Putting Land and Sea In a Bottle

By: Greg Alvey

There are many materials which can be used to create the “sea” and “land” in our scenes and dioramas and every modeler seems to have his or her favorite.  There is no one “best” material to use in all situations and multiple materials are often used in the same bottle.  The material selected is often based on the cost, availability, drying time, ease of inserting and working into shape, just to name just few.  Clay, wood, plasticine, Styrofoam, and plaster, to name a few, are all used and each has its own distinct advantage and disadvantage.

I have seen wonderful ships and scenes made with great detail marred because the material used for the sea or land area cracked or broke.  Worse yet are the bottles where the material used breaks completely away from the glass destroying everything in the bottle and often breaking the bottle itself.

The material I generally prefer is regular window putty (also called glazing compound) to form the sea and land.  I like the material because it is relatively inexpensive and readily available at hardware and paint stores.  It is designed to stick to glass and mixes well with various types of paint allowing you to create the colors you need for your scenes.   It dries slowly giving you ample time to work the material into sea, waves, islands, hills, mountains, and other shapes as desired.   It’s pretty messy mixing in the paint so you should plan to wear rubber or surgical gloves.  But the messiest part is putting the sea in the bottle.  You need to be careful here, because it is difficult and time-consuming cleaning the putty from areas where you don't want it to be.

I’ve discovered a simple tool can be constructed that helps eliminate most of the mess and allows you to control the amount and location of the putty. The tool is made from a 1/2" PVC pipe about 12 - 14" long (depends on the size bottle you are using), and a 7/16” diameter dowel about 18” long to use as a "ramming rod."  I cut an approximate 30 degree bevel cut on the end that goes in the bottle.   The bevel cut makes it easier to extract the clay in the amount and location you choose.

The way I use the tool is to force 2 – 3 inches at a time of the putty into the beveled end of the PVC pipe.  You can get the putty into the PVC pipe by continually pushing it into a ball or glob of the putty, which forces it into the pipe, or you can push it into the pipe with your fingers.  Rolling out a snake shape can make it easier to push it in with your fingers.  Once you have the desired amount of putty in the pipe, thoroughly clean any excess from around the outside of the pipe.  Now, insert the beveled end into the opening of the bottle and to the desired location.  Next, put the wooden dowel in the other end of the PVC pipe and slowly push it forward until it forces the putty to squeeze out the pipe into the bottle in little rolls.   As you are pushing it out you can move the pipe back, forth, or side to side to spread and maneuver the putty to form the shape you need.   It also helps to line the inside of the bottle neck with regular or wax paper to keep any excess from getting on the glass.  I continue this process until I have the desired amount of clay in the bottle.  Now I am ready to start using other tools to smooth and form the putty into the desired shape. At this point, I’m ready to make an impression of the hull in the sea before it dries so that the hull will be ready to glue in the sea after it is inserted in the bottle. This process works well when you wish to create a landscape in different colors, since you can fill the pipe with different colored clay in controlled amounts.   If you use different colors of putty in your bottle be sure to clean the pipe thoroughly between the color changes or use a different PVC pipe for each color.

The process works great and will not only save you a huge cleanup and help prevent messy smears; it will give you greater control on the amount and location of the putty.  The final step is to be patient and allow ample time for the putty to dry before putting your ship and other objects in the bottle and sealing it.  The putty must be completely dry--if it isn’t, moisture or condensation can form later, marring the appearance or even ruining your model.  Because the drying period can take a long time, I recommend you start working on this part near the beginning of construction.  By doing so you are allowing more time for the putty to dry while you are crafting the ship and other items to go into the bottle.  To speed up the drying time, I have sometimes put my bottles on a floor heating register.  When the heat comes on it hastens the drying time but not so fast as to cause cracking or other problems when something dries too quick.  Be sure to cover the bottle opening with a piece of cloth.  This prevents dust and other foreign objects from getting in the bottle and still lets the bottle “breath” so that it dries normally without moisture or condensation forming.