Ships in bottles: how the most inexplicable marine souvenirs are created

Ships in bottles: how the most inexplicable marine souvenirs are created

Categories: Production | Technology

Among the souvenirs on the marine theme, the most popular are models of sailboats in bottles. Amazing miniature copies of frigates, galleons and caravels are placed in a glass container with a narrow neck. Many are sure that the craftsmen saw off the bottom of the bottle, place the ship there, and then carefully glue it back. But it is not. The technology for creating such souvenirs is much more complicated and interesting.

Ships in bottles: how the most inexplicable marine souvenirs are created

It is believed that the first models of sailboats in bottles appeared about 500 years ago. Of course, they were created by sailors who knew the structure of ships very well and were jacks of all trades. This type of "needlework" appeared due to ... boredom. It is well known that sailboats depended on the wind. With a light wind or during a calm, the bulk of the sails did not need special attention, and the sailors had free time.

Ships in bottles: how the most inexplicable marine souvenirs are created

Miniature models were made of wood, and the rigging was made of laces twisted from the fibers of real ropes. As for bottles, there were always enough of them in the fleet, since a real sailor could not do without strong drinks. Sea wolves used knives as the main tool, and for especially fine work they themselves made tools from improvised materials.

Ships in bottles: how the most inexplicable marine souvenirs are created

The process of creating a ship in a bottle consisted of many stages. First, the craftsman created the model outside the container. However, it consisted of several parts. After that, the disassembled boat was placed in a bottle and the final assembly began. The master started from the bottom, gradually moving towards the neck. Only in this way could he do the work without blocking his view.

Ships in bottles: how the most inexplicable marine souvenirs are created

Neck length played a big role. It was the most difficult place to work. Therefore, in containers with a long and thin neck, models with less detail were assembled. But a short and wide neck provided a lot of room for creativity, but such a product looked less impressive.

Ships in bottles: how the most inexplicable marine souvenirs are created

The most responsible task was the installation of masts with sails. They were attached to the deck of the ship according to the hinge principle, and a thread was attached to each. When the model was assembled, the master pulled the threads, and the masts took their places, and the sails and rigging straightened out.

Ships in bottles: how the most inexplicable marine souvenirs are created

Nowadays, the creation of ships in bottles is not only a souvenir craft. In many countries, this is also one of the ship modeling disciplines. Masters compete with each other in the level of detail of the model, showing amazing accuracy. It is worth saying that the creation of such a ship takes a lot of time. Depending on the complexity of the work, it takes from several weeks to six months.

Post News Article

Recent articles

"The Dark Strangler" by Earl Leonard Nelson
"The Dark Strangler" by Earl Leonard Nelson

Sometimes people commit such monstrous acts that they become an inspiration for horror filmmakers. Thus, the master of the genre ...

15 vintage photo manipulations
15 vintage photo manipulations

Although digital photography and photo processing technologies have greatly advanced the boundaries of image manipulation, photo ...

Derby in diapers: how were the retro races of crawling babies
Derby in diapers: how were the retro races of crawling babies

This is very questionable from an ethical point of view, but no less popular event was held annually as part of the fair in ...