Mercury by DSiemens - FINISHED - BOTTLE

[popeye the sailor]

"I sure do Barney........those natives are really getting restless!"  {yabba dabba doo}

[DSiemens]

That's funny I was just thinking at work today, now that we're moving off of the old DOS accounting system, where do I turn in my saber tooth tiger?  I guess some one at IT should know.  

[DSiemens]

The ship it's self is done!  Now just got to get the dory and the launch and bottle her all up.  

 

 

 

[augie]

A truly adorable piece of work.  Outstanding.

 

One question....  is that green lashing set up to keelhaul someone?   

[DSiemens]

Thanks Augie.  The green line is nice and thick so they can keel haul the whole crew if needed.  The Captain runs a tight ship.  

[captainbob]

Great  idea, "boat in a box".  Nice boat and nice box to carry it in.

 

Bob

[popeye the sailor]

looks super Daniel.......nicely done!

[JesseLee]

Enjoyed viewing this log. I got my start making miniatures like this from scratch when I was a teenager. I always carved solid hulls because of the size so I am impressed you did it the hard way. Very nice work!

[Landlubber Mike]

Hey Daniel, your Mercury is looking great.  I'm just about done working on the Amati Hannah SIB, which is difficult given the scale but thankfully is mostly all photo-etched parts - the fact that you scratched built this ship is really impressive.  Really nice work.

 

Are you going to put it in a bottle with water?  I'm using fake water from Vallejo, which has been even more difficult than I imagined given the shape of the bottle and narrow bottle opening.

[DSiemens]

Thanks every one for your comments.  I was hoping to post more but being back in school and a trip to Utah I haven't found the time.  Maybe this week end.  

 

Jesse,  I started the hard way and went back to the easy way.  Solid hull really is the way to go with this scale.  Trouble is it's harder to get to an exact scale.  Then it is small enough the scale doesn't matter so much.  Thank you for your comment.  

 

Mike, I am putting her in a bottle with water which is why I haven't bothered fixing the rudder.  Water can be tricky I've used a couple of techniques.   So far I've found Plasticine to be the easiest but it takes some patience.  I roll it up like a clay snake and put it through the bottle neck.  I then put the bottle in the oven at about 200 degrees.  The melting point is 150 but my oven doesn't get that low.  Then it's a matter of watching for the clay to melt and shaping it with a metal wire being careful not to get any of the now runny clay on the sides of the bottle or in the neck.  Also be careful not to burn yourself.  

 

Another easy method is to roll up the clay and unroll it in the bottle.  I explained that method on my blog.  Siemensbottlingco.blogspot.com   It's a little tricky but you can control the amount of clay easier and you don't burn yourself.  Thank you for your compliments.  

[DSiemens]

I tried a new technique and really like the results.  This is the launch that will be towed behind the ship.

 

 

 

The Launch is made completely out of paper.  I carved out a plug out of bass wood put a little wax on it.  Then cut out small planks of paper and stained them.  I then glued the planks together and planked the plug like it was a solid hull.  Once dry I added a couple coats of clear nail polish to seal and harden it.  I then cut out the plans and stained them then glued them into the stern bow and bottom of the launch.  Last I cut out a few planks and made the seats.  I put on one more coat of nail polish for good measure.  I may try another since I really don't want this little boat sucking up the oils from the clay sea.

 

Strangely enough the jollywatt which is smaller and kept on deck is made completely out of wood.  

  

 

I used a tried and true dremel technique for this one.  Pictures and instructions can be found on my blog.  

 

I got the sea in the bottle.  Just need a few more finishing touches and she's ready to bottle.  

[augie]

Nice work Daniel.  Always something new in your micro world

[captainbob]

She's lovelt.  Can't wait to see her bottled.

 

Bob

[mtaylor]

With that kind of detail at this size, I really have to wonder at the masterpiece you could create at 1:48.   Just amazing work. 

[DSiemens]

Thanks Augie and Bob.  Mark I think I will have to try a bigger model one of these days.  

 

She went in today and so far so good.  I hope to have her wrapped up this weekend.  

 

 

 

 

[augie]

Speaking of 'wrapped up', I didn't realize the sails had to be wrapped around her to get her in the bottle......duh!  Looks like a scene from Moby Dick!

 

Really nice, Daniel.  The launch in tow adds still another dimension.

[popeye the sailor]

BRAVO!!!!!!!!   it looks great Daniel!   I had to show this to the admiral...she was equally as impressed as I am     simply fantastic.......so hard to believe it can be done.........and the dory is a real nice touch!    so glad to see this 

[DSiemens]

Thanks Popeye and Augie.  Yea I didn't understand the wrapping technique when I first started and wondered how these builders could put a ship in a bottle with paper sails with out crinkling it up.  I used to use only use cloth for that reason.  After studying a few pictures I found that by wrapping them around the ship they don't crinkle and it helps keep the wind blown curve.  There's still a lot to do.  The stays are tight but I still have to tighten the braces.  The sea around the ship needs a little work and I have to build a stand. 

[DSiemens]

Oh one more thing of interest I thought I should mention.  This ship was and incredibly tight fit.  I actually took an eight of an inch off the keel after a test fit and still just barely fit her in.  Which is perfect since the tighter the fit the more people wonder how the ship got in there.  

[DSiemens]

She's in!  Lines are tight and she's sailing beautifully.  This ship is by far my best work.  The bottle it's in has the best clarity I've seen in a bottle.  It's a tradition of mine to call the entering of the ship into the bottle her maiden voyage.  Old sailor superstition has it that the maiden voyage is a reflection of the life of the ship.  If that's the case the Mercury's got a good long life in front of her.  She shook off the snag's and problems and came together with ease.  She's been a pleasure to work on.  I'm just sad I have to ship her away for some one else to enjoy.  I still have to build a stand and put a turks head knot on the bottle but other then that she's good to go.  

 

 

 

 

 

[augie]

Congratulations on another job well done.  When all is said and done, I think it's the progress that we see ourselves that is the most rewarding.

[captainbob]

She's on the water with the wind in her sails, and a lovely ship she be.

 

Well done

 

Bob

[Sven]

Well done Daniel. She looks great! Nice job

 

Matt

[DSiemens]

Thanks Augie.  Your words are to true.  This ship has been quiet the experience and is by far my best and it will keep getting better from here.  

 

Thanks Bob.  Actually I put a lot of work into those sails.  They naturally fall on a starboard tack.  I wasn't watching and put the spanker in with a port tack.  I should have just undid it and switched but just to see if I could I put in the running rigging and braced the sails to port. That's probably one of my favorite parts of this ship.  Except for being glued down all of the rigging is functional.

 

Matt thank you for your compliments.  It means a lot coming from a SIB builder of your caliber.  Which reminds me hows the Britannia coming along?   

[Landlubber Mike]

Wow, very nice work!  Congratulations!

[popeye the sailor]

congrats on a wonderful build....superbly done!

[michael mott]

Daniel , congratulations on a wonderful model she does look great in the new home. I'm sure that the new owners will be proud to have her in a place of honour.

 

Michael

[DSiemens]

Well a small update for inquiring minds that would like to know if there be any.  The Mercury was shipped and arrived safely to her knew destination several states away.  I had to check with the ship in bottle forum to find the best way to ship her and found that first she must be epoxied in not just set or regular glued and then surrounded by bubble wrap and put in a box and that box put in a box of peanuts.  I admit I was even skeptical of that since I used to work for FedEx and know first hand that if you can't drop kick it, stand on it or throw it against the wall you shouldn't ship it FedEx.  So I went with UPS.  

 

Either way she arrived safely and the Pirate is ecstatic.  He absolutely loved it and to my surprise paid me several times the negotiated price.  While the extra money is nice I think the appreciation meant more to me.  It's really nice to know the hard work that went into this is recognized and appreciated.

 

On a final note I found that this particular pirate has an interesting website and I decided to share it.  http://www.piratesurgeon.com/  He has got to be one of the most knowledgeable sources of medical practices during the golden age of piracy that I've ever encountered.  Not that I look up the subject much but I don't think it's one that is easy to research.  His research is thorough though with several period references.  Makes for a fascinating read if you aren't to squeamish.    

[augie]

Congratulations on a safe maiden and final voyage. It's great to hear she arrived intact.

[DSiemens]

One last update.  At the request of the pirate I made this for, I wrote up a build log for his website.  He gave me a link to share.  It will be officially posted on the 15th or 16th so this is just a sneak preview.    

 

http://piratesurgeon.com/pages/other_pages/mercury_bottle1.html

 

It tells the full story and has a few things I don't think I included in this build log.  Also if your interested in the golden age of piracy his site has a lot of information.