Ship-in-a-bottle demonstration at AGNS Oct. 3

The ship-in-a-bottle stays solid and firm, a testament to Blades craftsmanship. He’s been making these mysterious models since 1984, after being introduced to them while at sea. “I used to work on the gypsum boats a long time ago and this guy, an old salt, used to make very crude ones and toss them overboard. He was very superstitious, all tattooed, and said that if he ever came across one that he had made he would stop going to sea,” said Blades.

The nautical folk art from centuries past occupies Blades for hours at a time during the winter. Most ships take a minimum of 12 hours from start to finish, however more complex models like square-masters can take between 50 to 100 hours.

He carves each vessel from pieces of pine using ship plans for accuracy and refers to the hobby as a learning process.

Putty, with a trough of glue, is used inside the bottle as a base and to represent the ocean. Hinges on the mast allow everything to lay flat as the boat goes through the mouth of the bottle. Long, fine threads are attached to the rigging and Blades pulls these to gradually straighten the masts, untangling all the while.

Each bottle has its own idiosyncrasy and straightening the models inside the bottle is always tricky because none of them tangle the same way. “When they go through there’s quite a compression to put them inside. Once they’re inside then you have to use wires and homemade tools to untangle them and straighten them back up again,” said Blades. “I haven’t made a perfect one yet, I’m still working on them,” he said.

Blades will be presenting a demonstration of his craft as part of Craft Splash on Saturday, Oct. 3 from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the AGNS Western Branch in Yarmouth.

His presentation ties in nicely with Reflections on the Sea: Tall Ship Portraits and Models at the gallery till Oct. 4. Many of the items in the exhibit are on loan from the Yarmouth County Museum and Archives, a resource that Blades has a passion for. “They have one of the best ship portraiture collections this side of Ontario. I really like looking at a lot of the detail. Yarmouth is such a seafaring port that a lot of these ships were owned here and sailed out of here. That’s where I get a lot of enthusiasm for making ships,” he said.

Blades sells his ship-in-a-bottle models at the Sign of the Whale and at the Historic Properties in Halifax.

For a complete schedule of the Craft Splash, visit: http://yarmouthcraftsplash.blogspot.com

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