18th Century Longboat by Dan Vadas - FINISHED - 1:100 scale - BOTTLE - using most of Chuck's Practicum

[Salty Sea Dog]

Hi Danny! Just came across your build and haven't stopped grinning yet! There is just something about making tiny details that is really rewarding. Beautiful work as always and thanks for sharing the techniques and jigs.

[dgbot]

I inherited a partial kit my sister found at a flea market.  I will be following this build carefully when I get around to it.  First comes the other model on hold.  I am learning allot and am humbled by your work keep it up.  The perpetual student.

David B

[rth385]

Hi Danny,

Great to meet you today. Vulture is seriously exquisite. This build is going to be better than Vulture's boat because you have learned from and adapted to the challenges involved. and boy!!! is it small.

Good work,

Regards,

Russell

[Dan Vadas]

Thanks Buck, David and especially Russell for the very nice gift. I've finished one bottle already :

 

 

  Danny

[Dan Vadas]

To raise the mast later I needed some way of leading the pull rope, as I'm fitting the boat into the bottle bow first (which is the hard way of doing it ).

 

I bent up a piece of 0.5mm ID brass tubing which will be completely hidden beneath other panels :

 

 

The keelson was scalloped out on the underside to accommodate the tube :

 

 

The fore platform hides most of the tube :

 

 

The aft end of the tube runs alongside the knee. I used epoxy to hold it in along it's length :

 

 

The tube exits behind the rudder :

 

 

  Danny

[Dan Vadas]

The method of hinging the bottom of the mast presented a fairly unique problem. My solution was to enable the thwart to which the mast is clamped to turn. I had to deviate from correct practice and fit the mast to the fore end of the thwart. as there was no way the mast would clear the adjacent thwart when fully lowered with enough room to fit everything through the bottle neck.

 

I also glued a brace under the thwart for extra strength :

 

 

 

A length of 0.8mm brass wire was drilled and glued into one end of the thwart brace. Holes were drilled right through the risers, frames and external planking. The first wire was inserted into the hole on one side, and then the thwart was lowered into position and the second wire was fitted into the thwart brace from the outside :

 

 

 

 

In the pic above I was still experimenting with the raising of the mast. This was when I discovered that I'd need to reverse the direction of the thwart.

 

The hinge pins were cut off flush with the planking. These will be covered by a wale later on :

 

 

  Danny

[GLakie]

A clever bit of engineering Danny!  Nice! 

[Landlocked123]

Hi Danny,

 

I can honestly say that I've never had too much interest in ships in a bottle until I saw you are doing one, especially this one. I can also honestly say that I've had much greater interest in emptying the bottles. Anyway, I will be watching and learning (as usual).

 

Best,

John

[Dan Vadas]

Thank you George and John.

 

Next I made the Gunwales. I traced around the hull to get the outside shape, cut that out and used a pair of compasses to get the inner line :

 

 

Then I made the Mast Step in two halves - one was glued to the keelson, the other to the mast. When the mast is raised the two halves come together :

 

 

 

 

Last job for today are two knees for the transom and the breasthook :

 

 

 

 

  Danny

[AnobiumPunctatum]

Really, nice small boat, Dan. The idea with the second helling I've stored in my book

[gjdale]

That's a particularly clever piece of design/engineering for raising the mast Danny!

[Dan Vadas]

Thanks Christian and Grant.

 

I made the Thole Pins for the oars from bamboo drawn down to 0.35mm :

 

 

The Wales have also been fitted :

 

 

  Danny

[DSiemens]

Dan I think you just discovered a new way to put in the mast. I've often put in a small divot where the mast rests which is a similar method but you created the actual step. I'm liking the pipe idea too. Can't wait to see more.

[IgorSky]

Bravo Dan!

I look forward to continuing!

 

Best Regards!

Igor.

[Dan Vadas]

Thanks Dan and Igor.

 

The blocks are the smallest I've made to date - only 1.4mm long. Here they are with one of Chuck's 1/8" blocks for comparison :

 

 

I needed one double block for the forestay. It's slighlty wider than the singles, but of course has four holes instead of two :

 

 

Some more Ironwork - the mast band for the Boom, the bands for the Bowsprit and the two tiny Backstay Chains :

 

 

 

The construction of the Boom Yoke. The pics should be self-explanatory :

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Danny

[DSiemens]

Incredible!

[donrobinson]

Just amazing Danny

[Dan Vadas]

Thank you Dan and Don.

 

I've done quite a lot on the boat lately, but haven't updated the Log so there will be a fair bit coming up .

 

I've painted the hull in similar fashion to Chuck's. The Friezes were hand-painted with a toothpick :

 

 

 

 

The Parrels were a bit of fun to thread onto the boom yoke :

 

 

Now came the time to fix the mast to the swivelling thwart and try it out to see if my plan was going to work - a close shave, but all was good :

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Danny

[Dan Vadas]

Rigging the Shrouds and their lanyards :

 

 

 

 

I found I had a couple of problems when I tried to insert the boat into the bottle for another test fit. With the Deadeyes fitted it was a bit too wide to go through the neck of the bottle. I had to trim a bit off the edge of the cap rail to bring them in enough.

 

The shrouds also needed to be left loose at their tops to allow them to slide down the mast a few millimeters when lowering the mast. These can be lifted back into position when the mast is raised inside the bottle later on.

 

  Danny

[rth385]

Hi Danny,

It is really amazing that the perspective is lost until you have a shot of the needle threader. She looks like a "normal" sized model. I took days to rig my Bounty Launch because it was so intricate. Your skills never cease to amaze!

Regards,

Russell

[Dan Vadas]

Thanks Russell. Yep, this is a whole new ball game, and a load of fun .

 

Here's the final rigging. It'll tighten up better when it's all finished (I hope) :

 

 

My trick for doing the Forestay. The fishing line will be trimmed off after the forestay is glued to the mast :

 

 

The fishing line used to pull the jib halyard Traveller forward on the bowsprit :

 

 

 

The final try into the bottle before I actually insert the boat permanently. I'll only get one chance at it, as I doubt I'd get it back out again :

 

 

 

  Danny

[SailorGreg]

I am not normally a fan of ships in bottles, but in your case Danny I am happy to make an exception.  Marvellous!    

 

Greg

[fnick]

Just jaw dropping...   :im Not Worthy:

 

Nick

[GLakie]

Amazing stuff Danny! Especially the friezes.  If you tell me that you didn't use 3 pair of eye-glasses (Fred Sanford style), a lighted magnifier, along with a microscope, I'll be really jealous.    

[Keith_W]

That's incredible, Danny. Just a question: how do you drink so much and still be able to make models? One good thing about this hobby is that it has kept me sober! 

 

I also have a request ... would you be able to take a picture of that model in your hand? 

[Dan Vadas]

Thanks Greg, Nick, George and Keith.

 

If you tell me that you didn't use 3 pair of eye-glasses (Fred Sanford style), a lighted magnifier, along with a microscope, I'll be really jealous.

 

 

Gee, sorry George. Just a 4x magnifier .

 

how do you drink so much and still be able to make models?

 

 

Lots of practice???

 

Here's your pic Keith :

 

 

  Danny

[mtaylor]

Holy crap....  I thought it was bit bigger.  That is impressive and detailed.  I think I'll take up a different hobby... underwater basketweaving, maybe.

[Nirvana]

Danny, Beautiful and amazing done!

[BANYAN]

I think I will join Mark - very nice work Dan.  There are many models that don't have the same quality at much larger scales (mine included )

 

cheers

 

Pat

[dgbot]

Jaw dropping green with envy and jealousy.

David B