Amati Hannah ship in a bottle

[Phil Winks 1Participant @philwinks1]

For Christmas my good lady has fullfiled a long time desire of mine (Steady Boys lol) and got me this exceptionally pretty model from the Amati slipway. This presents me with a challenge as 1st I’ve never really worked this small, 1:300 scale and never done a period ship unless you count the Airfix victory I murdered as a school boy.

 

1st the photo’s

 

and finally all these bits go through the neck of this bottle (Apparently)

 

Construction is fairly obviously a bread and butter style hull, with a pletherer of brass photoetched parts

 

Now my 1st question,

 

What glues to use?

 

I reckon aliphatic resin for the wood parts but what about the brass photo etched parts. My 1st guess is superglue, but will this possibly bloom all over this little beauty?

[Phil Winks 1Participant @philwinks1]

My 1st attempt at both period and miniture modelling HELP

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Hi Phil

 

Looks a bit fiddly to me, mate

 

I would use superglue and emery the bloom off?

 

Still ………..It`ll keep you quiet over Christmas!

 

 

Bob

[Phil Winks 1Participant @philwinks1]

That was my thought Bob however I need to be absolutely sure that there is nothing in the glue that reacts over time as once its in the bottle there aint no going back so to speak!!

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

i’d definately use aliphatic, Phill….very stable and impregnates the glue to hold it well.

neil.

[Phil Winks 1Participant @philwinks1]

Totally agree with you Neil as far as the wood to wood joints go, there’s a reason cabinet makers use it. However my real concern is the brass to wood and brass to brass joints. I know super glue will hold them but not sure about how reactive it may be over an extended period of time in the confined space of the bottle

 

Phil

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

I know its a bit easy.but… take the bottle cap off from time to time?? or is it supposed to be sealed. I would have thought that some cilica gel or something would have to be included if the bottle was ACTUALLY sealed tight or you may get condensation, if nothing else..

 

Ashley (has only built ships while ON the bottle!!!)

[Phil Winks 1Participant @philwinks1]

it does say to glue the cap on Ashley and as its a loose fitting wooden turned cap pretty essentiall. So I’ve thought of the silica gel thing and got some ready. also if the glue does react with paint or metal or whatever and a bloom appears even with the cap removable getting at the model to tart it up is near impossible as she will be well glued to the bottle and also once the masts are raised lowering them again is out of the question, so getting her out to work on is a non starter.

 

It does occur to me that I may be worrying unnecessarily however this really is a case of get it right 1st time or else

Edited By Phil Winks 1 on 26/12/2011 17:03:02

[Phil Winks 1Participant @philwinks1]

Well I’ve bitten the bullet and made a start. Opting for aliphatic resin for the wood to wood and a thickish superglue for the brass to wood and brass to brass joints arguing that all these joints will be sealed with clear laquer at least

 

this is the progress that 5hrs work has produced

 

the scalpel and archimides drill show just small she is

 

 

Phil

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Hello Phil
You’ve made good progress in the time period!
The colour looks just right too

Are you keeping her on the stand in the bottle? Might be a good idea?

Bob

[Phil Winks 1Participant @philwinks1]

Thanks bob

 

yes the stand gets glued in the bottle 1st

 

then the ship (with lowered masts, yards, gaffs, sails & rigging complete) is placed on it before pulling on the jibsail rigging to raise it all into place.

 

Sounds so simple put like that but not a stage I’m currently looking forward to lol

 

 

 

Phil

[neil hpParticipant @neilhp]

that looks lovely phil…….I’m tempted myself one day.

thanks, neil.

[Phil Winks 1Participant @philwinks1]

Thanks for that Neil but I’d seriously say think hard unless youv’e some experience working this small fiddly doesn’t even start to cover it lol.

 

I have now finished the hull and this is my 1st complaint about the kit. the anchors and guns are so oversize it would spoil the finish to fit them the anchors hang below the water line if fitted where they belong and the guns don’t fit between the grating covers and the gunwhales also the barrels are to high to fit through the gun ports

 

I have made a start on the masts fitting the yards to the fore/main mast. a very fiddly job and a night mare to do the way suggested by melting the thread ends to stop it running back through the holes in the masts etc so I’ve resorted to knots and pva to secure the sheets (ropes for the uninitiated)

 

Phil

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

This is not the time to lose one’s bottle!
Lol

Bob

[Phil Winks 1Participant @philwinks1]

LOL your right there Bob. Hope new year gors well for you all

 

 

Phil

[Phil Winks 1Participant @philwinks1]

after a tense morning working on the rigging and sails she is nearly ready to place her with surgical precision into the bottle.

 

another issue with the kit has come to light. rigged as she is there is no way the masts will fold right down as the sheet between the mast tops and the 2 sheets to the rear boom would have to stretch for this to happen so before an attempt at inserting her into the bottle will have to wait till I’ve got my head round this issue also if you look at the picture on the box these are not the same sails used in the model photographed there all in all some very frustrating issues with the kit and I will think long and hard before buying another “Amati” kit

 

Phil

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

It must be most disappointing, to find such shoddy attention to detail by Amati

I too will never consider an Amati kit in future

Don’t despair, Phil…….
Just make a few drastic modifications and call it a scratch build!

Bob

[Kimosubby ShipyardsParticipant @kimosubbyshipyards]

Hi Phil, interesting problem.

 

Can I run this by you?

 

Make the stay joining the two mast tops a continuous length from the twin boom sheets of the driver, up through a free hole in the driver boom end, on up to the and through a hole in the gaff end, up through a hole in the main mast top, through a hole in the fore mast top and down to and through a hole in the bowsprit end. Leave a long tail and don’t tie off. This will create a single run of cord up over the whole boat.

If the cord will run through these holes it should be possible to lower the assemblage, letting the cord to run out and then when you raise the masts etc, tighten the cord up. This should pull the boom sheets up to the boom and once at the required tension be made fast at the bowsprit end with a dab of cyano. If required, and with a very gentle hand, the mast tops could also be “dabbed” to fix them in place.

 

I notice that the illustration on the box lid does not show a stay between the two mast tops either.

 

Just a thought, it might provoke more, happy new year, Kimosubby.

 

Oh, I notice I’m in your area end of March, at the SWMEE near Shepton Mallet, I’ll be with the AMBO stand, so maybe see you there?

Edited By Kimosubby Shipyards on 01/01/2012 12:35:10

[Phil Winks 1Participant @philwinks1]

Thanks for that mate! thats pretty much the method I’ve come up with too.

 

although if you look at the picture on the box of it in the bottle, there are 2 stays from the rear boom down to the 1/4 deck, as described in the instructions, and it is this that suggests to me that the photo of her in the bottle is faked, as these stays alone would prevent the mast going low enough to enter the bottle as with the masts flat on the 1/4 deck railings there is less than a mm of clearance as she passes through the bottle neck

 

Also their described method of inserting her with the provided special tool is near impossible as even with the holes for the stand over-sized to allow easy placement on the pre-inserted stand proves to be something of an extreme challenge . so much so that I have devised a different method which will give a better grip of the hull as its pushed down on to the pins on the stand, taking advantage of the fact that the model cannot be viewed from the rear (Flat side) of the bottle I can put 2 small holes in the hull on that side and use a flexi arm (a bit like a surgeons keyhole surgery tool) to position her and hold while glue goes of

 

Phil (in hopeful mood)

[Thanh Huynh 1Participant @thanhhuynh1]

Very nice! Tell us when you've finished this baby!

[Phil Winks 1Participant @philwinks1]

Just a quick update.

I am trying to find the time and inspiration to get round the sticky problem of inserting her in the bottle as the suggested method of rigging and inserting her simply do not work and time at the min is a premium due to both pressures of work and preperations for, hopefully, an impending house move

[Thanh Huynh 1Participant @thanhhuynh1]

Wow. How long will you finish it, Phil?

Thanh.

[Phil Winks 1Participant @philwinks1]

Not sure at the min mate untill the house move is over, now confirmed for the 12-07-12 then I need to reinstate my workshop or at least find her box amongst all the packing cases containing my workshop tools lol

[Jeremy Smith 1Participant @jeremysmith1]

I know its been years since these posts… I have started to build this ship. How do I attach the sails to the thread?

[Jeremy Smith 1Participant @jeremysmith1]

This is referring to the ship in the bottle, Amati Hannah.

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