Flying Dutchman by josh44 - FINISHED - 1/500 - BOTTLE

[josh44]

So, I was about to spend a couple hours launching the USS Alaska, when Wifey reminded me that I promised to make my nephew a SIB for his Bar Mitzvah Birthday - arriving in 8 days.  

 

I had been keeping my eye on some pirate ships, and decided to go with the fabled Flying Dutchman.

I love the  the sterncastle, and the ridiculous, ghoulish bow.

I had to get crackin'.

 

I chose a classic whickey bottle.

But with a 1.65cm aperture, getting the ship in will be 'toight!

 

Hull blank, then sanded and cut down.

Unfortunately, due to the bottle's narrow neck and the fact that I will have the three masts fold aft, it will be hard to build up a proper sterncastle.

(For future similar SIB, i will build up the sterncastle's bulwarks only, but have decks remain at the level of the lowest deck).

 

I like the brass effect, but i built up the forecastle too much, diminishing the classic profile.  Oh well.

a good start for one night. still tons of work to do in a short time.

Next: Masts, Yards, and Rigging. 7 Days left...

[DSiemens]

Great start.  Looking good.

[josh44]

Thank you Dan ^ !!

 

I took my own advice, and decided that I really wanted to build up and highlight the sterncastle as much as the bottle would allow: I used a dremel to grind down the decks,  to  allow the masts more room to fold back. In addition, I shaved down some of the keel at the stern - stealing bottle neck space from the hull and giving it to the deck.  Lastly, I painted black the brass rails on the bow, to hide their shine and distraction.

 

 

Proportion of the masts and spars drivs me crazy.  I found some perfectly sized brass rods -- unfortunately I havent found them predrilled, so that adds another challenge.  Still, their sizes isare great for these projects.

 

also some bead cord ends for the mast bottoms / hinge process. 

 

 

No holes in the masts was tricky, so had to use a combination of knots and beads. 

 

Was struggling with how to set up the tack / brace lines to help square the sails.  I set down three cord ends as pass throughs:

 

some strategic placement of beading ends and pass throughs:

 

Where we stand now, with tons of running rigging spilling out ove the bow. But they will be glued and cut in the end.

I'm pretty happy, especially in the short time.

Still struggling with the sails - I went back to satin becuase the muslin would be too thick for the narrow bottle passage. (as it is, things will be very dicey come time for bottling). Have to apply CA to the sail material to prevent shredding when cutting, and i think the CA makes the material contract  a bit.  I wish the sails  came out bigger and more imperious.  Oh well, next time! Thats one of the beautiful things about SIB - if you dont like it, then scrap it, or get ready for the next project - It can be here in under two weeks!!

 

For all intents and purposes, the ship and rigging are complete. Brass plate is already ordered. Will need to make and stain the stand.

 

Next: Bottle etching and silicone launch. Four work days left.  

 

 

 

[josh44]

A cyclone hits, recovery, and successful bottle etching:

 

Well, with 3 work days left, I was prepping the ship for launch. I did some paint touch ups, and then decided to use the soft brush on the dremel to clean her up nice.... 

 

A spinning tool going at 6,500 RPM and 20 lines of running rigging do not mix!!

Totally devastated bow, pass throughs, and all the running rigging, 

all snared up into the brush and axle.

Fortunately, the masts, yards, and shrouds were all intact.  I was able to untangle everything, and rebond the bow pass though.

 

She got a brand new bow sprit - this time black -  and a Perm!!

 

Somehow, recovered.

On a lighter note, my experiment with glass etching came out well. In my minds eye, this pirate ship in a bottle should be haunted by a looming skull, with  jaw agape. I applied craft tape to the lee side of the bottle, drew out my design, cut away the outlines, and applied glass etch cream.

 

Rear  /  Lee side

as viewed from the front

The rear  - the engraved message to my nephew is read from the back.

How it'll look from the front.

Tomorrow I have to get her in the bottle, on a stand, and pour in the rubber. After the silicone sets over 24 hours, That will only leave 1-2 days to right the masts and tighten the lines.

[mtaylor]

Excellent recovery Josh.  When I saw the first photos, I thought for sure it was scrapbox time.  

[josh44]

5 hours ago, mtaylor said:

Excellent recovery Josh.  When I saw the first photos, I thought for sure it was scrapbox time.  

Thanks! Was definitely a rookie mistake.  And I got very lucky. But virtually everything is fixable with SIB. Every project  is fleeting and disposable  - I suppose that’s why I like it. Very different from the big beautiful master ships being built on this site by master craftsmen.  

[josh44]

Launch

In you go!

Something's gotta be busted pretty badly.

 

Dripping in the silicone

Waiting for it to set

 

Sadly, all the shrouds got torn off their bead passthroughs. The bowsprit broke her nose.

 

Finally, righted, and afters tons of internal repairs.

 

 

It was a rush in 8 days, but I'm pretty pleased.

The silicone sea definitely helped - thank you Igorsky!

I have to work on bigger, blooming sails.  And i need better hinges for the yards, to prevent all the problems which occur when i collapse the masts.

 

Anyway, my nephew will like it! Thanks for reading.  Next I will complete the Alaska. 

 

Edited March 9, 2019 by josh44
added two final pics during daylight - thanks!

[mtaylor]

That's a great gift and a great recovery from two disasters. 

[GrandpaPhil]

Nicely done!

[josh44]

6 hours ago, mtaylor said:

That's a great gift and a great recovery from two disasters. 

Thanks, Mark! My current SIB path is described by two principals: Having a good plan, and having a better plan to recover from disasters.  

Trying to improve on the former to rely less upon the latter.

[josh44]

2 hours ago, GrandpaPhil said:

Nicely done!

thank you!