Build the 4 mast bark “Archibald Russel”
by Frans Dekker
“She was built in 1905 at Greenock
I decided to built this ship because of the beautiful lines and the way of panting. She was painted whit gun-ports. But, as many times, I want do something else than just building another ship. I decided to built this ship in the style of a church-ship. These ships were made often by captains when the came home after a dangerous voyage to thank god for a good home coming. In many churches in
This SIB is different from others because of the fact that de stags and other ropes can not come out under the hull. De ropes had to go trough the hull and come out some where on the forecastle of the ship. Therefore, I made a tunnel in to the hull and placed over that tunnel a thin piece of wood. After painting de deck you can’t see it no more. Then, I drilled a hole from the forecastle into the tunnel (with a small round drill from a dentist) so the stags and ropes came out of the forecastle deck. After everything is ready and the ropes are cut off I put a hatch over it.
The Archibald Russel is a 4 mast bark. I didn’t cut of the main mast but made it about
When the ship was ready I made a metal holder (you can see it on the drawing “No. 4”). When the ship is in the bottle I put the ship in to de holder and with a metal pin I push the ship down so it get stuck so I can work on it. Working on it that way made it possible to pull up the masts by pulling the stags one by one. It was very difficult when the masts where standing in their positions to put some glue between the ropes at the place where the came out of the forecastle. Therefore, I had to put a very little bit of glue on the point of a long metal pin. Because the pin is long end very thin it shakes when you put it into the bottle. When the glue hits a rope or sail you can’t get it off no more. But that is the challenge. And so many times it went alright. After I cut the stags and ropes off and put the hatch over it you could never see how I did it. As last part, I glued the stags that went to the bowsprit.
When the ship was ready I got out the metal pin where the ship had been stuck, pulled the ship upwards on the long main mast, and I got de metal holder out of the bottle. Before that, I drilled a hole of
Year of building the SIB Archibald Russel: 1994
The bottle: 3 litre wine
High: 35 cm
Wide: 18 cm
Bottleneck: 28 mm
Archibald Russel:
Long: 14,5 CM
High: 7,5 cm