Benchy in a Bottle

thingiverse

3dBenchy in a bottle! A conversation piece for both 3d print makers and boat enthusiasts alike! Bottle Benchy prints in 5 pieces, each small enough to fit into a BAWLS (or standard glass) bottle neck. Each piece (port and starboard lower, port and starboard mid, and the roof) has multiple recesses that will accommodate 1mmx2mm magnets, which assist in assembly once the pieces are inserted into the bottle. ********************************** Things you will need: ********************************** - The 3d printed Bottle Benchy model - BAWLS (or other) bottle - A pack of 1mm x 2mm magnets - Each model takes 16 magnets, although these things are tiny and like to disappear, so I recommend having many spares on-hand. - Glue (I recommend two different varieties. I used super glue for the magnets, which sets quickly and makes installing the magnets quicker. I then used E6000, which has a thicker consistency and sets slower, to glue the pieces of the model together inside the bottle (instructions and further details below) as well as the assembled model to the bottom of the bottle). *********************************************************************** Things you dont NEED, but will make your life much easier: *********************************************************************** - Long narrow tweezers (for manipulating the model once inside the bottle). I used a scissors in lieu of tweezers). - A non magnetic stick with a cotton swap taped to the end (for applying glue inside the bottle). - A small flat-head screwdriver, like that which comes with the Ender3 (to assist with handling / inserting the magnets into the model. - A fine-point permanent marker. - A cork, or any twine or artistic / crafty detail you'd like to add to the bottle for presentation sake. ***************************** Assembly Instructions: ***************************** Disclaimer: This is by no means the only, or even the right, way to go about this. I've made about 8 so far, and have picked up some tips along the way. Below is my attempt to share my technique and hopefully make the lives of others easier by sharing what I've learned... 1) Print the model. I've included a single STL file including all pieces, as well as individual STL files if any individual pieces break (or you flummox the assembly down the road and need to re-print). The stand is measured / sized for a BAWLS bottle. It may work on other bottles, but i have built this with long-neck beer bottles that did not sit on the stand will. If you use any bottles other than BAWLS, please take this into account. Because the basic principal of this model is to be visually appealing, I recommend printing at .1. 2) Install the magnets into the pieces. This is arguably more trying on one's patience than assembling the model inside of the bottle. **TIP: Use your flat head screw driver to pick up the magnets. Then, using the screw driver to hold the magnet, insert the magnet into the hole of the model and hold your finger over the tip / hole as you slide the screw driver out. **TIP: Be sure to glue the magnets into the corresponding sides so that the polarity attracts. One backwards magnet that opposes its mate will defeat the purpose of the magnets and will make assembly inside the bottle challenging if not impossible. Follow the instructions below regarding marking the magnets with a marker to assist in this effort. Start with the lower most sections of the hull. Take one half, IE the port half, and glue one magnet into the side. Allow time for the glue to dry. Then, take one more magnet, and place it onto the magnet you just glued. Don't glue it, just allow it to do its thing and magnetically attract. Once its clinging to the magnet you just glued into the hull piece, take your permanent marker and color in the exposed side of the magnet, then remove the magnet. Take the opposite side of the hull and glue in the magnet you just colored, being sure to insert it colored side down. This will ensure you're attaching the magnet in the correct orientation so it attracts the magnet on the corresponding piece. Repeat this step with the other magnet in the middle of the lower hull piece. After allowing all pieces, and any residual glue that may have been smeared during the process to dry, verify that both halves of the lower hull naturally attract. *Note: Each half should easily snap together. Because these magnets are so small, if one of the two magnets is opposing its mate, it may not be obvious, but if the hull doesn't seem to naturally come together with the magnets, the polarity in the magnets is likely incorrect. Repeat this process of gluing the magnets in, then marking the corresponding magnets one-by-one with the remaining pieces of the hull. Be aware, also, that the forward most magnets, facing upward, on the tip of the bow are very close to the magnets below it on the side of the hull. To ensure the model attracts all pieces as best as possible, dry fit these magnets on the tip of the bow before gluing them to ensure they're oriented in a manor that attracts to the nearby magnet. Once all magnets are glued into place, very the model seems to magnetically snap together before putting any of the pieces in your bottle. 3) Begin building the ship inside of the bottle by sliding one of the lower hull pieces into the model. Once it's in, use your cotton-swab-on-a-stick to apply a touch of E6000 or similar slow drying adhesive to the inside of the piece. Use your long narrow tweezers to hold the piece if necessary. 4) Try to tilt and gently shake the bottle so the model slides towards the back, then insert the corresponding lower hull piece. Once it's in, tile the bottle neck-down so both pieces slide to the front, and ideally meet, then attract to one another. A little fooling around with tweezers or another long non-magnetic pokey tool may aid in this process. Once the pieces meet, allow the glue to dry so they don't separate in the next steps. 5) Apply a touch of glue to the top of the piece that is inside of the bottle. Insert one of the mid-ship halves into the neck of the bottle. Using your tweezers, lift / set it onto the existing hull piece. The magnets should snap it into ideal place. Allow the glue to dry, then repeat with the other half. 6) Apply a touch of glue to any corner of the existing ship, then insert the final piece into the bottle. This piece is most easily handled by the smoke stack. Like the others, it should easily snap into place via the magnets. 7) Allow the model to completely dry. Once the ship is assembled in the bottle, slide the ship to the back of the bottle by tilting it, then smear a dab of glue onto the bottom of the bottle. Slide the ship back forward onto the glue by tilting the bottle or using your tweezers. Your ship is now complete! Finish it off with some decorative twine or small line around the neck, a cork, some decorative rocks inside the bottle, or whatever you please! I'll be putting a video together shortly to visually demonstrate some of the aforementioned techniques. Please comment and let me know if you have any questions, suggestions, or if you found any tips and tricks to make this process easier yourself! I've also included my design for lighting the model. This lamp-post is put together using three LEDs in series, a resistor, and 9 volt battery with a toggle switch. This was a half-effort design, and could certainly be improved upon. Feel free to remix!