Pirate Ship by DSiemens - Woodkrafter Kits - Bottle - Kit Bash

[DSiemens]

So crazy thing happened at work a week or so ago.  We had a secret Santa sort of thing at work and one of my coworkers went well out of there way to find a ship in bottle kit.  They went to just about every hobby store in Denver and found this one which was under the $20 limit set by the company for this activity.  I'm actually highly surprised they found one at all in an actual store.  I've only ever seen them online.    

 

After I got it they told me they want to see it when I'm done.  I accepted politely and told them I would, inside I was thinking haven't you seen the ten ships in bottles in my office?  I'm going to bash the heck out of this kit and show you a ship in bottle you won't believe!

 

 I've actually built this kit before and as far as beginning ship in bottle kits go I think it's one of the best.  It is incredibly simple and the instructions are pretty good.  It follows the most basic ship in bottle process using hinges for the mast.  As far as ships go the rigging very basic and the parts are way off scale, not that they had any scale in mind for it.  The bottle is a great beginners bottle as well.  The opening is a massive inch and a quarter.  More than twice the size of my usual half inch bottles.  It gives you a lot of wiggle room to work with.  If any one were to try a ship in bottle using a kit I think they would have an easier time with one of these then the Amati kits.  Bearing in mind of coarse these will look much cheesier.  Enough talk here's a photo.  

 

   

 

Here is everything that comes in the kit.  There's the ship itself which I think is made out of pine.  It's a more solid wood them I'm used to.  There's skewers, tooth picks, popsicle stick and piece of balsa.  Sand paper thread and larger string for the bottle neck and a cork.  Also some tiny nails and wire for the hinges.  I'm missing a page of the plans but I'm not to worried about it.  I will also note that the bottle stand that comes in this kit is one of the best and I've designed many stands after it.  It's just a block of wood rounded out on top but it seems to fit any round bottle I put on it.  Big enough to hold the bottle small enough to not detract.  

 

 

I really want to go for the romanticized pirate look.  Looking at the block they supply the ship has more of a clipper type deck with a long narrow bow section.  I suspect they use the same piece of wood for their Cutty Sark kit.  Most "pirate" like ships had a more rounded bow so I looked through the book The Story of Sail for something with a narrower bow.  I think galleons is as close as it comes.  They are rounder but the forecastle juts out and narrows similar enough to the cut out that came with the kit.  This particular ship plan is for a ship named the Revenge from 1577.  It was for a time Sir Francis Drakes Flag Ship.  The ship itself has an incredible story even after Sir Francis Drake I highly suggest looking it up.  I'm not sure I'll copy this one exactly but I will take a lot of aspects from this ship.  Also if any one has any ideas they want to throw in to totally bash this kit post them.  I want to have a lot of fun with this one so the crazier the idea the better.        

[augie]

Nice gesture on the part of your co-worker.  I'd venture a guess that your colleagues are going to be more than surprised when they see what you come up with!

 

Make it a great voyage ---- and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

[captainbob]

Another SIB.  I have to watch.

 

Bob

[DSiemens]

I have a concept I'm trying out that I may use for this build.  There's a couple aspects to it.  First showing the planking of the ship and second build better gun ports.  I quickly carved a concept ship to test it out.  

 

 

This is actually a split hull.  It splits just below the wale so I can fit a bigger ship in a bottle then the bottle neck allows.  I painted the hull black and planked over it to bring out the ports.  

 

 

 

I then added cannons made from the black wire in an old cell phone charger.  I'm happy with how it turned out though I need to go slower and make better measurements if I'm going to use this technique in an actual build.  

[augie]

So you would slip in both halves and then somehow glue them together?  That's either heresy or ...... brilliant!!!!

[DSiemens]

I wish I could say I made it up but it's been done long before I ever built ships.  It's possible the first ships in bottles in the 1780's used the technique.  Here's an example of a pirate ship I built.  I based my practice model on this one.

 

 

 

All but the mizzen mast went into the bottle after the hull.  The ratlines were glued to the side of the ship in the bottle.  The part of the technique I like the most is that the hull is bigger then the opening leaving people really questioning how the ship got in there and it really fills the bottle up.  

Edited May 17, 2015 by DSiemens

[augie]

Thanks for posting that photo.  I'm still in awe.

[DSiemens]

Finally making some progress on this one.  I found an interesting technique that made my test with the previous ship more possible.  There's a company called cards of wood that sells business and greeting cards made out of wood.  They also sale blank sheets that are 1/100th of an inch thick.  Before I get to that here's what I did to start bashing this kit.

 

  

 

I moved the back edge of the forward deck up lengthening the weather deck.  I also cut the front into a keel.  I then added the extra deck on the stern.  

 

After I got all of that sanded I started planking.  

 

 

The deck I took took  thin piece of wood and coated it in nail polish then when that dried I cut the planking lines and stained it.  The stain seeps into the lines but doesn't stain the coated surface.  I'll see if I can get a closer picture of that.  I then stained some of the this wood and started planking.    

[dgbot]

I hope you do not mind me sitting in on this one.

David B

[Landlubber Mike]

Nice Daniel!  Your thread is giving me a good kick in the pants to get started on my scratch SIB.

[DSiemens]

I don't mind if you do David.  

 

What ever it takes Mike    Actually this build is helping me learn some different techniques that I think will help push me to the next level.  More and more thought I'm finding I need to measure.      I'm so used to eyeballing but to get better I need more accuracy.  

 

Well the planking is pretty much done.  I did it pretty think.  I think when I do this again I'll measure out and actually count the number of planks I'll need.  One step closer to being a plank counter, what's happening to me?  

 

   

 

 

 

[DSiemens]

Some more progress on this one.  I've added the channels and some more work on the bowsprit and I added cannons.  One note on this particular kit.  I'm not sure exactly what type of wood they put in my guess is pine.  What ever it is it's extremely hard and brittle.  I ended up breaking off the keel trying to drill a hole through it.  It was easy enough to glue on a new piece of basswood as a replacement.  

 

The kit it's self though isn't meant to be bashed as much as I'm doing.  At this point I've used the original piece of wood and scratch built an entirely new ship.  Another problem I've found with this kit is the ship itself is to big for the bottle.  The masts will be around a quarter to half inch shorter than they should be.  If I weren't doing this to show how this kit could be bashed I would have picked a new bottle for this ship.  The bottle it's self isn't bad.  The clarity is good and for a beginners kit I like the wide opening it has.  One problem I have with the Amati kit is they try and fit to much ship into to small of a hole.  It's doable but I think it might be to much for people trying out ship's in bottles for the first time.  The Wood Krafters kit is better in that they give you a decent beginner's bottle how ever the kit is a kin to what the reenactment community calls a polyester pirate and has little if any historical or actual ship basis which is what most builders in this forum look for.  

 

If I were to suggest a way to start ship in bottle building that would be easier for beginners and still have historical basis and actual hip basis it would be to go find one of these bottles.

 

 

Then pick up some basswood and bamboo skewers or toothpicks and follow the directions in Don Hubbard's Ship in Bottles book.  I might just put together a log on that.  Any how I'll get off my soap box now and show you what I did.

 

 

 

 

My bulwarks could be better.  I'll see what I can figure out on that on a future build.  I like how the bow worked out though.  There's still a little bit more I want to add to that.  

Edited November 1, 2015 by DSiemens

[mtaylor]

Looking very ship-shape, Daniel.   That's interesting about the bottles.   One would think that for kit, they would use a bottle with a wide enough opening.

[augie]

Guns and bowsprit are bringing her to life!

[DSiemens]

I have another update.  Got the masts and spars in place.  They are really low.  More so then what the real ship should be but it's because of the bottle supplied with this kit.  Since I am just bashing the kit I guess I'll keep the bottle with it.  Also added a couple hatches and some green paint for good measure.