or size models. It just occurred to me that dyed pva could be used to glue a glassine backer, which may be just right without removing the backing, to simulate the tarred seam at appropriate scales.
 
Dave

Usually, I try to prepare my sails as near to the end of building as possible to prevent damage to them. Sometimes it's more practical to attach sails to yards, booms and gaffs when working on a mast assembly off the vessel. Staysails are usually near the last to go on before the model goes in the bottle but sometimes this rule gets bent with the lowest staysails between the masts.
 
On small models, I glue them to the spar or thread with thinned pva (about 1 part water to 2 parts pva) but intend to try very lightly thinned artists acrylic matte varnish for this light gluing task. Reason for this is that pva does not glue to cured pva well while the varnish does to itself. By lightly thinned I mean a moist brush dipped into the varnish and worked until I have the right consistency just a little thinner than the varnish alone. I experimented with the varnish as a glue on the rigging knots on a recent build and liked it - it holds as well as thinned pva, it sticks to itself well and is better than ca which dries brittle and doesn't always wick into the fibers. Ca often dries white where it builds up instead of wicking into the fibers and pva can cure milky, while the varnish always dries clear.
 
On larger models, I sew my sails on. My finest fly tie thread is about .002 inch / 0.05 mm in diameter which works out to be about 3/8 inch / 1 mm at 1/200 scale so I limit the sewing of sails to about 1/250 and larger scales to keep my rope close to scale. Poking holes with a needle point tears the paper usually out to the edge so I drill holes (.010 inch / 0.25 mm) in the sails. Drilling the holes allows them to be closer to the edge without tearing. I space the holes at about 1 scale foot / 30 scale cm and use a light gray fly thread that is somewhat translucent and takes on some of the color of the spar, sail or stay behind it which keeps the stitching subtle. I dip the end of the thread in ca to make it into a needle of sorts to pass it through the hole. I use a spiraling stitch around the spar or stay through each hole. In most cases this is only a simulation of the method used for real but is much easier to do and looks good with scale 3/8 inch or 1/2 inch rope on spars. Because the spiral stitch on staysails is least like the real method, I use fine fly thread on them even at 1/100 scale and larger. 
 

Detail of recent project with scale spiral stitch securing the fore topsail to the yard. The sail is also glued with varnish.
 

Detail of the mainsail boom. I also glued the edge of the sail to the boom after it was stitched in place
 

Jib sail with fine gray fly thread. This sail is glued to the stay so I can twist the stay inside the bottle to make the sail look like it's full of wind.
 
These sails were drawn digitally and printed on both sides of high quality, standard weight copy paper (20 pound).
 
Dave

I am one of those beginners. I have completed three ships and started with "Build a Ship in a Bottle" by Capt. Dan Berg. This was a very good start for me. I then proceeded to build my library by first checking out books on building ships through the local library and if I found one that I liked I purchased it. This way you don't spend money on a book that doesn't fit you. I have also owned several sail boats and built two from plans over the course of my working life. Due to having five fused vertibre in my back and age, my sailing days have come to an end. I really enjoy the hobby and find it to be very rewarding for me. However, I have a tendancy to want things perfect before I start a project and find I sometimes thinks things to death instead of just "doing it". My last project was the CSS Albermale, which I have completed but not bottlesd yet.  
For me, the books, this forum, and a few of the other forums have helpled me tremendously. I don't post very much as I am in no way as knowledgeble as others on this forum. Well thats my two cents worth hope it helps a little.
Jerry

If I had to do it over again I'm not sure I would change much.  I am very lucky to have started in an age where information is plentiful.  I had quiet a few ships done before I picked up a book.  Almost every thing I've learned has been from websites and forums.  It was surprising to me at first how freely the ship in bottle community gives their secrets away.  As I learned more and discovered how few we are it made sense.  Any way as far as the questions.
 
1. I think first sibs should be simple but enjoyable too.  If it were me I'd start with one any one mast ship.  Though if you have little interest in the ship your doing it's less likely you'll persist when things get tough.  Their is a sense of accomplishment doing two or three masts and if you so dare go for it.  I remember George Fulfit in the movie Steady as She Goes talking about how exciting it is to get those first few ships done.  He recommended starting with a two mast brigantine.  Then he said, "Then you get excited.  I'm going to do a three master...no wait better slow down and do another two master."  He had such enthusiasm and charm it was fun to watch and he's absolutely right.  That's how it feels.  No matter what the ship.  You get one done and you feel so accomplished and excited you got to do it again.  
2.  I think size is a personal preference too.  I get intimidated by larger models for some reason.  I started out building 4 to five inch models.  I think that's as good a size as any.  
 
3.  Starting out I think the most important thing to have in a bottle is a wide bottle opening.  Condiment bottles are good for this especially teriyaki.  It is a different feel seeing the model and not being able to just reach out and touch it.  A wide opening can help adjust for that since it allows more movement with the tools.
 
4.  I think smaller ships should have sails.  Looking at various models on line I think the ones that look good with no sails have a lot of masts and a lot of spars.  There is a lot of beauty in good rigging.  It's an art in and of it's self.  Starting out though I think either or.  I don't think adding sails is difficult.  Paper sails was a bit of a learning curve for me in figuring out how to get them in with out crinkling the paper.  I suggest starting with cloth sails just because they are easier.  
 
5.  I wish I had known rigging in general with my first sib but that's a long story.  Figuring out hull shape was a big turning point for me.  My first ten to fifteen ships were planks of wood with sticks and cloth.  They sort of resembled ships but not very much.  
 
     
 
Once I discovered how to add tumble home and other various parts that make up the hull my ships started looking much better.  My Stratenjaucht is was probably the first one that I started figuring out how to carve hulls.
 

 
Every thing else just sort of builds on each other.  I saw other modelers doing fantastic work I barraged them with questions and they told me how to do it so I tried things out.  Some times it worked, sometimes it ended badly.  I used to have a list of who I thought was the best at each part of the ship and I studied every ones work closely to figure out how they made it look that way.  I've come a long way but I think I still have a lot to learn.  Learning new techniques and getting them to work is probably the funnest part of ship bottling.  

I very highly recommend "Modelling Ships in Bottles" by Jack Needham, either edition.
 
         
 
I have not seen a better "how to" book on the craft. Jack will take you through several builds from a simple two masted schooner through to a three masted square rigged ship. Then hang around here and ask questions while waiting for it to arrive and afterward as well. 
 
for #2 and #3 build as large as you can find a bottle for with a large diameter neck - both will make the build easier. Be most concerned about clarity and minimal distortion closely followed by the neck diameter. A bottle that has a usable internal space that is about as tall as it is wide work well for most two and three masted vessels.
 
#4 absolutely, put sails on it. They can hide a lot of minor errors.
 
#5 I wouldn't change a thing, I had Jack helping me. I only wish I had a place like this to learn from 35 years ago.
 
Dave

For me, SIBs was always something that I thought was neat and that I would do as one of those bucket list kinda things.  When I started getting into ship modeling, I bought the zu Mondfeld and McNarry books which piqued my interest a little more.  I soon bought the Amati Hannah SIB on eBay for a great price, and thought that would be the beginning and end of my SIB career.  
 
Not too long ago, while in the middle of my Hannah build, I came across Daniel's (DSiemens) build logs on MSW, and the various links that he had to other artists on his log.  His work and the work of the other artists really opened my eyes into what an incredible art form this is, and got me very interested into further pursuing this hobby.  So, here I am a couple of months after the Hannah was completed, with half a dozen SIB books and slowly accumulating bottles and other building materials.  Now, I just have to pick my first ship
 
So, long story short, I blame Daniel 

A quick little build. I got finished up just in time. I've been asked by a local private school to talk to a girl interested in pirates and ships in bottles. This is the second time this school has asked me to do this. Last time I built a little Bermuda Sloop for the boy I taught to demonstrate a ship that was very popular among pirates and opposite of what the movies show us. This time I built a junk. Since I'm teaching a middle school age girl I thought she might be very interested to know that the most successful pirate in history was a woman by the name of Ching Shih from China. It's possible one of the 300 ships in her fleet might have looked like this.
 


 
I had to build fast because I'm teaching tomorrow.  Some notes on this build.  The mast and spars are paint brush bristles.  Wood is cherry with paper bulwarks glued on then hardened with clear nail polish.  The bottle is a flu shot vile I got from work.  I like to think I put it to better use.  
 
 

That is a very nice schooner and the sea fits very well.
Here is a small model of Mary Sinclair that I built some time ago.   It was not for a bottle though, but a small display case.     I rig in wire, and because of that, it can't be made to fold up as it would never straighten properly again.
Bob

My first attempt of making sea. I used the tinted epoxy resin, the white acrylic paint and the clear acrylic gel.

Thanks Gwyl,
 
Usually the scribing goes on the weather side because the scribing causes the paper to curl in slightly on that side.  But the effect is so subtle I often get the sides mixed up.  What's important is to keep the sides consistent throughout the model.  The best picture I could find to illustrate this is this one of fishing schooner Ingomar, a big model in 5 liters.  Please note the scribe lines on the foresail stand out a little, because the paper was scribed on the opposite, weather side.
These sails are the result of several experiments and many mistakes.  I'm sure there will still be plenty of both ahead.
 
Alex

Greetings All,
 
What interesting stories! Mine is basically one that started really as a method of sellling artwork. I was a graphic designer and draftsman for years, but was always fascinated by a ship under full sail, always considered it THE one man made object that seemed alive to me. I spent years drawing pen and ink sketches of ships on my own time, building simple plastic and wood kit models as "models" to work from. Spent years where all summer long I went to art and craft shows, selling framed prints and commissioned sketches of sailing vessels of all types. I took a few of my kit models to one show, and found they sold better than the prints and sketches. Started building scratch models of sailing vessels to sell, but it took a very long time to make a decent model, so the cost was high.
 
One day my wife came home from a visit to the library with a book on ships in bottles, telling me here was a way I could make models without taking forever, and therefore could possibly actually sell some. Little did I, or she, know just what would happen! <G> It was so long ago that this happened, that I really don't recall which book she brought home that day. I built a few traditional models, simple boats with clay/putty seas. I was sadly disappointed though in the sea materials, just didn't look right to me, and had extreme difficulty keeping the model "stuck" in the sea while pulling my control rigging lines. And the whole idea of building just generic ship types, and not terribly accurate at that, got to me after a while.
 
Started looking for any books on ships in bottles, or any ship modeling, at our local library. Saw that there were alternative methods, so started exploring those. Then I found both McNarry's and McCaffrey's books on miniature static display models. The details they were able to create at such small scales amazed me. I started thinking that there should be no reason that one could not put such details into a ship in bottle model. Instead of being just a craft, not to speak poorly of craft models in general, why could not ships in bottles be every bit as detailed and accurate as static display models? Well, I was on my way, and no looking back!
 
I early learned to make up several hulls and extra spars as I worked on any given model, giving me back up in case something disasterous happened to the main model. After a while, it turned out that all 3 models made it to completion. That started me working on making my methods as reproducible as possible, i.e. finding ways of making many more than single parts and pieces that were close to being exact copies. Once I had some basic detailing and rigging ideas worked out, I then became obssessed with getting ever more accurate and detailed in my vessel portrayals.
 
I then started winning awards at model competitions, which brought me to the attention of the publisher of Model Ship Builder Magazine. At his suggestion I started writing articles on how I build ship in bottle models, which were published in that magazine for a number of years. All of which started to make me think that perhaps it is possible to build ship in bottle/ bulb models that are every bit as accurate and detailed as any similarly scaled static display model. All of this despite the limitations imposed by having to build a model that also either broke part into many pieces, or was built so as to allow breaking down, to fit through the neck of the container.
 
And, so the story continues.................
 
Anchor's A Weigh!
John Fox III
Ladysmith, WI

I had been working on SiBs pretty much in a vacuum since buying Jack Needham's book in the late seventies and expanding on the lessons learned from him. It never occurred to me to search for other builders on the web until a little less than three years ago when I posted a project on Model Ship World. There I met Daniel Siemens who pointed me towards the Facebook and Yahoo SIBAA groups. I was also introduced to the miniature works of Donald McNarry and Lloyd McCaffery by someone who commented on my build log on MSW. The work of those two men, as it did with John Fox, inspired me to attempt that quality of detail in my own work.
 
In the time since discovering there were other people interested in building SiBs, I have improved my work greatly - not just incrementally, but more like an order of magnitude improvement. I've learned more in a little less than three years from the MSW conventional ship model and from the SiB communities than I did in the preceding thirty-five.

I agree with you 100%.  I too have learned so much more from the online community, John Fox III, and the books from Lloyd McCaffery and Donald McNary.  For me, these teachers, along with others, have have shown me what is possible (or rather that anything is possible), where as before I was in the vacuum too.
Gwyl

Gwyl,
 
Like you I got started young.  A girl I knew gave me "Whittling and Woodcarving" by Tangerman when I was 12 and there was a ribbon in the chapter on ships in bottles.  Somehow a good ship in bottle has the permanence and dignity of a finished ship model with the freshness and spontaneity of a watercolor or sketch.
Last summer I met a man who'd been at it for over 50 years.  He was 91 and had seen his first ship in bottle in Germany during the Second World War.  His son showed me his basement workshop where he had produced hundreds of bottled models.  I'd brought a model of my own, sort of to prove my genuine interest. The old man was polite and said kind things about the model, but I could tell it was the bottle he really admired, and his own dreams of what he might have put in it.
 
Alex

My method of making deadeyes is very similar to the method used on conventional static ship models. I drill three holes in each deadeye and rig them for real. The difference is that I use a sandwich of two discs cut from ca-treated card stock with modified leather punches. Find them with a search for "leather punches .8mm 1mm 1.5mm 2mm". They have a rounded cutting edge that should be sharpened (chuck in a drill and sand the bevel to an edge).
 
At the channels, copper wire of an appropriate gauge is bent around a drill bit shank two wire diameters smaller than the card discs, then the two tails are twisted together snugly, but just enough turns to match the thickness of the channel. For thread shrouds, use a drill bit two thread diameters smaller than the discs, make a needle eye splice and glue it well. For this I dilute 2 parts white pva with 1 part water, mixed with a small brush that had been wiped wet over the dried soap around the opening of the dish soap bottle. The soap reduces the surface tension of the glue allowing it to better wick into the fibers of the thread. Make sandwiches of two discs and a wire or thread loop glued with thick, slow-set ca.
 
When the glue has cured, drill three holes in each deadeye. I made a drilling fixture that holds the deadeyes and guides the bit for drilling the three holes so that the deadeyes are uniform to each other. I also made a fixture for rigging the lanyard.
 

Drilling fixture for deadeyes. The two vertical pieces guide the lower jaw for consistency between deadeyes.
 

Close-up of the face of the lower jaw. Holes are .010 inch / 0.25 mm and are in both faces of the jaws.
 

Rigging fixture for deadeyes. The vertical piece sets the distance between deadeyes.
 

Deadeyes on the left are .060 inch / 1.5 mm in diameter. Right, .040 inch / 1.0 mm.
 

Deadeye assembly set in place. This photo shows the twisted wire and needle eye splice at lower and upper deadeyes,
respectively. It shows where to use a needle to pass the thread through itself, twice, to form a needle eye splice.
 

Deadeyes in place, lanyards tied off, chains secured and a shroud spreader tied just above the deadeyes.
Just needs some paint touch-up. This two masted topsail schooner was about 6 inches (150 mm) X 6 inches.
 
It seems like a lot of work - and I guess it is - but the results are amazing. The next less complex method is to use or adapt the one described in Donald McNarry's "Shipbuilding in Miniature" (1955) in which he uses short pieces of wire glued to the faces of discs to simulate the appearance of deadeyes. Cutting and uniformly gluing little pieces of wire seemed as much work as drilling holes and rigging the lanyards - at least the drilling and rigging can be done with fixtures and I cannot think of a good fixture to help with gluing the pieces of wire. Using thread instead of wire might work better for a bottle ship.
 
When I made these I made all the parts then assembled them. After making the prototype and the fixtures, I punched a pile of discs, twisted copper wires around a drill bit and colored them, made a bunch of eye splices, glued together the deadeye blanks needed plus some extras, painted the blanks, drilled the holes (and re-touched the paint) and then rigged all the lanyards. Using production techniques saves a lot of time. Making the prototype and fixtures took more time than doing the production run of all the rest of the deadeye assemblies. Next time I will be able to make them quicker and I won't need to make new fixtures. Truth is they were easier than I thought they would be and worth the effort. Good lighting and magnification (my preference is an Opti-Visor) helps.
 
As I mentioned, I've made deadeyes 1.0 mm and 1.5 mm in diameter. I think .032 inch / 0.8 mm deadeyes are possible but the holes may need to be .008 inch / 0.20 mm instead of .010 inch and I have not been able to get a thread, even my finest fly tie thread, through that size hole. I plan to find out for sure when I have a project that needs deadeyes that small.
 
The discs are also useful to make non-working blocks and tackle by sandwiching thread between discs. Blocks can be built up as double- and even triple-sheave blocks. My profile photo shows the fore-top of the topsail schooner with 1.0 mm deadeyes and 1.0 and 0.8 mm blocks.
 
I hope I haven;t overwhelmed you, but you did ask. 
 
Dave

Please welcome DSiemens  (Daniel) to our moderator staff.  Daniel has been active in building SIB's for many years and has a very strong passion for ships in bottles.  
 
Daniel will also be working on a project of moving conversations from Yahoo SIB group to a special forum set up for those archives.
 
Again we welcome Daniel to the moderator staff. 
 
Gwyl

Over the years people often ask if this is a dying art and if there are fewer of us out there doing it.  People writing into Bottle Shipwright often said they thought they were the only one left!  Experience has certainly shown this is not the case.  Here I want to introduce two ship in bottlers I have known and worked with for years. 
First is Gerry Ross, who lives on Cape Cod and regular teaches ship in bottling classes at the Woods Hole Museum.  He and I see each other only during the Woods Hole Boat Show when we set up a table together and regale visitors with tales of glory and adventure as ship in bottlers.  One of the things great about working with Gerry is he never grows tired of answering, "How do you get them in there."  Here he is demonstrating to a family at the Woods Hole Show last weekend.
 

 
For the past two shows we have been joined by Tony Colton, a ship in bottler from Quincy, Mass.  Tony and I have known each other for years through the ship model club at the USS Constitution Museum.  Tony is also active with the Fletcher Class destroyer in the Boston Navy Yard,  Cassin Young.
 

I've used a similar technique with waxed paper to prevent damage to hull paint from rubbing on the inside of the neck. I've also used small pieces of waxed paper between collapsed masts and deck details that might poke holes in the sails and between masts to prevent, for example, getting a fore mast head from getting tangled in the main mast shrouds or other rigging.
 
Dave

That is a good idea I may have to try it.  I've also seen wax paper placed in the bottle before the ship to prevent clay from attaching to the ship.  Nothing worse then a mast or spar with a blue tip you can't get off.  Once the ship is in and erected the wax paper can be removed and the ship positioned into place.  I tried this on my last model since the ship had to be erected and the turned as the bottle was vertical.  It kept the ship nice and clean through the turn and came out easily after.     

Inserting a model into the bottle is perhaps the riskiest part of the process, at least in my experience. A complicated umbrella method model with a full suit of sails and dozens of control lines can be a real terror to send down the neck, and the sound of something crunching or cracking can break your heart, along with causing hours of extra work.
 
  A simple solution which has saved me lots of fear and trepidation is to cut a piece of metal out of an alumum can to about the length of the model, and of a width slightly greater than the inside circumference of the bottle's neck. The model is wrapped carefully in the metal piece, compressing it uniformy, and the whole thing inserted through the neck. Once inside the bottle, the aluminum will spring open, and may be easly extracted with a hooked piece of wire, and saved for use on the next model.
 
TJ

I sometimes find myself intimidated by a project or a task because of my perceived limitations and doubts of accomplishing it to my satisfaction.
 
A few months ago while browsing the web, I came across the remarkable work of Willard Wigan.
 

"The Last Supper" in the eye of a needle.
 

A motorcycle inside a hollowed out beard clipping. [Yes, you read that right.]
 
Now I don't get intimidated so easily, and when I do, I remember these. Nothing is impossible.