Bernard Kelly

This is my HMS Ganges model launched into the bottle,awaiting the base glue to dry before erecting the masts.

Returning to building ships in a bottle aft r r an absence.   Looking forward to building again.
 
 
 
 
 

Placed a fife rail, made some bollards, steps, navigation lights etc. I rubbed a bit of ash into my planking to try to accentuate the seams with a little success. Making it appear weathered allows me an excuse to be less than super clean here and there.

Still waiting a pin vise, however in the meantime I fashioned a cabin with lifeboats fixed on top. The whole cabin is removable at the moment as a mast will be directly in front of it and may obstruct it's lowering. I put a bit-o-planking mid-ship and made a hatch. I'm going for a bit of a weathered look to her. I also ordered some photo etch anchors and the smallest "portholes" I could find, which have not yet arrived either. I know it's an "easy" way out but I was super disappointed in my attempts at those two.

The detail on what you have started looks pretty darn good!

Looking good!!!!

I am deviating slightly from the book, however I want to utilize the techniques within' for the majority of the build. Deviations are primarily for historical accuracy.  I am going to try not to overthink too much, as I sometimes get lost in the tiny details, rather than producing a realistic facsimile of the ship overall. I have misplaced my pin vise and while I wait for a new one's arrival I have fashioned the basic hull shape, shaved some bulwarks, the bowsprit, a capstan, windlass, cats head timbers and a bit of planking in the fore.



I don't know about anyone else, but I am pretty good at consistently creating a huge mess, just to produce a miniscule piece.
 

Thanks guys, just learning the carving but it's fun. I picked up a couple of books off ebay, on figureheads to research a bit. Apparently there are quite a few old figureheads at The Valhalla Museum at Tresco in the Isles of Scilly. Curious if any friends from the U.K. have been there? If I go to a EASIB convention, I would love to check that out.


 An interesting side story... about a week after I got and read the figurehead books, I was out riding on my Harley Davidson motorcycle in the middle of Michigan, when I happened to end up behind a couple other folks riding bikes. To my surprise, when the guy in front of me slowed and I saw his leather jacket, it read "Valhalla" across the top "Norsemen" across the bottom with a picture of wind filling the sails of a square rigger in the middle. Talk about a coincidence...

This is so cool! I don't hear much about people carving real figureheads now days.

What can I say;it’s very artistic 
Seriously,a great bit of carving.Congrats to your nephew,the boat is super.

During this past summer, my nephew attended the "Great Lakes Boatbuilding School" in Michigan's upper peninsula with the focus on traditional boatbuilding and repair methods. As one of his projects he built a little pocket yacht sailboat of about 14 feet, so I volunteered to carve a figurehead for it. Of course he chose a mermaid, and although it isn't quite finished, it's well on the way.





 
 
 

Superglue will come of the inside of a bottle using acetone (pure, not nail varnish remover that has lotions etc added) on a swab. 
Paraloid B-72  is a conservation quality adhesive. I saw it being used on the British Museum website so gave it a try. Will stick just about everything, but does require drying time.  Dries clear and is reversible (just in case) with acetone. Useful for a lot of the work, probably not everything.

I use Aleen's tacky glue, white glue, some super glue for very small parts. Onni is right, superglue is really touch to get off the glass.

I’m no expert but in normal work building a ship from wood then I use ordinary white wood glue from a bottle but use it quite thinly. If I have any plastic parts i.e. made from styrene then I glue them with a super glue but be aware that super glue will react with the glass inside the bottle and can be difficult to get clean. Maybe other people can recommend some other types of glues for you depending on where you are based.

Greetings.
I have a question regarding PVA. This seems to be used as a generic term for all types of white glue, I believe this is also what is in ladies hair spray and thus why it is used to seal chalk pictures.
As a part-time woodworker I have come across many white glues ranging from powdered resin W to standard bottled wood glue and they all give different performances i.e. slow or fast drying and overall strength. Can they be spread thin (as needed on small  models) or do they need a good dollop etc etc.
What glues are you using for model ships? Are there any types of pva to avoid?
Thanks in advance
Richard Johns

Plasticine is the easiest. If you heat it on the bottom side a little after it is put in place it partially melts and seals itself to the glass. You can shape the top however you want, it never hardens and stays just like you put it.

I am looking at starting my first model early next year. I am currently working on a panart double cannon deck kit. I am also experimenting colouring clay with paint, trying watercolour (easier clean up) then acrylics. Also looking at plasticine for the sea.
Thus far I think the best fun will be finding a nice shaped bottle and drinking the contents so I can put a ship in it.
I was looking for a prototype ship to do as my first build. I happen to have a larger model of HMS Bounty's jolly boat. Only a single mast but I have a nice ex rum bottle measuring about 8" that is crying out to be used.

Welcome R Johns! There is nothing quite like looking at your first SIB completed. You already have modeling experience so this should be a smooth transition for you. Would love to see you do a build log here when you get started.
Jesse

Welcome!

Up to a couple of years ago all my modelling has been railway related. Wanting to do something new I have been building some wood ships and nautical wood kits. Being from Portsmouth and also living in Plymouth and working in the dockyards, all things nautical have also been an interest of mine. Now, having run out of wall space, and the smallest wood ships being about two foot long and not forgetting the height of the masts, I have decided to give ships in bottles a go as I can get more of my completed work on display.

Greetings,
Looks like a good start! Good luck with the build. Plenty of people around here can help you if you run into difficulties not covered in the book.
Anchor's A Weigh!
John Fox III

Hi all, cold weather is forcing my "ship in bottle season" to open up. I have a wonderful, albeit large, model of The Sovereign of the Seas. I plan on restoring her in the future as the model is about a hundred years old. I bought it at an auction years ago and was later surprised to find tucked within her was a letter written by the gentleman that built it. I found a wonderfully large bottle on ebay and I decided to utilize the expertise and guidance of the Labistours' book "Making Ships In Bottles", and build this beautiful clipper ship within' it. As a newby I have learned a bit of what not to do via the "hard way". 
I have a collectors model of the Labistour's, that is among my absolute favorites. I found their book and I just love the methods, tips as well as the way it was written. I have fashioned a work stand per instructions and have begun the hull. That being said, I hope I can do the book justice.
 I found a book on how to make clipper models that included deck plans, sheer plans, breadth plans. rigging plans, jibboom plans etc. There is more detail than could be included on a S.I.B. but better too much information than the other way around.






 
 

This is my Ganges model fully rigged,though I have to confess that I blundered when adding the gun ports before the chain plates so they did not line up,so had to strip them off and add them after adding the chain plates ,lesson learned pay more attention to detail,now for sails and some deck fittings,I think I will keep her as a training ship with her deck guns removed.

Welcome to the forum Nils!

The Bottled Shipwright.pdf