ESMERALDA by DFellingham - BOTTLE - Chilean Navy Training Ship, 1/640

[captainbob]

I agree, it is those little details that make it a "model instead of a representation."  In the picture of the side of the ship the porthole rim and the rails seem to be the same diameter.  You could make rings of wire and paint inside.  What you have done so far is fantastic.  I'm sure you'll figure this out also.

 

Bob

[molasses]

Thanks for looking in, Carl and Bob, and for your suggestions. I've looked in on your builds, admire your workmanship and value your comments.

 

Here's another photo of Esmeralda I'm using for reference to give a better idea of what I need to do with the port lights. I know how easy it is to lose perspective on what is being done after looking at a series of close-up photos; I do it myself after spending several hours working on details through an OptiVisor and a hand held magnifier.

 

 

On my laptop display this image is slightly smaller than my model (clicking on the image will bring up a larger one). The model is 3.5 inches x 7 inches (89 mm x 178 mm) waterline to mast heads and fantail to tip of bowsprit. The photo shows why I can't leave off the port lights, how many there are and, in general, the scope of the difficulty of doing them. As you can see they aren't evenly spaced but they are uniformly parallel to the shear line. The port holes can be off horizontally a few thousandths of an inch and no one would notice, but if they vary the same amount vertically they all will look sloppy.

 

I value suggestions very much. Even if a suggestion seems stupid it may trigger a better idea that will solve the problem.

 

Thanks again for looking in.

 

[captainbob]

Wow, what a problem.  First thought is to glue the picture to a board at least .25 thick and drill through with .020 drill. (the port holes look about that size.) mount it on the base board with the hull and slide a drill shank through the holes, slide one of the rings I mentioned earlier onto the drill shank and slide it up to the hull. 

 

I don't know that I could do that.  Like I said it's a first thought.  I'd better keep thinking.

 

Bob

[molasses]

Thank you for thinking about by problem, Bob, I appreciate it very much. You have a good eye for detail. you saw that the port lights (or port holes, if you prefer) appear to be close to the same diameter as the handrail spacing. The fixture idea seems useful, I may be able to use a variation on it.

 

I'm not the least bit concerned about the detail around the port lights. They work out at scale to be less than .0005 inch (about the thickness of a coat of paint) above the surface of the hull and don't show in any photo reasonably close to the size of the model. They barely show at even ten times that size and I think I can see them only because I know they're there.

 

It's just getting all those little dark grey dots uniformly sized and placed that presents the problem. Even on my steadiest day I know free-hand painted dots are not possible; three or four at most, but not 30+ in a row. Perhaps I can uniformly glue small discs with a slow set glue but I would need to glue them to the wood, not the paint, if I want them to stay on when I insert the model in the bottle.

 

That thought process - and much more - led me to an idea this morning, based on suggestions I received here, and I'm preparing a test piece to try it and a couple variations.

 

You have "Every build is a learning experience," in your signature. Ain't it the truth!

[michael mott]

Ok I have an idea in order to keep to the sheerline, what about a marking gauge type device that will punch a divet into the side of the hull, you move it along and make the next divet. the divets will need to be filled with something black then wiped off

 

Ok I'm clutching at straws  

 

Michael 

[cog]

Michael,

 

I had something along the same line: Copy/mark the pattern of the portholes on paper. Use that as a template to mark them on the hull with a needle or awl. You could then make a 'dent' in the hull with a drill bit (if that small is available) or increase the size using an awl with a short wide point. Finally fill the holes with a dark stain/paint ...

[molasses]

Michael and Carl, it appears that great minds think alike.   

 

My test was similar to both your suggestions and it looks like we've solved the problem. I need to test a bit more tomorrow for ease of repeatability, get an idea of how much time it will take to do 130+ dots and refine the technique a bit to speed it up - I did eight dots earlier today and the last five came out perfect at about two minutes each.

 

In short, I drilled very shallow holes .025 inch (.64 mm) in diameter and used a piece of .010 inch wire to pick up a tiny drop of paint and put it in the hole.

 

I'll post a report sometime tomorrow with photo(s) and more details on the process.

 

Dave

 

 

[molasses]

 Welcome aboard!  Here's the promised update:

 

I laid out a row of ten holes (using a gauge for vertical placement and my eyeball for horizontal) with a needle point, checked their vertical placement then enlarged them, again with the needle point. The holes were drilled with a .025 inch drill, then "deburred" with a conical bead reamer.  I can't tell you exactly how deep the holes are, I made two complete turns of the drill using only the weight of the pin vise for pressure. I prepared a small quantity of paint, picked up a tiny drop of it on the tip of the wire and transferred it into the shallow hole. Some holes required two dips, I'll take care of that by mixing the paint a bit thicker when I do them on the model. Here's the result - top row was done yesterday, bottom row was done today:

 

 

It looks like it will take two to three hours to do 130+ port lights, not counting breaks to rest my eyes. But not today - too little sleep last night and too much caffeine this morning have left me shakier than normal - so I'll work on some other part of the build.

 

Thank you to those who made suggestions for doing the port lights. All of them were helpful.

 

Dave

[captainbob]

The test looks great.  Well done.

 

Bob

[JerseyCity Frankie]

I am curious about the gluing of the wire project you are working on. I have tried a similar glue-up making shrouds on small models but I was using thread in place of wire. Gluing all the intersections on the jig was tedious. I was using cyano. Donald McNarry describes in one of his books using varnish ( or was it lacquer?) as an adhesive in a similar process. I gathered he just painted it on and when it hardened it glued all the junctures together, a nice trick if it can be reproduced.

[molasses]

Donald McNarry in Shipbuilding in Miniature described the process I used for those rails using French polish as a glue for both thread and wire rails. It took me some time to learn that French polish is shellac flakes dissolved in wood alcohol - true shellac, not the substitutes available today. True shellac is made from the carapaces (shells) of a specific species of beetle and is almost unavailable today and is only used in very high end antique furniture restoration by the few artisans who know how to use it and are willing to put in the extensive labor required. Also, the wood alcohol fumes are dangerous and detrimental to health.

 

As tedious as it may seem, I don't think there is any shortcut for making sure every intersection is glued. McNarry specifically mentions this in his description. I planned to try several substitutes for the French polish but didn't get to them.

 

I haven't done much to Esmeralda - partly because medications from the doctor made my hands "vibrate", partly because the wire on the jig sagged (probably the result of repeated temperature changes during the time the doctor and I sorted out the vibration problem) and partly because I felt somewhat overwhelmed by the project itself and discouraged by my shakiness. The problem has been relieved by changing my meds and improving my diet. I found that the shakes can come from a potassium deficiency and now I eat a banana every day or two which seems to help more than the med change, but I'm now back to normal and working on both of my SiB projects.

 

I will report on my progress on Esmeralda soon (port lights are done). I have never left a project unfinished and I won't have one now. The only unfinished project I'll ever have is the one I'm working on when I die.

[DSiemens]

Sorry to hear about your poor health.  I'm glad your doing better now.  Also I'm excited to see the finished port lights. A lot of research went into those if I remember.  It will be neat to see how they turned out.     

[molasses]

Not really poor health, Daniel, just one of the many "fun" things that happen with age. Changing the medication took care of the undesirable side effect. The hard part was convincing the doctor that the shaking he could barely see was objectionable - even with my medicine induced shakes my hands were steadier than his - until I showed him some of the photos of what I was accustomed to doing before taking the medicine and couldn't do while taking it. 

[captainbob]

Yes it is hard to work with shaking hands.  Sometimes you have to teach the doctors.

 

Bob

[molasses]

 Welcome! I decided to post a photo of the port lights.

 

 

At this point I decided to leave the drilled holes unpainted thinking that they are a little more subtle by letting the natural shadows "color" the holes. I can easily change my mind. The holes in the lower row are .020 inch diameter (0.50mm) and the holes directly below the deck line are .025 inch (0.65mm). The lay-out of the holes took considerably longer than drilling them. I find with this macro photo (as usual) that I still have a bit of touch-up to do. The photo also shows one of the photo-etch anchors installed back in May. The port side is also done and looks the same. Compare this photo to the one of Esmeralda at the top of this page.

 

By the way, the cheap hobby drills I used didn't entirely cut through the paint but pushed up a bit of a ring around each hole simulating the ring on the real port lights.

Edited November 24, 2013 by DFellingham

[DSiemens]

Looks great!  The holes work really well.  I can see what you mean on the touch up here and there some of the holes look wood brown rather then black.  That's an easy fix though.  

[michael mott]

Ah it is so good to see you back at work, I am enjoying this build a great deal.

 

Michael

[captainbob]

This is a Photo Shop trick isn't it?  You took the "top" picture and blanked out the masts and added the exacto blade.  You can't fool me.  Fine work.

 

Bob

Edited August 7, 2014 by Cap'n'Bob

[molasses]

This is a Photo Shop trick isn't it?  You too the "top" picture and blanked out the masts and added the exacto blade.  You can't fool me.  Fine work.

 

Bob

 

You found me out, Bob.   Seriously, thank you.

[Chasseur]

Mr. Fellingham,

This is truly an excellent article and build. I am interested in your technique regarding the FIMO clay. Have you had any issues with cracking once it dries out?

Please advise ... Jeff

[molasses]

Thank you, Jeff, you're very kind.

 

FIMO is a polymer based modeling compund that doesn't air dry. It can be baked at a low temp (110C/230F) but I've never baked it. It's very similar to Sculpey but it's firmer and a little harder to work. I have heard of others who baked their sea and needed to glue the sea to the bottle. I haven't had that problem with un-baked FIMO. Since I use white FIMO only for a small amount of detail on the surface of the sea, I still have a piece of the first square of white FIMO I bought 35 years ago. I recently bought a new square of white FIMO with a much larger quantity of blue. I cannot tell the difference between the old white and the new in any way.

 

I prefer FIMO Classic over the other types of FIMO, or Sculpey, simply because FIMO Classic has a Navy Blue that is the closest IMO to the color of deep water ocean than any other shade of blue available from either company. If Sculpey came in a shade of blue I liked better, I'd buy Sculpey. I've used both and have no preference other than the color. Colors can be mixed but it's a lot of work. I've been so pleased with the results from using this kind of polymer modeling compound that it's the only material that I have not felt a need to improve upon since building my first SiB over 35 years ago.

Edited April 2, 2014 by DFellingham

[Chasseur]

Very good! Also there is a Gent on YouTube who goes by the name of Terran Scapes for water techniques.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vol7P8oHAk4

 

He uses Liquitex which is a 2 part polymer resin that I think could be used on top of the FIMO to give an excellent wave characteristic, and he has also tried coloring clear silicon with white paint as well for waves. Did you use butternut for your hull or basswood?

Please advise ... Jeff

[molasses]

Did you use butternut for your hull or basswood?

Please advise ... Jeff

 

I used basswood because I had it. I'm not entirely pleased with some of its working properties but I'll keep using basswood until I find something better.

[Chasseur]

Yeah lots of builders prefer basswood however more and more are trying jelutong, tupelo, butternut, and redwood is becoming more and more popular. I am still trying to decide on a wood for a ship in bottle. My project will be the Royal Yacht Caroline 1749. I was going to build the HMS Mary 1660 however I stumbled upon a fantastic download of the Caroline by Sergio Bellabarba and Giorgio Osculati. The information is fantastic complete with history Of the vessel, mega line drawings and first rate detail of all ornate carvings. Selection of bottle will be critical as I am looking at a split hull model to increase the scale to show detail however I don't want to go over 1/700 as I am a purist when it comes to miniature ship building.

[molasses]

Jeff:  Here's a very nice contemporary portrait of HMY Royal Caroline by John Cleveley the Elder that might be useful.

 

 

She was renamed Royal Charlotte in 1761 when sent to convey Duchess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz to England to marry George III. I would be intimidated by the ornate decoration. She will make a lovely SiB and I look forward to you posting a build log.

 

Are you familiar with the Facebook page for Ships in Bottles Association of America (SIBAA)? You might find it interesting.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/125786360859225/

[Chasseur]

Thanks for the colour photo as the one I have is B &W. I have heard of the Facebook page however I am not a fan of it or twitter to be honest. Yes the ornate work is intimidating that's why I chose this vessel for this very reason. I want a challenge and this project will definitely give it to me. I have one project I must get finished before I start my build. I am just in the process of reconfiguring a diorama for our local library. I have modelled an island scene with miniature 54 mm toy soldiers. The genera is Nemo's War the Mysterious Island. Once I get it finished then I will start on my SIB. Also I joined SIBAA and David Lavoie was gracious enough to give me the first years subscription for free. What a gentleman to say the least.

 

I am in the research mode right now and following some builders namely John Fox III, Heather Gabrielle Rodgers, Juan Rodriquez del Barrio, and a Frenchman whose name escapes me at the moment as well as yourself here on MSW. For a little warm up I am just about finished a WW1 battleship at 1/6000 scale just for kicks! Anyway I love the work you are doing and it has been a great inspiration plus your techniques are sound.

 

Respectfully,

 

Jeff

[Chasseur]

Hello Dave,

You had mentioned you drained a 1.5 Liter wine bottle for your build. Could you please do me a favour and measure the inside diameter of the neck? I am wondering if they are all at roughly 19.5 mm for these style of wine bottles?

Jeff

[molasses]

This bottle had a screw cap (top dollar wine!) and the neck ID measures 1.025 in./26 mm.

[Chasseur]

Very good thanks Dave!

Greatly appreciated .... Jeff

[kees de mol]

Very nice build!