How do I Make Model Ships in Bottles?
Building model ships in bottles is a centuries-old hobby. The task requires enormous amounts of patience and attention to detail from builders, as this is a hobby with no shortcuts.
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History
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It is unknown when building model ships began or became popular. The oldest ship is dated to 1784, and is on display in a museum in Germany. It may have been that building ships in bottles first started with building Christian religious scenes in "patience bottles." It is thought that sailors were the first to build ships in bottles and used wood, ivory or bone to make their models. They were used as presents, or to settle debts.
Process
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The first part of building a ship in a bottle is to lay the landscape. Builders can construct the landscape from tinted putties or acrylic paints. Once the landscape has set, which can take up to eight weeks, the ship must be built outside the bottle. The ships can be built so masts collapse and fold back along the hull. The masts and sails can be pulled up with tools and thread from inside the bottle. The other option is to build the ship model in pieces, and carefully place and assemble each piece inside the bottle.
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Tools
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Building ships in bottles require several hooked, long-stemmed tools. Some shipbuilders prefer to build their own tools. However, builders can buy specific model shipbuilding tools in hobby shops; some model shipbuilding kits come with tools as part of the package.
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References
- Photo Credit ship in a bottle image by Stepanov from Fotolia.com
