Vol. 64, No. 4 winter 2019 312


5.


ship in bottle hulls so lines not leading through the bowsprit could travel beneath the deck. For a model as large and as involved as Raleigh it was much simpler to saw the hollow into the halves of the hull core and plank the gundeck over it. Additional pieces bridged the two halves under deck to help support that deck and the masts when they were stepped. It was better for organizing the lines, and far better for loosening them to allow the rig to collapse, and fi nally drawing them back up taut aſt er the model was in the bottle.


T e core of the model and the deck planking were cut from a piece of very old pine. T e inner bulwarks were built up of pearwood, establishing the gun ports and tumblehome. Hatch gratings, companionways, bitts and wheels were of boxwood and the capstans


and hatch coamings were also of pear. T e stem and exterior planking were of box, and the wales and railings were of ebony. As an experiment, I decided to turn the cannon out of ebony, with some success. T e gun carriages were of pear. T e planks for the lower hull and the window frames for the stern and stern galleries were of holly. All the woods worked together in the stern decorations, with the ship’s name spelled out under the transom in letters of holly. T e last wood involved in this project was bamboo, which made up the masts, tops and spars.


Inspired by the careful and eff ective use of natural woods in half models, I have tried to benefi t from the natural colors of woods fi nished with only a natural stain, rather than painting. One area where this idea pressed beyond a realistic expectation from such a model was in the bow: the trailboards, head rails and fi gurehead. T ese were all just of boxwood, though on the ship all of these, especially the fi gurehead, would have been painted, and probably in strong colors. I may be able to blame the compelling images of Harold Hahn’s model, which is an example of the same idea, but must bear the real responsibility for this stylistic choice myself.


6.


Once the hull was well established it was important to get the putty sea in the bottle. T is was glazing putty mixed with artist’s oils. Years ago, this mixture would set up so quickly it was important to complete


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