Viking Ship in a Bottle

by AudriusG in Craft > Art

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Viking Ship in a Bottle

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Hi, let me show you my viking ship in a bottle. This ship I did two years ago and took me more than two months to do.

Only now realized that I forgot to make picture of every step, but principals are quite similar to Black Pearl pirate ship I showed in my first instructable.

So this is the picture I found on google

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After measuring bottle height, width and interior neck, I started with carving the hull. Piece of wood I found was very soft and fine grain, so work was quite pleasant.

I managed to make hull in one piece which can pass through bootle neck, except for dragon head - this would go on ship already inside of the bottle

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So hull is finished to be carved, covered with wood varnish. As you can see there are 3D planks on hull and deck, so to enhance contrast I painted hull in black with hobby acrylic paint, and then gently sanded to remove paint from surface but leave in grooves.

For deck I used washing technique - very dissolved black paint which would only remain in between planks

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Now it's time for mast.  Mast painted in black as it's covered by tar, rigging is light color - I red that vikings used hemps for ropes. Then stay is pierced through the hull for later tension, standing rigs are glued to the sides of hull after vertical positioning 

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About shields... plenty time took.

Piece of foil has been cut by office puncher to get perfectly round pieces. Every shield got it's 3D form by aid of awl (from back side). Use cutting matt to put foil on - is better soft base for impressing foil. Then sheet of old x-ray film was also punched and those two rounds glued together with ciano acrylate (superglue). I did that because foil alone is not strong enough and can be easily damaged.

Than every shield got painted with hobby acrylics or permanent markers.

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For sail I used piece of linen tissue (I got from infirmary:) ). Red strips painted with red permanent marker. Black bird with tiny brush and acrylics.

Ready for bottle!

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Here we are. 

A...oars... It took ages for me to get one by one sanded, glued, painted and one by one inserted in to bottle in each place. I used toothpicks. And forgot to make picture...

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Because bottle is round, I need stand for it. So few pieces of wood glued together to I=I shape, carved some viking runes, varnished and ready for paint

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With oars and dragon head in place. Done