Build the Herbert L. Rawdings
- by Frans Dekker
I started with making the bottom of the sea. I put some blue clay on the bottom about 1 -
To build the scene, I started with the hills. After the hills where ready I put the electrical wire through the hole in the glass and ran it where I needed them for the houses. I put a little clay over the wire so that you could not see it any more. Then, I finished the beach and sea. When that all was ready I made the church - single houses (4), and warehouses (2). I made them in a size that would just pass through the inside of the bottleneck. I made trees from very thin copper, twisted together, and then welded together. I put the branches in some white glue and than I sprinkled green fine stuff over it specially made for train modellers. It looks very good. Because the trees where planned on the hills I had to put them there already. I have made the sea from blue and white clay, mixed together. Then, it was time to put the quay with the lighthouse into the bottle. I drilled a hole in the lighthouse and at the place in the quay the lighthouse was planned. Then I put the electrical wire through the hole of the lighthouse so the LED came on top of it. When that was ready, I put the quay with the lighthouse true the bottleneck. Once in the bottle I pulled the lighthouse up into position.
This time, it was possible to let the masts of the ship turn backward (fold down) because the deckhouses were very low. I placed the deck houses on later when the ship was in the bottle. I give the ship a position at the harbour so she is without sails and without cargo. That is why she lays high on the water. At the pier I made some warehouses. At the end of the pier is the lighthouse. At the part where the water comes to shore I have made a small shipyard where they are making a ship. The church and some houses made it complete. The light in the light-house burns on and off: 1 second on, 2 seconds off, 1 second on, 2 seconds off, and so on and so on.
Bottle holder:I had the desire to make a special stand. So I made two whales to carry the bottle. I made the whales out of Lindewood and I carved them myself. I stained the wooden whales black using a wood stain and coated them with lacquer. (I am sorry but I do not now the English names for the sort of whales) I placed the biggest whale at the point where I made the hole in the glass. I drilled a hole in the tale of the wale so the electrical wires came out at the backside under the tail. Some parts needed for the electricity are so big that I had to make a sea chest to put them in. I finished the bottle with a Turks Head knot and a wax seal.
Some people say that you should not have anything else in the bottle other than a ship. The bottle should rest on a stand made from a simple wooden standard. Anything else is to much and it takes the attention away from the ship. But there are many ways to built SIB’s and I like more than just one way.
Information about the actual “Herbert L. Rawding”
Length overall -
Wide - 38.5 feet
Depth -
Net tonnage - 1109
Information about the bottle:
Sort of bottle -
Length of the bottle -
Bottle width - 11 ½ cm
Information about the stand:
Smallest Whatle - 21 cm
Sea chest - 14 x 9 x 7 ½ cm
Stand for Everything - 31 x 17 x 2 cm