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She hit the bottle on the weekend! More fun to be had hooking everything up etc. What is the definition of insanity? Putting the Preussen into a wine bottle!

My pin vise has actually been here for a bit, it's just about time to use it. I need to paint my chain black, then start on her masts and yards.

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

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.

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

I was just peering at my 1st of 3 sets of masts and decided on second thought, that it will drive me mad if I don't fix it. It just won't get fixed today.

I started rigging her a bit. Since I got a bit prematurely excited and added deck details too early, I've had to remove some in order to rig her. I must have been quite tired last night since, as I look at the masts, the foremast is placed "bass-ackwards". The yards are tied to the rear instead of the front. In this case I am going to allow myself to be human and make mistakes rather than undoing what exists and starting over. I highly doubt anyone besides you folks and myself will ever know. Very frustrating though.

This is the way I do it. To cross the yards, (attaching them to the mast) I use a loop of thread wrapped around the yard as shown below. Make sure it is long enough. The loose ends are fed through the loop, pulled tight and secured with a drop of glue. The loose ends are then is tied around the mast where required and secured by a drop of glue. This allows the yard to swivel when putting the ship in the bottle and when setting for the required wind direction. Alan

I would recommend drilling a small hole through the yard and the mast with a pin vise or watchmakers drill and then thread the cotton through both and tie off with any knot. Just make sure that the yard can swivel so that’s it’s easy to insert through the bottle neck when the time comes. Perhaps these illustrations from ‘Sailing in glass’ by Joop van Schouten may help to visualise better.

Wow! You have quite the talent for miniature detail. This looks like a larger scale build.

I believe I originally said I wouldn't try to overthink this one but the scale is such that it allows a lot more detail, and using tips from the Labastour's book it's fun.

Now for the fun part, all of the rest of the rigging to get done! Also I have to make the jibs as well.

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.

For those of you who recognize and/or celebrate Thanksgiving Day I wish you all a happy and blessed one! Jesse

Guys; thank you sooooo much. This really helps...Moab

Would anyone have plans/drawings for a fairly easy Viking ship that they would be willing? I getting back in s-i-b after a long absence and need something to build. Thanks an Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Welcome Charlie !

Welcome Charlie!

Nice details,splendid job!

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

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.

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.

Looking good!!!!

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.

I have been looking at the topic when ships were first put in bottles.I joined the lightship Tongue in Jan Feb 19-75 and was told by my lightship master when talking about this that lightshipmen had been putting ships in bottles for a good 200 or so years the first manned lightship was the Nore in 17-31,and what better position to be in to observe the many types of sailing craft than being swung around an anchor for 6 weeks at a time,at the time I joined we did 4 weeks on and 4 off,and was told that many lightsmen supplemented their income by putting ships in bottles,sadly with the advent of TV aboard the ships in about early 60s the hobby rapidly declined,and when I started on what was called the south relief there was only one other lightsman making them he also made them for sale and he never deviated from 1 type of model he must have made scores of them all the same over the years,as when I joined he was nearing retirement,on the lightship you had lots of time on your hands.There was one well known pub in Harwich which had a model of every lightship in round gallon bottles and I believe they were made by the same lightsman over the years the models sat on a high shelf around the bar.

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.

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

The Main mast is done less running rigging.

This is the ratlines being added after adding gunports

This is my model of HMS Ganges the very ship that gave its name to the famous or infamous boys training establishment, depends on how you viewed your time there as 15 year old boy seaman,I was there in 19-58 the place opened in 19-06 to 19-76 I believe that 15 year old boys stopped going there in 19-70 when the school leaving age was raised to 16.They used to say they took on 15 year old boys and turned out 16 year old men.I had suspended this build so as to finish my ww2 trawler model in time for the annual reunion at the sparrows nest the home of HMS Europa the patrol service base.

The Mizzen mast is done, which is weird as it sits midship on the Preussen. When I think of a mizzen mast it comes as something being located on the stern of a ship. I am modelling the sail detail taken off of the Cap Horn model by Heller. The Preussen will be in heavy seas as modelled. Also finished the detail on the stern in gold. Two more masts to rig up then it's on to the running rigging, then into the bottle. Or as the late Jack Hinkley would say, time to "Hit the Bottle."

This is the pic of my completed RN Patrol service model.

This is the trio of ww2 armed trawlers now in the bottle

This is the pic of 2 armed trawlers in the bottle with one to go,here is the pic of the third trawler now in the bottle.

This is the pic of 2 armed trawlers in the bottle with one to go

Jigger done less running rigging to be added.

This is the 3 ship group for the gallon Grants bottle

This is the complete model of my third trawler HMT Sir Lancelot

This is the third model of the 3 ww2 trawlers that I am going to launch into a grants gallon bottle,this model is a tribute to the brave men of the Royal Naval Patrol Service of which over 600 trawlers were lost all over the world at a cost of 15,000 men a very high casualty rate by any standards, the other 2 are HMT Coldstreamer a military class the largest of all ww2 armed trawlers and HMT Boyne a mersey class trawler.

Just finished the Spanker less the control lines that go to the Jigger Mast. I have to get the yards on the jigger first to determine length of control lines.

Started on the Spanker with yards etc. Lots of rat lines to build as well. The Uschi thread is awesome, it will stretch and allow me to fold the yards sideways, to get the mast into the bottle! 👨‍🍳 Steady as she goes!

All the masts are done save ratlines and rigging. Yards are done up, painted & ready to go. Now comes the fun part all of the rigging etc. Steady as she goes!

"The Flower of Gloster " from the 1967 children's tv series of the same name (which I watched back then, which is showing my age!)