How to Make a Miniature Viking Longboat
- 1). Empty and clean a 2-liter soda bottle with mild dish soap and warm water. Dry the bottle with a clean dish towel.
- 2). Slide on a pair of work gloves to protect your skin.
- 3). Cut off the bottle's spout opening flush with the body of the bottle. Remove all bottle labels.
- 4). Place a rubber band around the center of the bottle, lengthwise. Trace the outline of the rubber band. Remove the rubber band and cut the bottle in half along the trace line.
- 5). Keep one half of the bottle and discard the other. Flip the bottle upright so it sits on its beveled side.
- 6). Cut two identical, block-letter, lower-case "J" shapes into cardboard. Position one letter "J" shape upside down at one of the far ends of the bottle so the curve is facing out. Adjust the "J" so it is perpendicular to the bottle and center at the end of the bottle. Glue the "J" into place with permanent epoxy. Repeat with the second "J" for the opposite end of the bottle. The cardboard "J's" add to the authenticity of the Viking longboat shape and design.
- 7). Measure and cut a 4-by-6-inch cardboard rectangle. Form the piece into a 6-inch-long cylinder. Glue the sides of the cylinder together with permanent epoxy. Layer one of the cylinder ends with permanent epoxy. Fit the tacky end down into the center of the ship. Cover the top of the cylinder with masking tape. The cylinder acts as the sail staff.
- 8). Combine the water and flour into a pot to make a papier-mache mix. Boil the mix for three minutes. Allow the mix to cool for five minutes. Pour the mix into a large bowl.
- 9). Soak a newspaper strip in the mix. Press the strip into the body of the boat. Continue until the entire surface area of the boat and staff is covered in one layer of newspaper mache. Repeat with white paper towels. Allow four hours for the boat to dry. Paper towel provides an ideal surface for acrylic paint.
- 10
Paint the interior and exterior of the boat. Use light and brown shades to emulate wood. Paint wavy lines and shapes into the curved parts of the upside-down letter "J's." Allow two hours for the boat to dry. - 11
Poke twelve 1/8-inch, evenly spaced holes in each side of the boat. The holes are necessary for inserting model oars. - 12
Cut the ends off of 12 Popsicle sticks with a straight-edge knife. Cut each stick in half, lengthwise, to create 24 narrow rectangular oars. Sand each oar with fine 240 grit paper. - 13
Paint three-fourths of the oar with light-brown paint. Paint the remaining fourth of each oar with dark-brown paint. Allow two hours for the oars to dry. Insert 1/4 inch of the light-brown end of each oar into its respective hole. Position each oar downward at a 45-degree angle. Glue the oars into place with permanent epoxy. - 14
Measure and cut a 3-by-6-inch piece of cardboard. Form the piece into a 6-inch-long cylinder. Glue the slides together with permanent glue. Paint the cylinder brown to represent wood. - 15
Cut out a 6-by-6-inch piece of construction paper. Paint each side of the paper with thick red and white stripes. Allow two hours for the paper to dry. - 16
Glue one edge of the paper to the 6-inch cylinder you created in step 14. Center and glue the cylinder two inches below the top of the longboat staff with permanent epoxy. You have now created the sail. - 17
Cut four pieces of dental floss and glue each one to the corners of the sail. Attach the opposite ends of the floss to the letter "J" with permanent epoxy. Cut additional pieces of floss to connect from the top of the staff to the letter "J" and the ends of the horizontal cylinder at the top of the sail to the sides of the boat.