Been putting ships in bottles and building models from scratch (carved hulls) since I was 6 which means I have 21 years of experience to offer you. Here's my bona fides, aka, pictorialevidence (for scale, that little bark is in jigger bottle).
To the nitty gritty.
Sorry to tell you this, but wax is not a good idea, because it's temp sensitive; always sets with air bubbles, which will be the start of cracks when it gets cold. Clay is okay but has some of the same problems as wax, as well as the worst: it takes an age to dry. Remeber that any moisture in your bottle contents will end up condensing on the glass. That leads to mold and other nasty things, like wood warp– straight masts and spars become wonky ones.
The best sea/ground material is silicone sealant. Comes in tubes, usually with a nozzle. It can be sculpted before it dries (make mighty waves... with nothin' but a little stick *grin*). You can 'plant' items in it—ship's hull— before it dries, and they won't come unstuck. If you have to paint it for color preference, just get the type of silicone that will take paint. The really awesome thing about silicone is that you can toss a bit of sand in when it's wet, and now you have a sandy beach (which is what you might want if you do a 'scene' with a ship out for hull-scraping/repairs).
If you can tell me what you want to do, I may be of more help. PM me if you'd prefer that.
Off the Latest Things page
Been putting ships in bottles and building models from scratch (carved hulls) since I was 6 which means I have 21 years of experience to offer you. Here's my bona fides, aka, pictorial evidence (for scale, that little bark is in jigger bottle).
To the nitty gritty.
Sorry to tell you this, but wax is not a good idea, because it's temp sensitive; always sets with air bubbles, which will be the start of cracks when it gets cold. Clay is okay but has some of the same problems as wax, as well as the worst: it takes an age to dry. Remeber that any moisture in your bottle contents will end up condensing on the glass. That leads to mold and other nasty things, like wood warp– straight masts and spars become wonky ones.
The best sea/ground material is silicone sealant. Comes in tubes, usually with a nozzle. It can be sculpted before it dries (make mighty waves... with nothin' but a little stick *grin*). You can 'plant' items in it—ship's hull— before it dries, and they won't come unstuck. If you have to paint it for color preference, just get the type of silicone that will take paint. The really awesome thing about silicone is that you can toss a bit of sand in when it's wet, and now you have a sandy beach (which is what you might want if you do a 'scene' with a ship out for hull-scraping/repairs).
If you can tell me what you want to do, I may be of more help. PM me if you'd prefer that.
Best,
–Nici