How are ship models put in bottles?

The ship model is first constructed outside the bottle.  The builder then folds the masts down slips the ship down the bottle’s neck and pulls up the masts.  

Did you ever see a ship model in a bottle?  If so, then you may have wondered how the ship got inside the bottle.

Workmanship

To pass the time on long voyages, old-time sailors often made model sailing ships in bottles.  To get the ship in the bottle, the sailor first constructed the ship outside the bottle.  

The masts and rigging and other parts of the ship were made in fine detail.  Carving them took careful workmanship. 

When the ship was finished, the sailor tied a thread to the from mast.  Then he carefully folded the masts so that they lay flat on the deck.  

Now the model ship was small enough to slide through the narrow neck and into the bottle.  

inside the bottle, the sailor pulled up the first mast with the thread.  That tightened the rigging, and the rigging pulled up the other masts.  Ship models in bottles make interesting collectors’ item. – Dick Rogers