How to Rig a Ship in a Bottle

If you've never made a ship in a bottle, you're probably baffled as to how you can fit a tall-masted sailboat through the narrow neck of a glass bottle. However, with proper planning and the right materials, anyone can rig a ship in a bottle. The trick to rigging a ship in a bottle is building a ship that folds in on itself so it is small enough to fit through the bottle neck. You can then either construct the majority of the boat within the bottle, or raise the pre-built sails on hinges using a thread and pulley system.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Round, clear glass bottle that holds at least 1 quart, ideally with a flat side so that it can rest on a table
• Warm water
• Mild soap or detergent
• Collapsible ship model (the collapsed ship should be able to fit through the mouth of the bottle; the sails should collapse forward, toward the bow of the boat).
• At least 3 feet of thin, sturdy thread
• Several feet of thick, firm wire
• Glue
• Needle
• Plasticine clay
• Long custom model-makers spoon or scoop
• White paint
• Long-handled paintbrush

How to Rig a Ship in a Bottle

1. Clean and dry the bottle thoroughly inside and out using a mild soap or detergent. Be sure to rinse all of the soap out of the bottle, and don't insert the ship into the bottle until it is completely dry. Water can make the sails moldy if they're made of cloth, and soap can discolor them over time.

2. Create the ocean using plasticine clay of varying colors. Use the scoop with the long handle to spoon the clay into the bottom of the bottle. Mold the clay so it appears like waves. Using the long-handled paintbrush, paint the tips of the waves white so that they appear like whitecaps. Ensure that the ship with its masts up will still fit in the bottle when you take the height of the "ocean" into account. Leave a flat area of ocean where the ship will sit.

3. Cut your thread into three lengths if you have three masts; two lengths for two masts. Wrap the thread around the mast so it makes a U shape and will be able to hang outside the bottle so you can raise the masts by pulling the thread toward you. These threads will serve as a pulley system to raise the mast.

4. Dab a small amount of glue wherever the masts will meet the deck so they'll stick when you pull the masts into position. Smear a thin layer of glue on the bottom of the ship, so it sticks to the clay ocean.

5. Gently guide the folded ship into the bottle, bow first. Use the thread pulleys to lift the masts into position as each mast is inserted. Hold each mast securely for a minute or two, using the thread, to ensure the glue becomes tacky and sticks. Repeat this step until the entire ship has been eased into the bottle, and all of the masts are secure. Don't remove the thread pulleys until you're sure the masts are secure.

6. Use the thick wire to arrange the ship as you like it, and to push the deck of the ship down onto the "ocean" so the glue sticks. This wire can also be used to gently move the sails and prop up the masts as they dry.

Tips & Warnings

• Inserting the ship into the bottle must be done very slowly, raising each mast as it is inserted and waiting for the masts to secure individually. Keep the thread pulley system intact so you can re-raise a mast if it collapses. There are many ways to rig a ship in a bottle. Advanced model makers may choose to use a complex construction system to build the entire ship within the bottle itself.

References

• How is a Ship in a Bottle Made?
• Ship Model Making

Resources

• The History of Ships in Bottles