This
ship in a bottle (SIB) is a tiny 44 millimeters long (that's about 1.73 inches). In the main body of the bottle are
a lighthouse and a 4-masted schooner. In the neck is a paddle tug.This
ship in a bottle (SIB) is a tiny 44 millimeters long (that's about 1.73 inches). In the main body of the bottle are
a lighthouse and a 4-masted schooner. In the neck is a paddle tug.
It was made in 1990 by Des Newton, of the Merseyside Maritime Museum. It took him one week to complete.
To qualify as the smallest SIB in the world the bottle must be a true, complete whisky bottle. Some people use bottles that are not true whisky bottles; others cut the necks off their bottles. Beware of imitations!
The first things you need are patience and a steady hand.
Then you need to lay the sea in your bottle. This is usually made from a kind of putty or similar material that's been coloured to look realistic. This might take a few weeks to dry if it is putty.
Then you need to make your ship or lighthouse or whatever else is going in your bottle. Des makes each individual piece of the ship from scratch. That includes all the really tiny parts like life belts and windows. He fits them all together, complete with the rigging and sails that he lays flat along the length of the ship so that the whole thing can be slid into the bottle through the neck. The masts are then raised by pulling on the correct downhaul or stay (ropes attached to the masts and sails). The pieces are moved into place using very fine hooks, probes, forceps etc.
If the ship is wider than the bottle neck the whole thing has to be constructed inside the bottle which makes the whole process much more time consuming and difficult.